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Sophia didn’t mention a single word about John having gone for such a long time, merely murmuring
an acknowledgment before saying, “I was bored, so I came out.”
John took the Band-Aid from her hand and crouched. Her evening gown was very long and covered
her feet, so he lifted the hem before taking one of her feet. Sophia then twitched slightly since it tickled
a little, but John immediately ordered, “Don’t move. Just let me put this on.”
Tilting her head, Sophia looked at Isabelle who stood a near distance away. However, Isabelle only had
eyes for John. She seemed to be showing some emotion on her face, but her face was concealed in
darkness since her back was to the streetlight nearby. The corners of Sophia’s mouth lifted. With her
gaze remaining fixed on Isabelle, she directed her words to John, saying, “Keep your touch light. It
hurts.”
If it were during the usual times, he probably would have ignored her, but on this day, he actually
murmured an acquiescence. It’s telling that he’s feeling a touch guilty. But honestly speaking, while I
had no way to keep track of the time, it indeed felt that he only came looking for me after an
interminable time, so he must have chatted very long with Isabelle. Therefore, he should be feeling
guilty.
John put the Aid-Band on her. Although only one of her heels was abraded and the other was fine, he
still took out the Band-Aid in his pocket and put it on her other heel as well. Then, he carefully slipped
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her shoes back on her feet.
Sophia’s eyes never left Isabelle, so she finally saw her expression clearly when Isabelle involuntarily
took two steps toward her the moment John helped her with her shoes. The incredulity and disbelief in
Isabelle’s eyes had her feeling instantly gratified. Nice! I think the victory is again mine this round!
After helping her put her shoes on, John straightened the hem of her gown. He stood up, then he said,
“Stand up and try walking for a bit to see whether it still hurts.”
Lifting her hand, Sophia grabbed his arm and stood up before taking two steps. “It’s much better.”
Then, she even smiled and thanked him. His expression was rather grim, but she was elated because
she knew exactly what to do to make him feel wretched. He isn’t an unconscionable person; he just
doesn’t love me. Now that he’s obviously in the wrong, he’ll feel all the more remorseful the more
magnanimous I am.
Sophia turned and looked at Isabelle. “You’re here as well, Miss Bailey?”
Isabelle grunted in assent. “I saw Mr. Constance just now, so I chatted with him for a while.”
Exclaiming in understanding, Sophia replied rather slowly, “I see.”
John knew that she had gastric problems, and she hadn’t had dinner, so he said, “Let’s go. I’ll take you
to get some food. It’ll be some time yet before the banquet ends, so you shouldn’t be going hungry.”
Sophia murmured an assent before glancing at Isabelle. Likewise, John looked at Isabelle as well. It
was as though Isabelle only came to her senses then, momentarily taken aback before saying, “Go
ahead. I’m going to look for my father and see whether he’s done talking business.”
Nodding, John left with Sophia. After they’d gone a distance away, Sophia turned around and looked at
Isabelle, only to see her still standing there, staring in their direction. She just appears somewhat lonely
standing there alone. Turning back around, the picture of herself sprawled on the bench earlier flashed
across her mind. Is John’s suddenly amenability due to the fact that I, too, looked pitiful?
John took her to the banquet hall, and the two of them had a look at the buffet area, but it was mostly
fruits and dessert. She’d actually tried some earlier and found the taste of the dessert here lacking.
While John was a tad exasperated when he failed to find anything filing after looking around, Sophia
merely chuckled. “It’s okay. I’ll just have the server bring me a glass of warm water.”
She has gastric problems, and it’s a perennial issue at that. Besides, she hasn’t eaten, yet she had
some alcohol earlier because she was keeping me company as I socialized. John sighed. “Wait a
moment. I’ll be back in no time.”
Without asking any questions, Sophia docilely murmured an assent and stood waiting in front of the
dessert table. John then left and disappeared behind a pillar around the corner right ahead. At this,
Sophia pivoted and went to a corner at the side, leaning against the wall. In John’s absence, hardly
anyone would notice her.
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