Chapter 58 (Let’s catch a mouse)
A deep wrinkle was formed on the fine forehead of Asrazan. The mouth, which had loosened at the thought of seeing Lariette, became firm again.
Probably because Sheria had done a great disrespect a little while ago.
‘Asrazan?’
Asrazan never allows her to call his name. Even though the difference in status was severe, she dared to call the Duke of Kandel by the name, which would be a scene that would be rude if other nobles saw it.
However, it was not for that reason that Asrazan was displeased.
He had lived his whole life being ridiculed by the nobles as well as the commoners under the pretext of a curse. It wasn’t the first time he heard insulting remarks from the people who were scared and shivering in front of him.
So, for Asrazan, the rudeness of calling his name was at a level that could be easily overlooked.
Still, the reason he felt so displeased was that the only person who had ever called his name was Lariette.
It was a name that no one had called until Lariette called it. However, from the first meeting, Lariette spoke nonstop, and even before falling in love, it felt good to hear her clear voice pronouncing my name.
Even though it was his name, it seemed that ‘Asrazan’ now belonged to Lariette. I wished only she would call me that forever.
Therefore, the rudeness of Sheria, who undermined its speciality without permission, was very unpleasant to him.
“… Lady Mirchen. I never allow you to call my name.”
Asrazan opened his mouth with a blunt voice.
It was a cold tone for others to hear, but he was trying to speak softly even though he was not in a good mood.
The reason for making an effort that had never been done before was very natural. Because she’s Lariette’s friend.
On the other hand, Sheria opened her eyes and half covered her face with both hands, as if embarrassed by Asrazan’s words. Her face, white as milk, turned red in an instant.
“Oh, I’m sorry, I’m sorry! I called you too friendly. I’m used to listening, Lariette calling you that, so.. I’m sorry, Duke Kandel.”
“It’s okay.”
Asrazan shook his head lightly as a sign of forgiveness. It was because when Lariette’s name was mentioned, he once again became more generous towards her friend Sheria.
Seeing that Asrazan’s expression was not cold, Sheria laughed out loud as if relieved. Then she spoke in a sweet voice.
“Thank you for your forgiveness! I, I told you my name back then. Do you remember?”
The way she tilted her head while her pink eyes twinkled between words was so beautiful that anyone who saw it would fall in love with it. The act of putting both index fingers together and looking at him was also quite cute.
However, Asrazan did not even answer, but raised one eyebrow.
As a courtesy, he memorized the surname, but he did not even remember the names of the aristocrats he met, so it was almost impossible to memorize the names of those who were only ‘Friends of Lariette’.
Sheria licked her lips for a moment, as if it was very sad that he couldn’t remember her name, then smiled brightly again and said:
“It’s Sheria. Sherry- you can call me that.”
Asrazan felt a little perplexed at the fact that even a nickname was allowed.
Do you usually have to talk to your lover’s friends for this long? It was too short a time to call it a long time, but it was too long for him, who wanted to go back and meet Lariette right away.
However, he hesitated to ignore her and leave because he feared that if he did not treat Sheria kindly, it would harm Lariette. So he stood there without saying a word, thinking about when to leave.
Sheria did not give in to Asrazan’s silence, and continued her conversation alone. In such a situation, it was surprising how soft the voice was again.
After a long one-sided chatter, Asrazan’s mouth was finally opened when the topic he was interested in appeared.
“Ah, I haven’t met Lariette in a while, but we’re getting along very well!”
“Is that so?”
Lariette’s best friend! Sheria’s position in Asrazan’s mind was elevated in an instant.
It was due to optimism that if Lariette and Sheria became closer, even more than that High Priest Doha, the number of times Lariette and him met might decrease.
In fact, Lariette and Sheria were awkward even to be called ‘friends’ rather than ‘close friends’, but Asrazan didn’t know this unless he attended the tea party.
“Of course! We are so friendly!”
