“Milady!”
The moment Anne saw Lariette’s state upon her return to the room, she screamed at the top of her lungs. The other maids, who were not particularly close to Lariette, were no less startled as they stared at her.
It was only natural. The young ducal lady had left beautifully dressed for what was said to be a family dinner after so long, only to return covered in sauce.
“That madman! That rotten bastard!”
“Shh. What if someone hears you, Anne?”
“Let them hear! That shameless bastard! How could he, how could he do that to his own sister…!”
While attending to her bath, Anne cursed Raon with the harshest words she knew.
Lariette feared that someone might hear and report it to Raon, but she did not scold her. Anne’s hands, washing her hair, were trembling more than usual.
“He must have been jealous of you, milady. Because you’re smarter and better than him… Ha, the duchess is truly so indifferent.”
“I’m all right.”
Because I’m used to it. Lariette quietly swallowed the words. Anne knew that already, so there was no need to add it.
Only after the bath was over did Anne calm down. Lariette sent her away to rest, and at last, she was alone.
“It was around here…”
She muttered as she searched through the antique wooden chest of drawers. She was certain she had put it somewhere nearby long ago, but what she was looking for was nowhere in sight.
Ngh, after searching for a long while with no success, Lariette let out a frustrated groan. She had rummaged through every drawer, yet found nothing.
Just in case, she checked beneath the drawers. And there, caught deep between the gaps, she found something.
“Found it.”
Lariette stretched out her arm and finally grasped what she had been looking for. When she brushed off the dust, a small notebook with an elegant cover was revealed.
This notebook had been the first gift she had received from her father. He had casually handed it to her after returning from a business trip, and though it had not been something she particularly wanted, she had been indescribably happy.
‘He gave Raon a treasured sword.’
Lariette recalled her shabby, pitiful younger self, who had been innocently delighted without knowing any better, and gave a bitter smile. But she soon gathered up her gloomy feelings and opened the notebook.
The reason she had searched for the notebook was not to reminisce about her sorrowful childhood. It was simply because, as this would be the note that marked the end, she needed the most beautiful notebook.
Lariette lit a small lamp and sat down at her desk. Then she picked up a fountain pen and began carefully writing in elegant handwriting.
The first thing she wrote was the current date and her condition. She considered writing the name of her illness as well, but she did not particularly want to.
Lariette pondered deeply over what she should write first. What came to mind was Anne’s face, which she had seen while being attended in the bath.
It had been hard to see clearly through the hazy steam, but Anne’s reddened eyes kept pricking Lariette’s conscience.
They said leaving first was something to feel sorry for toward those left behind, so she ought to repay her at least this much. Imagining Anne leaping about in excitement made her feel better too.
These two items were things she had resolved upon earlier, while wearing the appetizer all over herself. Lariette no longer wanted to expect anything from the ducal couple, nor did she want to live with them.
‘I’m done being the shell of an excellent ducal lady.’
Before she died, she wanted to exist not as Lady Blanchet, but as Lariette. She also no longer wished to continue an engagement that felt as if she had been sold off.
What worried her, however, was the aftermath that would follow if she broke off the engagement. Her parents would undoubtedly fly into a rage, and Marquis Segreve would not remain still either.
Lariette was merely refusing to sacrifice herself; she had no goal of absolutely ruining her family. And so, timidly, she added an explanation beside item three.
This was the last consideration Lariette could show her parents.
Even if they considered it insufficient repayment for raising her, she had fulfilled her responsibilities as a ducal lady until now, and had worked more than the amount of attention they had ever shown her. So she felt no guilt.
Now it was time to write down what she truly wanted to do. After hesitating for a moment, Lariette soon began writing without delay.
She even underlined the most important part: “a handsome person.”
It was a fact no one knew, but in truth, Lariette cared about faces. If she had to choose between a rich man and a handsome man, she would choose the latter without question.
On top of that, she had high standards. So high that she had never once seen anyone handsome enough to satisfy her eyes.
