CH 23

Poisonous Green Eyes

Laura’s face hardened fiercely. In an instant, she knuckled down and became the Marquis of FortDucane and spoke arrogantly.

“Miss Cassner. That’s rude. It’s not polite to get involved in other people’s conversations.”

However, her opponent was Rubinia Cassner who was far from an emerging nobleman and was known for melting the cold nature of the social world.

“Oh, don’t say such harsh words. We have similar tastes. Don’t you think so, Miss Buchanan?”

She smiled sweetly like a strawberry cake and stole a glance at Kyrie. Kyrie could guess what Rubinia wanted to talk about.

‘I’m tired.’

Kyria sighed.

“I don’t know what you mean.”

“You don’t know.”

Rubinia naturally made herself comfortable in the seat opposite of Kyrie. It was now a situation in which nobility and nobility could engage in a gentle struggle.

Laura was forced aside. To the curious onlookers, the situation before them seemed like three ladies waiting to enter the wardrobe talking to each other.

“The two lovers of the Crown Prince… it’s them, right?” The people outside whispered.

“…..”

Unlike the silent Kyrie, Laura’s face grew dark.

“Have you finished talking? You stole someone’s fiancée and dare to appear in front of them? Do you not feel embarrassed?”

“Miss FortDucane, I’m talking to Miss Buchanan right now, so would you please be quiet?”

“Do you know who interrupted our conversation? Aha, didn’t Count Cassner teach you?”

At that moment, Kyrie noticed that Rubinia’s smile faltered. Shortly after, Rubinia murmured in a bitter voice.

“Ah, is that right? It’s not like my family is from the seven families like the rest of the nobles like you.”

Rubinia said that and covered her face with her left hand, pretending to touch her hair half-heartedly.

“So what? Except for what you were born with, what have you achieved? You were so complacent that you lost your fiancée.”

Laura was surprised and unable to respond. On the other hand, Rubinia calmly lowered her hand and smiled brightly and returned to her public persona of the social spring fairy.

“Now, when I become the Crown Princess, will Miss FortDucane be quiet? Oh, what should I do? Just thinking about it makes me so excited.”

Kyrie even forgot about the situation and admired Rubinia.

‘What a great woman.’

The content of her speech was uncomfortable, but her expression and tone were sharp, and she was overflowing with charm. It seemed like this was the reason Prince Eden fell in love with her.

Perhaps she thought Kyrie’s gaze was a challenge, so Rubinia sharply widened her eyes.

“How do you feel, Miss Buchanan? I was able to sit in the best seat in this country, but I feel like I went down.”

‘Because it’s a mood.’

Previously, Kyrie was angry. But after this trip she changed her mind a little.

‘Maybe I’m a little envious of her being able to win what she wants so confidently.’

Kyrie spoke calmly to Rubinia, who stared at her.

“It’s a hundred years.”

There was a moment of silence.

“…….Yes?”

“I can’t wish you happiness because I have suffered. But I hope you two celebrate a hundred years together.”

Rubinia’s eyes became fierce.

“Who are you kidding?”

“Why do you think I’m making fun of you?”

“Prince Eden chose me! Even with your great Buchanan family, you lost to a young Baroness whom you’ve ignored!”

“It’s not a question of who wins and who loses, is it?”

Rubinia widened her eyes as if she was going to scream right away. She managed to straighten her face and gave a twisted laugh instead.

“Oh, you want to raise your pride by saying, ‘In fact, I wasn’t interested.’ That’s what those who are defeated always say.”

“I was a little angry as I am a person, but now I just don’t want to waste my time on what’s already happened.”

“Of course. You want this matter to be over. That’s because you don’t know how people talk about you.”

“I don’t know. There seems to be one in front of me right now.”

“Pfft!”

Laura couldn’t stop herself from laughing and made a sound next to her. Rubinia’s face turned red.

“If you say so. The royal family is now on my side now!”

“Really?”

Kyrie took a sip of tea for dramatic effect before she continued on.

“I’m sure the Emperor did not welcome you.”

Rubinia stopped breathing as if she had been stabbed.

The first reason the royal family led the engagement to Buchanan was to win the loyalty of aristocrats of the province.

While the country maintained a centralized regime, it was hard to answer who was at its peak. Normally, it would be the Emperor, but in Trevereum, the founding hero, Lore Leschaux, was still alive.

People in this country grew up from inside their mother’s belly hearing the stories of the founders, legends, and family members. He was a living faith and religion. 

Compared to him, the sovereignty could not be compared, so strengthening the sovereignty was the fate of all Orewinbridge except the founder.

Naturally, the Emperor needed more loyalty and more money and Baron Cassner couldn’t give either. This was why the Emperor opposed Prince Eden and Rubinia’s engagement.

“I remember that the only support for Miss Cassner’s engagement was the Crown Prince himself and his younger sister, Princess Julia. Am I wrong?”

“Are you ignoring me because I am an emerging nobleman from the province?”

“I just told you the truth.”

“Aren’t you scared? After the Emperor, the Crown Prince is next! If you understand that, shouldn’t you kneel before me?”

