No, if I jump out of here and get caught, the situation will be no longer manageable.
If thereâs a rumor that I was dumped by Nocton and attempted suicide, my life is over.
I smiled awkwardly and glanced face to face with Alice, then turned my head quietly.
Aliceâs unbearable smile leaked out.
âDonât laughâŚ.â
âYes, Iâm trying. Would you like a handkerchief?â
âNo, I have one, hold on for a second.â
I sighed, took out my handkerchief and paused. I forgot, but when I opened my hand, something shattered in my hand.
As I turned my head unknowingly, I made eye contact with Alice.
The clear blue eyes rolled toward my palm.
âAlice ⌠I have a confession to make.â
Alice smiled silently at the belated confession.
That day, I knew for the first time that smiling with a beautiful face could be so scary.
I cupped my used hand back and took it back.
âItâs nothing, maybe.â
âIf youâre going to sneak, you should have done it right.â
She sighed.
âItâs okay. Rather than that ⌠Iâm disappointed it didnât seem to be as helpful as I thought. I had a hard time finding it, but I didnât know it would break apart once you met him. What happened?â
âI was just talking to him ⌠I didnât mean to provoke him. I was holding it in as much as I could, but the railing made a strange noise. It must have been fixed a little urgently. Anyway, because of that, Nocton grabbed me to pull me in, but the white crystal lit up and it attacked him. Itâs over. It would be impossible even for a saint to have a calm conversation in that situation.â
âI donât want to blame you, so you donât have to make excuses. And it attacked him just because of a touch?â
âYes, it wasnât then that it was fragmented, and after a little argument, I forgot that the railing broke down and I must have crawled away. So when I was about to fall, Nocton caught me ⌠and I gave it.â
âWhat? Hold on, Roa. Are you hurt?â
âI told you, Nocton caught me. Thatâs why his arm seems to be a bit of a mess, but thatâs when the crystal was fragmented.â
Even though I said so, Alice looked up at my arm, lifted my hair, and searched for where I was hurt.
I was worried for no reason, but I felt a little better.
âIâm really not hurt, I am.â
âI think so. There are times when His Grace can be helpful.â
âYou know how to be so sarcasticâŚ.â
âThe white crystal is a bit strange. Iâve never heard of attacking with only the touch. Iâve only heard that it can defend the wearer against mental magic, like curses and brainwashing. â
âWhat? No wonder, it was weird when you gave me something like that when you told me not to provoke him.â
Then why did the white crystal attack Nocton?
Having experienced the collapse of the newly repaired railing, I was the first to wonder if the repair was faulty. I heard from Alice that itâs usually not expensive, but if itâs bad, isnât it a fraud?
As I was continuing my thoughts, a human shadow was reflected in the curtain. Whether someone was coming to the balcony, the shadows gradually grew.
I pulled the curtains, why are you coming over here?
I looked at the broken railing in an uncertain, perplexed look. Actually, I realized that the sound of broken railing was quite loud.
Even though there was the sound of music and loud talking at the ballroom, it was a loud enough roar to hear if someone was near the balcony.
Are you coming to check the sound?
âRoa, handkerchief!â
Alice, who was as flustered as I was, hurriedly handed out her handkerchief. Only then did I realize that my face was still wet.
I was trying to get my handkerchief out, but I moved on to the crystal story.
I snatched the handkerchief in a hurry and pressed my face firmly.
What about my make-up? Iâm sure it fell apart.
No, being with Alice is also a problem.
The plain Roa Valrose in front of a friend whose engagement was broken, it would have been a pretty good picture if the fiance wasnât Nocton Edgar, but I was with Alice.
Nowadays, I can imagine all sorts of things just by being in the same place as Alice or Nocton.
The fact that Nocton took my side and criticized Bornaine, itâs going to blow up.
In the meantime, Iâm already afraid of how creative the rumors will be, as Bornaine even fell.
All right, letâs just give it all up.
The situation is already beyond repair.
Yes, letâs try to be comfortable without worrying about the gossips.
I gave up half way and sighed.
Then, finally, the one who came near the balcony called me.
âThis is Aaron Claymore, Roa. May I come in?â
***
Nocton Edgar, 15 years old.
By the age of fifteen, Nocton Edgar was still alive and still remained the successor to the Edgar dukedom.
Now there were more people who admired his abilities than those who mocked the boy.
As long as there were no major surprises, the next Duke of Edgar would have been confirmed.
Nevertheless, Nocton felt a sense of isolation.
It was because the hands, which were increasingly overtly strangling him, suddenly stopped.
Patricia Edgar was too quiet.
Although the light handiwork continued like today, it was not even within the touch of the Duchess. It was the work of her people, loyal to Patricia Edgar, wagging their tails to be loved somehow.
Even though he fell of horse and wound his foot, the actual injury is just a little bit flesh.
Therefore, he never expected the Duchess to call him for this.
Entering the Duchessâ office, the boy gave a brief greeting and looked at this mother. The black-haired woman who was organizing her papers, somehow, put down her fountain pen within a minute after Nocton entered her office.
