CH 40

Rubinia Cassner

5. Omen

A week later, Rubinia Cassner really came to Count Buchanan.

Kyrie’s offer wasn’t a bad condition for Rubinia. Currently, Buchanan’s position in society was higher than that of Old Ciudad and Eden Hall.

During that week, Kyrie was quite busy. He wouldn’t have done it in the past, but since ‘that conversation’, Nathaniel’s gaze had become strangely persistent. And Nathaniel was naturally attached to Kyrie a lot more. 

Thanks to this, she needed something else to focus on, and the small salon that Kyrie opened did its part.

Rubinia Cassner got off at the back door of Count Buchanan in the midst of the salon. 

Wearing light orange shoes and dress, a bonnet with lace and flowers, and a white cloak with a black spotted pattern, she spat out a rough greeting with a lovely face.

“It’s not funny, really. Inviting me on the day you open the salon? You’ve been looking forward to the day you water me, haven’t you?

(Q/C: Rubinia said Kyrie is looking forward to the day she humiliates herself or fails in front of others.)

“Come in for now.”

“Take this book and go away. I don’t know if I found the right one, but I want it back within a week.”

Tossing it, Rubinia handed the book to Kyrie. It was also rough but it was already expected. Kyrie clapped twice.

“Hold her.”

“Yes, miss.”

“What…!”

Older and stronger female servants under Kyrie’s command grabbed Rubinia’s arm.

“Wh-wh-what’s this? You said you wouldn’t kill me! L-Let go of me?!”

Kyrie smiled.

“I didn’t want to use this method, but our personalities are polar opposites, right? I thought you’d listen to me if I did this much.”

“Hey!”

“Don’t talk down to me. I’m a higher person than you. Come on, Miss Cassner.”

“You, you! As soon as I get out of here……! H-h-help me! The Legend is killing people!”

When Rubinia, who was in high spirits, shouted urgently, Kyrie smiled.

“I won’t hurt you. There’s no bottomless foothold, nor poisoned teacups.”

“It’s worse than those!”

“I didn’t say I wouldn’t hold you.”

“Eek! Where are you taking me!”

The servants took Rubinia Cassner to a small room on the first floor. Kyrie went into the room together and sat down. 

When the door was locked, Rubinia, who could not hide her embarrassment, knocked on the door with her fist.

“C, can’t you open the door right now?!”

“Instead, sit here and have some tea. Maria gave it to me, and it’s of great quality.”

“What on earth are you doing!”

“Cut to the chase? Oh, my God. It’s my taste, too.”

Kyrie brewed the tea and chuckled. She turned her gaze out of the window. Rubinia, who followed her gaze to the window, frowned.

“Ha. You want to show me that?”

Beyond the window, five or six young people invited to the salon were singing like sparrows. All of them were ‘Rubinia Cassner’s close friends’ that Maria told her. Rubinia opened her eyes wide and laughed.

“Kyrie Buchanan. What kind of factional game do you think this is? Do you think I’m going to get hit just because they went to your salon?”

“It’s not like that. I just didn’t understand. Why does Miss Rubinia Cassner hate me so much?”

“How long are you going to talk about that?! You looked down on me!”

Rubinia said, swinging her arms like an angry chimpanzee.

“I never did that. I thought I didn’t, and on second thought, it’s true that I didn’t.”

“Are you kidding me in front of people?”

“So I thought. Maybe you took what I thought was consideration as contempt?”

“What? Are you saying that I’m narrow-minded right now, then?”

“No.”

Kyrie said sternly.

“I want to tell you that there might have been something very nasty stuck between us.”

There was no smile on her face, and Rubinia paused unconsciously when she saw this side of Kyrie.

“…….What do you mean?”

“You said it was a ball hosted by Baron Cassner, Miss Rubinia.”

“Don’t call me by name. And, that’s right. That’s when you looked down on me, and I, I still shudder when I think about it.”

Whether it was a joke, Rubinia’s eyes were watering. Kyrie decided to tell the truth rather than giving her a handkerchief.

“I thought about what I did at the ball. And, I hope you don’t feel too bitter about what I have to say from now on.”

“I don’t want to hear it!”

“Baron Cassner doesn’t have a long history, and it hasn’t been long since you came to Sel Arellano. I thought our misunderstanding might have happened there.”

