As Long As You Are Happy

“Ah…”

It was already apparent but Irina was not attending this event alone. 

To start off, the Viscount of Percy had invited the Duke of Winfried, not Irina.

The duke, who had picked up the bonnet with ease before Irina, who had rushed for it, could, then shook the dust off the bonnet with his hands that were clad in white gloves. 

“… Thank you.”

Irina received the bonnet Winfried had handed to her without a word. She tried to rewear the bonnet again the way Viscountess Alphington had put it on for her but it was not as easy as it looked, probably because she felt rushed.

Her hair kept getting caught on the decorative flowers of the bonnet and haphazardly was the only way she could tie the pink ribbon. 

After taking off the bonnet and rewearing it a couple of times, her hair which had been styled beautifully only seemed to get messier and messier. 

“Why isn’t this working?”

Cold sweat began to dot her skin as Irina concentrated on trying to fix her bonnet. 

She almost felt like crying. 

It was then the hands clad in white gloves intervened again. 

Bending his body towards Irina, Winfried took the bonnet back from Irina. 

“Stay still.”

Irina stiffened for a second when he had gotten closer than she had expected. Winfried carefully tucked the strands of her hair that were sticking out behind her ear before placing the bonnet back on her so that her hair would not get caught on the embellishments again. 

He then moved onto the pink ribbon Irina was having such trouble with. 

The pink ribbon that was made of satin wound around the long and firm-looking fingers before unravelling again. 

He did not manage to tie the ribbon as well as he thought he could so he wrinkled his forehead and pressed his lips together. 

“…..”

Irina stared at the figure under her nose. 

Her eyes stopped when they reached the eyes sitting under his dark eyebrows. 

As though he was concentrating, his red eyes were fixated on the ribbon strap. 

Feeling ticklish just by looking at him, Irina clasped and released the fists she had rested on the carriage seat. 

“I think I did it.”

How much time had passed? Winfried retreated as though he was avoiding her. After double-checking that he had tied the ribbon well enough, he continued.

“Do you have a mirror?”

“Ah, yes!”

After a beat, Irina nodded.

She then fished out a palm-sized mirror from the small bag Delphia had handed her before glancing at her appearance from here and there. 

The way he had tied her pink ribbon looked worse than the one the Viscountess of Alphington had helped her tie at first. It looked somewhat messy with one side of the bow being bigger than the other. 

But she liked it. 

To be honest with herself, the bow he tied looked much neater and prettier than the one she did. Irina smiled at the reflection of herself in the mirror. 

“Thank you, duke.”

He did not answer. He merely responded by giving a light nod.

Silence befell them once more. Wondering if the ribbon would unravel again, Irina clapped her hands together. 

“The charity auctions Viscount Percy holds usually lasts for more than 15 days.”

Leaning his head against the inner walls of the carriage, Winfried spoke.

“…..?”

He uttered words she could not understand. Why would he suddenly mention that the charity auction would last 15 days? Did that mean she would have to attend the party for 15 days straight?

Irina stared at Winfried before blinking. 

“I mean, uh.”

Realising he hadn’t given enough context, Winfried parted his lips. 

“What I mean is that there will be less guests today. Since the charity auction had begun a few days prior. And I will be here too.”

She understood what he was trying to say. Irina let out a small chuckle. 

“Yes, I’ll be sure not to be too nervous.”

Again, Winfried nodded instead of answering her. 

However, his expression looked slightly different from before.

“But, duke.”

He looked at Irina as though prompting her to continue. 

“Am I right to say that this will be your first official appearance in the social circle since moving to the capital?”

Obviously, it was Delphia and Leo who told her that. The Duke of Winfried had never dropped by the capital because of the war and this would be his first social event as well. 

“Aren’t you… nervous too?”

She wondered if the duke would be feeling the same as her. He might look calm on the outside but she wondered if he was imagining and wondering what conversations he would be having with people. 

However, the Duke of Winfried’s reply was not what Irina expected. 

“This is nothing.” 

Resting his head against the inner walls of the carriage, he blinked slowly. His eyes looked tired. 

“It’s not like those people are after my life.”

***

“Welcome, Duke of Winfried!”

As soon as they got out of the carriage, a chubby man came out of the estate. 

“I thank you for coming.”

“It’s been a while, viscount. You, of all people, had sent us an invitation, viscount, so of course I had no choice but to come.”

