"Please, Hilise. Please die in place of Gabrielle."
My always dignified brother begged me for the first time.
He wants me to die for our stepsister, whom we don't even share a single drop of blood with.
"For the first and last time, I ask you this."...
"Are you just gonna leave me like this? Is what you just said true? No? It's just a joke, right? Are you being mean to me for no reason?"
Christian's cold eyes glued to her hanging touch with a firm grip on his arm. Soon after, on his smooth lips, ashallow sigh came out.
"Gabriel."
As cold as Christian's eyes and voice, his hands covered the back of Gabriel's. Gabriel shuddered in the coldness of his skin.
Christian leaned her upper body towards her and bowed his head, and the lighted silver hair was slightly disheveled.
"I'm afraid."
A dark shadow sprang up over Gabriel's head.
"I'm not feeling very well today."
Christian whispered quietly to Gabriel, unconscious of his breath.
"But if I were to drag my lips on this issue any longer, I'd definitely be saying much more insulting and harsh things to you."
Christian's face was completely washed away even the usual ceremonial smile he used to make.
"No matter how sick and tired I am of dealing with you, it's not technically your fault that this damn engagement has made me feel so bad, is it?"
Gabriel never saw such an expression from Christian.
He's always been a perfect man, like a sweet, sweet, beautiful love story.
"So I think we should just say goodbye before I vent my anger."
The red eyes facing Gabriel were so cold that she had never imagined before, so Gabriel caught her breath and hiccupped.
"Don't you agree with that?"
Gabriel nodded reflexively as she heard the low voice clinging to her eardrum like a glue. Then the grip on the back of her hand became stronger.
Christian took Gabriel's hand, which had been holding his arm until then, and turned back coldly.
Gabriel gazed at Christian's back with a bewitching look.
* * *
At that time, there was another Inoaden at Amelie's party. It was Ricardo.
"Osmond."
Then Osmond left the party for a while and was smoking with other friends who attended today.
Then he raised his head to a voice calling for him and found an uninvited guest standing there.
At the moment Osmond was speechless. But it was only in a real split second. Soon he smiled broadly, welcoming Ricardo.
"Ricardo, you're here."
As he approached Osmond as if he had waited, Ricardo slowly opened his stiff face. In fact, even before he came here, he was wondering if it was possible.
But looking at Osmond like this, it doesn't seem like he didn't intentionally send Ricardo an invitation.
(Maybe it was because you were so busy preparing for the party that you thought you had already sent an invitation, or maybe you actually sent an invitation, but you missed it by mistake in the middle of the process?)
When he thought about it, he felt comfortable inside, which had been a dilemma since a while ago. Ricardo then smiled at Osmond too.
"Yes, congratulations on your first anniversary."
"Thank you. I'm glad to hear that from you, too.
Some of the friends around also came to Ricardo as they exchanged glances. Osmond smiled until they exchanged brief greetings.
After waiting, Ricardo was naturally taken to his seat.
"What about Lady Heliona?"
"Well, she's in the garden now. They said they'd reveal the gift they got from their mother."
"Well, then we can go to the garden now. I was going to say hello to Amelia and Maribel."
But Osmond stopped walking when he heard that.
"I'd rather not, Ricardo."
A quiet whisper sank into the dark grass.
In the blind spot of the light, Ricardo looked at the face of the friend he had known for quite some time.
"...What does that mean?"
Then he couldn't help but ask, so he put in his mouth a question that he could clearly see.
And soon after Ricardo's ear-piercing reply was just as he had guessed.
"Lady Hilise is at the party today."
For a moment, Ricardo's expression washed away from his face. Osmond had an embarrassing smile on his lips.
"Ricardo, please don't be offended. I wouldn't have said this if you weren't my friend."
A soothing touch landed on Ricardo's shoulder. Ricardo suppressed the urge to strike it off.
Knowing that or not, Osmund continued in a more serious tone.
"I don't want my best friend to be someone who would be a laughing stalk at my engagement party."
His words rolled into Ricardo's chest like a square stone.
"So I don't know if it's a good choice to get you in there now, to be honest, I'm not confident."
Osmond said to Ricardo, as if he was worried.
Ricardo realized that the doubts that had troubled him a little while ago no longer remained doubts, but invaded reality.
"You didn't invite me on purpose either."
He didn't believe it, but it was true.
After hearing Ricardo's rigid recitation, Osmond said with regret on his face.
