Hatred
Lady Alyssa’s disappearance was resolved suddenly and unexpectedly.
That alone caused quite a stir, but when people found out that the one who solved it was none other than the young lord of the Tryon family, rulers of a remote domain, the buzz only grew louder.
“I thought he was just a country noble, but he’s surprisingly capable.”
“I hear he’s known Lady Alyssa for some time now.”
“Apparently, he even asked her to dance, and she accepted.”
“You mean he’s been close with the famously difficult Lady Alyssa for years!?”
“Looks like a major dark horse just entered the race for her hand in marriage.”
While we waited in the ballroom for Lady Alyssa to appear, prominent figures—drawn by the rumors—began approaching Lord Doyle one after another to greet him.
This was a promising development.
Originally, the Tryon family hadn’t considered any kind of match with the Maclead family. Sure, getting close to the daughter of a duke might bring unprecedented prosperity to the Abbott region—but no one had realistically expected such a thing to happen.
However, everything had taken a dramatic turn.
Everyone assumed this would be the first time they’d met, but then Lord Doyle revealed that he had actually met Lady Alyssa before.
And she, too, seemed to recall it—the moment the Tryon name was mentioned, her attitude completely changed. She accepted his invitation to dance without hesitation.
Now, Lord Doyle had suddenly risen as a top contender for the spotlight at this ball.
“It feels like I’m dreaming…”
“Me too, Brough…”
Marietta and Brough, who had worked at the estate for many years and known Lord Doyle since he was a child, were both moved to tears as they exchanged emotional words.
No wonder. Even Elina and I, who’d only known him a short while, were getting a little misty-eyed ourselves.
But just then, Elina and I felt a wave of hostility directed at Lord Doyle from within the ballroom.
We turned around—and there stood Hank, glaring at us with a terrifying expression.
“S-Senior…”
“I see him. Elina, stay on alert.”
“Y-Yes.”
Hank’s eyes burned with hatred.
He was cloaked in a menacing aura that suggested he could do anything at any moment.
It might not be quite full-blown desperation, but there was no doubt he was lashing out.
We had to be ready to respond instantly if anything happened—our hands ready to draw our holy swords at a moment’s notice.
Amidst the tension that only surrounded us, a sudden surge of applause and cheers erupted across the ballroom.
—Yes.
The star of the evening, Lady Alyssa, had finally appeared.
What kind of beauty would she be?
Curious, I turned to look at her—
“Ehh!?”
And blurted out in shock before I could stop myself.
What do you think about this chapter?
