The Lady You Want to Kill

Her eyebrows and eye makeup were already well-defined, so they only needed a little grooming. She used a cosmetic made from gold and pearls to outline her eyelashes, which would surely shimmer when catching the light.

After lightly coloring her lips with a subtle shade, it was time to style her hair. Using a heated iron, the smooth straight hair was transformed into wavy and flowing locks. To prevent sweating, a few maids continuously fanned her on the side.

The windows were left open. Even though Beatrice had awakened by now, she couldn’t help but think that she wouldn’t mind skipping the debutante ball considering how many more hours of preparation were still ahead. Of course, the maids were working with all their might, leaving no room for them to be concerned about what she was thinking.

Once the hair was done, they applied a delicate flower oil on her previously groomed nails and used a mixture of gold dust and liquid to give them a thin yet solid texture.

The maids hesitated about how to cover the long scar on her neck, but they decided to simply focus on matching her face and skin tone, as if there were instructions from the Duchess.

With the scar’s outline fading away, it should be somewhat concealed once she wore a necklace. With makeup and hair complete, it was now time to put on the dress and jewelry.

The dress the maids carefully carried in was a soft crimson color, subtly shimmering. The lace wrapped around her exposed shoulders, and the material of the sleeves, which fell just below her elbows, was slightly translucent, revealing a hint of skin.

The waist and bodice were made of shiny white silk adorned with delicate white jewels and pearls, forming elegant curves that twinkled as she moved.

A layer of white lace cloth was lightly added on top of the pearly bodice, preventing the dress from appearing too heavy.

“M’lady, you look absolutely stunning today,” said Laura, one of the maids, with a rapturous gaze as Beatrice gazed at herself in the mirror. Has she ever put so much effort into her appearance before? Even though it was her own reflection, she felt a bit unfamiliar and blinked her eyes.

Another maid brought in silver-decorated shoes and carefully put them on her feet. While most debutantes would opt for high heels to complement their dresses, Beatrice’s height was taller than the average lady, so she chose relatively lower heels.

She adorned large pearl earrings and a necklace, and a diamond circlet connected with thin silver threads cascaded down her hair, creating a look as if she were a walking jewelry display.

In the light of the party venue, she would undoubtedly shine like a human jewel, so the maids sprinkled crushed gems and silver dust on her bodice and hair, as if to emphasize her radiance.

Truly, she would be so dazzling that no one at the party might be able to recall her face later. She would undoubtedly stand out as a glowing lady at the center of the event.

As she looked back in the mirror, the gold dust applied next to her golden eyes made her eyebrows also gleam with a subtle golden hue. Though the decorations seemed minimal, the maids’ skill in applying gold, jewels, and silver dust here and there was top-notch.

When all the jewels, silver, and gold were applied to her body, it must have been no larger than the size of her palm. She wondered if everything would fall off as she wandered around the party venue. Every place she passed would shimmer with traces of her presence. Beautiful people were said not to leave traces, but she was sure she would leave plenty behind.

Once all the preparations were complete, the time for the party was quickly approaching. Although it must have started early in the morning, it was already dark outside.

Even though she hadn’t arrived at the party venue yet, she was already tired. Feeling a throbbing in her head, she touched her forehead, and the maids rushed to fix her hair again, and she obediently lowered her hand.

“Miss, Duke Marquez has arrived.”

“I should go out now.”

Sending inward applause to the punctual Duke, she walked out of the room, with Laura following naturally. They would go to the party venue together, but since Laura was a maid, she wouldn’t be able to enter the party venue.

As they reached the hall together, the Duchess and Felix were already prepared and conversing with the Duke. It seemed that Calex had probably gone to meet Floria and was not present. Beatrice stood on the staircase for a moment, observing the scene.

It was a very unfamiliar sight. The astonished expression of the Duchess upon seeing her, and the slightly dazed yet bright smiles on the faces of the two men. Everything was different.

Agatha admired her daughter’s appearance as she stood on the staircase. She always thought Beatrice was pretty, even when she was casually dressed, but now that she had deliberately dressed up, she looked like an angel. When their eyes met, and Beatrice shyly lowered her gaze, it was even more endearing.

As she watched Beatrice slowly descend the stairs, Agatha covertly pinched the side of the Duke, pretending to be nonchalant. When she pricked his side, the Duke reacted as if struck by lightning.

“You look truly beautiful today.”

Kahneman offered a natural smile to the approaching Beatrice. She looked at him quietly before finally speaking.

“You look very handsome as well, Duke,” Beatrice replied.

