About Your Pride and My Prejudice

Chapter 11: A Heavy Night

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The envelope that should have been in my arms was gently swaying between Alan’s long fingers.

“Was it you who wrote this letter?”

In an instant, a gust of wind blew, revealing his one side of forehead gently.

“That’s…!”

I was speechless by the picturesque sight.

“I guess it’s right based on the reaction.”

I felt like my face was going to explode.
My gaze, which had fallen to the ground in despair, shook helplessly.
A thin cold sweat was seeping out of my back.

At that moment, a cool voice sank in my ear.

“Dear Sir Alan Leopold.”

“……!”

His transparent eyes were sweeping over my envelope.
My heart trembled as if it would break through my ribcage.
I was in pain because my chest tightened up.

“Dear.”

……This was close to torture.

“Did we have a relationship where we could use the words of friendship?”

“That’s conventional……!”

“I don’t think we’re in a relationship to say that even in a conventional way.”

As he twirled the envelope between his fingers, I saw a red seal.
It was unopened.

He hasn’t read the letter yet.…!

An uncontrollable sense of relief flooded in.
I even felt saved.
Truly, without a little bit of exaggeration.

“…… Please return it.”

I managed to speak out.
But to no avail, my lips couldn’t form any more words.

“Didn’t you write it to me? I’ve never heard of anyone with the same name as me.”

“…….”

My mind went blank.
His uninspiring voice is so noble.

“It would be harsh to throw it away.”

Alan put the envelope in his arms with a neat move.
Unconsciously I was biting my lips painfully.
I have to stop him.
I have to get it back.

There was no such thing as a way to stop him from the beginning.

“…….”

When he lowered his eyelids coldly, his eyelashes cast under the eyelids created a subtle shadow.
I couldn’t take my eyes off that flawless face.

At that time, incredible new words flowed out of his soft lips.

“Will you grant me the honor of dancing with you, Milady?”

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I froze on the spot.

“…..What?”

I had no choice but to doubt my ears.
If I didn’t hear it wrong, he was formally recommending me to dance now.

It is a socialite rule that if a man asks for a dance, you cannot refuse.  But that’s not the problem……

“Dancing…..
Aren’t you going to do it?” (Alan)

“It’s not because I don’t know how to dance.” (Mel)

(T/N: it’s because she didn’t want to dance with him)

“…….”

Alan’s answer only made my lips twitch.
I had to come up with the possibility that all of this was a dream.

“Because someone asked me to dance with the lady who dropped this letter.”

“What? That’s…”

I was thinking about the best way to answer, but he added with a slight wrinkle in the forehead.

“And the person who picked it up happened to be the Prince”

“…….”

“So, can I have this favour?”

* * *

Holding Alan’s hand and walking into the middle of the ballroom, the path felt like a road leading to the edge of a cliff.

My legs trembled like a person who decided to jump down a sheer cliff, and I didn’t even know if I was holding his hand because all the senses disappeared the moment I touched him.

To be honest, it’s not that I can’t dance.
Although a little clumsy, objectively, it was not at a level that lacked much.
Because it’s a social etiquette that I learned from a strict tutor.

Nevertheless, my head was full of thoughts about what if I made a mistake in dancing and what if I hurt him.
It felt like my complicated head was about to explode at any moment.

However, when the dance began, I had no time to think about anything.
It felt as if a butterfly was fluttering in my stomach.
Even walking on water wouldn’t be as dreamy as this.

He sometimes pulled me, and I sometimes turned around.
Our hands and eyes met several times, and sometimes I leaned against him.
It was frighteningly ecstatic, and painful as if it would take my breath away.

Surprisingly, the whole process seemed to be fleeting.
As soon as I let go of his hand, the warmth gradually disappeared, so I just wanted to sit down and cry.
Like a lost child.

“….Goodbye.”

At the end of the dance song, he bowed lightly and disappeared into the people without looking back.

“Mel!”

It was Viola’s voice that brought me back to reality, who was standing in daze.

“Melissa!”

“…….”

Only then did I feel the explicit gazes and whispers toward me clearly.

Whenever there were social events, I was invisible.
I was nothing more than an intangible being floating in the air and breathing quietly.

Funny enough, it was the moment when I finally got into shape in society here because I became Alan Leopold’s dance partner.

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Then is he my creator?

“Mel, what happened?”

Viola, who pulled me up from the deep thought, urgently asked.
Her voice was firm, and her hazel eyes showed little concern.

“Did Sir Alan ask you to dance?”

As we frantically moved to a place where no eyes could follow, we were all near the main gate of the National Theater.

“What happened, huh?”

“I…”

I couldn’t remove my lips as if I had forgotten how to speak.
That.… Everything is just…… It’s so…

“It’s okay, Mel.
Tell me.”

Viola comforted me by signalling at Jacob.
Her sensible lover kept a reasonable distance with an awkward gait.

“…… I had mistakenly brought that letter to Sir Alan.”

“What? Here?”

“…….”

“Did you really mean to tell me that?”

Viola had surprised eyes.
She was surprised when I said I wrote a letter, so it’s not easy to believe that I brought it to the Victory Ceremony.

“It’s not the case…….”

It was the same for me.

“I brought it without realising it.
I didn’t know until I got on the carriage.….”

