Chapter 54

* * *

“Come to think of it, the student sponsored by the Tessie family was the top student at the Royal Academy this time, right?”

“That’s right. I heard it too. My father praised Count Tessie for having a very good eye.”

“Is he going to join the Imperial Knights right after he graduates?”

The stories of the girls came and went on the table with sweet desserts.

The tea time atmosphere was always friendly as only young girls from families with the same political background as the Carthia family gathered. There were no checks or strife to be found anywhere.

tl/n: checks meaning to keep each other in line

Starting with those words, the topic of the conversation shifted to the talents sponsored by each family. As if in a warm atmosphere, everyone praised each other’s family’s ability to sponsor and discerning eye to discover such talent.

Yurina responded with a noble smile that was now almost a habit.

In fact, she was caught up in other thoughts and couldn’t think of the conversations around her. This was because there was someone who came to mind about the sponsorship story.

‘Ray…’

It wasn’t just now. After realizing that she hadn’t received a letter from Raynald a few days ago, she thought of him from time to time.

No matter how hard Yurina tried not to, whenever her concentration was a little disturbed, his face popped up in her head without her realizing it.

“Oh, Lady Carthia.”

At the sound of her suddenly being called, Yurina quickly raised her head. A straight smile appeared on her face, as if she had been worried.

“Yes, Lady Baron.”

“I’ve never seen these gloves before. Which store’s design is it? It’s so pretty.”

Lady Baron’s brown eyes turned to Yurina’s hand, which was trembling in nervousness. Perhaps it wasn’t a formal compliment because Lady Baron’s face was full of curiosity.

Starting with those words, the eyes of the girls sitting at the same table turned to Yurina’s hand, which was trembling in nervousness.

“I know, right. It’s an unusual design, but it’s really pretty.”

“Why haven’t I seen it before?”

“If you don’t mind, can I ask which store you ordered it from?”

“Oh, this?”

Yurina looked at the gloves she was wearing. It was the first time that all the young girls had seen it.

‘It’s unique.’

This was a gift that Raynald sent last fall in return for the birthday present from Yurina. He said that gloves are popular among young women in the Crohn Kingdom recently, and he hoped she would like them.

When Yurina first saw these gloves, she was also surprised by the unusual design. Unlike the long gloves that are popular in imperial society these days, these were a short length that only slightly covered the wrist.

But what was more unusual was the material of the fabric.

Unlike imperial gloves, which were embroidered with colorful embroidery on opaque fabrics, these were made of transparent fabric. There was no special decoration, but the lace decoration in the middle stood out.

It would take some time for the trend to spread to countries other than the Crohn Kingdom by using magic to make it a little more robust and sophisticated, Raynald added at the end of the letter.

“It was a gift. It’s a design that’s trending recently in the Crohn Kingdom.”

As Yurina placed her hands on the table, the girls bent over and began to observe a little more closely. Some even took turns comparing the gloves they were wearing.

“The Crohn Kingdom? No wonder it’s a style I’ve never seen before.”

“How did you get the gloves from the Crohn Kingdom?”

The people of the Empire, who were ahead of the Crohn Kingdom in all aspects except magic, naturally had a fixed notion that the Empire’s culture and clothing were also superior to those of the Kingdom. The leader of fashion trends should of course be the Empire, and other countries, including the Crohn Kingdom, would follow such an empire.

For that reason, few people in the Empire paid attention to the fashion of the Crohn Kingdom. However, why couldn’t there be something pretty and unique about the design of the Crohn Kingdom?

Besides, the person wearing it wasn’t even from a small family, it was Yurina Carthia. It was natural for them to be interested.

However, it must have been a little surprising that Yurina came wearing the gloves of the Crohn Kingdom all of a sudden.

One of the young girls, blinking and waiting for Yurina’s answer, exclaimed softly as if something suddenly came to mind. The gaze that was directed at Yurina turned to her. Suddenly, the young girl murmured with a slightly red face at the sudden attention.

“I heard that a person sponsored by the Carthia family is attending Crohn Royal Academy. Did that person send it to you?”

“Yes, that’s right. They often send me items from the Crohn Kingdom as gifts.”

“Oh my, they have a good eye.”

Yurina could neither affirm nor deny those words, but only laughed meaningfully. The gloves that Raynald gave her were definitely pretty, but saying he has a good eye? I’m not sure.

Yurina experienced firsthand how ignorant Raynald was of fashion while staying at the mansion. It wasn’t bad, but it wasn’t good either.

I didn’t see it, but I can assure you that these gloves were also chosen by Aiden, who has wide feet, or Nathan, who is a socialite, naggingly.

tl/n: 발이 넓다 or wide feet means to have a wide circle of acquaintances/well connected

​​Perhaps they interpreted Yurina’s smile in a positive way, this time the young girls naturally shifted the topic to Raynald.

“I have heard rumors about him. They say he’s famous not only in our country but also in other countries?”

“My cousin is studying at Crohn’s Royal Academy, so he actually saw him and he said he was amazing. He said he was surprised that he could use magic more easily than breathing, is that true?”

It wasn’t a formal compliment, but sincere admiration sprang from all over the place. Yurina continued to lightly nod her head without saying anything in particular.

