Chapter 6

When Catherine woke up, she realized she was lying in a bed in Lindberg Manor. The next second, Raphael walked through the door. When he saw that she was awake, he placed a glass of freshly boiled water on the bedside table and reached out to put a palm to her forehead. "The fever's gone. How could you be so careless and not realize that you had a fever?" Catherine was still a little disoriented. Then, she remembered the faint "okay" she had heard while drifting in and out of consciousness. Was that a dream or reality? Her heart stirred, and she immediately asked, "Was it you who took care of me yesterday?" Raphael replied coolly, "The maids took care of you. I was at a concert with Fiona and just got back." It turned out that he was with Fiona again. Catherine's hopeful expression faltered immediately. She scoffed at herself inwardly. Of course, he would avoid her at all costs—how could he possibly like her? It was nothing but a foolish fantasy on her part. The room fell into silence. Catherine then recalled her blind date—the one who had run off and left her after she fainted. In a soft voice, she said, "The guy you introduced me to ran off when I fainted. If the person I'm going to marry is someone like him, would you still push me into their arms?" Raphael glanced at her. "I'll find you someone better next time." "You know full well that's not what I want." But Raphael didn't respond. Since she was awake, he didn't feel the need to stay any longer and left the room without another word. Once the room was quiet again, a deep sense of melancholy filled Catherine's heart. In the end, Raphael arranged for his driver to take her home. He didn't even come out to see her off before she left. Fortunately, the last blind date had gone so badly that Raphael seemed to realize he had been too anxious and had pushed her too hard. After that, the frequency of the blind dates returned to what it had been before. … Time passed, and more than a month went by. Catherine didn't see Raphael at all during that time. Perhaps he was intentionally avoiding her, or maybe… he was busy dating Fiona. They crossed paths again at yet another banquet. Since Baxter and Katie had gone away on a business trip, Catherine had no choice but to attend that particular event alone. In the grand ballroom of a luxurious hotel, Catherine spotted the familiar person immediately amidst the crowd of glitzy guests. There was Raphael, with Fiona standing by his side as always. Fiona also noticed Catherine and walked over arm in arm with Raphael. She greeted Catherine with a smile. "Catherine, it's been a while. Fancy seeing you here." Catherine had no interest in exchanging fake pleasantries, so she remained silent. Raphael frowned and criticized, "Catherine, Fiona was speaking to you. Where are your manners?" He was using that condescending, elder-like tone to rebuke her. And for once, Catherine stood her ground stubbornly and refused to back down. Fiona tried to smooth things over by saying, "Relax, Raphael. Don't be so harsh." Compared to Fiona's graciousness, Catherine appeared to be immature by behaving rudely. Raphael shot Catherine a cold look before saying, "Don't drink tonight, or I won't be able to explain it to your parents." Then, he walked off with Fiona by his side. Catherine felt a deep sense of despair. She thought it was depressing that Raphael's concern for her now was merely for the sake of his close friendship with her parents. The banquet hall was filled with noise and laughter. It contrasted starkly with the sense of isolation Catherine felt deep within.