Chapter 6: Don’t Pity Me

The party hosted by Count Seimon Export was incredibly luxurious, fitting its reputation, and the number of attendees was immensely large.

While everyone laughed, chatted, and tilted their glasses, I stood alone in a corner of the party hall, sipping juice and staring blankly at the socializing guests.

Though I felt apologetic to the butler who had cheered me on to have a good time, I simply lacked the confidence to squeeze myself into that harmonious atmosphere.

This was because I knew that the moment I intervened, the atmosphere would freeze instantly, and an awkward air would flow.

Even now, looking around, I could easily spot people stealing glances at me and whispering.

Under such circumstances, how on earth could I join that crowd?

‘I really shouldn’t have come…’

But I just hadn’t been able to bring myself to reject the butler’s plea.

While I was quietly sipping my juice, the atmosphere of the party hall suddenly grew rowdy.

Wondering what was going on, I glanced toward the commotion and saw Mikeron and Mariel, who had just entered the hall.

The people enjoying the party, the people who had been trash-talking me—everyone, without exception, swarmed around Mikeron and made a huge fuss.

Mikeron seemed to receive a far bigger spotlight than Count Export, who had hosted the party.

Brilliant platinum-blonde hair, sharp and distinct facial features, and deep blue eyes to top it off.

From the front or the side, he was indeed an undeniably handsome bastard.

Though that was exactly why I hated him.

Clicking my tongue, I rolled my eyes.

Then, my gaze landed on Mariel, who was standing beside Mikeron.

Mariel was cute and lovely today as well.

As I watched him smile brightly among the crowd and unconsciously smiled myself, my eyes locked with Mikeron’s by some terrible luck.

Although I hadn’t done anything wrong, my shoulders trembled from guilt just for looking at Mariel; Mikeron stared at me for a moment with an expression as if looking at an uninvited guest, before turning his head away.

It was extremely fortunate that there were so many people around Mikeron.

If it weren’t for the crowd holding him back, he would have marched right over to drop some remark.

Something like, ‘What brings a person like you here?’ or, ‘Did you break your promise and come to stalk Mariel after all?’

Ugh… Just imagining Mikeron looking down at me with a condescending, suspicious glare was spine-chillingly obnoxious.

Deciding to escape before Mikeron could pick a fight with me, I stood up, only for someone to grab my shoulder.

“Look who it is. If it isn’t Count Kinesis?”

A sly-looking, middle-aged man spoke to me.

We were clearly meeting for the first time, yet he felt strangely familiar.

Come to think of it, I felt like I had seen him around quite often while I was stalking Mariel.

Just as I was about to ask who he was, the man continued.

“Thank you so much for accepting the invitation. I honestly didn’t expect you to express your intent to attend. I heard you reject most party invitations.”

“Count Export?”

Judging by his words, the man standing before me seemed to be Count Export, the host who had invited me.

He narrowed his eyes and grinned in confirmation.

Perhaps due to the wrinkles around his eyes, his impression looked quite dignified.

“I thought you had no interest in anyone other than Baron Mariel. Ah, or did you accept the invitation precisely because Baron Mariel would be here?”

“Who knows. Thank you for inviting me.”

I briefly offered my thanks to him, who asked such an insolent question despite his benevolent-looking face.

I thought I roughly knew why this man had invited me.

He had indeed wanted someone he could openly mock.

“I should be the one thanking you for coming. I’ve really wanted to meet you in person and exchange greetings at least once.”

“It is an honor.”

“Seeing you up close like this, your eyes are truly…”

“…”

“Ah, I don’t mean they’re weird, just fascinating. It’s not common to see someone with crimson eyes in the Empire.”

Count Export extended his hand for a handshake first.

I reluctantly grasped his hand.

Though he shook my hand and smiled with a good-natured expression, I felt uncomfortable at his smile, which looked entirely superficial.

Since my mood had soured completely, I quickly ended the handshake and withdrew my hand.

“Well, I must go greet the other guests now. I hope you have a pleasant time.”

“Thank you.”

“Ah, right. Do not even think about causing trouble at my party.”

His tone was as if he was certain I would cause trouble.

Deliberately bringing up my eyes was the same… He was an unpleasant man in many ways.

As I turned away without replying, whispering voices instantly echoed behind my back.

[Wow. It’s my first time seeing it in person, but it’s really red. Goosebumps.]

[I pity Baron Mariel for getting entangled with such a dreadful person.]

