Eun-woo thought that whenever said something like that, someone seemed to be squeezing her heart. However, she still responded calmly
"Hooh, is that so?
Eun-woo could feel his black eyes shining softly through the mask
"Alright
Tashian muttered in a soft voice, as if she was in a drea
"… You probably never know how much I wanted to dance with you again
At that moment, Eun-woo could vividly imagine what kind of expression he had on his face, even though he was wearing a mask. It was as if his sorrowful feelings overflowed outside the mask, and went straight into her hands and melted her hear
At the same time, Eun-woo felt her heart was numb in pain. She instantly dropped her head with a terrible mood as if the world had fallen to the ground. Her arms and legs could hardly move, as if her whole body had lost its strength
Tashian also asked in a worried voice when he noticed her sudden conditio
"… Is it hard? Should we stop dancing and rest now?
Eun-woo raised her head and looked at him. She answered in a resolute manne
"No, I can dance until the end of this song.
"… Alright, of course.
Seconds passed, yet it felt like an hour, and the song finally came to an end. It ended in a dreamy time. When his hands that were holding her securely, fell afterward
Eun-woo had readied herself that his touch, which held her hands wouldn't last long, but when it fell, she seemed to have lingering feelings. She didn't want to be separated from him eithe
Women on both of her sides had already shown courtesy to their partners, raising their skirts and bending their backs. But she couldn't say goodbye to him at all
As soon as her and his hands were completely separated, she quickly turned and left the place. However, Tashian remained in the empty spot where she left him alon
His gaze stayed at where she was standing, fumbling at the place where the woman stood there, had disappeared for a long time. He didn't want to walk out of this place for a while when he was with her, but as if to wake his senses, he crept into the corner of the hall again, where he was earlier. Then he sank behind the pillar like a black shadow
**
Eun-woo walked out of the Hall, like she was running away and hid herself in the veranda. And before she noticed it, she was already panting as if she had run for over 100 meters. She couldn't pull herself together, due to her reddened fac
The low-pitched voice he whispered to her quietly, and the masculine scent that filled the tip of her nose. She felt like all the sensations she had experienced while in his arms were revived in her bod
'Crazy
She had danced with him three times in a row. She didn't know, but she wondered if she had done something that would make me buried in this societ
Eun-woo had a feeling that whenever she was with him, she was at loss. And at that moment, Eun-woo noticed water droplets dripping down on the floor right in front of the place where she was standing with her knees bent. It wasn't long before she realized that it was actually her tear
She was definitely in the body of a woman named Eleanor Miller. The body was her, but the mind was a very different person
Moreover for clear evidence, she had no memory of Eleanor from the time she was born, until she got to 18 years old. Not even a single fragmentary memory remained in he
All she had in her memory was the life of Lim Eun-woo, an ordinary high school girl, who lived in agony and miserable lif
Eun-woo wiped her tears away which flowed down on the ground mercilessly
'You have to keep that in mind. You are Lim Eun-woo, not Eleanor Miller. Not the Miss of Marquis Miller, but just an ordinary high school girl named Lim Eun-woo
The unfamiliar attention she had received from people, was not for her, but it was for the real Eleano
People will doubtlessly notice that one day, she was not the person they used to know. They must have already suspected he
She had to be especially careful of those people close to Eleanor. They will surely find something different from me and Eleanor. I would be strange to them. And she didn't know when or where she would get caught. May, or she may not, she didn't know that she would have to stay vigilant for the rest of her life, hiding her true identity and living in pretending
'You're not the real Lim Eun-woo nor Eleanor Miller anymore…
(TN: It means she's living with two identities, for herself, and for Eleanor.
I was very confused. My headache with dizziness
She held back her desire to vomit, leaning against the railing of the veranda with her staggering hands on her forehead
It was a pain that felt like her heart was breakin
I myself am lying to all the people around me. To them, she couldn't move around with her real self even for a single moment. It couldn't be true. But even her own existence was false to them
Eun-woo managed to catch her breath by holding the railing. Tears were dry before she knew it
At that time, the loud voice of the host was heard from inside the Hall
〈'Come on, distinguished guests! The time for exchanging masks has come. Everyone, please exchange with the one closest to you
Eun-woo was surprised and hurriedly turned around to examine the movements inside the Hall. Before she realized it, the highlight of the masquerade, the mask exchange ceremony was approaching
People that were gathered in the middle of the hall, were pairing up in twos and threes in search of someone they wanted to exchange masks with
She hurriedly wiped the tears off of her eyes with her sleeves and tidied her clothes. There was no one in particular who she wanted to exchange masks, but she thought that she had to go back to the Hall
But then, she heard someone calling her from behind
"Lady
Eun-woo was surprised by the voice she didn't know where it came from and looked around. Before long, a man appeared in front of her, who found her hiding like a hedgehog, even though she had tried so hard to not be noticed by anyon
The man, who appeared behind the small bushes connected to the veranda, was wearing a black mask like a black clay. The perfect tailcoat without a single button was as black as the dark night sk
Eun-woo stepped back with her instinctive fear at the appearance of a man boasting as tall as a duke or prince
"Wh, who are you…
"Don't be afraid. I'm not here to hurt you.
