CH 84

At the name I whispered, both the man and Rosalind looked back at me, startled. The man stared at me, stroking his handsome lips. 

“Do you know me?”

“Ah?” 

Obviously, he was definitely a different person just by looking at his face. Under the pale moonlight, the silver hair tinged with blue was familiar to my eyes but the facial features were different. 

He did not have the face of ‘Damon’ who was Derek’s escort in Lagrange. 

‘But…’

His aura was too similar. 

Each person has their own aura, so even people with similar dispositions showed slightly different auras. 

‘I’ve never seen anyone with similar auras like this.’

“I am Damon Deus. In the capital, I am in charge of the empire’s department of the treasury.” 

‘Please beware of Marquis Deus.’

Charlotte’s request suddenly came to my mind at the man’s introduction. She said I would be able to tell just by looking at him but his aura wasn’t as sordid as she made out her warning to be. 

‘On the contrary, it could be said that it was beautiful as it was a soft aura like the moonlight.’ 

“What about you, my lady?”

“Oh. I’m Anissa Lagrange. I must have mistaken you for someone else.”

If he was really Lagrange’s Damon, there’s no way he wouldn’t have known me. 

I greeted the man who raised his eyes towards me as if seeing me for the first time. 

“You must be Grand Duke Lagrange’s younger sister.” 

“Yes. But you really are a lot like a knight that I know.” 

“Do you mean I’m like a Northerner?” 

People in the south and the capital don’t like Northerners. Thus, the words ‘you’re like a Notherner’ could also be used as a kind of an insult. 

I bit my lip, wondering if the Marquis was offended by my question, but he was looking at me with clear eyes as if he had asked purely out of curiosity. 

“Yes, however, your eyes are a little different.”

“That knight must have been very handsome.”

“....ah, well, haha.”

I was struck surprised by the Marquis’ shameless remark that I laughed out loud, then nodded remembering Damon’s neat appearance. 

Damon of Lagrange was such a handsome man that it could be suspected he was playing a lead role. The same could be said about the Marquis in front of my eyes. 

“Yes, he was a very handsome knight. I was sad that he suddenly disappeared. I’m sorry if I was rude.” 

“Not at all.”

Due to the dark surroundings, the marquis’ pale brown eyes looked a little darker when he blinked, and then he reached out to his sister.

“Sister, I have something to say.”

“Hm. I’m sorry. Could you excuse us for a moment?”

I nodded my head slightly at Rosalind’s request. The cold wind had cleared my senses. 

‘I have a title of a princess so it wouldn’t do if I can’t adapt in the social world.’

I cleared my throat remembering Charlotte’s elegant posture, speech, and behavior. 

“Then I’ll leave first, Rosalind.”

Whether she heard my greeting or not, Rosalind tilted her head and whispered to the marquis. The sweet atmosphere, as if whispering sweet nothing to each other, was peculiar that they didn’t look like siblings at all. 

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Click.

At the sound of Anissa opening the door and leaving, Damon glanced at her empty seat and scratched his chin. 

“You didn’t get caught, did you?”

Looking at his slightly troubled face, Rosalind burst into laughter as if she was having fun. 

“Very few can recognize my camouflage magic. Unless one was a very high-ranking archmage, it isn’t possible to see through my magic.” 

However, the energy that was felt emanating from Anissa was far from the magnanimity of such a powerful mage. 

“Are you sure it’s not because she’s too powerful of a mage that even you can’t feel that energy?” 

“You’re looking down on me too much.”

In fact, Damon was the owner of a few magic towers on the continent and a recognized magician.  As if he was offended, he knitted his eyebrows and glowered at his colleague who was playing the role of his sister – Rosalind Dunafard. 

“What’s your reason for getting close to Anissa Lagrange? It doesn’t have anything to do with the mission.” 

“Getting close to her? She looked like an abandoned child so I was only taking care of her. Ah right, damn southerners and their disdain for northerners.”

Damon’s magic tower was located at the tip of the southern continent. However, he only shrugged his shoulder at the remarks of Rosalind disparaging his hometown. 

“Don’t they also despise us because they’re Northerners? It’s just circumstantial evidence of a dying empire.” 

“What did Faber say? He must have already collected enough information about the North and the capital.” 