‘They could at least lower their voices.’

Count Export, who had been pretending to be a good-natured man just moments ago, immediately changed faces and began to slander me.

At the voices expressing pity for Mariel, the people nearby agreed one by one.

Well, I had roughly expected this even before coming to the party.

The malicious gazes trailing my back felt as if they would swallow me whole at any moment.

I did not look back.

I was afraid that the moment I turned around, something within me would crumble.

I kept my chin up and walked forward proudly.

I wanted to show them that no matter what they said, I didn’t care, and I wouldn’t be hurt.

***

Wandering around to avoid the crowds, I made my way up to the rooftop garden.

When I entered the garden, the few people there glanced at me and left, but I didn’t mind.

Thanks to them, I could be left alone.

After briefly observing the rooftop, which was decorated with artificial flowers everywhere, I flopped down onto a chair in front of a table.

Sitting blankly and staring into space without doing anything, the words of the man who said my eyes were creepy came back to me.

Yes, it was indeed enough to creep them out.

Crimson eyes were said to be the same color as a devil’s, and since ancient times, they had been treated as an ominous trait that brought disaster.

Add to that the behavior I had displayed up until now.

So, while I understood why they felt that way, the more I thought about it, the more a heavy weight pressed down on my entire body.

I felt the surrounding air wrap around me gloomily, and my floating heart began to thud frantically.

Feeling completely fed up with this entire situation for some reason, I closed my eyes tightly and clutched my head.

God had never once been on my side.

I had wondered if perhaps he looked upon me with a bit of pity since I had died and returned to life, but as expected, that wasn’t the case.

To think that I had to live this life once again.

A self-mocking laugh escaped my lips.

“So annoying…”

‘Maybe it would have been better if I had just died back then.’

‘If I had, I wouldn’t have to face Mikeron’s annoying face again, nor would I have to listen to people’s criticism.’

As I sat there quietly, wrinkling my brow, a cold gust of wind suddenly blew around me.

I gradually began to feel the chill.

Knowing that returning to the party hall would only mean a repeat of the situation from earlier, I summoned a tiny flame over my hand to pass a little more time here.

It was a pathetic little flame, so small that it left plenty of space in the palm of my hand.

Although it was better than nothing, my mana wasn’t even enough to sustain such a tiny fire for long.

‘If only I had possessed power from the very beginning…’

‘Would things have been a bit different then?’

The moment I bit my lower lip and unconsciously yearned for power, my chest felt as if it were burning and tightening, and a chilling voice echoed.

“My, this is surprising…”

Startled by the strangely familiar voice, I whipped my head around.

Though I had thought someone else was there, the empty garden held no one.

‘Did I hear wrong?’

I had apparently heard an hallucination.

While I calmed my pounding heart and watched the weakly burning flame, waiting for it to die out, I heard the sound of a door opening.

It seemed someone had entered.

‘They might leave soon since they saw me.’

Contrary to my expectations, however, the footsteps did not recede; instead, they drew closer and closer before stopping right in front of me.

Turning my head, the opponent’s blue eyes came into view.

I couldn’t help but frown.

The wind, which had been gentle until now, suddenly began to howl.

While the flame over my hand flickered frantically, neither of us said a word.

Mikeron slowly looked down at me with a stiff face, then spoke first.

“What are you doing here?”

‘He sure is curious about everything.’

‘Why would he go out of his way to strike up a conversation with someone he dislikes?’

I let out a dry laugh.

“You said I was impossible to communicate with. Why do you keep talking to me?”

If he had just ignored me and walked past, we could have parted ways on good terms.

The fact that I was facing Mikeron Leilight, who annoyed me just by talking, in this manner once again was highly unpleasant.

“Ah. Are you suspicious that I might be up to something? My, what a magnificent sense of justice you have.”

“You always speak to me so sarcastically whenever you see me, Count.”

As I snapped at him in a deeply twisted tone, an annoyed sigh escaped his lips.

In that moment, the precariously flickering flame vanished.

It was because I had completely exhausted my mana.

The moment the flame that had been radiating warmth disappeared, my entire body shivered, likely because I had been in the cold for so long.

However, feeling as though I would lose if I backed down first, I sat up straight and said what I wanted to say.

“Then how would you like me to speak? ‘What an absolute honor it is for the great Duke Mikeron to speak to someone as lowly as me.’ Shall I say it like that?”

As I sneered with all my might, wrapping my arms tightly around myself, Mikeron gazed at me with an emotionless expression.

