A few days after the Georgia Centania ball, Solid got engaged. After a short engagement of three months, she got married two months ago.
“She’s not even alone anymore, and she still came all the way here. Solid is pushing herself too hard.”
That was what the Countess said as soon as she saw Sophia sitting on the drawing room sofa, reading a letter from Solid that had arrived a few days earlier.
She couldn’t imagine how shocked Sophia was. She had even jumped up from her seat and dropped the letter she was reading.
“What? What did you say?”
Not alone—did that mean Solid was pregnant?
Sophia felt like she was about to faint, but the Countess spoke calmly, as if she had already gone over this several times before.
“Yes, Sophia. I think she said she’s about one month along. The baby came quickly. Though, everyone suspects it probably happened even earlier than that.”
“Mother!”
Sophia raised her voice to defend her friend. But the Countess said that Sophia had already used up all the sympathy she could get for being asleep for five months. With a stern face, she simply said, “Don’t raise your voice to me. That’s rude.”
“I don’t know if it’s good or bad that you’re friends with her. Still, thanks to Solid causing a scene, people aren’t paying attention to you. I suppose she might feel the same. It’s strange that people think it’s good they’re focused on you eating poison instead of her. You two are truly best friends.”
After saying those sharp words, the Countess pressed her forehead and left, saying she had a headache.
“Don’t talk like that!” Sophia yelled at her retreating figure. Then she picked up the fallen letter and read it carefully again. But there was no mention of pregnancy anywhere. Solid had only written that she was overjoyed Sophia had woken up and that she wanted to visit her.
“Solid’s pregnant…”
Five months was a long time, but Sophia didn’t expect that so much would have changed in her life and the lives around her.
She was now engaged to a duke, and Solid was pregnant.
Either way, it saddened her that she hadn’t been there for her best friend’s pregnancy and wedding. Solid was someone she had been close with even before debuting in society.
It felt like she had crossed a river that she couldn’t go back over.
However, when Solid arrived that evening, she was no different than before. Instead of the awkwardness Sophia had expected, there was only deep affection and tender concern.
“Oh, Sophia!”
“Solid!”
The two young women hugged tightly for a long time. Solid’s arms around her neck were pale and warm. The scent of oranges and peaches—southern fragrance. It was Solid’s scent.
“Sophia, I’m so glad you woke up. I thought I might lose you…”
Solid kissed the back of Sophia’s hand. Her green eyes shimmered with tears, full of both worry and relief. Sophia felt their friendship wash over her like a wave from that single kiss.
“Solid, I’m sorry. I feel terrible that I couldn’t even be at your wedding.”
Sophia confessed with a sorrowful face. Solid wiped her moist eyes with her pearl-colored gloves and smiled.
“I was very sad without you too. But the moment I heard you had woken up, I forgot all that sadness. Oh, Sophia, I’m so thankful I get to see you like this.”
With a joyful cry, Solid hugged Sophia again. The people around them felt awkward because they showed no sign of letting go. The Countess stepped forward for the young lady who had been quietly waiting behind Solid all this time.
“Welcome, Lady Sandel, Miss Woodridge, Master Ronald Medecia.”
Only then did Solid seem to remember the group behind her. She quickly pulled away from Sophia.
“Oh my, I forgot. This is my cousin, Miss Anita Woodridge. And behind her—well, you all know him. That’s my younger brother.”
“Master Ronald, Miss Woodridge.”
“Count, Countess, Lady Hilden.”
Ronald and Anita gave a polite bow. Ronald was her younger brother, so that made sense, but Miss Woodridge had come too?
Of course, there was no one in society who didn’t know who Miss Woodridge was. The story of Solid Medecia—now Lady Sandel—and her attached shadow was very well known.
Anita Woodridge was Solid’s cousin from the Finlay region. For the Woodridge family, a lesser noble house from a remote area, their only real connection was their blood ties to the Medecia family.
They had willingly given up their pride and money for their daughter’s marriage. The Woodridge family, always lingering around the Medecia in a rather pitiful way, was finally rewarded when Anita was allowed to debut in society alongside Solid.