Sheria spoke in a louder voice, happily when Asrazan, who had been silent before, responded. She was the one who wanted to lead the conversation further by taking this opportunity.
“Well… I don’t know what other nobles do, but I don’t think it’s right to date people based on their status. So you don’t have to worry about that, hehe.”
The most important thing is to have a kind heart. Sheria added with a sly smile.
And Asrazan couldn’t understand her words, so he just rolled his eyes.
‘Are you talking about the difference in status between Princess Lariette and the Baron’s lady?’
It was the same gap between heaven and earth, so it was easy for others to notice. But are not such words usually worthy of a higher rank?
Asrazan was puzzled by this unknown way of speaking, but he didn’t bother to ask or point it out. Because he didn’t want to offend Lariette’s close friend, and he didn’t want to waste any more time.
‘I hope it’s okay.’
Sheria smiled pleasantly, thinking that even if he heard it, it was a mature and friendly word.
She believed that this tenderness was seen by the commoner Larriette as a special weapon of her own that could not be found among the arrogant noble ladies of the capital. It will surely make her look attractive.
The princess, Erze, was also very kind to people of lower ranks than her, but Sheria did not see her as a competitor.
It wasn’t because she was too smart, but because she didn’t feel very competitive when she had nothing to do with a man.
“L-let’s have dinner together next time. Let’s get to know more.”
As Sheria spoke with her eyes closed, Asrazan felt dumbfounded again. He wanted to reply that he didn’t have time for that, but he couldn’t.
Do you eat dinner with your lover’s friend? It was full of content that Asrazan, who had no dating experience, could understand.
“… Yes.”
At Asrazan’s answer, Sheria’s face brightened.
However, people always had to listen to the end.
“If Lariette wants it, I will do it.”
“Ah….”
“Then, I’m leaving.”
Asrazan bowed his head lightly, then turned and walked. He was walking very fast because he was afraid of being caught again and having conversations without purpose.
Sheria, who was left alone, stared blankly at Asrazan’s back.
His high stature, broad shoulders, waving black hair, and even the fluttering hem of his coat were heart-fluttering.
“Whew… Well done, Sherry.”
Sheria closed her eyes tightly and muttered while squealing. Even with her eyes closed, Asrazan’s dazzling appearance seemed to dazzle.
“Because it’s a friend’s lover, no, no.”
She repeated herself as if she had promised herself. A passing servant glanced at her, who was standing alone in the hallway and muttering, but she didn’t care.
Sheria considered herself a sweet and kind person. So, no matter how cool he was, she wouldn’t put it on her friend’s lover.
At least, it wouldn’t be polite to do that before they broke up.
It was clear that it wouldn’t last long anyway. A meeting between commoners and Duke, it sounds unreasonable.
So, what the good Sheria Mirchen had to do was to become friends with Asrazan as Lariette’s friend, but to form a new relationship after they broke up.
“I’ll have to be careful that he doesn’t mind me before he breaks up…”
Because I can’t hurt Lariette’s heart. Sheria decided to do this with all her heart.
It was a nickname like ‘Snow Bird’.
* * *
Duke Kandel’s house.
After Doha left, Lariette was busy reviewing what she had learned today.
It was the first time in her life that she learned what she wanted. The education she received as a public princess was of good quality, but it wasn’t something she wanted to learn.
Maybe that’s why I was so looking forward to being taught by Doha, and the time I had to practice alone was also fun. It was thrilling to see the change in ability that became more noticeable the more I tried.
‘Stealth!’
Lariette licked her lips and muttered into her mouth. In fact, it wasn’t a magic spell, and I didn’t have to say it, but she was more comfortable doing this because she wasn’t good at stealth yet.
In an instant, Lariette’s magic disappeared. As she walked around the mansion in that state, the servants passed right next to her, but they did not recognize her.
“Hmmm~”
As I was walking down the hallway, I saw Halstein sitting down in front of a small table and jotting down something. He was humming as if he was excited.
