71.
Although the door blocked Keith, it wasn’t difficult to hear the sounds from inside.
“Ah… Mmm.”
Yu Jin’s moans of pleasure clawed at Keith’s heart. He had heard these sounds many times before, but today was different. Knowing that the partner was Jinhyeon, the murderous intent he had buried began to creep out.
Why did it have to be him? He, not Jinhyeon, had been by Yu Jin’s side all this time. He wanted to burst through the door and swing his sword right away. But even as the long night passed and dawn approached, Keith couldn’t do it. He still lacked the resolve.
The resolve to be hated, that is. That’s why he chose to eliminate Jinhyeon from behind rather than from the front. He would make sure Jinhyeon met a miserable end somewhere Yu Jin wouldn’t know about. Sensing an approaching presence, Keith retreated.
The person who came out through the open door was Jinhyeon. His indifferent gaze fell on Keith and then dropped, a smirk passing over his lips. Seeing him, Keith clenched his fists.
“Don’t touch him.”
Jinhyeon left those words and went outside. Keith’s anger surged, but he let him go quietly. This wasn’t the place for Jinhyeon to die. Then he entered Yu Jin’s room and told the awakened Yu Jin that in the end, he would be the one remaining by his side. He might be scared to hear such words now, but Keith believed in the days they had spent together. Yu Jin couldn’t abandon family.
As soon as Yu Jin got up, he immersed himself in work again. With Tulin’s cooperation, he finalized the items to be included in the department store and completed the event planning. The events weren’t anything special. They were similar to what modern department stores typically do.
Limited edition items for the grand opening, gifts and VIP cards for those who purchase over a certain amount, and so on. Yu Jin was to be the center of promoting these items.
Marilyn also offered to help, but because she usually dressed so uniquely, it didn’t seem like she would be of much help. Still, they resolved the shortcomings by bringing in people with high recognition. Of course, this was impossible with Yu Jin’s connections alone, so Tulin lent his power.
Haruna, who had been diligently writing, put down her documents and sighed.
“Finally, it’s done, done!”
Even the finest details were all set. The building was about to be completed too, so everything was still going smoothly.
“Yu Jin, you’re going out this afternoon too, right?”
“Yes. I’m scheduled to attend a party at the Marquis’ house.”
After joining hands with Tulin, Yu Jin’s reputation had changed remarkably. It had been changing already, but the speed of change was different now. An incomparable amount of invitations flew in, many from well-known nobles. In this situation, he thought there would be some different reaction from Lucid, but it was strangely quiet.
‘No, it can’t help but be quiet.’
Ahmed must be under disciplinary action, and Pamina might have received a warning from the family head because of Yu Jin’s incident. It was that kind of situation. Thinking like this, it seemed that he wouldn’t have to worry about Lucid for a while. Both the department store and the back alleys were running smoothly.
He thought Count Lumine would try more tricks, but he hadn’t been seen lately. Perhaps he was lying low with Ahmed.
‘I wish every day could be like today.’
Thinking this, Yu Jin discreetly rolled his eyes. It was to check on Keith, who was beside Haruna. Despite leaving such chilling words, Keith wasn’t behaving any differently than usual. He was still kind and considerate.
“What’s wrong?”
Sensing his gaze, Keith asked.
“No, it’s nothing.”
It made him wonder if what he had experienced that day was actually a dream.
“Welcome.”
The Marchioness of Monblet greeted Yu Jin with a smile.
“Thank you for the invitation.”
“Hehe, not at all. I’m the one who’s glad to meet someone as beautiful as the rumors say.”
He thought the Marquis’ family might be doing some business, and Tulin was involved in it. Therefore, they couldn’t treat Yu Jin carelessly. Knowing this fact, Yu Jin participated today more relaxed than usual.
As expected, others gathered in the hall were also friendly towards Yu Jin. His job today was to show the new product line of the department store to those who approached him because of Tulin’s name. Because of this, Yu Jin’s attire was more glamorous than usual.
His long blonde hair was twisted up with an ornately decorated metal hairpin, and a delicately crafted necklace adorned his exposed neckline. It was different from the large and thick accessories that were trendy recently. Small crafted jewels hung like fruits on a tree, sparkling every time they caught the light. Many people showed interest in this unfamiliar sparkle.
“These are products that will be unveiled at the soon-to-open department store.”
