Lariette had faced physical violence so rarely in her life that it could be counted on one hand. Because although she had suffered discrimination, she had lived as the noble daughter of a Ducal house.
Though Duke Blanche had often lashed her with cruel words, he had only laid hands on her on the day she left the Ducal household. This was also why he believed himself to be quite a decent father.
Therefore, when Lariette received a proper punch from someone for the first time in her life, she was considerably shocked to learn that the one who had thrown it was her own older brother.
To begin with, it was the minimum courtesy and creed among mages to compete with magic. However, Raon smiled in satisfaction, as though to say such a creed was not his own.
The thrill of having subdued his younger sibling for the first time set his entire body aflame. That arrogant Lariette was groaning on the floor, unable to even lift her head.
Lariette clutched her stinging cheek and barely steadied her breath.
It was a pain incomparable to being struck by her father. Her cheekbone throbbed as though it would collapse at any moment, and her entire face instantly grew hot.
In her heart, a flame hotter than her face surged up. She wanted to use magic right that instant to break his arms and legs.
But this was the imperial palace. Though that madman seemed not to care in the slightest, it was a place where one must not brawl recklessly.
“You’ve lost your mind.”
Lariette exhaled a ragged breath and raised her head to glare at Raon.
Just moments ago, he had been prattling on about the Blanche image, yet here he was swinging his fist where everyone could see. She was embarrassed on his behalf.
“Want another hit? Then go ahead, keep talking.”
Raon answered arrogantly, intoxicated by the pleasure of victory. The people whispering in the distance were beneath his notice.
Lariette did not think it her place to uphold the family honor. Yet neither did she wish to create such a scandal.
*The Blanche heir punched the Blanche lady in the face.*
Once such a rumor circulated through the imperial palace, it would reach Asrahan’s ears in an instant.
Even if everyone else knew, she did not want him to find out. She felt the time to show him only her bright side was too precious, and above all, she was deeply ashamed for him to learn of such dirty family affairs.
But neither could she simply let this pass without doing anything. People who had witnessed a woman fall from a punch were gradually drawing near. Since both Raon and Lariette were well-known faces, it would only be moments before their identities were revealed.
Therefore, Lariette hastily rose to her feet. At that, Raon flinched as though he thought she would use magic.
“The line of this house is……”
“What?”
At the sudden mutter, Raon stupidly asked back. And Lariette instantly raised her leg.
“—I sever it!”
*Crack!*
“*Kwaaack!!!*”
Raon, who had never expected her to launch a physical attack, took a direct hit to the groin and collapsed to the floor. She thought she heard something burst.
His pathetic appearance drew a sneer to Lariette’s lips. Though her face was red and swollen from the bruise, her attitude remained nothing if not dignified.
“It’s not like you were going to use it anyway.”
Lariette whispered softly beside him as she brushed past. Insulted, Raon thrashed about in fury, but perhaps finally aware of his surroundings, he did not chase after her.
Thus Lariette hurriedly left the imperial palace. Anxious that someone might recognize her and spread rumors, her fleeing steps were swift.
***
The place Lariette headed to by another carriage was downtown in the capital.
When she descended from the carriage, one of her cheeks was already swollen and puffy. Fortunately, it did not seem like the bone was broken, but with this degree of swelling, being discovered was only a matter of time. Therefore, before returning to the mansion, she sought to receive healing quickly.
She hastened to an agency and was shown to a high-class reception room. The clothes she wore were extremely expensive.
“Oh my, welcome, my lady. Shall I call a high-class healing mage for you right away? I happen to have a colleague waiting at the moment!”
The staff member repeatedly bowed, fawning over Lariette. Since high-ranking nobles usually summoned priests to receive healing, this was a rare and welcome opportunity for him.
However, Lariette soon looked bewildered. She did not have much money on hand. Neither could she charge it to Candel’s name, nor to Blanche’s.
Therefore, she cautiously opened her purse and laid out the jewels she possessed. The staff member’s eyes quickly narrowed upon checking their size.
“……Is this not enough?”
“A high-class healer would be difficult. If you wish, we can bill your family, but……”
“No, that is out of the question.”
When Lariette firmly shook her head, the staff member’s attitude instantly turned cold. He had thought her a high-ranking noble, but now assumed she was some high noble’s mistress.
“Well then, I’ll call a healer this can cover. They’re out at the moment, so you’ll have to wait.”
“Very well. I will wait.”
“If that’s the case, please wait in the small room over there. We need this space when other customers come.”
“……Fine.”