Even though she wasnât smiling, her face was bright.
She wouldnât be so happy to have fallen from her horse. Noctonâs eyes glazed over, she opened her mouth.
âI heard you fell off a horse while riding today. You sprained your ankle.â
âItâs not a day or two that something like this happens.â
âItâs because your equestrian skills are lacking. Neither Floyd nor Dansha ever fell off the horse.â
âYou donât know. Floyd was kicked in the back by a horse, and Dansha fell off the horse when he first learned to ride, so he didnât even get near the stable.â
Patricia Edgar flicked her eyebrows.
The innermost thoughts that have not been brought out of the mouth are vividly conveyed to Nocton.
A bit of annoyance and a bit of pity.
She certainly hated Nocton, but that didnât mean she loved another child.
There is no single affection, the only thing that exists is to blame why she couldnât beat Nocton Edgar. In the first place, he doesnât even know if this woman has feelings for love.
âSo why did you call me?â
âPour it on your wound.â
The Duchess pushed the glass bottle on the desk to the front Nocton.
A blue liquid sparkles brightly in a finger-length bottle. The beautiful color raised the ominous feeling in the boy.
It was not poison, nor was it a potion containing a curse.
The familiar energy in the liquid resembled the sacredness and divine power of the priests who occasionaly visited the mansion, but this one was much more pure than their power.
Patricia Edgar smiled gracefully, as if to put an end to Noctonâs anxious prediction.
âItâs holy water, the swelling will heal right away.â
âHoly water cannot be used for this. If I donât get better today, Iâd rather call a priest.â
âYou donât have to bother a busy person. Besides, itâs obvious that this one here have better performance than a great priest. Thereâs nothing to feel burdened about. Arenât you the Edgarâs heir? Nothing in the world is more precious than your body.â
To that extent, there is no cause for him to refuse.
Nocton eventually picked up the glass bottle.
Even though it was blocked by a layer of glass, his fingertips tickled unpleasantly as if he had dipped his hands in the liquid.
Divine power, itâs obvious that touching holy water will be painful.
After having established a certain position, Nocton went to the Imperial library and read some magic books, but he was already aware of them even before reading them.
Like a beast fearing fire, like a demon running away from the priest.
What will happen if he pours this on his swollen ankle, the amount of pain cannot be possible.
Since he had never been through it, the prediction was like a blank paper.
A vague ignorance arouses fear. Noctonâs hand grasped the bottle, the burning eyes looking down at the bottle and causing the colored pupils shake.
Still, for a fifteen-year-old boy, he was controlling his emotions admirably, but nobody praised him.
Patricia Edgar suddenly started laughing like a madman.
Unrefined, the loud, harsh laughter was so grotesque and perceptive.
The boyâs face hardened.
âI got caught in black magic.â
Noctonâs mind was all over the place.
He was cautious and careful, but how did he get caught?
Hundreds of speculations rose in his head and sank. He thought heâd be caught one day, but it wasnât this moment.
At least after he has gotten better at his magic, more powerful, moreâŚ.
Tuk, as suddenly as it began, the laughter suddenly stopped.
Patricia Edgar had a very pleasant smile on her face.
âI thought it was really, really weird. I didnât intend to teach you swords, but you werenât that interested, were you? Not only the sword, you also loathed the knight. Anyway, even if youâre naturally talented, youâre not very good at protecting yourself, but youâre so tough ⌠like a bug that doesnât go away even if itâs burned.â
The Duchess rose from the chair and approached.
Her hand stroked Noctonâs head affectionately.
Out of habit, he brushed off his motherâs hand without a little hesitation.
Nevertheless, Patricia Edgar was still smiling happily.
With a joyful face, she took the bottle from Noctonâs hand and opened the stopper.
âI like it, dear. I really like the fact that your talent is so lowly and dirty, that your talent is black magic that no one can love.â
Her hand tilted without a momentâs hesitation.
The holy blue liquid fell on Noctonâs feet. Most of it flowed over the shoes into the carpet, but some soaked the boyâs socks and touched the flesh inside.
The skin in contact with the liquid was boiling hot.
Even if he tried to be patient and calm, he canât do that.
With oneâs hands clenched so that the fingernails would stick to the flesh, Nocton endured the pain with a gritted jaw.
Looking at him, Patricia Edgar burst into laughter once again.
The terrible pain and laughter seemed to be in the balance and his eyes shook with dizziness.
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âYou sure are a devil bastard.â
ââŚ.â
âDid you lure the daughter of Marquis Valrose with that talent?â
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T/N: I ⌠have no words.
Oh, regarding the edit yesterday, itâs not actually a mistake. The author really use the word âí ëźě¤â (terrace) instead of âë°ě˝ëâ balcony. But after some google search, I decided to use the world balcony for the translation. Since [copied from google] âA
terrace
is an open space that can be attached or detached to a building. In contrast,
balconies
are small elevated platforms that are affixed to a given room in the house. Whereas a
terrace
can have multiple points of access, a
balcony
is typically only accessible through the room.â. I hope you donât mind.