CH 50

“T-that’s….”

At the golden eyes that shone glaringly like a judge, her body shrank naturally by itself.

Overwhelmed by the Duke, Firina soon came to her senses and spat out the excuses she had prepared.

“Time, because it takes time for the medicine to show its effect!”

“….”

“In order for the medicine to take full effect, we have to wait until the night the Snake Constellation shines. Since I thought the date was coming close, I brought the medicine now.”

Finishing the quick explanation, Firina couldn’t stand the feeling of intense pressure anymore, so she thought of quickly finishing her greeting and going out.

Thud.

Approaching the table, the Duke picked up the medicine bottle affectionately.

“There’s no negative effect on the body, right?”

“Of course.”

So that she wouldn’t, by any chance, be treated as an unknown suspect, Firina thoroughly managed her expression.

‘I mean for the body.’

The next moment. Firina really almost dropped down to the floor.

“There have to be no lies in those words.”

While saying that, the Duke controlled the energy which he shed, making her feel like she had entered the inside of a lion’s den.

‘If you don’t value your life.’

It seemed like the Duke’s omitted words were caught by her ears naturally by itself.

Tremble tremble. Firina, whose lips had trembled, barely got out of the office with her head down, as if she was running away.

***

After finishing the tea party.

Beatty was walking down the hallway with Ather following her, with the excuse of seeing her off.

‘But why does he go around wearing that eye patch?’

Glance.

Seeing Beatty’s gaze which was directed at Ather, Carl said harshly.

“Until when are you going to go around wearing that?”

Does he think he can attract Tail Fur’s attention with that kind of thing?

At Carl’s gaze that looked at him suspiciously, Ather replied as if it was ridiculous.

“Wasn’t it that when I went around wearing this in the old days, you didn’t care much about it?”

It was an eye patch that was worn at our forces’ barracks, even on the battlefield.

“When you fought, you took it off, right.”

“About that, that’s because it was the battlefield.”

Ather knew well the impact of his naked eyes on ordinary people.

“There’s nothing bad with overpowering the enemy, right?”

‘He said he can overpower the enemy with just his eyes?’

No matter how strong the sense of awe a shapeshifter’s eyes would garner, it was not to the extent where it made the battlefield’s enemy freeze with just a look.

Thinking that Ather’s words were a bluff, Beatty’s eyes became subtle.

“Uhm? Why are you looking at me like that, Lady?”

At the feeling of somehow being disliked, Ather turned Beatty’s attention away.

“Anyway, I guess everyone is busy.”

“Ah, that’s right. They said there will be a victory banquet soon…”

As she said those words she looked down inside the Castle, which was in the midst of banquet preparations. Beatty then recalled what she heard in the morning and agreed.

‘Huh?’

With realizing it herself, Beatty leaned her body to take a closer look at the lobby below.

“Tail Fur.”

“Lady, you have to be careful.”

Although both of her arms were caught by Older Brother and the First Prince, who approached in an instant as if they were surprised.

‘Definitely just now….’

Strangely the caught state wasn’t being aware by the two boys, Beatty immediately got preoccupied with the scene she saw.

***

“I’m telling you. No matter how rural the North is, I’ve never imagined that you’d be so ignorant like this.”

“….”

In front of Johanna, who bowed her head, Firina stuck up to the fullest.

“Is this all also because you guys don’t have a lady in the house? Hoo. Then it can’t be helped, thinking of Older Sister, I have no choice but to step in instead.”

As she devalued the countrified North to the fullest, Firina, who had been showing off herself, who had familiarized herself with the Capital’s latest trends, demanded as she straightened herself up.

“You can think of me as the lady of the house now. Now, bring me the list of the banquet preparations.”

“I apologize, but….”

In front of Firina, who raised her chin in a very ‘beneficial’ manner, Johanna firmly said with her head down politely.

“The household’s internal documents can’t be shown to a person who isn’t from the Aslan Family.”

“Wha- What?”

Perhaps she never even thought that she would hear a rejection, Firina’s face turned red with shame in an instant.

“You dare to insult me?”

“There’s no way I would. However, the family’s regulation is extremely strict.”

“Argh, it seems that you’re looking down on me for being kicked out for a while, but such a trivial misunderstanding and whatnot is already a resolved problem!”

Firina protruded her chest out and said as if showing off.

“Seeing the Duke brought me back to the Castle, you can’t tell?”

“Although it was conveyed to me and the entry approval has been given, I am also aware that your residence remains the same at the annex.”

“Y-You rude thing!”

At Johanna’s calm words, Firina, who was now completely angry, grinded her teeth as she raised her hand.

Powerfully!

At the hand that is flying toward her cheek, Johanna composedly closed her eyes.

At that time, a familiar voice raised its voice loudly for the first time, since the whole ordeal started.

“Stop!”

Step step step—

Beatty ran down quickly as she shouted.

