Chapter 9: Find me and lend me your hand
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"Huh?"
What did Allan just say?
"As I was saying, Sophia went to tell you that she wanted the engagement to be cancelled. At that time, I heard you firmly refused and were so unapproachable. She said you were only going to agree if the cancellation was made in public."
Seeing Nora narrow her eyes, Allan stammered, "…Wasn"t that the case?"
"I didn"t know I was engaged to you until the evening party. That was also the first time I met Sophia."
"But didn"t you talk to Sophia earlier?"
"The other day, she came to my house. She was furious that I was bothering you even though I was no longer your fiancee. She also said she didn"t want to be labelled as a Viscount"s daughter forever. She threatened me and then left."
That was very inappropriate to say for someone who wants to be part of the House of Marquis. Just what was she mad about?
Her lie caused Nora"s engagement to become a public ridicule.
I should be the one getting mad here!
The engagement has already been cancelled and Allan"s head over heels for her. Just what is her problem?
"Since I was already engaged to you, I told Sophia it would be difficult to be engaged to her. I wanted her to wait for the cancellation process. She wasn"t convinced and insisted that the engagement be cancelled immediately. But I didn"t imagine she would lie just to break our engagement. I"m sorry for the trouble it has caused you. I"m terribly sorry." Allan bowed with sincerity.
He picked up his drink silently.
"No one ever chooses me. It"s always been Elias."
"What about Sophia?"
"Sophia simply likes the House of Marquis. As I"ve said before, Elias was supposed to be the successor until he refused the marriage proposal. It was after that when Sophia first approached me. It was practically right after the next successor was decided. I knew she didn"t like me…" Allan grumbled as he watched the liquid swirl in his gla.s.s.
I wouldn"t have guessed that, considering his haughty demeanor before. I don"t know if I should pity him or call him weak.
However, Nora still had a favorable impression of him in comparison to the selfish lady.
She felt like she was taking care of a child from the downtown area.
"Isn"t it fine to have a n.o.ble house you particularly like? It"s a prestigious family. Have more confidence in yourself. I may not like you but I hope you become a respectable man who will be dedicated to Sophia from here onwards."
Allan stared blankly at Nora and downed his drink in one go.
"…I don"t dislike you. So, let me tell you something."
Nora thought he was going to blabber more about the troublesome lady but Allan told her the location of a nearby park.
"Nora, I just remembered something." Inside the dressing room, Flora smiled when she heard what Allan had said to Nora.
"What is it?"
"The man with the grayish-brown who came to the store long before the evening party."
"What do you mean?"
"I think it was about a year ago? I distinctly remember him because he was so handsome even from afar. He only came on the days when you perform so I thought he was a fan of the "Azure Nightingale" because he immediately went home the moment your performance was over."
Because of the kerfuffle during the evening party, she didn"t pay much attention to it but Nora was sure she heard the grayish-brown haired man who came to her house mention something to that extent.
"I don"t know much about the engagement cancellation and proposal though." Flora said as she took out her sheet music.
The song of long distance love. It was what she sang when she first brought Allan and Elias to the restaurant.
"I wonder if I can talk to you once again…" As she laid down the musical score, Flora pointed out a part of the lyrics.
"Find me and lend me your hand."
"This time, I found you Nora."
Flora broke into a smile.
"Manager, can I go home for today?" Surprised by Nora who rarely came into the private room, the manager burst out laughing.
"Why? Did you finally realize your feelings for the blue rose?"
"Blue rose…"
That was certainly the first bouquet Elias had given Nora. She felt burdened by it and decided to hand it over to the restaurant manager.
"That kid had always come to listen to your songs so I"ve talked to him from time to time. He asked me what kind of flowers he should give you and I suggested the blue rose."
"You did?"
In that case, he knew everything.
"Your hair is bluish-black and his eyes are blue. Didn"t I tell you about the language of flowers before? Aside from what I told you, there"s one more meaning…"
Nora then left the restaurant.
There are many things she wanted to know. She had to talk to Elias.
Allan had told her the location of a park on top of the hill.
That seemed to be Elias" secret hideout whenever he feels depressed.
The entrance to the park was surprisingly wide. As she looked around for Elias, a man ran from the direction she came.
"Nora!"
For a moment, she thought it was Elias but his hair color was different. It was the man who gave her flowers before. He had said he was a fan of the "Azure Nightingale" but Nora wasn"t sure why he was there nor why he was addressing her by her first time so casually.
"Um, is there anything I can help you with?" When Nora asked him, he immediately grabbed her hand. She was surprised but when she tried to pull back her hand, she couldn"t remove it from his grasp.
"Nora, I heard you were hara.s.sed by a drunkard? I wish I was there. Are you alright?"
"Um, please let go of me."
As though he didn"t hear her plea, the man strengthened his hold.
"I can"t forgive anyone who touches you. After that, what did the n.o.bleman say? n.o.bilities are really good-for-nothing!"
"That"s not true. He helped me deal with the drunkard. Um, please let go of my hand…"
Just when she thought he had released her hand, he grabbed her shoulders instead.
"Why are you taking his side, Nora? I"ve been watching you longer than him!"
He was grabbing her shoulders with such brute force that it felt painful. But more than the pain from her shoulders, she felt deeply scared of him.
He was questioning her as if she was his lover who had cheated on him but she didn"t even know his name.
He said he was just a fan. But why was he doing this to me?
"Nora, you like me, right? Your blonde friend told me so."
Confused by what"s happening, Sophia"s words suddenly came into Nora"s mind.
"It"s useless to feign ignorance. Just wait and see."
Don"t tell me Sophia lied to this man as well?
Just how much did she see Nora as a hindrance?
"That"s a misunderstanding. I didn"t say that."
As she tried to desperately break free from his grasp, the man held her tighter.
"Nora, you"re mine!" Holding her shoulders, the man"s face inched closer.
Unable to move, Nora"s body went stiff from fear and disgust.
T/N: This will be my last post for this year. Apologies for that cliffhanger. >.<. happy="" in="" january.="" resume="" updates="" will="">