It wasn’t as if he was speechless, but because he said nothing, I felt overwhelmed by his presence.

I raised my voice for no reason.

“Don’t just stare at me like that, why don’t you say something?”

“Are you cold?”

“What?”

I had told him to say whatever he wanted, but the response was completely out of left field.

The moment I asked back in disbelief, Mikeron took off his outer coat and handed it to me.

I felt the warmth radiating from the coat he had just removed.

In that moment, my heart sank.

The corners of my mouth, which had been forced upward, fell instantly.

“Don’t shiver like that and put it on.”

At his casually tossed words, an unpleasant heat began to circulate inside me.

It made my head spin.

‘What did Mikeron just say?’

‘Did he tell me to wear it?’

‘Why?’

I stared blankly at Mikeron’s coat before gripping it tightly, crumpling it.

A stiff annoyance flared up, as if my muscles were twisting.

A venomous light rose in my eyes.

“I don’t need it.”

Rising from my seat, I shoved Mikeron’s chest hard and dropped the coat.

I walked away, staring straight ahead without looking back.

With every forceful step I took on the ground, irritation surged like a tidal wave.

‘Seriously annoying…’

I recalled Mikeron staring intently at my eyes since we first met after my regression.

‘He probably thought they were even more dreadful in person than in the rumors.’

Otherwise, there was no reason to stare so intently at eyes rumored to be ominous.

The way he acted, showing hypocrisy while hiding his contempt when he actually hated me more than anyone, was utterly absurd.

With every step down the stairs back to the party hall, a heavy thudding sound echoed.

I simply couldn’t cool my anger.

Then, as I stepped down hard on one of the stairs, my ankle twisted sideways, perhaps because I had applied too much force.

“Argh!”

Losing my balance, I collapsed onto the stairs.

‘Nothing is going right today.’

Groaning, I slowly examined my ankle.

Though it looked fine on the outside, it was painful enough to bring tears to my eyes.

‘So annoying…’

This was all because of that bastard, Mikeron Leilight.

Unable to do anything, I sat on the stairs for a while.

Thinking it would feel better if I loosened it up, I slowly rotated my ankle clockwise, only for a sharp bolt of pain to shoot through it.

As I whimpered in pain, footsteps echoed from behind.

Mikeron had come down.

I hoped he would just ignore me and keep walking.

I didn’t want to show him this side of me even if I died.

While I repeatedly prayed in my head for him to go away, Mikeron approached oblivious to my wishes.

Unable to simply pass by me sitting in the middle of the stairs, he stopped and quietly looked down.

In that moment, a horrific feeling arose as if all my organs were twisting.

My chest tightened as though someone were squeezing my heart, and I was choked of breath.

Suppressing my irritation, I quietly muttered.

“Just ignore me and keep going.”

“Is something wrong?”

‘I’m pretty sure I told him to ignore me.’

I couldn’t control the irritating heat surging from the tips of my toes to the top of my head.

Blood rushed to the back of my neck.

Ignoring his question, I slowly stood up.

Just then, perhaps because I had put weight on my ankle, a sharp pain shot straight to my brain.

As I grimaced in an awkward posture, Mikeron quickly realized my condition.

“You hurt your ankle. Are you alright?”

“…”

“Let me assist you.”

He grabbed my forearm.

At that exact moment, something snapped inside me.

I glared with bloodshot eyes and unleashed my explosive rage.

A loud shout burst through my constricted throat.

“I told you… to ignore me! Stop meddling in things that are none of your business!”

When I shook him off irritably, Mikeron knitted his brow and scowled.

He, too, seemed angered.

Struggling to catch my breath, my face distorted horribly.

At the same time, a laugh bubbled out—whether it was a sneer, sarcasm, or self-deprecation, I couldn’t tell.

“Stop pretending to be nice. Just be honest and say I’m creepy. You find me dreadful too, don’t you, Duke?”

Everyone deemed my eyes dreadful.

Mikeron was no different.

Having been entangled in an ill-fated relationship with Mikeron since before my regression, I knew exactly what he thought of me.

‘He must find me repulsive. Contemptible!’

Yet, the way he hid his true feelings and tried so hard to act like a good person sickened me to my stomach.

Mikeron, who looked as if he might snap at any second, said nothing.

Leaving him standing there in silence, I stubbornly limped down the stairs, enduring a pain that felt as though it was piercing my very bones.

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