Chapter 79.1

Yurina only took a sip of her black tea, but didn’t touch the scones. So Marchioness cut the steaming scones in half, smeared them with apricot jam and cream, Yurina’s favorite, and put them back on the plate.

“Don’t just drink tea, eat some scones.”

Although she had no appetite, Yurina took a bite of the scone because she couldn’t ignore the Marchioness’ attention. The taste of sour apricot jam now whetted her appetite. Yurina slowly ate half of her scone served with black tea.

The Marchioness looked at her with satisfaction, and handed her the other half. Yurina shook her head, sighed, and left the scone on her plate.

“I’m sorry. But I have no appetite.”

“What are you sorry about here? Rather, I should be sorry. Time has not spared me, and it seems that my eyes are not the same anymore. I can’t take a good look at the maids.”

“No, wait, that’s…”

It was because of the magic. Yurina couldn’t finish and held her words.

On the day when the bloody ribbon was found in the mansion, Yurina explained everything to the Marchioness.

Although Yurina emphasized that Emily had used illusion magic to keep her face down, Marchioness blamed herself for Yurina getting hurt.

Yurina fully understood what was in her heart. Although she knew that she was also possessed by deception magic, in her heart she kept rebuking herself.

Marchioness Carthia, seeing Yurina biting her lips, got up from her seat and walked close to her.

“You’ve been frowning for days now.”

Her soft hand caressed Yurina’s cheek gently. Her hands, which had been cold as ice for the past six months, were now warm. Yurina gently rubbed her cheek against Marchioness’ hand like a child and closed her eyes.

“It will all get better soon. Moreover, I’m glad that my mother is well again.”

Marchioness quickly recovered after the tape was burned. Only a few days passed, and her pale face turned red, and her sunken cheeks regained their roundness.

Yurina thought it was for good, but on the other hand, she felt uncomfortable now. After all, it was Yurina who was the target of the exiled count, the organizer of that assassination attempt.

Marchioness Carthia had to suffer just because of Yurina, for no particular reason.

Although it was the former count who had planned this, and even though she knew she had no reason to feel guilty, Yurina was now hesitant in front of her mother.

And this time she couldn’t bear those clear blue eyes, so she lowered her head. Then the Marchioness bent her knees and met Yurina’s gaze.

“I know you are not comfortable.”

“…”

“You might have had a hard time. It’s not good to be betrayed by someone you trust. Even if it was a servant, which is easy to replace at any time. You’re such a nice child.”

Was she nice?

Yurina was a little stunned by something she had never thought about. Until now, she thought that she wasn’t very affectionate. Especially when she arrived in a world strange to her.

“However, betrayal is not enough, you also suffered during the attack. It must be very difficult for you.”

“No. I’m really fine.”

Yurina tried to get away, but the Marchioness patted her arm as if she was seeing it inside out.

“So, Yurina. How about breaking out of the manor once before social season starts? It’s getting warmer, so it would be nice to play near the water.”

“Near the water?”

“The air by the sea is better than in the capital, so much so that it is useful for healing both body and mind. And the atmosphere there is different from the capital, and good, so wouldn’t it be good to get rid of bad memories?”

Yurina was unable to answer right away and hesitated for a moment.

‘Are we going to the villa?’

It was an enticing proposition. Even though the mansion in the capital was spacious and the garden was well-decorated, there were few people in it. And the atmosphere here was different from the villa, where the endless sea stretched. As Marchioness said, it seemed that if Yurina went there, she could rest without any worries.

But there was only one thing.

‘What about Ray?’

She will be gone for at least two or three weeks. It was painful for them not to see each other for several hours, but to be apart for so long? Just thinking about it was terrible.

Marchioness looked at the hesitant Yurina, smiled and opened her mouth.

“By the way, I heard that Reynard was also badly hurt.”

“Yes?”

Yurina was startled by the sudden name and asked in a voice higher than usual. Marchioness continued to stroke Yurina’s hand.

“Rodrik says he’s all better, so don’t worry, but from your mom’s point of view, he still need more rest. But your brothers don’t seem to be leaving Reynard alone.”

“…”

“I was told he learned swordsmanship. But I have no idea why those three are fighting the mage so hard.”

“Brother Edwin said it’s good to learn how to deal with mages while sparring with Ray. Dave and other mages have weak stamina, so they are no match for the older brothers.”

“That’s right.”

The Marchioness laughed lightly.

“Still, I’m worried that leaving things as they are will only worsen Reynard’s condition. So I think it would be nice if Reynard also went to a villa by the sea. What do you say?”

Yurina couldn’t reply right away this time either. Will it be like a vacation with Reynard? It was a good suggestion, but the words stuck in her throat.

‘Did she notice something?’

Those two were hiding everything, but it looked as if the Marchioness had caught the connection between them. However, Yurina couldn’t read her thoughts from the Marchioness’ expression alone.

Although she had a kind and gentle nature, she was also a member of an aristocratic family. From an early age, she learned to hide emotions from her face, so her thoughts and feelings were rarely reflected in facial expressions.