I Don't Want To Be Loved

Chapter 155: Flaming Red Hair

“My goodness… this is…”

“As I thought. I knew you’d understand the value of the book right away,” smiled Rihannan, cheerfully so. “That’s right. It’s the first version of Professor Rahman’s critically acclaimed book. They say there are only a few prints left in the world. Since the duchess loves books so much, I thought you’d enjoy this book more than anything else I could ever give you.”

The duchess’ eyes shone brightly, the pools of her eyes gazing into Rihannan’s icy–blue eyes. The look in the duchess’ eyes was akin to rapture.

“Your Majesty… I’m… I don’t know what to say… is it alright for me to possess such a valuable object?”

The invited nobility noticed Duchess’ Saphia’s genuine voice of surprise and raucous happiness. They quickly fixed their expression of disappointment and awkwardly congratulated the duchess for the valuable gift she received.

“Congratulations, Duchess Saphia. The gift must’ve sent you to the heavens.”

“Yes. Of course. To the duchess, this book has more value than gold or any other valuables she possesses.”

With the nobility’s message of flattery, the banquet continued in earnest.

The duchess’ birthday celebration was the first banquet after the incident at the hunting grounds occurred. Today, everyone celebrated in elated excitement.

With the help of Duchess Saphia, Rihannan was introduced to numbers of noblemen and women she hadn’t met during the previous banquet at the palace.

The talks flowed smoothly with the friendships she formed. Their disposition surprised Rihannan. They bore a dignified aura that was difficult to sway, yet highly educated, cheerful, and sharp wits.

Laughter and merry conversations echoed and ripened the banquet with glee.

“Your Majesty, there’s strawberry juice available. Would you like some?”

Halfway through, Mrs. Cessley noticed Rihannan’s throat slightly parched and dry and recommended her a drink.

As Rihannan was not the type to enjoy alcoholic drinks at banquets like this, she preferred drinking fruit juice as opposed to wine or any drinks of the sort.

“Thank you, Mrs. Cessley.”

Rihannan stretched out a hand and took the drink Mrs. Cessley offered her.

Meanwhile, she noticed a certain figure at the banquet standing out.

Amongst the crowd, she had glamorous red hair and eyes staring directly at Rihannan. She was a woman of outstanding beauty that stood out from the other noblewomen. She looked untouchable, unreachable, like a blood moon rising in a sky of a thousand nebulae bursting.

As soon as that blood-red gaze met Rihannan’s icy–blue pools, her face froze instantly. She hadn’t realized she had lost strength in her hand, causing the cup of glass to fall.

Clink!

“Your Majesty, are you alright?” Duchess Saphia yelled out in surprise.

The glass fell to the side and next to Mrs. Cessley’s skirt, leaving behind a red stain.

Meanwhile, the woman with flaming red hair turned around and disappeared into oblivion.

Rihannan came back to her senses and hurriedly apologized to Mrs. Cessley.

“I apologize, Mrs. Cessley. I was absent-minded for a moment and… I don’t know what came over me…”

Mrs. Cessley hurriedly changed the queen’s mistake and who was at fault to hers instead.

“Not at all, Your Majesty. It was I who made a mistake. This wouldn’t have happened if I hadn’t passed you the drink properly,” she laughed heartily, paying no heed to the stain on her dress. “It’s a good thing, actually. I didn’t like the look of this dress to begin with. I brought a spare change of clothes, so I’ll quickly change and come back.”

“Mrs. Cessley, please come this way.”

Duchess Saphia guided Mrs. Cessley to a private room.

As the two women left the banquet, Rihannan quickly walked toward the direction the red-haired woman disappeared to.

She opened the door to the exit; it was connected to a long hallway. She walked down the path for what seemed like ages, but she could find no one.

Rihannan soon realized she had threaded a dark place and that she was alone. Igor had warned her to make sure she was with someone at all times, but the sudden surprise caught her off guard that she’d forgotten his warning.

Rihannan shook her head.

Perhaps it was her own imagination.

Yes… it was simply an illusion…

But as soon as she convinced herself with that thought, a curvaceous figure appeared in front of her.