Sure enough, Rubinia Cassner got up like a thunderbolt and approached the door.

“You damn woman! You’re terrible! Nobility is everything? You’re one of the Seven Families! I held the ball with some kind of feelings!”

“I know it fully sounds like an insult. I don’t want to say that either. Listen to me, Miss Rubinia Cassner.”

Rubinia looked at Kyrie with her lips biting as if she was holding back her tears. Kyrie sighed, then gently led Rubinia to her original position, holding the doorknob and shaking it.

“From now on, your friends will talk.”

Kyrie quietly left the room and headed to the balcony where the salon was happening.

“I’m sorry I kept you waiting, everyone. What were we talking about?”

Rubinia Cassner sat absentmindedly in the room and listened to the voice.

“Oh, no, Miss Buchanan! Are you done with your business?”

“Thanks to you.”

“We’re so happy to have you, so don’t mind it? Okay?

“Yes, we really wanted to get along with Miss Buchanan!”

“We’ve been with Miss Cassner a lot, so I thought you’d stay away from us, but I’m so grateful that you invited us!”

“Thank you for saying that. I’m glad. Shall we have tea together?”

Rubinia snorted at the whole conversation. She really was a damn woman, but she was a bloody noble and elegant woman. 

She was good at changing topics and was bright in trends and current affairs. She might have followed her if it hadn’t happened at the ball.

Rubinia, who thought so far, shook her head.

‘What the hell are you thinking? What did you do to me, pretending to be so noble!’

Just in time, Kyrie opened her mouth with a soft voice.

“I see. When it comes to a ball, I’m sure Baron Cassner had a ball too.”

Rubinia clenched her teeth. It was the moment she hated the most. She couldn’t help that her face became more distorted.

At that time, the story of the young ladies stopped.

“Oh, that?”

“Heh….”

The young ladies made suppressed laughters as they struggled to hold back their laughters.

“Oh, of course we all went there.”

“You were there, right?”

“Oh, I don’t even want to think about it.”

Rubinia, who was leaning with her fist clenched, slowly raised her head.

‘…What is it?’

She could tell without looking. They were sneakily exchanging glances, as if saying ‘you know it, right?’. Before Rubinia could recognize the situation, several people’s words poured out like waterfalls through the window.

“To be honest, it was the worst.”

“It’s the number one of the most terrible balls I’ve ever had!”

“I don’t want to imagine what it would have been if it weren’t for Miss Buchanan.”

“I even felt looked down on.”

“That’s right, how shameless! She’s an emerging aristocrat, so she’s got no dignity!”

Rubinia gripped the hem of her dress in shame. A groan flowed out of her pride as if she had fallen into the abyss. The story continued like the song of a nightingale.

“By the way, Miss Buchanan, did you get the invitation?”

“No, I didn’t get to know her, so I used the invitation that I received from someone else.”

“Oh my God, then Ms. Cassner is really blessed.”

“That’s what I’m saying. Miss Buchanan, you acted uncomfortable at that time. Right?

“Did I get caught?”

“Goodness, who doesn’t know that!”

The young ladies laughed at the same time. Gentle words like angelic songs were placed on Kyrie Buchanan’s head.

“Thanks to you, it was nice that I could dance less. Thank you, really!”

“You’re welcome.”

“By the way, what was that on the floor? It was a shame I had to be next to her because I was worried about Miss Buchanan’s condition…….”

“She didn’t seem to know how to do it in the first place? Maybe it’s not a family that has a separate ballroom.”

“This is what the new aristocrats are like…….”

Complaints burst out like a storm. The intensity of ridicule grew higher and higher.

“It’s kind of bad that there’s no return.”

“Oh, Miss Hart! I thought I was going to faint, why did I forget that? That’s right, that was the worst!”

“At that time, Miss Buchanan said, ‘There are so many extravagant balls these days.’…?

“It saved her face.”

“She thought that party favor was unnecessary? While taking everything she had herself.”

“The problem is that she didn’t know that. Of course she’s cute, but she’s disqualified as an aristocrat.”

No more words came into Rubinia’s ears.

Rubinia came to the capital a few years ago. 

She was a dreamy country aristocrat, and even though she was an aristocrat, the local aristocrat was not as noble as the aristocrats of Sel Arellano. 

She would work if necessary because of her rough hands, Rubinia always wore gloves. She had never held a ball before.