That was why Lariette harbored a wish, big if considered big and small if considered small, to date a handsome man at least once before she died. There was, however, one condition.
‘I’m going to die, so it can’t be too serious. With someone who seems like he’s dated plenty of women before, lightly… just for three months.’
She was not so shameless as to hide the fact that she was terminally ill and enter a serious relationship. Therefore, unlike her usual taste for modest men, this time she intended to meet someone who seemed skilled at romance.
Fortunately, her illness, Rocadura, did not have any particularly noticeable symptoms until just before death.
Aside from her heart beating quickly, her body did not hurt, nor did it become difficult to move. It was only that, when the time came, the tangled mana currents would suddenly cause her body to burst apart and kill her in an instant.
Lariette bit the inside of her lip hard after imagining the horrific sight of her own body exploding. In any case, it was the perfect condition for enjoying life in peace until just before death.
Also, according to the doctor’s additional explanation, since her health was quite good, if things went well, she might live up to four months.
If she could live even a little longer, what should she try? Lariette worried over it again with a groan. Then, after quite some time, as if she had reached a conclusion, she took up her pen once more.
As someone born and raised in the capital, she had never once gone on a trip. With her status being what it was, it had not been easy.
‘Of course, Raon went several times.’
The only difference between him and her was their gender, yet what different lives they had led.
She remembered how Raon had once pestered their parents to buy him a villa, saying his trip to the west had been like heaven. It had been right after their father’s business failed, so she had wondered where exactly the limits of that boy’s immaturity lay.
It did not feel particularly good to take Raon’s opinion into account, but she was curious how wonderful it had been for him to say such a thing. And so, beside the item, she added something in very small letters.
The letters were so tiny that they would be difficult to read unless one looked closely.
For some reason feeling awkward, Lariette read over what she had written for a while before closing the notebook. In any case, nothing else came to mind.
***
Morning came quickly. As if she had never been gloomy, Lariette rose energetically and got dressed. Anne, who opened the door and entered after a knock, was startled to find her already awake.
“Oh my, milady! You’re already up?”
“Good morning, Anne.”
“…But what are those clothes?”
Anne’s eyes narrowed when she saw Lariette’s outfit. Unlike usual, she was wearing a dress far too plain and simple. So much so that one might believe she was not a ducal lady but a fellow maid.
“Anne, you have time today, don’t you?”
Lariette answered with a smile blooming brightly like a flower in full blossom, then asked her question. Anne nodded with a dazed expression.
“Then let’s go.”
“Pardon? Where, where are we going?”
“You’ll know when we get there.”
Lariette hurriedly took Anne’s hand and led her away. The time she had left was far too short to realize every item on her bucket list.
Their destination was Piance, the most famous dessert shop in the capital. Stepping down from the carriage, Anne’s mouth fell open as she stared at Piance’s elegant and splendid entrance.
“M-M-Milady. Surely…”
“Yes, that surely.”
Anne, who had been wondering where on earth they were going after even dismissing the escort knights, looked as though she might burst into tears of emotion at Lariette’s answer. At the same time, however, she grew worried.
‘Their attire…’
Piance was a top-class dessert shop that only nobles could enter. Anne, a maid, was also technically a noble, but the nobles Piance referred to were not lower nobles like her, but high-ranking ones.
Lariette and Anne’s clothing was far too shabby to be called the attire of high nobility. Whether she knew Anne’s worries or not, Lariette strode confidently into the shop.
“Welcome.”
The waiter, dressed in a suit, greeted Lariette while subtly looking over their attire. Soon, his expression turned unpleasant.
“I shall show you to your seats.”
The waiter spoke in a businesslike tone and led them to the most secluded corner. After all, he could not seat people dressed like that where everyone could see them.
‘And these things call themselves nobles.’
As he handed them the menu after they sat down, the waiter cast them a faint sneer. But only for a moment; strangely enough, Lariette refused the menu he offered.
“Customer, you need to see the menu to place an order.”
“No, there’s no need.”