“I’ll take care of my knee health, so rest assured.”

“That word…!  Ha……!”

Rubinia screamed as if her clothes were bursting. Soon, people’s eyes gathered, and she smiled forcibly as she looked at her surroundings.

“That’s okay. Okay, let’s see if we can still pretend to be so noble until the end.”

It was a remorseful look. Even though Kyrie was seated face-to-face with Rubinia, she was strangely not as angry as before. Kyrie was just curious now.

‘If what you wanted was power, why did you hate me like that, even though you already got it?’

Even when Kyrie recalled the memory, she had no clue.

There were two main forces in the social world of ladies: the Socialist circle was headed by Princess Julia, and the other, the aristocracy, headed by Mary. Kyrie was a noble so she was in artistrocat circle, Rubinia was in the group led by the Princess, and of course, the two had rarely spoken.

‘And yet, strangely, it’s only me.’

“Why don’t you like me, Miss Cassner?”

Kyrie asked abruptly. Rubinia, who was clearly overwhelmed, seemed rather calm when she heard the question.

“It’s pretentious, it’s abominable. You look down on a man who pretends to be noble.”

Her next voice was very small.

“Like then.”

‘Then?’

It was a strange word. At what moment did Rubinia and herself have a close relationship?

“When do you mean, Miss Cassner?”

Rubinia did not answer. It seemed as if her words could not be heard. 

She, who was said to be the fairy of spring that melted the social world, stared at Kyrie with a face that looked like a smile when viewed from a distance. But unlike her title, her poisonous green eyes were bright and intense.

“You have to pretend to be noble so people don’t know, Miss Buchanan.”

Lovely Rubinia finished organizing her mind for a moment. The touch of her hair was delicate and her expression was clear.

“Now to the public, you lost the fight? Try to live a life of comfort, pretending to be noble.”

“Miss Cassner.”

Then Laura opened her mouth with a cold face. Rubinia flinched at the first glance of her voice.

“It would be better to stop. Do you really want me to be serious?”

Laura’s sarcasm was certainly serious.

Rubinia noticed and quickly got up from the spot. She stiffened her face with a smile. 

“Cheer up. I don’t know who’s going to pick up a woman who’s chewed by others.”

After she said that, she jerked her head around with a little noise and walked away.

*** 

After Kyrie got her dress fitted and bid farewell to Laura, she took a carriage back to her house. She was immersed in her thoughts. Rubinia’s words hovered in her mind.

‘The woman who’s chewed by others.’

Kyrie didn’t know it would look like that. It wasn’t a short engagement with Prince Eden, but it didn’t mean it was a romantic one. 

He was always busy as the Crown Prince. Even Kyrie thought that was natural. 

Of course, if you now look at the way he was with Rubinia Cassner, perhaps he had deliberately pretended to be busy. 

‘The engagement was arranged by Emperor, and you wouldn’t want to marry a woman you didn’t like.’

The same was true for Kyrie who was reluctant to be engaged. Still, she was determined to fulfill her responsibilities, and wished Prince Eden would do the same thing. He was a prince, and he knew he couldn’t have everything.

Perhaps that’s why she was angry at Prince Eden’s extramarital affair because she didn’t normally get angry easily.

Responsibility. Prince Eden too easily abandoned the greatest value that supported Kyrie in her life. She couldn’t believe that such a man raised his voice in front of the Emperor and said he loved Rubinia Cassner.

She thought it was good enough to love someone so much that they could throw out their family name and everything they had.

‘I’m responsible for many things, but no one wants to be responsible for me.’

Kyrie leaned her head against the window and giggled.

‘I never learned how to lean on others in the first place.’

After her father, Count Cesar’s breakup with her mother, he raised Kyria strongly. She had to be perfect in every way, and not expose her weakness to others.

Just elegant and resolute. Kyrie learned only to live that way.

If you are connected with someone, rather than a love leaning on each other, a love standing on your feet while holding hands would suit.

‘But that’s too much for the chewing gum.’

Kyrie smiled lightly and buried herself deep in the seat. After all, in her life, love was beyond all sorts and was not something she understood.

‘You should have grown up in a harmonious family to be able to believe in love or not.’

When Kyrie thought that far, she felt something strange.

‘Has the carriage stopped?’

The scenery outside the window remained the same. Kyrie had been lost in thought.

“James, what’s going on?”

Kyrie gently called the horseman’s name, but was met with no answer. Tension swept over the air.

‘An attack? It’s too quiet for that. The location was Highland Park… It’s night, so there were fewer people and there were no other places to ask for help.’

She realized another strange thing.

It was quiet everywhere. There was no sound of birds, animals, or bugs. She had experienced this situation recently.

“Lord Nathaniel? Is it you?”

Kyrie raised my voice, but there was no reply.

As the anxiety increased, someone knocked on the door of the carriage.

“Lord Nathaniel?”

Kyrie stuck to the corner of the carriage, filled with tension, as she didn’t know what would come out. At that moment, the door burst open.