Though his attitude was rude, Lariette suppressed her displeasure and answered meekly. She herself was aware that without family or money, she had nothing to her name.
She was guided again to a room small enough to be called shabby. Then she sat on an uncomfortable chair and waited for a long time.
The healing mage arrived several hours later. Lariette, who had been reaching the limits of her patience, felt her relief outweigh her other emotions at the sight of the mage.
However, the healing mage approached her with a sullen expression.
“You’re the client?”
“Yes. I am pressed for time, so heal me quickly.”
“That’s not up to me.”
A woman appearing to be in her late twenties answered in a snide tone and reached toward Lariette. And without a care, she placed her hand on the wound.
“Urk.”
“You’ve got a cracked bone.”
When Lariette groaned, the woman answered indifferently and soon emitted a healing light. A light faint enough to be feeble gradually seeped into Lariette’s face.
Perhaps about five minutes passed before the woman slowly withdrew her hand. Lariette’s face still remained swollen.
Therefore, Lariette opened her mouth with a bewildered expression.
“Already?”
“This is as far as I go. If you wanted better results, you should have called a high-class healer or a priest.”
The woman clicked her tongue and rose. There was no need to hesitate in leaving since she had already received payment in advance.
Lariette watched the departing mage’s back with a devastated expression.
It was a wound she was confident she could have healed instantly had she done it herself. Had it been Doha, a brief touch would have completely cured it.
Never had she imagined that even a low-rank mage would be this weak. It was also because she had grown accustomed to Doha’s divine power.
Checking the mirror, her face reflected back looking considerably better than before. However, Asrahan, who was acute at reading expressions, would likely notice immediately.
Feeling the need for additional measures, Lariette set out on the road. Darkness had already settled outside before she knew it.
However, she had no money to do anything. She only had enough left for the carriage fare home.
Lariette bit her lower lip, regretting that she had to bring out her own purse.
And then, a voice she had heard somewhere called out to her.
“Oh my, young lady?”
“……Madame Charbert?”
It was Madame Charbert, the owner of Artis. Wearing a beautifully adorned bonnet, she looked Lariette up and down with wide eyes.
“What are you doing here alone at this hour…… oh my, did you injure your face?”
Lariette hurriedly covered her cheek with her hand in shame. Though covering it changed nothing, it was an instinctive gesture.
Madame Charbert assessed her appearance and grasped the situation.
A young lady walking the streets alone with anxious eyes, an injured face. A predictable scenario played out in her mind.
“……Would you care to visit my boutique for a moment? Some fine accessories have just come in, and thanks to you last time, I sold many dresses. I’ll provide them as a courtesy.”
Madame Charbert suggested with a gentle smile. Lariette quietly nodded.
The boutique they arrived at already had its lights off, as though closing had finished. Madame Charbert told her not to mind and leisurely turned on the lights.
“How about this? It just arrived and is quite popular.”
She brought over various ornate accessories and held them up against Lariette’s head. Most were accessories meant to be worn on the head to conceal part of the face.
At that warm consideration, Lariette felt on the verge of tears.
For half the day, she had forcibly suppressed the surging shame and sorrow. Since lamenting and grieving would solve nothing, she had simply closed her eyes and shut out her emotions.
But facing Madame Charbert’s kindness, the sorrow she had struggled to suppress came flooding back. It was a warmth she had never even received from her mother.
“This ornament suits you best, I think. Hmm, and shall we change your hairstyle a little?”
Madame Charbert skillfully arranged Lariette’s hair.
Sweeping her beautifully curling pink locks to one side concealed quite a lot of her swollen face. At a glance, it was hardly noticeable.
“Truly…… truly thank you, Madame.”
“Think nothing of it, Lady Blanche.”
At the sudden change of address, Lariette looked at Madame Charbert with wide eyes. Then she smiled softly, the curves of her eyes gentle.
“We’ve had few chances to meet, so I failed to recognize you until now. I finally greet you properly.”
She continued speaking as she placed the ornament atop Lariette’s head for the last time.
As Madame Charbert said, the two of them had never met face-to-face before. Because she was of the Imperial Princess’s faction, their social circles had not overlapped.
Madame Charbert and the Imperial Princess were close acquaintances of long standing, while on the other hand, the Imperial Princess and Blanche were not on good terms. Because Raon was the Imperial Princess’s former fiancé.
The Imperial Princess had broken off the engagement at once after meeting Raon a few times. The reason was easily guessed without asking.
