[TKOSINM] 11 - First Meeting (1)

         Noel Kristen.

         He was an illegitimate child who became a duke. People naturally hated him because of that reason.

         Would I have been in a similar position if I was on his side?

         The rumours about Noel that came from their mouths were all awful to hear. In this society, people considered it completely normal to disrespect someone because of their descent or origin, but Irene could not tolerate that. She could not help but imagine the wild gossip that had been spread about her when she was stuck taking care of Riel in the mansion.

         However, Irene found an extremely slim hope from this conversation about Noel. If what the woman said was true, that Noel needed to get married if he wanted to inherit the dukedom, Irene thought she could help him attain recognition from his grandfather, the Great Kristen. 

First, Noel needed a partner to get married, and Irene also needed to marry someone else to leave the house and avoid marrying Boris. Irene did not need love.

Maybe, just maybe….

         If Irene married Noel Kristen, would not all of their problems be solved? He could inherit the dukedom, and Irene could unchain herself from the Chase family. This was ultimately the most desirable outcome for her.

         But I know that it can’t be that easy. Irene sighed whilst thinking that.

♔♔♔

         When Irene returned to the banquet hall, the atmosphere in that place had become tense. The aristocrats in their flamboyant dresses and suits, who were supposed to be dancing and chattering away, were all crowded in one place.

Upon seeing Irene’s puzzled face, Duchess Jasmine urged Irene to come. Irene approached the Duchess, and then Duchess Jasmine led her to the centre of the crowd. Two men were confronting each other in the centre of the circle. One man appeared to be slightly unconscious, unable to maintain his balance and having had his nose broken whilst the other man...

Wow, he’s so handsome.

Irene had never seen such a handsome man in her life. He was around a head taller than her, even with heels. His shoulders were broad, and he had mystical, silver-grey hair and dark brown eyes. His indifferent face seemed to freeze his opponent.

“Miss Jasmine, what is happening?”

“I was also surprised to see this. Look at that person.”

Jasmine’s fingertip pointed at the person on the opposite side of the unconscious man.

“It’s Noel Kristen. The Grand Duke of Kristen”

♔♔♔

Irene’s eyes grew bigger at Jasmine’s words. He really is handsome. Irene had only heard rumours about his appearance, but unexpectedly, the real person was much more good looking than she had first thought. However, the situation in front of Irene did not match his appearance. 

“What a dirty bastard! Do you know that you have to apologise if you bump other people’s shoulders?”

The half-unconscious man staggered and pointed his finger. The man appeared to be so heavily intoxicated that the pungent smell of alcohol emanated from him even from far away. However, no matter how drunk he was, it was not easy to deal with the level of criticism he had said against his opponent. The eyes of the audience were curiously anticipating Noel’s reaction.

It must be such a nuisance for him to have to deal with this.

Noel sighed inwardly at the sight of the man pointing at him. This was the reason why he did not like attending social events. Although he was reluctant, Noel attended this event because his secretary Tom had urged him to find a bride. 

To tell the truth, Noel did not intend to seek a bride. If it were not for Tom, who had urged him to do so, he would not have attended the ball. Noel did not like being the attention centre either. The eyes, who were obtrusively cornering him and inspecting his every action, were unpleasant and unnerving. So, it was normal for him to tend to be as far away from the crowds as possible. That was also the reason why he had told the guard not to announce his arrival.

However, the intoxicated man had suddenly bumped into Noel’s shoulders, ensuing a quarrel with him. To make matters worse, the man had known he was Duke of Kristen and, therefore, began to speak ill of him. None of the onlookers stepped up to stop the slander coming out of his mouth. It was impossible to stop that man because, as far they were concerned, he was telling the truth, and there was no reason for other people to miss this interesting spectacle.

It was apparent from the looks of the crowds that had gathered, and Noel felt even more filthy from their prying stares. Curious eyes always followed him around wherever he went. Sometimes he would meet people who utterly despised him, like the man in front of him. Noel had hardened his heart long ago. He had thought that he had gotten used to it. However, the last time an event like this had happened had been so long ago. He could not help but feel unpleasant emotions arise in him.

“My deepest apologies. I will give you compensation because of this.”

Noel did not want to prolong the problem. He only wanted to leave this place quickly. It was suffocating; he knew he should not have come. The moment he had stepped in, he had already started to regret it. What woman would want to be his bride? It was ridiculous. 

However, when Noel gently apologised, the man became even more enraged. He took it as an encouragement to disrespect the duke even more.

“Then kneel in front of me.”

A murmur of surprise could be heard from the crowd. The man had crossed the line with that, although the situation would have been settled if he had just let it go. However, he wanted attention; he did not stop his provocation. 

No matter how much that man said about Noel being an illegitimate child, the person he insulted was still the Kristen family’s Duke. Whose standing was far above himself? Immediately, Noel regretted that he had merely been obedient and apologised to that man before. 

The man looked smug and seemed to be proud of what he had done. The gazes of the crowd staring at him in awe further exhilarated him.

Noel closed his eyes for a moment and then stared at the man. When Noel’s dark brown eyes looked at the man, the man’s hair stood on end. Suddenly he got chills and shuddered. To the man who had moments ago been so arrogant and prideful, Noel’s stare weighed heavily on him and seemed to suffocate him.

“Do you really want to proceed with this problem further?”

The man was frozen by Noel’s words and quickly shook his head. He was all bark and no bite. If he really clashed with the Kristen family, he would not be meeting a good end. With his head between his chest and tail down, he stumbled back into the crowd. There was a buzz because of his sudden escape, but Noel Kristen simply walked out of the hall as if nothing had happened.

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