Duke Marquez had coordinated his outfit with her today, but the colors were actually the opposite. He wore a deep navy tailcoat with cuffs adorned in pearls and decorations made of white opal.

The dark fabric smoothly wrapped around his broad shoulders, cascading down in a triangular shape, giving off an aura reminiscent of a lethargic carnivorous animal with black fur.

Upon her response, Agatha let out a short laugh, and Duke Marquez chuckled in a dazed manner. Her straightforward reply in a situation where one would usually compliment him made her seem innocent.

Agatha gave Duke Marquez a subtle hint to take care of her, and he responded with a blink of an eye.

“You look quite presentable when you dress up,” Felix couldn’t hide his surprise at her heavily adorned appearance and spoke with a sarcastic tone. As soon as he spoke, he felt the sharp gaze of the Duchess and promptly closed his mouth.

Although he seemed like he wanted to grumble a bit more with his eyes, he didn’t dare make a sound out of fear of his mother. Seeing that Felix wouldn’t say anything else, Agatha spoke in a voice filled with affection.

“Darling, you look truly beautiful today.”

“The Duchess looks beautiful as well.”

“Is that so? I put quite an effort into my appearance too.”

The Duchess smiled brightly as she styled her sandy hair with jewels and wore a subtly shimmering forest green dress made of a fabric that emitted a soft glow.

The dress was adorned with so many jewels, gold, and silver that it sparkled like a galaxy when she moved. Beatrice felt a small sense of relief seeing that she wouldn’t be the only one shining at the party.

“Shall we depart then?”

Duke Marquez extended his arm towards Beatrice, and she naturally took it. Debutantes couldn’t be escorted by male siblings, but since they were not siblings, the Duchess would enter the party with Felix as her partner.

Beatrice climbed into the carriage of Duke Marquez. The Duke’s horses were slightly restless, but skilled coachmen calmed them down.

“Are you nervous?”

As the carriage started moving, Kahneman asked her subtly. Beatrice, who usually gazed out the window, turned her head to look at him. This was the first time they had met in person since exchanging letters. It couldn’t be helped, as the position of a Duke kept him quite occupied.

“Well, I’m a bit hungry, I suppose.”

She hadn’t eaten anything since the previous evening, let alone breakfast. The Duchess asked if there was a need for such restraint, but the temporary attendant, Laura, boldly insisted that as it was her debut, everything must be perfect. The Duchess, though feeling uneasy, reluctantly accepted and left.

No matter how short her appetite might be, it was natural for her to be hungry after fasting since the previous evening. Kahneman let out a short laugh.

“You’ll be able to have something at the party.”

“Then I’m relieved.”

Beatrice stared intently at his face, which looked unfamiliar. The gaze that once seemed capable of taking someone’s life now seemed gone, and he appeared like a different person when she looked at him.

While Kahneman received Beatrice’s continuous gaze, he didn’t say a word. Thanks to this, Beatrice could remain lost in her thoughts about the past. However, after some time, she was brought back to reality by a sudden remark from him.

“Did you have another partner you wished for?”

“No, there was no such person.”

“Is that so?”

Kahneman lifted the corners of his lips to smile again, but Beatrice could sense that it wasn’t a genuine smile.

The inside of the carriage was dark, and his dark blue eyes glimmered without any movement. With his sudden change of mood, Beatrice tilted her head slightly. His well-groomed black hair fell over his shoulders.

“Since the last time, you keep spacing out in front of me.”

His voice lowered, whispering as if sharing a secret.

“Perhaps you are thinking of another man.”

As Beatrice heard his voice, she moved her tongue inside her mouth and lightly grazed her blunt canine. Ah, he noticed it. Well, he always resembled a beastly man since the old days.

“I didn’t think of another man.”

“Is it my misunderstanding?”

Beatrice confidently denied his words. What she had been thinking of was not another man but the same person from her past life. So, strictly speaking, she never had thoughts about another man.

“Yes, it’s a misunderstanding.”

“Then, what were you thinking about?”

“I was thinking about you.”

His expression, which was dry with only the corners of his mouth lifted, wavered for a moment. He looked puzzled and amused at the same time.

“You’re thinking about me when I’m right in front of you, or you’re thinking about other men, that’s a strange thing to say, isn’t it?”

“Well, I guess you’re right. From now on, I’ll try to think about other men.”

“No, that’s not what I meant.”

Kahneman let out a sigh-like smile. This time, it wasn’t a forced laughter, and Beatrice sensed that his mood had improved somewhat.

Perhaps it was because of the speculation that she was thinking about other men in the first place that had put him in a bad mood. She decided to let it pass since he was a man with a high pride. For a moment, silence filled the space between the two of them.