Editor Group: Liber Reverie
Lane frowned faintly at Aria’s expression and speech tone. He recalled whether he had made a mistake or not. He briefly recalled the past to answer Aria’s questions and asked her back in reverse as if nothing had gone wrong.
“Maybe? It came out naturally when I had the story of Lady Mielle. Is there a problem?”
She didn’t believe it, but she thought he might admit something to her if she tried… ‘Yes, I see.’ Somehow her eyes got hot. But she didn’t feel like she was going to cry. The fever seemed to have gone up.
Aria’s gaze that was slowly blinking away headed for the hourglass. When she found out that the needle was approaching the top, she took out the hourglass from the box.
“Yes, because I was the one who told my father about the fur.”
“… yeah?”
“I’m the one who helped him with the fur business. Mielle always had a bunch of useless, crude garbage. I mean, it’s like everybody can think about it. My father never used it for business.”
“What are you talking about …?”
“So it means Mielle is a stupid bitch, enough to take away even the few exploits of a wicked bitch.”
“… Aria!?”
Sarah, sitting next to her, spoke up at the shocking nature of the wicked woman. Lane also said nothing with his eyes wide open. Looking at them, Aria turned the hourglass over without hesitation.
Then came Sarah and Lane, who pretended to be relaxed and drank tea. This brought Aria’s exploits back to Mielle’s side.
‘… I shouldn’t have turned the hourglass over.’
She thought for a moment, but she couldn’t. No matter how much the count gave his credit to his own daughter, he was still the head of the Roscent family and an influential man. She couldn’t make him an enemy with useless words.
But one question arose. It was whether helping the count’s business in the future would be helpful to her life. She could get his care a little, but she thought it wouldn’t help because all the credit would go to Mielle as it was now.
‘Maybe it doesn’t matter if I just pretend to be decent.’
It was clear that expectations on her would be low, anyway. ‘Doesn’t he think I would look pretty if I stayed still?’ Her heart started to beat faster with an unexpected sense of betrayal. The hand that returned the hourglass to the box was full of force.
A moment later, Mielle, appearing in a quiet lounge as if nothing had happened, was in a very fancy dress. When she listened to their conversation, she realized that all the clothes she wore were gifts from Lane’s master. After all who would dress like that indoors.
“I’m sorry to have kept you waiting a long time.”
“No, it’s my fault that I just popped in. You look really good in your outfit.”
“Thank you. I’ve been thinking about what to wear for a long time because there are so many beautiful things.”
“You’re beautiful no matter what you wear.”
“I’m embarrassed.”
Mielle was shy and blushed. She pretended to be innocent while she was totally different inside. She acted like that even though they were words she heard all the time, and Aria laughed at her.
The tea with plenty of honey was bitter. Aria took a bite of a canape with cheese on it and removed the remnants of bitter honey from her mouth.
“I don’t know what to do today because your master gave me too many presents.”
“Never mind. It’s not a gift that my master overdid himself.”
‘Does Mielle know that all the clothes and jewelry she’s wearing aren’t hers? Can’t she twist that pretty face even though she knows it?’
And one more thing. If Lane’s master found out that the vulgar, wicked woman was the one who had helped the count’s business, how would he react? Would he still treat Mielle the same way? Aria was not sure if Lane’s master would continue siding with Mielle, but she would be able to expect the same reaction.
It was only after Mielle greeted Lane for a long time that she gave Sarah a look. She opened her eyes and bowed her head as if she had found someone who had not been there.
“Oh, are you my sister’s tutor?”
“Yes. I’m sorry for the late introduction. I’m Sarah of the family of Viscount Lauren.”
“Please, please give me a favor, Lady Lauren.”
Mielle’s greeting was polite and neat, but her neglect for Sarah implicitly came out. Most of all, she talked in a casual way without revealing her name.
‘Is it because she’s a lady of the Viscount family of low-class? Or does she not have a fancy look? Or she is a wicked woman’s tutor?’ Aria didn’t know which one of those was the reason, but everything listed earlier must have been the reason.
“Yes, I also ask you to give me a favor.” Sarah seemed a little surprised by Mielle’s attitude, but she didn’t show any signs of it. Instead, she paid more attention to her manners and tried to avoid being blamed.
Mielle smiled softly. “… as expected, you’re the one who coached Aria, who’s not yet used to the noble society.”
“That’s too much.”
‘Who wants to praise and acknowledge who? Mielle, do you know that Sarah would become the Marquise soon after, and unlike you, who forced Oscar to be engaged, she would be loved by the Marquis of Vincent?’
Alas, maybe even if she found out, Mielle would stick to that lofty attitude. She had a fancy imagination that she would marry the successor of the Frederick family. However, a vulgar wicked woman who knew the future would never let that happen.
And the curse of the wicked girl had been partly in progress. Unlike the cold look he had sent to Mielle, Aria still couldn’t forget the look Oscar had when looking at her.
‘Poor Mielle, so die miserably. I’ll get rid of all the people around you. Let them share the pain of their heads cut.’
Aria took a sip of her tea that had been sweetened again by her laugh.
“What do you study at other times?”
“At other times? I enjoy reading a book from my father’s study or having a discussion under the guidance of teachers.”
Of course, there was a variable called Lane beside Mielle, but Aria had a hunch that she would not have to worry about him as she heard their conversation. Mielle was being tested by Lane now.
“Oh, I see. I’m similar. Well, is there a topic you’ve been interested in lately?”
“A topic of interest? Um… Let me see.”
Mielle, who was cocking her head as if she was thinking, could not answer easily. Aria guessed it was because Mielle was trying hard to think even though she was not smart and intelligent, anxious about how she could look good to the unidentified man. It must be hard to squeeze out what was not there.
“I have been thinking about my father’s new business.”
“Oh, do you have any specific thoughts? What is it?”
Lane glared at Mielle’s words that she was thinking about the count’s business with that smart brain.
“Yes, but I can’t let you know. I’m only going to let my father know a little.”
“Haha, my dear. I almost stole the important business secrets.”
Lane gave a cool smile as if he was very cute.
‘But is it really a secret? I don’t think there’s anything in it. Would that be of little help even if you had it? Why didn’t you tell him, Mielle? Let Lane laugh at you as hard as he can.’
“So what do you think about reopening the casino?”
“Casino?”
“Yes, the casino that’s been reopened for quite some time a while back.”
“Oh, you mean the casino where the human trafficking case took place.”
“Yes.”
Lane put the story on the hot topic. What Mielle knew about the casino incident was that she read a few lines of newspapers. It was obvious that there would be little nutritious talk. And fortunately, Lane struggled to ask Mielle questions so that Aria wouldn’t be disappointed.
It might be ordered by his master. Lane told Mielle that his master had met her, but it seemed to have been a very short moment since Mielle could not remember, and the only thing that the count had really boasted about his daughter was the fur business.
‘That’s why he wants to decide whether she is authentic.’
His master wanted to know whether she was really clever or not. As the Crown Prince was involved, Mielle seemed to know quite a bit about the casino incident, and she was outspoken and clearly talked about her thoughts.
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