Attachment Knight - Chapter 17

It’s already been three days. Did Yerenika keep it quiet?

For some reason, Yerenika didn’t answer. I’d assumed Don would have come to see me, but only an awkward silence lingered.

Radem answered in her place as she hesitated.

“He stayed by your bedside for three days, but I did not see that man’s face.”

“….”

“He’s an extremely busy person. It was right before the party as well. Please understand that much, miss.”

Yerenika responded belatedly.

“And you didn’t want him to see you like this either, miss. So it’s for the best. If Don found out, we’d have to explain everything.”

“…Right. That’s true.”

I nodded vaguely. Yes, it was better this way. If Don saw me injured, there was no telling how he would react. He might interrogate us and even punish Radem.

Still, the fact that he didn’t come even once….

“Where is he?”

“He didn’t leave any particular message, so he should be in his office.”

“Did he ask about me?”

“As you know, he’s busy.”

“Fine. That’s enough.”

I cut off the meaningless exchange and sat at the vanity. The woman reflected in the mirror was pale, without a trace of color. My lips were nearly colorless, my hands and ankles were thin, and my cheeks were hollow. I like a sickly kind of beauty, but this was too much.

With Yerenika’s help, I tightened my corset and applied makeup. With ornate hair ornaments and dressed up prettily, I looked like an expensive glass doll painted with color.

I stared indifferently at the breathtakingly beautiful face reflected in the mirror.

I missed Don Pisano terribly, and at the same time, I didn’t want to look at him at all.

***

Radem followed behind Millicent, who walked as if she were dancing.

Her vermilion eyes swirled beautifully like a red sunset, her golden hair flowing like waves.

Anyone who encountered her would be entranced. Her presence carried a sticky density, yet the smile at her lips was endlessly gentle.

A soft, fruity scent drifted from the nape of her white neck. The dress that her loyal maid had put on her revealed more than it concealed. The light violet chiffon dress, translucent like butterfly wings, was deeply cut at the chest. Below, it narrowed to reveal her slender waist and the line of her thighs, then flared lightly from the knees.

The top covering her chest hovered slightly, dangerously. The woman’s skin, glossy and sweet-scented, was whiter than the fur draped over her elbow.

Even just looking at her felt like one’s soul was being shaken from its roots. Sensing danger was close to instinct, and Radem naturally tried not to keep his gaze on Millicent for long.

“I’m late with my thanks. Thank you for saving me. I was a bit moved back then.”

“Anyone would have done the same in that situation.”

“No. Everyone wants me to die quickly, or end up half-crippled, or have my face completely ruined so I’d be cast aside by Don. You’re the first one who tried to save me. So of course I was moved.”

“….”

Millicent slowly turned to look at him.

“If you had used my life as leverage back then and proposed a deal for your escape, I would have had no choice but to accept.”

Radem looked at her as if he couldn’t believe it. His face was astonishingly kind and pure.

“Please don’t say such things, even as a joke.”

“Why? Human nature is incredibly wicked.”

“That can’t be true. Besides, we have a connection from childhood.”

He actually believes that.

It really seemed now that he believed whatever she said.

Millicent laughed in delight. It had been a long time since she felt such pure joy.

“You really can’t be a bad person.”

The two walked toward the main banquet hall.

The sky, with the sunset completely gone, was dyed a deep navy. Brilliant lanterns released for the guest of honor illuminated every corner of the castle and gardens.

Carriages without family crests were lined up in the darkness. Guests covering their mouths with fans and masks got down like spies on a secret mission and moved toward the main palace. It was Millicent’s birthday banquet, but not a single one of the guests was hers. They were all outsiders who had come to the island to make connections with Don Pisano or to join an interesting gambling table.

The central hall on the first floor, decorated with gold and pure white fresh flowers, was as splendid as an imperial social party.

Don Pisano, who had been formally greeting guests, spotted Millicent and turned toward her. He wore a dark gray suit that showed off his solid upper body and long legs.

A flicker of excitement appeared in the man’s jet-black eyes as he quickly swept his gaze over Millicent.