Lariette answered with an arrogant smile directed at the waiter. Her smiling face was quite beautiful, and the waiter flinched without realizing it, but what followed was even more shocking.
“Bring one of every kind of menu item here.”
“What do you mean by…”
“Why? Does a mere ducal lady like me not have the right to order cake?”
At the cold voice that immediately saw through his intentions, the waiter’s face turned pale. There were only three ducal families in the empire. No matter which one she came from, she was not someone he could look down on.
“M-My apologies. I will bring them at once.”
The waiter bowed deeply in apology and hurriedly left with the menu. Anne stared at Lariette in astonishment.
“Milady! All of them? That’s far too much!”
“Take one bite each and throw the rest away. Even a failing ducal family has enough money to buy you this much.”
“Milady… What did I teach you about environmental issues?”
Lariette thought she had said something rather impressive, but Anne began earnestly expounding on the necessity of protecting the environment. Lariette listened to her nagging with a thoroughly exhausted expression.
Only after eating enough cake to fill their stomachs to bursting was Lariette able to escape Anne’s long speech. The coachman cast a puzzled look at the young lady who had gone to a dessert shop and returned looking utterly worn out.
On the way back to the estate, Lariette and Anne chatted away about the taste of the cakes. However, their conversation was cut short by a sudden incident.
Thud!
With a dull sound, the carriage tilted. Lariette firmly caught Anne’s swaying body and steadied her.
“What happened?”
“My apologies, milady. It seems the wheel has come loose. I will pull it out at once.”
When she opened the small hatch inside the carriage and asked, the coachman answered with a troubled expression. Then he struck the horse’s rump several times with the whip, but the wheel showed no sign of coming free.
Lariette poked her head out the window and checked the surroundings, only to see a black carriage stopped behind them. It seemed the road had been blocked because of the Blanchet carriage.
“Huu…”
Lariette let out a low sigh and tried to rise. She intended to handle it herself. But Anne firmly stopped her.
“Milady! Please just stay seated!”
“But…”
“That black carriage belongs to the Kandel ducal family! It would be better if you didn’t get out.”
At the name Kandel, Lariette’s body froze like ice. The Kandel family was the most powerful ducal house in the empire. It was also the place where the duke known as a monster lived.
In other words, they were people before whom she had to maintain dignity as a lady of the Blanchet ducal family. In the end, Lariette could not get out of the carriage and sat quietly instead.
The coachman struggled, groaning as he tried to free the wheel. And behind him, a man approached.
“Someone is coming from the black carriage. It looks like their coachman is going to help.”
Anne stuck her head out in Lariette’s stead and reported the situation. Knowing how shabby her own attire was, Lariette kept away from the window and listened closely to her words.
“I can’t see very well… but he’s extremely tall. And why are his clothes all so dark?”
Anne narrowed her eyes and muttered. The carriage blocked her view, so she could not see the man’s face clearly, but even at a glance, he was someone with a tall, imposing figure.
He slowly reached out with one hand and caught Blanche’s carriage. And in that instant, the floor of the carriage shot upward.
Clatter!
“Eek!”
At the sudden movement, Anne let out a shrill scream. Then she murmured, utterly dumbfounded.
“With one hand, he lifted the carriage…!”
It was unbelievable strength. Lariette was so startled that she forgot all decorum and stuck her head out the window.
And her gaze met eyes as blue as the sea.
For a moment, it felt as though time had stopped.
The man who had lifted the carriage with one hand was wrapped in bandages all the way up to beneath his eyes. Because of that, not a single feature of his face could be seen, yet his indifferent eyes strangely seized her attention.
As Anne had said, he was an exceptionally tall man with a powerful build. The hem of a black coat fluttered over his broad shoulders.
He looked at Lariette for a moment with eyes devoid of even a trace of emotion, then set the carriage down on level ground and left. Lariette stared at his retreating back with a blank expression.
“That startled me…”
“Wow, how can he be so strong? Even the coachmen of House Kandel have incredible strength.”