People of this era mostly preferred large gemstones, and craftsmanship was limited to smooth cutting. Moreover, because the gems were large, the metal craftsmanship of the base had to be similar. Most were described as large and thick.
Delicate craftsmanship wasn’t non-existent, but it wasn’t a style greatly preferred by people here. Because of this, they initially tried to follow the existing method, but it wasn’t satisfactory in the eyes of Yu Jin or Jinhyeon. So they tried producing in a different form, and when others’ reactions were good, they changed direction midway.
Above all, Yu Jin was the one wearing the jewels. He was already famous in many ways and possessed a beauty that was second to none, so it was judged that creating a new trend wouldn’t be difficult.
‘The judgment was right.’
Yu Jin smiled at the people approaching him and enthusiastically promoted the department store. As always, Jinhyeon stood beside him. He too was wearing newly made men’s accessories. It might have been a bit cumbersome for guarding, but Jinhyeon said it didn’t matter.
“It’s not like I can’t move just because I’m wearing accessories.”
Jinhyeon also had excellent looks and physique, so he was quite helpful for promotion. While they were busily dealing with people like this, suddenly the entrance of the hall became noisy. Wondering what was happening, Yu Jin turned around to see a servant announcing the arrival of a new person. Arriving later than the party host! Some people looked surprised, but only for a moment.
“Lady Lyunne of the Duke Romagne’s family has arrived!”
A lady of the Duke’s family had arrived. The commotion died down, and a woman appeared at the entrance. The woman with sky-blue hair and green eyes was incomparably beautiful. She gave off a cold and haughty impression, but that too was charming.
Seeing her, Yu Jin’s body shrank.
‘Lyunne.’
Finally, the second female protagonist had appeared. Yu Jin’s gaze, which had been on Lyunne, naturally turned to Jinhyeon. His black eyes were directed towards her as she entered alone. Yu Jin wanted to know what he was thinking, but couldn’t tell. Yu Jin opened and closed his mouth several times before shutting it. Some of the people who were about to approach Yu Jin turned back and headed towards Lyunne instead.
“Lady Lyunne! It’s been a long time!”
“I’m glad to see you like this!”
Lyunne remained aloof even when dealing with people rushing towards her.
‘This isn’t the time to be like this.’
The other party was the daughter of a Duke’s family. Thinking about the future, it would be better to become friendly. So Yu Jin should have moved to approach her, but he just couldn’t take a step. Yes, to be honest, he was scared. Even though he had thought he would have to let Jinhyeon go someday, now that the situation had actually arrived, he couldn’t do anything.
‘Coward.’
It seemed that no matter how much time passed, people don’t change. He was still a coward. How much time had passed like this? Jinhyeon, who had been looking at Lyunne, lowered his head and whispered in Yu Jin’s ear.
“Are you feeling unwell?”
Not understanding what he meant, Yu Jin looked at Jinhyeon, who asked again.
“I thought you might not be feeling well.”
Only then did Yu Jin’s mind seem to clear a bit.
“I’m fine.”
“You don’t look fine. If it’s too hard, should we go to the resting room for a while?”
After hesitating for a moment, Yu Jin nodded. In fact, it was based on the shallow thought that if they went to the resting room, Lyunne and Jinhyeon wouldn’t encounter each other anymore. But Jinhyeon, who couldn’t know this, kindly escorted Yu Jin.
Entering the resting room, he seated Yu Jin on the sofa and brought warm tea. As he held the teacup, feeling its warmth, Yu Jin felt his mind calming a little.
“About the person we just saw.”
“You mean Lady Lyunne?”
“Yes.”
Recently, Jinhyeon had been memorizing the family trees of famous noble houses like Yu Jin. This level of knowledge was necessary to accompany him. So it wasn’t strange that he knew about Lyunne, but Yu Jin’s hands gripping the teacup unconsciously tightened.
“…What do you think of her?”
At Yu Jin’s question, Jinhyeon looked at him with a questioning gaze. But after a moment, Jinhyeon began to share his thoughts.
“She seemed like a cold and haughty beauty. Given her abilities, it wouldn’t be strange if she became the heir to the Duke’s family, but it would probably be difficult. They say they’re opening opportunities for women too, but she has an older brother not much older than her. It’s not easy to break down what someone ahead has already established.”
Facts that Yu Jin also knew flowed from Jinhyeon’s mouth.