The intense heat soon cooled coldly when he noticed the guard standing beside her.

“Millicent, you’re dazzlingly beautiful, just as befits today’s guest of honor. I didn’t expect you to bring that one along as well.”

“He’s my guard, so of course he should attend with me.”

Dressed in colors similar to Millicent, the knight looked even more striking in uniform. His tall build, the cleanly revealed forehead, and refined features made him look like a figure stepped out of a painting. Don, glaring at the annoyingly handsome face with displeasure, lightly pressed a kiss to Millicent’s forehead. The surrounding gazes gathered. Suppressed admiration and gasps rippled like waves.

Even in the castle adorned with gold, the woman who shone uniquely looked like the rightful owner of this place more than anyone else.

It was then that the attention shifted.

“Haha, it’s an honor to finally meet the beloved mistress you keep so carefully hidden away in your bedroom, Don. You’re even more beautiful than I’d heard. I don’t think you were quite like this before. You’ve grown up very prettily. It’s enough to make me regret it myself….”

The man with a coarse build was Marquis Godom of the Sosheu Kingdom, who helped Don Pisano distribute goods in the black market of the Apellant continent. He didn’t bother to hide the curiosity and greed in his gaze, as if Millicent were a rare animal.

Not just Marquis Godom, but sticky gazes filled with desire to snatch the waist of this delicate and breathtakingly beautiful woman and relieve themselves in a bedroom surrounded her.

In Omelas, there is no guidance, no order, no morality. It’s a place created by tangled instincts, pleasure, and secret, filthy fantasies.

To them, Millicent was nothing more or less than a ballerina who was the lover of a man in power, someone they could desire for a night if they paid money.

The impure heat and filthy gazes burned at Radem’s nerves. An unpleasant feeling crept up his spine. The ominous premonition proved correct.

Watching Don Pisano and Millicent walk away, Marquis Godom grumbled, “Damn it. If I’d known it would be like this, I should’ve stamped my patron seal on her when she was fifteen.”

“So Miss Millicent wasn’t quite like this back then?”

“She was damn pretty even then, but she was skinny. Sure, that kind of body’s perfect for dancing, but my taste is for something with more curves and flesh…. Ah, if I’d stamped my patron seal back then, I’d have worn her down by now and probably have a child or two.”

At the trashy remarks that dug into his ears without restraint, Radem’s fists clenched.

“Still, you must’ve had plenty of fun with your patronage, haven’t you? It’s a shame I didn’t know sooner….”

“The dancer I picked back then wasn’t bad, but it’s still a shame.”

The marquis smacked his lips, then gestured subtly to the man he was speaking with. The two whispered to each other.

Frowning, Radem lost interest and moved away.

Around that time, a servant approached Don Pisano and spoke, “Master, His Grace Duke Bellio of Sankratio has requested an audience. He says he wishes to negotiate an adjustment regarding a holy relic transaction.”

“At a time like this? He’s impossible to predict. That stubborn man.”

Don let out a sharp, irritated laugh.

“Obviously Marquis Godom must’ve stirred things up. The way he acts is getting more and more irritating.”

“….”

“I should go. Millie, this is your stage, so enjoy yourself appropriately. If you want to dance, dance with a slave instead. If other men approach you, don’t respond to them at all. And when the time is right….”

“….”

“I suppose it’ll be time for some cleaning.”

“Yes.”

“Don’t forget that I’m always watching you.”

“I understand.”

“Good girl.”

Radem watched as Don wrapped an arm around Millicent’s waist and showered her with kisses. Normally, she would have been pleased, but today her face was unusually stiff.

Is she not feeling well?

Is she showing resentment toward the lover who didn’t appear even once over three days?

Should I approach her, or just watch?

His mind filled with thoughts of Millicent, yet he couldn’t bring himself to step forward.

As he stood there watching helplessly, someone strode toward her as if they had been waiting for their prey to step out of its den.

“Miss Millicent. It’s our first time greeting each other properly, isn’t it? Or should I say, it’s been a very long time?”