However, the project that Baron Cassner worked on was surprisingly successful, and he opened the ball for the first time. 

Of course, he didn’t even dare to send an invitation to the seven most prestigious families. However, he was so happy to hold a ball that only powerful families can open.

However, Kyrie Buchanan and Laura Fort Ducane, who were not invited, went.

”I wasn’t invited, but I’m here. I’m sorry.”

That was what Kyrie Buchanan said. Rubinia thought she was looked down on.

‘You’re saying that I can attend a baron’s ball without the owner’s permission?’

She knew. It was definitely a ball that lacked a lot. The decorations were not elegant because they emphasized too much glamour, and there was a crude part. 

Perhaps that was why the number of people was small, and they didn’t seem to dance well. Still, Rubinia tried as a host. It was hectic.

Meanwhile, Kyrie Buchanan approached and asked her carefully.

‘Miss Cassner, can I have a word with you?’

‘Yes? Yes! As much as you want!’

Kyrie seemed very cautious, a little hesitant, and then opened her mouth.

‘By any chance, the party favor…?’

‘Yes?’

She was embarrassed. Was she asking for a party favor? She knew there was a party favor, but she heard it was not mandatory. Seeing herself like that, Kyrie blinked her eyes and nodded as if she knew.

‘Miss Cassner, don’t worry too much. And these days, many people rent ballrooms and hold balls.’

She said so and left. And she began to groan, saying she wasn’t feeling well all of a sudden.

People didn’t dance anymore, and the ladies and gentlemen were busy worrying about her getting close to Kyrie Buchanan. 

Looking at the empty ballroom, Rubinia was devastated. Kyrie Buchanan seemed to enjoy the spotlight and continued to act in such a painful way, leaving the ball without saying goodbye to herself. After her, other young nobles did the same.

The worst ball ever. The worst experience.

When she was told this story for the first time, the person who listened to it heard it and said with a great giggle.

‘That, she’s looking down on you.’

‘She’s….looking down on me?’

‘Yeah, that’s right. It’d be better to not talk about it anywhere else. That young lady is pretty good at being noble, so people won’t take your side.’

She heard so.

‘That wasn’t all true?’

As soon as the salon was over, Kyrie Buchanan opened the door and came in.

Rubinia sat in a chair near the window, curled her back and turned her neck to look at her. A violet-colored woman was looking at her calmly and quietly. Rubinia slowly opened her mouth.

“….I never invited you.”

“The invitation is transferable, and that’s not rude.”

“I didn’t know that I had to invite more people.”

“So I decided to attend. Fort Ducane and Buchanan, then a little more people will attend.”

Rubinia stared at Kyrie with a face mixed with anger and sadness. Kyrie thought for the first time that she looked exhausted.

“You asked me about the party favor. I didn’t think it was mandatory…….”

“Strictly speaking, it’s not necessary, but if you don’t, there will be gossip. Fans, small bouquets, small bells and miniature flags are the main elements, and satin, turtle shell, ivory and sandalwood are used as materials.”

“After that, I thought ‘the balls are too luxurious these days’ was an irony to my non-luxury ball.”

“I meant as a warning to other nobles to not complain about their lack of party favor. Not an insult.”

Rubinia shouted harshly as if she could no longer stand it.

“How the hell do you manage the floor!”

“You can hire a servant to wear a brush on one foot and slippers on the other, so they can dance all day long. If you don’t do it, the floor will be rough, and it’s bad and annoying to dance.”

“Why doesn’t anyone tell me how!”

“Floor management is a family secret. The ballrooms that are good for dancing are popular, and they can be rented out, so they are profitable.”

“Is that why the floor in our ballroom is that bad, right now?”

Rubinia gave a forced laugh. Kyrie watched her self-help and said calmly.

“The dance would look worse than usual, and no one would like it. So I pretended to be sick.”

“……didn’t you want to draw attention?”

“Even if I didn’t do that, I still would’ve drawn attention. Rather, people could’ve used me as an excuse, and you could’ve heard less about the poor preparation of the ballroom.”

“You told me, you rent a lot of ballrooms. Why didn’t you just ask me why I was holding a ball like that?”

“In case you were embarrassed to rent ballrooms, I wanted to tell you that I don’t care about them these days. Such ballrooms are comfortable because they’re well managed.”