The Medecia had generously offered to present both Solid and Anita to society together. But because the Woodridge family had already spent too much money trying to stay close to the Medecia, they didn’t have much left to spend on Anita’s actual debut.
So wherever radiant Solid went, half-shabby Anita Woodridge always followed in less impressive clothing.
People always compared Solid and Anita and criticized the Woodridge family for their poor judgment.
“They thought debuting alongside the Medecia would bring attention? I think Miss Woodridge just faded into the background by herself.”
Anita Woodridge was not very pretty compared to others, and she always wore dark, stiff dresses that buttoned tightly up to her neck. She looked more like a governess than a debutante.
“Is that the family’s decision, or is it her personal taste?”
People were curious.
Sophia had once wondered the same. Why did Miss Woodridge wear such dull, outdated clothes? She had even pitied her, thinking maybe she really couldn’t afford better.
But after hearing the full story from Solid, Sophia began to feel a slight anger toward Anita.
“I think she came here just to be my flaw. Do you think we wouldn’t have bought her a proper dress? I’m scared people will think our family is poor too. They probably already doubt our generosity. But no! We tried so hard to persuade her. I’m sure there’s a thick, black anger burning inside her. It’s directed at her parents, at our family, and even at me. I can feel it!”
Sophia could still clearly remember the day Solid had finally lost her temper and shouted at Anita.
And yet Anita was still here with her. Even though she greeted them politely, Sophia found it strange.
“Is the young count out today?”
Anita asked.
It was a perfectly polite question for a guest, but Sophia suddenly felt annoyed. Was Anita daring to be interested in Felix?
“My brother went to meet the Duke.”
“Oh.”
Anita made a vague sound with an unreadable expression. Sophia wasn’t sure what she meant, but then she realized she had mentioned the Duke too casually.
By the time she realized her mistake, vague expressions had already spread across Solid and Anita’s faces. They looked curious but politely pretended not to be.
Sophia always felt uncomfortable being looked at like that. It made her feel like she owed something. She wanted to say, “Yes! A lot of things happened between me and the Duke!” but in truth, there wasn’t much to say.
It was true the Duke spent a lot of time with her family. He talked politics with her father, poetry with her mother, and history and secrets of the world with Felix. But he rarely spoke with Sophia herself. He never approached her first.
He had said, “I must love you,” but now it felt like he had left everything up to her. Sometimes, when their eyes met, he just smiled politely like a drawing.
Sophia interpreted all his actions not as kindness, but as arrogance. Not the art of patience, but confidence that she would love him no matter what.
Once, as she was playing the piano, the Duke came over. He rested his hand on the body of the piano. He was tall, so he easily entered her field of view.
Even while trying to follow the sheet music, Sophia was fully aware of his presence. She could feel his gaze on her profile. She wondered how he was looking at her, but in the end, she didn’t dare to meet his eyes.
Instead, she imagined it.
His flawless blond hair and blue eyes, his face like it was sculpted from the most graceful lines in the world. That beautiful face smiling at her.
“How was it?”
But when she looked up after finishing her performance, the Duke wasn’t even looking at her. His head was tilted to the side, staring somewhere else. Only when Sophia boldly spoke did he finally look at her.
“What was?”
She puffed up her cheeks, just like she used to in society.
“My performance. Was it bad? Well, I guess it wasn’t good enough for your ears, was it?”
The Duke gave a vague smile and then surprised her with a strange confession.
“I don’t really like music.”
“What?”
“Whether it’s a broken sound hit by accident or a chord carefully crafted, I don’t see much difference.”
Sophia stared at him in disbelief. She had never met anyone who said something so uncultured so confidently.
“Do you deny the beauty of art, Duke—no, Callas?”
At that, the Duke’s lips curved into a charming smile. He always smiled like that when she called him “Callas.” Even though he had told her to call him that, she didn’t know why it amused him so much.
“Who knows.”
His beautiful smile was followed by a half-hearted reply. But Sophia could instinctively feel that he didn’t really value art.
More precisely, he didn’t seem interested in anything humans had achieved. He lived his life with no ambition or affection, just carrying on, bored.
