Chapter 281
“Um, but…”
Amidst the increasing slander and heated atmosphere, a cautious noblewoman interjected.
“I heard some news a while ago.”
“What news?”
“What is it, Lady Viscountess?”
Suddenly the center of attention, the Viscountess, with wide eyes darting around nervously, responded.
“Well, they say… that Duke Mayhard’s facial mark has disappeared.”
“Disappeared, you say?”
“My heavens!”
One of the attendees dramatically clutched at his stomach.
“What an amusing false rumor. How hilarious.”
“It’s, it’s not necessarily a rumor. One of our household maids heard it directly at a gathering…”
“A maid? You’re entertaining such a topic based on a maid’s words?”
A young man sneered.
“A blemish that persisted for over twenty years vanishes overnight? Oh, please.”
“The late Duke and Duchess tried so hard to remove it but failed…”
“Taking the words of a mere servant at face value, Lady Viscountess, you are surprisingly naive!”
Lady Viscountess’s face turned bright red at the mocking words.
At that moment, an older woman, who appeared to be of considerable status, elegantly unfolded her fan with a ‘swish.’
“Enough of this. Might it not be true?”
“Duchess.”
“Miracles do happen sometimes. Perhaps such a miracle graced Duke Mayhard. By sheer luck.”
The attendees exchanged glances.
Most had a look that questioned, ‘Why is she saying this?’
The Duchess they knew harbored more disdain for Kaywhin Meyhard, the Marquess, than anyone else.
The reason was simple.
In the past, her husband, the Duke, bitterly lost to Kaywhin in a business rivalry.
Being an inadequate leader, the Duke vented his frustrations from his failures on his wife.
Consequently, for a while, rumors of discord between the Duke and Duchess were well-known in social circles.
“But, you see…”
The Duchess continued, fluttering her fan.
“Whether the mark has gone or not, does it truly matter? His hideous face is merely a tad less ghastly now.”
‘Predictable!’
Some nodded, as if they had seen this coming.
“With those glomy eyes and that dark, foreboding hair… Merely thinking about his visage is unsettling. How much can the disappearance of a mark change?”
In truth, the Duchess had never genuinely conversed with Kaywhin, nor had she taken a good look at him.
She was simply voicing any disparaging thoughts that sprang to mind.
Others around the Duchess eagerly chimed in.
“Exactly! Even without the mark, how unsightly can he be? Such a grotesquely oversized figure…”
“Doesn’t he resemble a beast?”
“I truly pity the Duchess of Meyhard. She’s known to be quite beautiful; could she be living under the same roof out of compulsion?”
“I’ve heard rumors that the Duchess is quite fond of her husband.”
“In that case, the Duchess must have a peculiar taste for unsightly men! Good heavens! I surely wouldn’t be her type.”
Just then, the moment arrived.
“Lord Kaywhin Meyhard and Lady Yelena Meyhard are now entering!”
The servant at the ballroom’s entrance announced their arrival with a commanding voice.
But something was amiss.
The servant had hesitated in his announcement.
This particular servant was seasoned, never having faltered, even when heralding the arrival of a king.
Yet now, he stuttered?
Curious eyes from all over the ballroom converged on one spot.
And then…
Thud.
The fan in the Duchess’s hand fell limply to the floor.
“That man is Duke Mayhard?”
“This is unbelievable…”
Murmurs transformed into audible whispers, resonating throughout the hall.
The buzz enveloped the expansive ballroom.
Yelena sipped her champagne and cast a sidelong glance at her husband.
The sheer volume of stares directed at him was so intense, that that she half-feared they might bore a hole through his handsome visage.
Yelena’s gaze briefly surveyed the nobles in the ballroom.
Their expressions reeked of astonishment. Her attention returned to Kaywhin.
“How do you feel?”
“Feel about what?”
“Everyone is taken aback by your appearance.”
He paused before responding candidly.
“I’m unsure.”
He hadn’t held any emotional expectations from others since his childhood.
Their opinions of him were inconsequential. Thus, their words and actions never captured his attention.
And now was no different.
The reactions in the ballroom didn’t elicit any specific ‘feeling’ within Kaywhin.
His immediate concern was…
“Yelena.”
Gently holding her champagne-holding hand, he advised,
“It seems to be alcoholic. It might be best if you didn’t drink anymore.”
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