“Melissa…”

“I think I dropped it at some point…… Sir Alan…….”

For an instant, Viola’s mouth opened wide.

“Did he pick it up? Oh, my god.
“

“His Highness picked it up…… I think he delivered it to Sir Alan.….”

“…….”

When I added it, she stopped breathing as if she had lost what to say.
It was a natural reaction because it’s not realistic at all when I say it.

“He said, a lady in a red dress dropped it and he handed it to her.”

“… Huh.”

“I felt like His Highness made him dance.
By force…….”

“What? Even if Sir Alan is close to the royal family……!”

Viola looked around quickly and continued to speak low.

“So, are you saying that the prince was joking around?”

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“Probably.
Sir Alan looked upset too.….”

“Oh my god, it’s the worst!”

Her thin golden eyebrows were distorted.

“Did he ask you two to have fun?  Is it okay for him to be called a prince?”

“…….”

“No, even if sir Alan says so.
But Melissa you……!”

At that very moment, an unfamiliar voice intervened.

“Ahem, milady.”

In the place where I turned my head, three gorgeously dressed women stood looking at me.  It wasn’t a look of kindness.

Obviously, one of them is the one who danced close to me.
She was wearing a similar colored dress like mine, so I didn’t notice her.
Of course, it was a dress that was incomparable to mine.

“You danced with Sir Alan, right?”

“Ah…”

I sighed briefly.
This was the first thing that came to mind when they called me, but the most I didn’t want.

“How did you persuade him? Did you make a wish? Or—”

“Hey!”

Viola blocked me.
She was half a span smaller than me, but twice stronger and harder from inside.

“Wish? It was officially requested by Sir Alan.”

“I didn’t ask you.
I am asking the lady in red rags next to you.”

“Rags?”

“…Viola, that’s enough.”

I shook my head, covering the arms of the furious Viola.
She was brave, and I was realistic.
This balance was also the secret to our long friendship.

“If you are honest, tell me, lady.  Was it all planned to come to the National Theater in such a scruffy outfit?”

“You need to look fresh in the eyes of the Leopold family successor.
How can he refuse when you’re wearing that while getting unguarded?”

“You did a good job on your hair.”

The three women burst into laughter at the same time.
I couldn’t confront or show my anger, and I looked down silently.
My fingertips trembled.
Like wandering bare-mindedly on a cold winter night.

“Be careful with what you say.
My friend is a victim!”

Viola snarled beside my shoulder while the women only snorted.

Looking at these uneducated and low-tempered people, it’s not difficult to guess the source of their pride.
They’re three, and we’re two.
At best, it was obvious that it was such a simple reason.

“Ha, the victim is Sir Alan.
Don’t you think we wanted to hang around him?”

“So, apparently you haven’t heard of Sir Alan’s lover, have you?”

Do you even have morals? Even the rest of the woman muttered.

“…….”

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I was just amazed.
This reality is that a woman like me in old clothes seems to be the only one to beg him for a dance request.

It is true that my family is humble.
However, I knew he had a lover, I wasn’t ignorant enough to openly flirt.

But even if I had ten mouths, I had nothing to say.
Because I delivered a letter containing my desperate heart to Alan.

Even if it wasn’t my intention, it was all my fault as I got into the carriage with the letter.
There’s no room for excuses..

“Apologise to Melissa right now!”

At that time, Viola raised her voice.

“Aren’t you ashamed of acting like this?”

“The person you should be ashamed of is your friend, lady.
To annoy the kingdom’s key figures in a vulgar way.  How low.”

“Ha! If you don’t apologise right away, I will pour champagne! I warned you!”

“Viola…”

Trying to stop them with a mosquito-only voice, but then I stopped at the loud voice I heard.

“Ladies.”

It was Jacob.

“The night is beautiful, so please save your voice.
It’s a night that’s not enough to sing beautiful songs.”

“Oh, my.
Who…….”

“I am the escort of these two ladies.”

Jacob naturally sent the women back.
Gentle and skillful.
It was unbelievable that he was only a year older.

I blushed with shame that he was listening to all these conversations, Viola’s blushed because he caught her in a foolish fight.

“I think you’ve enjoyed it enough.
Shall we go back now?”

It seemed good to follow him.
I couldn’t go back to the venue again, because the two didn’t want a new dance partner other than each other.

With Viola and Jacob seeing me off, I managed to get on the carriage, but my body didn’t have any strength at all.
Before I even knew it I was crying sadly.

Even when I arrived home, I couldn’t stop sobbing.
Even though the bedtime had passed, my mother ran out as soon as she heard the sound of the carriage.
I fell into her arms and I wept as if I had been waiting.

It was a heavy night.

***

Comments from Korean readers:

It’s a harsh day for Melissa.
Like riding a roller coaster…ㅠㅠ Why does it hurt so much that I cried sadly? It’s such a tough night.
ㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠ

The prince picked up that letter???? I don’t know if the stalker picked it up secretly… Huh? This novel is chilling.ㅠ

It’s embarrassing to read her own letter, but he took it.
And people who don’t know anyone would pick a fight.
Of course, I’ll cry.

Read latest Chapters at Wuxia World .
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ㅠㅠMelissaㅠㅠ

It’s….
very hard…..Mel.

Peace was never an option ladies…

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