As soon as Kyrie’s words were over, Rubinia shouted like crazy.

“You left the ball without saying goodbye to me!”

“It’s polite to leave without a word, so that you don’t disturb others in the middle of the ball. Haven’t you ever done that?”

“I’ve always been escorted out, so I thought the escort would tell me in advance!” 

The two stopped talking. Kyrie knew Rubinia was very confused. Rubinia bent over again, clenched her fist, jumped up and shouted.

“Why did you express it so indirectly!”

“Haven’t you ever heard of it? Looks like you haven’t. As if it were in forever.”

Kyrie raised her chin and said to the stupefied Rubinia.

“That’s the nobility, Miss Rubinia Cassner. We need to act like a person who has no weakness. I’m sure you’re feeling it now that you entered central politics.”

“Yes, but you didn’t even say anything about it at all…!”

“That’s the way it is. We don’t openly point something out or criticize it. We tend to blame the other person ‘who didn’t know beforehand’.”

“Is that right? Is that true? That means I’ve been bad mouthed by the people I’ve thought were my friends, behind me!”

“It will be like that. I didn’t know that you would misunderstand that you were looked down on because I thought I was being considerate.”

Rubinia looked confused. Anger, sadness. After that, shame and emptiness began to gather.

“I’m the only one who didn’t know your consideration that everyone else knew.”

“Right.”

“Then, then I’ve been mad at something so far……!”

Kyrie shut her mouth for a moment and stared calmly at Rubinia, who was about to fall down.

“Your own inferiority complex.”

Rubinia gasped and distorted her face. Tears gathered around her eyes.

“…… It isn’t a nobility thing to talk around at times like this?”

“If that’s what you want, do you want me to do that?”

Kyrie’s face, which had been staring at Rubinia with no expression, was covered with a snowflake-like smile.

“Oh, Miss Cassner. Don’t be too heartbroken! Sometimes people make mistakes, but maybe it’s the world that’s wrong, not you!”

“…….”

“Is that okay?”

Rubinia smiled in defeat as she swept her head.

“……I’m annoyed. You’re really at odds with me.”

Kyrie grinned.

“I’m neither your mother, nor your friend, nor your family. That’s why I haven’t been actively explaining myself to you until now.”

“But why would you do this? What’s the benefit?

“Well.”

Kyrie tapped her chin with her finger. If she were the usual her, she wouldn’t have cared. Recently, however, she had been with Nathaniel and felt sad, seeing his feelings having nowhere to go.

‘But I don’t have to say it all.’

She smiled and lowered her hand.

“Just because. “

“…….”

Rubinia looked at Kyrie with watery, blank eyes. The indelible hatred seemed to have lost its direction. 

She stared blankly at her toes for a long time, hung her arms down, and used the recoil to cover her eyes with the back of her hand.

“……is it unfair that I return your consideration back like that?”

“I’m annoyed.”

“The Crown Prince… ..was taken away.”

“Take him. I don’t really need him.”

Silence flowed between the two.

“I, I purposely wanted to be with Eden in front of you…….”

“Stop, Miss Cassner.”

“…….”

“Hide your weaknesses. That’s the nobility.”

Rubinia shook her shoulders and laughed a few times. She soon lowered her head and looked at Kyrie with gloomy green eyes.

“……One week. Give me time again.”

Kyrie opened her eyes wide. Rubinia held the book from the royal library in her arms and glared at Kyrie’s feet.

“And tell me exactly what you want.”

Kyrie smiled softly.

“The story of the war era. I hope it’s related to the Legend. Not achievements, but after the founding of the country stories. It would be better if it was like what happened to Orewinbridge when the Legend was killed.”

“Are you going to turn Orewinbridge into an enemy?”

“Goodness, you’re saying something scary.”

“Ha, it doesn’t matter because I think you’re already an enemy to them.”

“What does that mean?”

Rubinia slowly moved toward Kyrie. Kyrie moved away from the door, and Rubinia struggled one step at a time.

“That’s what the first person I talked to about your behavior said. ‘That, they’re looking down on you.’”

She knew who that person was from the way she spoke, but Kyrie asked for certainty.

“Who is that?”

Rubinia stopped right in front of Kyrie. Rubinia, who was looking forward as if she was ready for something, only moved her eyes and looked at Kyrie.

“Julia Orewinbridge. “