In the meantime, the duke had barely nodded his head in response. However, as though that miniscule reaction was enough, Viscount Percy smiled, raising his fleshy cheeks. 

“I am just happy to hear that, your grace. And the person next to you is…”

Viscount Percy’s gaze turned to Irina who had been standing a step behind the duke. 

This was her moment to reveal herself. Irina parted her lips. But perhaps it was because this was the first time she was introducing herself to someone outside the estate. 

The greeting she had been practising for so long would not leave her lips. It was as though a fog had sunk into her head. 

“This is my partner, the young lady of the Leonid County.”

The Duke of Winfried introduced Irina nonchalantly before gesturing at her to stand next to him.

“As you might already know, I am greatly indebted to the Count and Countess Leonid.”

“Ah, of course!”

The viscount nodded. Looking back at Irina, a warm smile spread on his face. 

“So, you are the young lady of the Leonid County. Thank you for attending my charity auction. I am Lowell Percy.”

“T-thank you for inviting me. I am Irina Leonid.”

Just as Irina was taught, she pinched her skirt before slightly bending her knees. Did that look strange? Sneaking a peek at the viscount’s expression, it did not look like she did anything wrong. 

She had just finished her greeting but for some reason, it felt like she had jumped over a hurdle. She managed to gain some confidence in herself. 

“I never knew there would be someone as beautiful as you in the Leonid Country.”

The viscount laughed gleefully. 

“I thought the duke had bought a few paintings because he liked them but it seems as though Lady Leonid had received a fair share of it as well. I have been completely mistaken. Hahaha!”

Viscount Percy spoke as he swept through his beard that had frizzy ends. 

“In any case, I might be able to win the Countess of Francois this time round. And this is all thanks to you, your grace.”

“It has been a long time since I last heard of her, has she been well?”

“Of course! She is still volunteering as before and is as spirited as ever. I am ashamed every time I see her for I only become more aware of what I am lacking.”

The viscount smiled. 

“If you need any guidance, I can be of help whenever you need. Would you need any help?”

“That will be alright.”

Winfried declined the Viscount’s kind assistance. His eyes turned to look at one thing. 

“I think it would be better for you to assist someone who will need you more than the two of us.”

“Ah.”

Viscount Percy nodded. There were a few guests who were already calling on the host, the viscount. 

“If you’d like to purchase a painting, you may write the amount you wish to bid on a piece of paper and submit it. Please feel free to call on me whenever you need me.”

The viscount, who continued to display his generosity till they parted, left to find the person calling on him. 

“Let us go.”

Rogan handed Irina his arm just as he did back in the Winfried estate.

After Irina shyly grabbed onto his arm, Rogan walked. 

Just as Viscount Percy had mentioned earlier, paintings could be seen hung all over the wall with a small wooden box placed underneath each one. 

‘There are paintings I recognise and ones I don’t.’

Irina looked around and slowly admired each painting.

‘Fascinating…’

All she knew about these paintings were from the few books she read and the conversations she had with the viscountess. 

But she realised that there was something that could not be captured about them within the painting itself. 

She realised that she could recognise some paintings because she read and to recognise the ones she did not, she could read more. 

A girl who once could not write or count was now admiring paintings. 

Irina smiled softly to herself because that fact just seemed so fascinating to her. 

Moreover, just as the duke assured her, there weren’t that many people around. 

As they walked down a long hallway and stopped by a room while admiring paintings, they had only bumped into five or six other people. 

But something was strange. 

‘What’s going on?’

Everyone they passed by seemed to be glancing at her. 

‘Again?’

A couple that were approaching them seemed to not have noticed her but as soon as they walked passed, they turned their heads and whispered something to each other as they stared at her. 

“Oh dear, even if that’s the case.”

“I agree. How… ahem!”

However, as soon as their eyes met, they hurriedly turned their heads away before vanishing rapidly. 

‘… Is there something wrong with me?’

For everyone who walked passed them to react that way. 

The pessimistic thoughts she had pushed to the back of her head had crept up again. 

‘Is it my posture?’

Had she been too excited as she looked around? Or was she giving off a strange smell? 

She did not know why?

But she must have done something to be blamed for.

“…..”

When she started getting anxious, she could no longer give the paintings any attention. 

Her field of vision narrowed and when they encountered passers-by, voices began echoing in her ears. 

Everyone in the charity auction seemed to be laughing and mocking her. 

Irina found it impossible to breathe. 

Naturally, the words that had haunted her in the past resurfaced.