“Apparently so.”
Lariette murmured with her lips slightly parted. Judging by the face swathed in bandages, he seemed to be ill or injured somehow, yet his strength was anything but ordinary.
For a little while, she dazedly recalled the blue eyes she had briefly met. They were beautiful enough to steal one’s gaze without warning.
But she was in a hurry, and he was not someone she would ever meet again anyway, so she soon erased him from her memory. Without ever guessing his true identity.
Meanwhile, once Blanche’s carriage departed, the man dressed in black climbed into his own carriage. Then, in a cold voice, he ordered the coachman.
“Set off.”
“Yes, Your Grace.”
Asrahan, the Duke of Kandel, called a war demon and a monster, slowly closed his eyes as he felt the carriage begin to move.
***
By the time they arrived at the Blanche estate, the sun was already high in the sky.
Lariette clutched her full stomach and barely managed to climb the stairs. And the moment she opened the door, the duchess’s sharp voice flew toward her.
“Lariette! Where have you been, coming back only now!”
“…Mother, were you looking for me? I finished my work before going out.”
“Don’t talk back. Follow me this instant! Good heavens, what sort of state is this for a ducal lady! You must be determined to disgrace your own mother.”
The duchess roughly seized Lariette by the arm and dragged her away. Her long nails dug painfully into Lariette’s flesh, making her let out a small groan, but the duchess only quickened her pace.
Without even knowing the reason, Lariette was dressed up by her mother’s maids. They hung the most extravagant ornaments all over her body and sprayed thick perfume here and there. Lariette clenched her fists and endured the uncomfortable time.
It was only after her adornment was finished, and she arrived in the rear garden under a maid’s guidance, that she understood the duchess’s urgent behavior.
“Lari, it has been a while.”
With a stiff face, Lariette looked up at the guest. Though she had no memory of permitting him to use a pet name, he naturally called her Lari and briefly kissed her hand with his thick, rough lips.
“…Marquis Segreve, it has been a while.”
A man with sly, slitted eyes, a square jaw, and a thick, protruding belly. He was Lariette’s fiancé, Marquis Segreve.
“I waited for quite some time. My legs are starting to ache.”
“Had you sent word in advance, I would not have gone out.”
“What was I to do when I suddenly wanted to see you? You should have stayed demurely at home. Seeing you roam outside like an unbroken colt makes me worry already.”
Marquis Segreve clicked his tongue as he stroked his belly. Rage surged at his arrogant attitude, but Lariette bit her lip and repeated inwardly, as though reciting a vow.
‘Refuse politely and appropriately!’
She had thought that much would be easy, but only after facing the marquis did she realize she had been mistaken. She had forgotten just how thoughtlessly he spoke.
On top of that, his spiteful face and fat, greasy body kept provoking her anger. She was already irritated, and the fact that someone so ugly was acting like this only made her more irritated.
She barely composed herself and opened her mouth.
“There was something I wished to say to you, Marquis. You came at just the right time.”
“Something you wished to say? I cannot stand listening to women chatter.”
The marquis pretended to be bored while toying with Lariette’s hair. When his coarse fingers brushed along her neck, goosebumps rose all over her body.
“What are you…”
“Do not be so stingy. You will soon be mine anyway.”
The marquis smiled lecherously and then seized Lariette’s chin firmly between his fingers, holding it in place. Then he tapped her cheek as if praising her.
“I do like this face of yours, at least. Though I dislike this eyesore of a hair color.”
You are a product worth spending money on. The marquis lowered his head and whispered in her ear.
Lariette’s face flushed with humiliation. In contrast, her violet eyes sank coldly as she stared at him.
“What a provocative gaze. Are you like that in bed as well?”
“…This is as far as it goes.”
“What is?”
At Lariette’s low, incomprehensible murmur, the marquis tilted his head.
And in that instant, a massive tree root surged up from the ground and seized the marquis by the ankle, hoisting him into the air.
“My appropriate courtesy.”