‘Hmph! At the sight, I guess it’s an employee that she cherishes, right?’

Disgustingly seeing her niece, who meddled in as if she was also the Master, Firina didn’t care and tried to lower her arm as it was.

‘W-What is this…?!’

But, then.

Whoosh— At the cold energy that was surging, it gave her goosebumps on her spine.

Like a prey that was put in front of the most supreme being, Firina stiffly hardened without even realizing it herself.

“….”

Beyond the eye patch, shooting energy that could not be covered by the sealing magic cloth, Ather quietly shone his eyes.

“What are you doing to Johanna?”

Step. Beatty, who had been running hard, stood blocking Johanna from Firina.

Although of course, due to her short height, she didn’t cover Johanna at all.

“Young Miss…”

At Johanna’s touched voice, Beatty turned around for a moment and reassured her while facing her.

At the Young Miss’ figure that was holding out a strongly clenched small fist with her eyes saying ‘Trust me’, Johanna felt shocked as if her heart was struck.

While Johanna held her chest, gasp!, at the excessive cuteness, Firina opened her fan, conscious of the surrounding eyes that were gradually gathering.

‘What’s this? The Young Lord of Aslan with the First Prince? Why do they all follow that thing and…’

By the splendid personal connection that was attached to the unattractive Niece, Firina got annoyed for no reason and covered her distorted mouth with the fan.

“Niece.”

After adjusting her voice, hm hm, Firina elegantly disciplined the flippant Niece as she shook her fan.

“Oh no, I guess you forgot everything I’d taught you at the Capital during those times. To think you’d display such an imprudent run like that.”

Which noble lady in the world would take such imprudent steps?

‘Well, since she’s that Older Sister’s child. It’s obvious where such frivolity came from.’

Tsk. Clicking her tongue, Firina muttered as she sent a subtle glance that was filled with arrogance to her surroundings.

“This is all because the people who are in charge of your education are terrible.”

At the voice that was mixed with ridicule, Beatty blinked and opened her mouth.

“Education?”

“Ha, yeah. See? As soon as you stop getting my education for a moment, your behavior—”

“Running is an imprudent thing?”

“Of course! If you were a modest lady, you would never run while imprudently spreading your legs. It is only right for a lady to always walk lightly like a butterfly.”

Just like me.

Showing off inside, Firina walked as if telling Beatty to see.

Watching that silently, Beatty spoke.

“Then, raising your hand towards others.”

“What?”

“Is that not an imprudent thing?”

Firina was flustered by the arrow that was suddenly turned towards her.

‘W-why is she like this?’

She also felt it before, but it felt like she wasn’t the niece she had known so far.

“That’s also an imprudent thing, right?”

“T-that’s…!”

“Then, from whom did Aunt receive education that she would do that kind of thing?”

Indirectly being told in return that she was terrible because she was not properly educated, Firina’s face instantly blushed.

‘Just where the hell did that thing learn that kind of eloquence?’

It was a noble way of speech that she had never taught even once.

‘Hmph!’

Looking at Firina’s turning alternately pale and red face, Beatty snorted inside.

‘Aunt is feeling embarrassed. How simple.’

Nobility. Dignity. Elegance. It was Aunt who was more obsessed with those kinds of things than anyone else.

‘Pointing out a flaw of hers who is oh so noble. She would surely hate it the most.’

It was very easy for Beatty to make use of the ‘elegantly’ sarcastic tone.

Since it was the tone that she used to be treated with almost every day before regressing.

Beatty was simply returning back what she had heard.

“Eeek, I was just trying to teach you!”

At Beatty’s telling blow, Firina, who had been panting for a while, shouted belatedly as if she was struggling.

“Hmph! There is surely a limit to misunderstanding favors.”

“Favors?”

Surely there’s no way Aunt would do such a thing?

Beatty asked back with that kind of meaning, but Firina had a confident expression again, and said, not knowing how she misinterpreted that.

“Yeah. Compared to the Capital, isn’t this North far behind the trend? Even so, this seems to be a big banquet that is held after a pretty long time. What if the Duke Family loses its face after holding a trivial banquet?”

At the remarks that rounded up and undervalued the North, the eyes of the surrounding Duke Castle’s people became cold.

However, Firina didn’t care about the gazes of those who weren’t high-ranking nobles and babbled as she wanted.

“So, I, who’s familiar with the Capital trend, will help.”

Rather, saying that she was in a position to be thanked, Firina discontentedly scowled.

Beatty looked around.

Behind Firina’s back that was proudly pretending to be great, the Duke Castle’s employees had expressions of pure anger.

“….”

As she looked down arrogantly at Beatty, who bowed her head to think about something for a moment, Firina sarcastically said.

“Do you get it now? How elegant and responsible my actions were, just like a noble—”

“Did you just say that the North is way behind the Capital?”

Gathering her thoughts, Beatty raised her head.