Guidelines for the Perfect Goodbye - Chapter 161

A silence lingered.

Cecilia lit a candle and looked at her reflection in the window glass.

‘Surprisingly…’

Her appearance wasn’t as bad as she had expected.

‘Ulysses, your hands are more skillful than I thought. If you hadn’t been born a nobleman, you might have done quite well as an attendant.’

With a crooked smile, Cecilia tidied her clothes and hair.

Then, she glared at the door.

Following Ulysses’ advice exactly as he said was irksome… but the truth was, she couldn’t leave just yet.

Given his cautious nature, he would have already checked the surroundings before stepping out. But in a mansion filled with people, she couldn’t let her guard down.

‘His appearance is objectively eye-catching.’

There was no telling when or where someone might have seen him. If someone followed right after he left, the misunderstanding she feared could arise.

If that happened, the carefully laid plans could fall apart disastrously.

‘Christian must still be looking for me.’

He would soon realize she wasn’t in the hall when he returned with a new drink. Knowing his indulgent nature, he might have quickly sought out another woman, but there was a chance he’d check the second floor just in case.

‘The heir of a ducal household wouldn’t be used to being refused.’

The gaze that had pierced through her as he stood leaning against the wall flashed in her mind. He seemed like the kind of man who wouldn’t even consider that she was avoiding dancing with him.

‘I’ll wait.’

Those words weighed on her shoulders as time passed.

“Ah, really…”

The mere thought made her stomach churn and her head throb. Cecilia stretched out on the sofa in front of the table.

Since she couldn’t return right away, it was better to take a short rest, just as Ulysses suggested.

‘Let’s rest for a bit, then go back out.’

It was already past midnight. While grand balls like this typically lasted until just before dawn, it was a good time for the early-arriving guests to start leaving.

In fact, the hosts would likely hope that they’d leave at an appropriate time, unless they were politically important figures.

Since the hall’s capacity is limited, it’s impossible to accommodate all the invited families at once. If the party dragged on too long, the guests needed to rotate periodically.

Of course, the hall of the Pierce Duchy was larger and more spacious than most, but no family would decline an invitation from the Duke, so it was certain that people from all regions would gather here.

If the place became too crowded, it would be difficult to manage. No host would want an accident to happen at their party.

Cecilia planned to recover her complexion and return looking composed.

Before leaving, she would need to say goodbye to everyone she had greeted today. That way, they would continue to remember her.

A neat finish is as important as a strong start. If she rushed to conclude things with a tired mind, it could lead to trouble.

‘Yes, just a little… just rest a little…’

She closed her heavy eyelids. The room was quiet, and the distant sound of the orchestra played like a lullaby. Only then did her tense body relax.

“Haa…”

She placed both hands on her stomach and sighed. The room, illuminated by a single candle, felt much more peaceful than the brightly lit chandelier of the first-floor hall.

‘This must be the most crowded time.’

In the capital during spring, not a day goes by without a party. Invitations arrive two or three times a day, and there are more parties held on the same day than you can count on one hand.

As a result, noble carriages move around so constantly that the term ‘touring performance’ becomes a joke.

Typically, one only makes a courtesy appearance at the parties of lower-ranking families and then heads to the party of a closer or more prestigious family after midnight.

So, the number of people present after midnight becomes a measure of the family’s standing.

Unless there’s a royal banquet, no family in the capital could surpass the Pierce Duchy.

Thus, on the day the Pierce Duchy held a party, it was an unwritten rule for other noble families to refrain from hosting theirs.

‘Unless they’re particularly bold.’

Today, there was one other family besides the Pierce Duchy that held a party.

‘The Odridge Viscountcy.’

They were a family at odds with the Lope Viscountcy, the maternal family of the Duchess, over financial matters.

‘Of course, they wouldn’t have received an invitation from the Duke’s family.’

From the creditor’s perspective, the debtor’s act of isolating them with power would seem outrageous.

How frustrated must they have been to hold a party today?

‘Even though it’s obvious that all the nobles would flock to this ducal residence.’