CH 141

Mom, who stayed in the mansion for the time being, began to visit the nobles’ salon she had stopped visiting a while ago.

If there was something changed, it might be that she wasn’t invited as a performer to be enjoyed anymore but as the Duchess.

“We’ll reduce the sponsorship for the time being.”

Surprisingly, Rany reduced sponsoring her with products from her guild.

“Now there’s no one who can thoughtlessly call Madam Tatiana as ‘Madam’. When she was the yearned colorful flower, everyone could imitate things she wore, but if they do it now, they’ll only be insulted. Your mother is now Lady Duchess. She is the lady of the meritorious family whose number is small in this empire.”

Her reluctant words gave me a new impression.

“To blindly imitate her makeup and clothes, political interpretation follows such behavior, so people will pay attention, but they will not be careless.”

I felt sorry hearing the words that it would be different from the past when she had been leading the trend.

I thought that might be the reason for her to turn her head to another direction.

“Also, I have a lot I want to try.”

“I don’t know that you’re thinking like that.”

Seeing me looking a bit sulky, she smiled.

Just in time, I saw a familiar figure walking the corridor.

The jet-black hair would steal my attention anywhere.

My eyes caught on the neat and tidy shirt.

The starched collar, the necktie tied neatly on his neck.

“I never thought I would get used to Zen in that kind of attire.”

I mumbled in a low voice enough for Rany who was next to me to hear.

The disheveled hair. The research room which was always messy.

Also the face that always grimaced because he hated other people’s gaze was nowhere to be seen.

I never saw that Zen.

Because he was so unfamiliar, I also wondered if he was another person.

For a moment, my gaze met with him as he turned his head.

The eyes looking at me, who flinched momentarily, quickly looked in another direction, but the pendant that knew its owner vibrated shortly.

“. . .”

“Look at him making a pose. It’s because he has a narcissistic disease.”

Gazes gathered behind him.

On the contrary to Rany’s words that Zen alone had a narcissistic disease, a lot of people were interested in the young, capable and handsome professor from the magic tower.

The moment I tried to shift my gaze, someone called my name.

With a high and thin voice.

“Young Lady Marianne.”

The female student who was the clerk of the student council approached me and handed out confirmation of disciplinary action.

She smiled as she handed it out to me kindly, and there seemed to be no pity in the slightest.

“You just need to get the stamp or signature from your guardian. Feel free to tell me if there’s any problem.”

She bent down, smiled broadly, and patted the back of my hand affectionately, expressing her friendliness and goodwill with her whole body, but I did not feel she was sincere.

“What a new way to do bullshit. Why did she come all the way here where everyone can see just to hand this over.”

Along with Rany sneering at her, the gaze gathered in Zen focused again on me.

Looking at how everyone had their lips slanted up slightly it was obvious they were laughing that the young lady of the duchy was openly getting ‘disciplinary action’ from the academy.

She turned around without hesitation, and then she walked down the corridor, approaching Zen, who had already begun to disappear from sight.

“She’s from the magic department, huh.”

Only then I noticed the collar of the uniform she wore was orange.

“She’s quite a talent.”

Rany propped her chin and mentioned her information.

“It seems she’s been popular among nobles since she was a little. It is said that the magic tower had visited her family to take her to the tower, and that her mother’s family was a close aide to the predecessor empress, so they planned to raise her as palace mage.”

Both of them had already disappeared from the corridor.

I felt very restless.

This wasn’t the first time Zen stopped contacting me.

I often couldn’t get in touch with him for months, but I had never been worried.

Because I believed he wouldn’t recklessly move alone, leaving me and our friends.

However, whenever I saw Zen’s foreign figure recently, a crawling foreign feeling pierced me.

* * *

“My Lady.”

Not long after I returned from the academy, the Head Maid visited me.

“A close friend of yours, who is attending the Academy with you, came to visit.”

“Rany?”

If it was her, then there was no need for the Head Maid to come and inform me.

Because Rany would already express her uncommon presence and run through the hallway the moment she entered the mansion.

The Head Maid shook her head with a faint smile.

“No, My Lady. The young lady of Frey County . . .”

The smile flashed in her face was a bit mixed with embarrassment.

“I stopped them, but ‘that person’ who’s worried about your condition recently decided to have a talk with your friend.”

As soon as she finished her words carefully, I opened the door and went to the hallway.

“Pardon, My Lady!”

I heard shouting from behind, but I didn’t stop.