The man's voice responding to her question was a chillingly attractive low tone. Eun-woo wondered how a person's voice could be so sweet. But soon, she felt horrified by what he said after and stepped back unstabl
"At least not today.
As soon as the man's words fell, she got goosebumps all over her body. But for a while, Eun-woo supported one of her arms which began to tremble with her other arm
He was a very suspicious man. What kind of rude remarks was from their first meetin
She was wary and asked a fierce questio
"…. Do you mean that if you won't hurt me today, you will hurt me later on
His black mask which covered his entire face, compared to other masks which only covered one's eyes. Therefore, Eun-woo could hardly estimate whether the man was smiling or making a cold face
"Probably.
A cold voice murmured as if snowflakes were flying
"I want to ask why such an angel-like beautiful lady is alone in this dark night's veranda.
"...It's none of your business. I just came out to cool down for a while.
Eun-woo quickly added
"The people who came with me are waiting for me inside.
"I know. You came with the Duke of Verk
Eun-woo could see he twisted his lips as if laughing about her foolishness. His facial expression was invisible, but it was her instinctive intuition that told he
"Miss seems to have a pretty unique taste.
"….What does that mean?
Eun-woo swallowed her dry saliva and asked back. The man answered immediately with a voice that somehow flowed with ease
"Don't get me wrong. I didn't mean to mock Miss. I just want to suggest that you should pick a friend carefully the next time you hang out.
Eun-woo could immediately notice that he'd be ruined when he risked Tashian's identity. She responded with a frown on her face in outrageous displeasur
"…. The Duke can't be more of a man. I don't know who you are, but I think it's better to find someone who can proudly show his face.
The man said nothing. Eun-woo bowed her head lightly to mean that she no longer wanted to talk to him anymore
"If you don't have any more business with me, I'll go to my seat first. As I said, my friend is waiting for me.
"I didn't say there was no more business.
Eun-woo once again trembled in fear and questioned him back with a slight frown on the forehead
"What's that about….?
The man came a step closer to her. Eun-woo tried to step back again, but was soon blocked by the railing behind her. The man somehow opened his mouth with a low voice which gave her goosebumps
"Lady Miller. Will you give me the honor of exchanging masks with mine?
She blankly blinked, not understanding what the man said. But soon, listening to the chatter coming from the Hall, she slowly realized what he had asked me to do. The host in the hall announced the start of the event with a cheerful voice.
〈 Now! Just like last year, whoever gets the Golden Mask will have a chance to do a final dance with the Crown Prince! So let's get started
The man's hand, which slowly approached her, was holding Eun-woo's right hand. He tilted as if kissing the back of her hand like a polite gentleman. Eun-woo was terrified that his figure, which came so close, was much larger than she thought. Her stomach began to tighten due to tensio
"Lady Miller
The man called her, urging her to answer. Eun-woo came to her senses with that sweet yet dizzying voice at the same time
"Ah…
So many thoughts crossed her mind
What was this guy's intention? What if I go to someone I've never seen before, and ask for an exchange
Eun-woo could not easily answer the man's request. One thing was certain, her whole body's senses were clamoring to get away from the man in front of her eyes
However, while Eun-woo hesitated, the host started counting down
" …3! …2!
The host's shouting voice rang inside and outside the banquet hall. As the man in the black mask became impatient, he put pressure on her hand
Everything was so sudden
"Ye, yes let's do that
In the end, Eun-woo agreed to exchange her mask with him like a person, who was forced by somethin
"…. One! Please exchange masks!
At that moment, all the lights in the banquet hall went out at once. In an instant, some ladies screamed inside the Hall when it became pitch-like darkness
The same was true in the veranda where Eun-woo was. In the dark shade, she could feel the man's hand stretching toward her mask, while holding her hand strongly
And all she could see was her white mask helplessly falling to the ground on the veranda, where there was only bright moonlight floating in the sky
Eun-woo could notice that the man's hand, who had taken off her mask, was slowly moving towards his black mask. He untied the knots behind his mask, one by one, with very unhurried hands, as if to buy tim
When Eun-woo thought the moment was too long, the black mask slipped off the man's face at once
Eun-woo soon became mesmerized by the sight in front of her eyes.