As they said, Raynald has become a celebrity in the Empire in recent years. The skills he showed at the academy were outstanding, but there was also a big reason why he was called ‘Beatus’.

tl/n: Beatus means blessed in latin

After Yurina found an ancient book about the existence of ‘Beatus’ who was born with red eyes and loved by the goddess, Dave continued his research with a fellow wizard. Then, he found additional ancient books to support the hypothesis that ‘Beatus’ existed and published a book about ‘Beatus’.

However, the most decisive role was his performance in the Crohn Kingdom a year and a half ago.

“I think it’s cooler that he helped the Crohn Royal Family and captured the rebels than anything else. Doesn’t that mean that he has skills and courage?”

A year and a half ago, Raynald learned that the person who attacked Yurina in the Crohn Kingdom was a rebel force against the Crohn Royal Family and volunteered to track down the forces. Then, he succeeded in wiping them out without leaving a single trace.

As Crohn’s Royal Family officially recognized his contribution, rumors of him spread throughout the empire.

The young girls in front of her were saying he was cool, but Yurina was shocked the first time she heard the rumor.

‘I didn’t know you would do such a dangerous thing.’

I thought you were studying diligently, but you’re acting like that without telling me. 

Yurina understood how he was involved in it, but she couldn’t stand still. So she asked him several times not to do such a thing again in a letter, unlike her.

In any case, since then, the people of the Empire have had a vague liking for Raynald, who they had never seen before and was loved by the goddess, hoping that he would return soon.

“Rumors say that the Crown Prince is also keeping an eye on him…”

Yurina, who felt uneasy by Raynald’s story again, came to her senses in an instant. The Crown Prince. It was an unpleasant topic.

Perhaps, the lady, who spoke about the Crown Prince, was thinking to praise Yurina as a talented person that would even attract the Crown Prince. However, Yurina had to clench her lips tightly so her expression would not be distorted.

‘Curtis Xenosian.’

Thinking about the past, she inevitably ground her teeth. When Yurina first met him, she felt a vague fear that he was the male protagonist of the original novel, but now it’s different. Yurina now began to feel annoyance from him instead of fear.

Seven years ago, after meeting him by chance at the Imperial Palace, Yurina had never met him. It was natural. He was such a busy prince that he didn’t have time to roam around. However, Yurina deliberately did not go to an official event where he could show his face.

She thought she could avoid him well until the original novel began.

Until a few years ago, Curtis expressed to Dave that he wished Yurina would come to his coming-of-age ceremony.

‘Funny, really.’

As Yurina remembered, the story about ‘Beatus’ was announced around that time. In line with that, rumors began to spread that Raynald was standing out at the academy. From Crown Prince Curtis’ point of view, Raynald was a worthy prey.

However, it was difficult for him to directly access the Crohn Kingdom. Perhaps that was why he chose Yurina. If he caught her, he could catch two rabbits, Marquis Carthia and Raynald.

After hearing Dave and his story, Marquis Carthia expressed signs of serious concern when he realized it.

The Imperial Palace was an unbearable place even if they were to get married because they loved each other passionately. If Marquis Carthia was blinded by the desire for power, he would have tried to connect Yurina with Curtis, but he was a father whose daughter’s happiness was more important than power.

After thinking about it for a few days, he struggled to talk to Yurina.

– His Highness the Crown Prince seems to be interested in you. What do you think, Yurina?

He pretended that Curtis was interested in Yurina as the opposite sex, but Yurina quickly realized what he was worried about and declared firmly.

– I have absolutely no desire to be the Crown Princess, Father.

Marquis Carthia simply nodded that he knew Yurina’s answer. And a few days later, Yurina was not feeling well, so she spent time in the southern province on the pretext of going to recuperate.

However, after Raynald made a big contribution to the Crohn Kingdom, Curtis’ interest in Yurina began to change blatantly. He expressed his interest in meeting with Yurina through the Marquis and Dave.

Marquis Carthia and Yurina’s three older brothers quickly noticed Curtis’ intention to use Yurina to get to Raynald, so they thoroughly protected Yurina.

‘It’s not even funny.’

After Raynald, the topic was about Curtis, so it was not easy to maintain her composure. Yurina barely maintained her smile and lightly touched the earring she was wearing on her right ear.

To others, it looked like an ordinary earring, but in fact, it was a magic tool that was specially requested by Dave. If you gently touch it and inject mana into it, Bessie’s necklace would ring as a signal to her.

Soon after, Bessie, who was waiting in the waiting room for the maid, came up to ask for her understanding and approached Yurina and whispered in her ear.

“Shall we prepare a carriage?”

Yurina nodded her head once, and Bessie took a step back and left the garden where tea time was in full swing. Yurina smiled at the young girls who were looking at them with confused eyes.

“Something has happened at the mansion, so I think I will have to go back. If it’s okay, can I leave first?”

It was a tone of asking for understanding, but in reality, it was more of a notification. No one questioned Yurina’s words, as to how sly her lies were.

“I hope it’s not a big deal.”

When they said ‘big deal’, they probably meant something related to the ill Marquess Carthia. Yurina stood up, thanking them for their concern.

“Today was fun. You seem to be interested in gloves, so I’ll try to contact the Crohn Kingdom.”

Yurina bowed her head in courtesy and left the garden under the guidance of a maid in the mansion.