The Duchess of the Attic

That was the opening night of a night club with no weirdness whatsoever.

The organizer of the night club is Count Holloway.

The daughter of the Count, Opal, who had just debuted the social world, got a little drunk on people and stepped out into the garden where she knew all about it.

The garden of the Earl's Mansion in Wangdu, which I've been here many times since I was a little girl, was a playground for my grandmother Opal, so blurry lights are enough.

But the ballroom night garden becomes something completely different from the day.

Opal was suddenly held from behind and when he realized he was being pushed down on the lawn and kissed.

A stuffy feeling falls on your lips and scratches your opponent's face for too much disgust.

Opal screamed, groaning away at the man's gap in the pain.

There are proper guards in this garden.

Opal, who knew that, asked for help, but did not think that this noise would be fatal for an unmarried woman.

At the same time that the guards heard footsteps rushing, the man fled, and only Opal was left on the spot with his dress and tied up hair shattered.

It wasn't just the guards who surrounded the stunned Opal, but the many invitees.

The gaze of the invitees was more full of curiosity than pity.

I don't really remember anything from then on.

So much so that a samurai with an opal rushed in and took me back to my room and bathed me.

Then I went into bed and fell asleep unsure.

Because Opal still hadn't realized what situation he'd been in.

The next morning, when I woke up, my father told me to come to the study.

Opal goes to the study without even having breakfast and knocks when he's in tune.

There was an immediate response, and Opal, who entered the study, stared at Count Holloway's grumpy face, his father as he sat in the executive chair.

"Good morning, Father. I heard you were calling."

"What are you greeting with swallowing, you. You know what you did last night?

"Sure, I'm sorry I disturbed you at the ball last night because of you. But nothing. I..."

"It's not a question of what happened. The problem is that you were exposed to everyone in that condition."

Opal shook his shoulders frighteningly at the voice containing his father's anger.

Without a word on whether you're okay, I wouldn't even try to ask you properly what happened last night.

As I knew, Opal became defiant when he swelled at his ruthless father.

"I have done nothing wrong! The bad news is that man!

"You know the man and the others?

"I don't know. And when I went wild and screamed, I ran away."

I was just going to show my strength, but my father sighed deeply.

"That was the problem. If you don't make such a fuss, the world won't know what you're doing..."

"But I would have been worse off if it hadn't been for the noise."

"If only we could protect the world's reputation, we'd have found a better match for our marriage, whether you were hurt or not. But now it will be widespread that you have been injured at an alarming rate. Conditions are already limited when this happens. Nevertheless, I wonder if the lad I visited this morning is out of the question"

"... Kid?

I wanted to deny that I hadn't been hurt yet, but more than that, Opal, who was shocked that he still wasn't worried about himself at all, also forgot to protest.

I just care about the last word and ask back.

"You and the guy I met last night are the lads who have come to name themselves. He wants me to take responsibility and marry him."

"Did you name yourself after me? You ran away last night? Besides, you attacked me, and you said it was Matse?

"For that kid, I guess it was a chance to keep you out of the yard fluttering alone. He's the second son of a poor Viscount. That's what you made a fuss about, so you escaped. Damn, I was the idiot who invited that kid to the mansion."

"The poor Viscount..."

Opal was shrugging and remembering the young man he'd been hanging out with here lately.

In the first place, Opal had a considerable amount of money, which he turned into the perfect prey for those who heard it from somewhere.

But Opal's guard was strong.

He lost his mother early and was not dealt with by his father, who was obsessed with increasing his assets, and his older brother went to boarding school, where he grew up alone in a consulate on Count's territory, with no family.

Of course the servants at the consulate were gentle.

Still envious to see a close family, I have always dreamed of building a warm home.

That's why I wanted to marry someone I could like, and I was looking for someone to like Opal himself, not money.

There were familiar and friendly opponents in the territory, but unfortunately he was the three sons of the Baron family, and there's no way my father would forgive me.

It's friendship between us in the first place.

And in the Wang capital, which came out in anticipation, no man has ever been attracted to his heart before in the encounter.

(No, there was only one person...)

Opal had remembered a man who had only danced once.

He is a young duke who has only just graduated from college and seldom shows his face at night clubs, he says.

Moreover, due to his status as Duke, it is difficult even for the females to have a fierce battle approaching.

Still, only once when my father introduced me, I was politely invited to dance.

He was silent, but his hands touching Opal were so gentle, the grin he showed from time to time was still boyish, and I imagined it would surely be fun to spend time with him.

"Okay, you can't want good luck anymore, clearly. Still, someone will show up who needs your money. I'll take care of the person and decide who to marry, so don't make a scene again until then. You got it?

- Yes, Father.

Opal answered softly, but because he was thinking, he hadn't heard much.

Was the Count satisfied for a moment or waved one hand, as he told Opal to back off?

The hungry opal honestly lowered and headed to the breakfast room.

That night Opal was attending a night club hosted by a certain Marquis.

So for the first time, I understood what my father was saying.

The ladies we were close to until yesterday ignore it.

There are no young people who would have stopped by if Opal had let them into the venue.

However, I noticed that there were a few men, but if I looked at the clothes slightly, they would not be new this year.

And even from the women who are considered ladies, keep a secret story to a gaze of contempt directed at Opal.

A normal warrant lady might have escaped, but the losing opal remained clear and on the spot.

I didn't do anything wrong.

Instead, the man who attacked a weak woman is to blame, but the Viscount's second son and I are not here.

Probably because Opal's sharp nails scratched his face, he can't get out in public for the time being.

On the carriage home, an escort woman complained about how ashamed she was, Opal ignored.

If you don't want to, you just have to quit.

Because Opal doesn't have a mother, nor does her relative have a suitable elderly woman, so she pays to hire one.

In the end, it seems that the lady in the escort role couldn't give up her high salary, and since then she has begun to escort Opal to socialize.

No matter how badly rumored, Opal was always spending his time dignified, but it was still hard to embellish a man for property or a prodigal for play.

They think that's familiar again, making the rumors worse and worse.

Now my friends are completely gone and the number of invitations has decreased.

As a countess with enormous assets, she was only invited when she had to be formally called.

And when the season was finally over, Opal caressed his chest down with relief.

Now I can return to my favorite territory and consulate.

Shaken by the carriage, Opal thought about what was to come.

Father is still busy increasing his fortune and has ignored Opal since then.

My brother doesn't intend to come back to the territory because he also spends his long college vacation at a friend's house.

(In the coming season, I'm sure they all forget about me, don't they? New scandals are born every day)

Opal, optimistic, thought so, and still dreamed of marriage and spent time in the Territory as a mistress instead of her deceased mother.

Of course, while showing off the old lady that if she enjoys horseback riding, she also enjoys climbing trees.

The neighbors will be hearing rumors, but they treat Opal the same.

If I went to see how the inhabitants were doing, they respected me and talked to me about the trouble.

Claude Artray, who is an example childhood familiar, also returned during his long college vacation to accompany him on long rides and fishing trips together.

Claude is one older than his brother, so he lamented that he still had two more years before he graduated from college, but encouraged that and dropped him off at college again.

Having had such a full day, Opal was completely rejuvenated and had his next season, but he was reminded that his thoughts were sweet.