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Episode 53. Uninvited Guests

After speaking, Damian ruffled his hair in frustration.

"Damn it."

Even he seemed unsure of what he'd just said, frowning. His wandering blue eyes soon fixed on me with a reproachful look.

'Why is he acting like that?'

What kind of day was this? Lapin was acting strange, and now Damian was behaving out of character too.

"I'll have the butler prepare a carriage. Take that."

He let out a long sigh.

"A carriage?"

"Why that face? Did you think I was the kind of bastard who'd let a woman walk alone in the middle of the night?"

"To be honest…"

I did think that.

"Are you out of your mind? Were you really planning to walk all the way west alone in this cold?"

Ah, right. Damian knew Lapin was in the west.

"The carriage fare will be deducted from your pay."

"I could just walk."

"I was joking. Thought you'd notice right away."

"I took it completely at face value. No suspicion at all."

"If I can't even provide this much support, I'm not fit to be director. The carriage aside, you can't put off your work for a whole week. Calm him down and come back to the territory quickly."

Damian emphasized.

"And while you're at it, give that brat a lecture. Tell him to stop clinging to his sister's apron strings and become independent."

Then, without waiting for my answer, he grumbled and walked toward the entrance.

"Director!"

I called after his retreating back.

"What."

"Thank you!"

At my bright smile, his expression instantly soured.

---

The butler said it would take about ten minutes for the carriage to arrive. I passed the time watching people leave the hall.

It would be faster to run — maybe I shouldn't have bothered with the carriage.

'He must be cold.'

I thought of Lapin, who had left soaking wet. If I'd known, I would have forced a blanket or coat on him.

Pacing around, I spotted a full-length mirror nearby. As if drawn to it, I stood before it, checking that my dress and makeup weren't strange.

Would it be better to just tie my hair up? Was my makeup too heavy?

That wasn't the only thing that had changed.

My mouth kept going dry from nervousness.

I spotted wine on the table and downed a glass, but my throat was still dry, so I emptied another.

The alcohol was quite strong; heat rose in my body, and my mind grew slightly hazy.

Thankfully, Damian had left first. If he'd been there, he would have been disgusted by my strange behavior.

If he'd asked why, I wouldn't have been able to lie — I'd have confessed that both Lapin and I had gone strange.

"…."

I recalled what Lapin had done.

The kisses on my wrist, the earnest, tender words. It was the kind of confession one makes to a beloved. Seeing him look at me as a woman made it hard to know how to treat him.

Above all, I had never thought of Lapin that way.

'It's love, isn't it.'

When Lapin was here, I missed him; when he was gone, I was anxious; I didn't want to part. Imagining him marrying someone made my heart strangely flutter. I'd thought this was just the bond we'd formed over four years.

'Is it really just a bond?'

Wasn't it a bit possessive for a bond?

Did I love Lapin too? If he confessed to me, what answer should I give? I didn't want to politely refuse and drift apart from him. But I also didn't want to accept and create a relationship with an uncertain expiration date.

Still, if I accepted, Lapin and I would become lovers.

'Lapin and I, as lovers.'

The word "lovers" attached to his name felt like a dissonant chord.

"Lucy."

If we became lovers, Lapin would call my name even more tenderly than now.

"Lucy!"

He'd say he loved me, hold my hand, embrace me, kiss me… .

"Lucy!"

He'd smile at me even more brightly than now.

Thinking about it, being lovers didn't seem so bad.

Even if Lapin went to the Magic Tower, we'd be bound by the strong tie of being lovers — no need to feel anxious.

All those imaginings flashed by like a magic lantern. Though only secondhand sensations, the racing heartbeat enveloped my entire body.

I guess I want to live a long, long time with Lapin, until the end.

I guess I like Lapin.

"Are you ignoring me right now? Lucy! You commoner!"

I was happy — until someone shattered that dream.

"Finally, you're looking at me!"

Coming to my senses, I saw Baroness Pentson reflected in the mirror.

She hadn't gone home yet, holding a wine glass and glaring at me venomously.

"Baroness Pentson?"

"You really are shameless."

In the short time I hadn't seen her, she'd become quite arrogant.

"A born liar who looks down on me!"

She kept spouting nonsense.

"Don't pretend you don't know! I heard everything."

Heard what?

"You're not a noble, are you?"

The baroness narrowed her eyes.

"You pretended to know the Hollen family well."

I do know them well.

"And you said you were close with their eldest daughter, Ellis."

I never said I was close.

"And last of all, you imitated a noble's speech."

I didn't imitate it — I was born into it.

"Because of you, I was humiliated in front of Lady Rittinger. You, a commoner, played me for a fool. This is an offense worthy of severe punishment for insulting the nobility."

"Ah, I see."

"Ah, I see?"

The baroness echoed me.

"That's all you have to say?"

"With all due respect, madam. If my imitating noble speech constitutes an insult to the nobility, then you, who encouraged it to Mrs. Carding, should also be punished, shouldn't you?"

"…When did I encourage it?"

"Exactly three hours ago, just before you greeted me."

"It was Mrs. Carding who imitated it first! I was only going to point that out!"

Flustered, the baroness regained her composure and made a plausible excuse.

"Lucy, I'm more forgiving than I look."

A sudden self-praise.

"If you apologize to me first, I can forgive you. You need to apologize once to me, and once to Lady Rittinger. And I'll inform Mrs. Carding that she should no longer attend parties."

Having overcome the crisis and regained confidence, the baroness made an unreasonable demand.

Just then, the atmosphere at the entrance grew noisy — someone had appeared. Perfect timing! I pretended to look toward the entrance, but—

"Don't think you can slip away."

The baroness was sharp.

Her stubborn expression told me she'd keep me rooted here until I apologized.

"If you felt insulted, I'm sorry, madam."

"Sorry?"

The baroness let out a hollow laugh.

I couldn't stay trapped here when someone I wanted to see was waiting for me.

"Yes. I never said I was a noble. Nor did I insult you. As proof, you didn't scold me harshly when I supposedly imitated the speech."

"That was out of consideration for not ruining the party atmosphere."

"Wouldn't imitating speech to insult a noble be even more damaging to the party? Yet you didn't scold me — instead, you offered to give me advice on how to receive sponsorship from the Hollen family."

As I smiled, the baroness's face instantly crumpled.

I'd pushed too hard. Now she looked genuinely angry and insulted.

"How utterly rude! If you don't apologize, I'll have no choice but to hold Mrs. Carding and your superior, Director Damian, responsible. Insulting a noble is quite costly, miss. This won't be brushed aside—"

"!"

Someone came up close behind me.

The baroness, meeting the owner of that presence first, stopped mid-sentence. Not only her, but everyone remaining at the party turned their gaze toward me.

"…."

I felt it too.

A familiar scent brushed my nose. Artificial, cold air. I knew what this scent meant, and who it came from.

'But that's impossible.'

"How interesting. A noble being punished for insulting another noble."

A low voice came from behind.

"Don't you agree? Miss Lucy Ohan, eldest daughter of the Ohan family."

This was truly impossible. Stiffly turning my head, I saw a lion crest on the plains — proof of Ohan.

My father's hounds. Ohan's mages.

"The Marquis summons you."

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