16 Soft Spot

"I'm... pretty?"

Penelope went still once more, speechless. Benedict's laughter finally ceases then, though mirth remains in his grinning eyes. This time, however, it's out of delight for Lady's comment.

"Right. You're right, little one. Your grandmother is very, very pretty," he seconded, and while his wife still gave him a sideways glare, thinking that he was only saying that to appease her, she looked less angry now.

"Have you no shame? Your granddaughter even had to save you," she huffed, crossing her arms and turning away from him.

"It's true, though! There's no way my own wife isn't pretty!"

"Ugh, shut it already. You're making a fool out of yourself."

She may say that, but Lady can tell that she is somewhat flattered.

Thinking that this will be a good time to make a grand and successful exit, she asks for her grandparents' attention again and continues where she left off. She took Benedict's hand and did the same gesture she did with Penelope's earlier. This earns a smile from them once again.

"It is nice to meet you, Lady. We welcome you to the Mireille family," her grandfather told her, and at that moment, she found warmth in his eyes which she first thought were nothing but stone-cold.

"It might be hard to be surrounded by boys all the time. Before you came, all I had were sons and grandsons. Now, though, I finally got myself a granddaughter, and I'm quite happy about it. Let's get to know each other from now on, okay, darling?" her grandmother said to her with a honey-sweet voice.

Lady does not know why and how, but it seems that Benedict and Penelope have gotten a tiny little soft spot for her, which she hopes will be enough to satisfy Maximilian even though she has not really earned their favor yet.

---

"Finally! I'm free!"

Lady finds herself saying those words again after successfully getting away from Maximilian's clutch – just barely, albeit.

After greeting her grandparents and being introduced to the rest, she saw through her plan to use the comfort room as an excuse to get out of that place. She only asked him to take her there, so as soon as he was out of sight, she went ahead and sneaked out.

Now, Lady is all alone in what looks like a flower garden near the event hall.

"The air out here is so refreshing~ Perfect for a breather~"

Having been locked up inside for most of her life due to her illness, she certainly enjoys going out like this, especially now that she is in good health. Not even her imagination nor the sceneries told in storybooks can match this real-life experience. She truly feels blessed to be living again regardless of her not-so-desirable circumstances.

"I see that you can be quite the sneak," a familiar voice chimed in from behind her out of nowhere, making her jolt in surprise and turn around in a haste.

It's one of her cousins.

She was looking around the garden when Fallon appeared all of the sudden. Lady found him wearing an aloof expression like the first time she saw him this evening. When he was with Calixtus earlier, greeting their relatives and walking around the event hall, he looked friendly and sociable.

Right now, though, he seems far from that, especially with that enigmatic, scrutinizing gaze of his.