Lariette couldn’t hold back her curiosity and walked over to peek at his graffiti. Halstein was completely unaware of her existence and continued to write what he had written down.
<100 days plan! The cake is three tiers! Let’s put the lady and master dolls on top! party! The dress code is….>
Halstein was moved by Lariette’s love for the 50th cake and was also preparing for the 100th event.
It wasn’t even that he was dating her, but his sincerity was surprising. Green eyes blazed with fighting spirit.
Lariette bit her body in embarrassment. Seeing Halstein’s happy face made me feel even more guilty.
‘Did Asrazan not speak?’
Halstein knew everything about Asrazan, but it was strange that he didn’t know about a three-month contract. But if not, there was no way to prepare for the 100-day event.
‘Well, that’s not a good thing to say….’
Contract dating is not common, and I can understand the feeling of being unable to speak. Lariette thought so and trudged back to her room.
As soon as she reached the room, she released the magic. It didn’t last long, but I was sweating.
Still, whether it was because of Doha’s good teaching, or because of hard practice, I really improved my skills to the point where I couldn’t compare it to a while ago.
How much it increased-.
“… Who are you?”
It was enough to recognize the knight hiding in my room.
It was the first knight I saw. The faces of the knights who practiced Asrazan were the ones who had memorized them perfectly, even if they had not seen them a few times. But this man was a face she had never seen before.
Lariette thought that it must be a knight of Asrazan, seeing that he was wearing Kandel’s knight uniform. However, he did not know why the knight had entered her room carelessly.
As Lariette’s eyes narrowed with suspicion, the young knight responded hurriedly, fearing that he might be misunderstood.
“Ah, hello. I’m Gawin, a new knight from Kandel. sorry. I’m still not used to the mansion, so I’m lost… I came in without knowing it was the Lady’s room.”
Judging by the startled expression and the trembling body, it didn’t seem like a lie. Although it was quite pitiful, Lariette did not react much and added a question.
“Why were you hiding in the mansion?”
“Shadow Knights of Kandel move in stealth by default. The same is true within the mansion. Because discipline is also a discipline, and I don’t want to surprise the servants.”
Oh, I see. Lariette nodded in admiration briefly.
The young knight looked relieved and he was happy that he was finally free from the misunderstanding, and then he carefully opened his mouth.
“I’m still a newbie, but my stealth is not a skill that will go anywhere… Even though you are a woman, you are very talented.”
Lariette’s eyebrows twitched slightly. It wasn’t a very pleasant compliment.
“Th-thank you. But you’re only going to protect your master?”
These were words that often reminded me of Melissa, a knight who had been training Asrazan. If he was the only escort, he must have been recognized for his skills among the knights.
The knight laughed awkwardly at the thorny answer. Then he looked into her eyes to the point of being pathetic. With his frizzy brown hair and droopy eyes, he looked really pitiful.
“I was very rude. Once again, I apologize for entering Lady’s room carelessly.”
“It could be, well. Don’t worry, just go.”
The knight bowed his head to the ground to greet Lariette’s mellow voice and left. He was a very nice and naive person until the end.
As he left the room, Lariette slowly moved toward the door. I looked around, but the knight had already disappeared altogether.
As she continued walking, she soon came to a place where Halstein was. He was still scrambling countless plans on paper.
“Halstein.”
“Ugh!”
Illustration
Halstein was startled by the sudden voice coming from behind and screamed. Then, hurriedly, he grabbed a piece of paper and hid it, in case the plan was discovered in advance.
“Lady, what are you doing? Coming without calling me to your room.”
As a professional butler, he quickly regained his composure. Lariette looked at him and smiled gracefully.
“There is a mouse in the house.”
The 22nd year the life of a princess in a dying Duke family.
I could do it with my eyes closed to catch a rat who secretly steals things from the house pretending to be a good person.