The mages, alchemists, and Faber who belonged to the association of scholars, were among the earliest intellects to gather evidence that the empire was crumbling. Damon took out the document that Faber sent through a spy out of his pocket. 

“All we’re aiming is the whole capital of Valliere. Even for magicians, suppressing the powers of the shadow demons is beyond our capabilities.” 

Damon unconsciously laughed at Rosalind’s words as she spoke, moistening her pretty lips with wine. 

“Even magicians are incapable, you say…”

“Why are you laughing?”

“Controlling the demons is beyond anyone’s capabilities. If not, why would Lagrange’s succession method be like that?”

“What’s this? Did you get attached after playing a role of a knight in Lagrange?”

Rosalind handed Damon the wine she was drinking and clung to him. The moist, glowing skin under the moonlight was seductive, but Damon only pushed her chin away with an expressionless face.

“I’m not even attached to you who has been playing the role of my sister for more than a decade.”

“Well then. Anyway, this is why you’re unlucky.” 

Rosalind turned toward the balcony, clicking her tongue as if she was fed up with Damon. A chilly wind swept between the two. 

She suddenly thought of the little girl who didn’t even reach the height of her chest. 

“What’s the identity of Anissa Lagrange?”

“She’s the younger sister of the Grand Duke of Lagrange.” 

“No. She didn’t emanate the energy of the North, did she? There’s no way a magician like you wouldn’t know.”

“It’s just your prejudice. There are plenty of people with warm energy even in the North.”

“....... Is that so?”

At Damon’s firm tone, Rosalind tilted her head as if confused.

“Why were you looking for me?”

“It seems that Marguerite II is planning to send Charlotte Vallandia to the North.”

“Because that Saint is the savior of the North?”

“Well, that’s something I don’t know. Is she really salvation or doom?” 

Damon, who muttered meaningfully, reappeared in the hall, leaving behind Rosalind who was busy reading the document. 

“My lord, where were you?” [1]

A young woman, whose name he couldn’t remember, approached him with a smile. Next to her was a knight standing absent-mindedly and introduced him as her fiance. 

“I was about to introduce my fiance. This is Bohumil, the head of the Knight’s Order under Her Majesty.” 

“I see. Thank you for your hard work.”

At Damon’s words, Bohumil and his fiancee’s eyes widened. The title of a young and handsome noble has always been popular in society. 

For that reason, they were always arrogant. Damon’s polite greeting made Bohumil feel restless and he waved his hands. 

“I’m not that great of a person for you to bow your head to, my lord.” 

“Not at all. Anytime and anywhere, Her majesty’s safety must be our top priority.” 

“Really, you are part of the great nobles and yet you’re different.”

Damon secretly creased his forehead and opened his ears to listen to the woman. She continued, not shutting her mouth, perhaps thinking that he agreed with her.

“What’s with the Grand Duke of the North ignoring us even though we expressed our greetings?”

He was a person who could do that. Damon nodded briefly, remembering the stoic Dietrich. 

“The younger sister is also quite shameless. I heard she stole Miss Charlotte’s necklace and she even followed her around the ball acting proudly!”

‘Necklace?’

The territory of the Grand Duchy of Lagrange was so barren that crops could not grow, but they were never poor due to the large mines in the mountains. For what reason would the princess of the grand duchy steal other people’s necklaces? 

“And what about the princess?”

“Well, we don’t know. I heard that northerners like to commit crimes for no reason, I guess that must be true. Although it doesn’t look like that.”

“Hmm. I don’t think so.”

“It’s because we heard that Miss Charlotte was crying!”

Damon sighed lightly and shook his head. Whatever Charlotte did, she quickly won over the hearts of people.

He saw Anissa at the end of his vision. As if she didn’t pay attention to the people who kept glancing at her, she swallowed her saliva as she loitered around a table prepared with finger foods. 

“Goodness! It looks like she’s going to eat that food now.”

The finger foods were prepared to satisfy one’s hunger after a dance. When Anissa, who was unaware of that fact, reached out to the canape, an appalled middle-aged madam approached her.

“Lady Anissa! It is customary to eat this food after dancing.” 

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T/N: [1]  Marquis/Marquess/Marchioness and below are addressed as My Lord/My Lady.