Lariette and the Imperial Princess were barely acquaintances, but in any case, since Lariette was Raon’s younger sister, their relationship was awkward.
Therefore, implicitly, Lariette had refrained from attending the same parties as her. She did not wish to see people casting surreptitious glances for no reason.
“……I am no longer a Blanche now. Please call me Lariette, if you would.”
“Oh my, of course.”
Though it was something that would invite curiosity, Madame Charbert did not pry further and simply answered. It was a bearing that spoke of experience surviving in high society for a long time.
After that, Lariette and Madame Charbert conversed amicably.
Madame Charbert called a carriage to take Lariette back to the mansion, and Lariette repeatedly expressed her gratitude.
At her polite demeanor, Madame Charbert smiled elegantly and promised their next meeting.
After receiving thorough styling tips from her, Lariette departed by carriage.
***
By the time she arrived at Duke Candel’s residence, it was already the dead of night.
When Lariette arrived at the mansion, an uproar broke out. The servants hastened to announce her arrival, and Halstein rushed down the stairs in an instant.
“Miss Lariette! Are you unharmed?!”
“Halstein, I’m sorry I’m late.”
Lariette smiled awkwardly and apologized. She had thought most would be asleep at this late hour, but everyone was awake.
As if they had been searching for her, the servants dispatched a message to someone: “She has arrived; you may return now.”
Halstein quickly confirmed that she was safe and let out a sigh of relief. One could only imagine how worried he had been that something might have happened.
Fortunately, Lariette was no different than usual except for a slight change in style. At that, Halstein drooped his brows and questioned her.
“Where have you been? I was incredibly worried.”
“Ah…… well.”
Just as she was about to make an excuse, heavy footsteps sounded from above the stairs. Lariette and Halstein simultaneously looked toward the stairs.
And soon she spotted Asrahan, the hem of his black coat whipping behind him as he hurried toward her.
“Lariette.”
Still dressed in his outdoor clothes, Asrahan called her name in a voice that seemed to boil over.
Lariette swallowed without realizing it and met his gaze.
One step, then another. Each time he drew closer, her chest thudded and trembled. The thought that she might be found out made her heart tighten.
“Asrahan, I’m sorry. I’m too late, aren’t I?”
“……Are you hurt anywhere?”
At the sudden question, Lariette’s heart sank and then lurched back up. He likely wasn’t asking because he knew, but his words had struck right at the heart of the matter.
She smiled as though nothing were wrong and quickly lied.
“Of course not. It had been so long since I’d seen my brother that our conversation ran a little long. And then I lost track of time shopping at the boutique, so before I knew it, it was terribly late. I’m sorry.”
“……The boutique, you say.”
“Yes. I bought this, hehe.”
Lariette put on a brazen smile and played the part of a thoughtless noble lady. In front of him, she would rather be a foolish woman than one with a pitiable family history.
Though it was a situation in which he might well have been angry, Asrahan looked at her without a single word of reproach. His expression was as emotionless as ever, but his blue eyes were filled with relief.
“Next time, tell me before you go.”
“Yes, I will.”
“……I was worried.”
Asrahan spoke quietly in a grave voice. The sight of him lowering his black lashes softly was almost tender.
To think that a man who looked as though not a single drop of blood would come out if he were pricked would say he had been worried! Moved by the change in him, Lariette looked at him with sparkling eyes.
“Cough!”
Just then, a small cough forced its way past her lips. Perhaps she was coming down with a cold after walking around the night streets for so long.
Asrahan furrowed his brows and took one step closer to Lariette. He reached a hand toward her.
Lariette flinched, afraid that if he touched her hair, he might notice the state she was in. But his hand went not to her hair, but to the shawl draped over her shoulders.
Asrahan firmly settled the shawl that had slipped slightly and met Lariette’s eyes. His face had suddenly drawn close.
His perfect face was right before her eyes, and along with it, Lariette’s heart began to leap wildly.
His sharply cut eyes, high nose, smooth skin… and finally, when her gaze fell upon his moist lips, her face flushed red of its own accord.
“Lariette.”
Asrahan brought his face even closer to hers and opened his mouth. They were close enough that he might kiss her at any moment.
Thump, thump, thump…….
Lariette stared as if entranced into his blue eyes, which had subtly darkened. And Asrahan slowly continued.
“……Who was it?”
At some point, his hand had brushed Lariette’s hair aside.
“The one who dared lay a hand on your face.”
Grit. It was as if the sound of teeth grinding could be heard. A madness that seemed ready to dispose of a corpse at any moment flashed fiercely in his blue gaze.