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Humiliation
Shortly after arriving in Elsus, a letter from the capital written by Count Buchanan had come.
「What are doing Kyrie?! I sent you to Elsus for some self reflection, not for me to hear rumours that are saying you’re bedding a random man! Come right back to the Capital along with that man!」
***
There was an unprecedented snowfall, across the nation wide. However, for some mysterious reason there was always a warm spring wind, accompanying the carriage which Kyrie and Nathaniel were riding on.
Kyrie realized that Nathaniel wanted to arrive at the capital as soon as possible, He didn’t even want to take detours any more. She couldn’t even ask why he had changed his mind.
The carriage, which seemed like it was surrounded by some mysterious powers, reached Sel Arellano faster by half the time than it had taken to reach the city of Elsus before.
When the view of Buchanan’s mansion came through the carriage’s window, Kyrie leaned closer to Nathaniel.
“I have something to tell you.”
[Go on.]
“My father, Cesar Buchanan has a very strong greed for power.”
[Hmm.]
“I’ve broken off my engagement just recently. Therefore, please understand in advance that whoever the man his daughter brought in won’t certainly be seen in a good light.”
Nathaniel laughed strangely and then mumbled.
‘What a scumbag!’
Kyrie pretended she didn’t hear Nathaniel’s mumble.
“Therefore if my father is rude to Lord Nathaniel while in the mansion, please kindly understand his manner.”
In other words, it meant if you received the rude treatment from Count Buchanan please pretend that you didn’t hear or see any of the said rude treatments.
Nathaniel had that look after she said that which made Kyrie not so confident whether he was willing to agree to her request or not.
[You don’t want me to tell your father about the fact that I am ‘The End’.]
“Yes.”
[I don’t really care, but are you sure you aren’t going to be annoyed by it?]
“Just because I feel upset, doesn’t mean I want the Capital to be destroyed.”
[Ah. Family love, how admirable.]
“Would you please kindly do me this favour?”
Nathaniel looked at Kyrie with a calm, cold smile.
[Of course, I won’t do it.]
What he said was far too cruel, Kyrie turned her head with a bitter smile.
***
Cesar Buchanan was going to greet both of them with a face that said ‘let see the face of this good-for-nothing man who was playing with his daughter.’
But when he saw Nathaniel who was getting off the carriage, his expression suddenly changed.
Nathaniel glanced over to the mansion which had a glamorous architecture and majestic design that would intimidate whoever saw it.
He then approached Cesar to greet him.
[You are a Buchanan.]
It was an extremely unusual manner for a young and good-looking man to treat a gray-haired, older middle-aged nobleman in such an indifferent manner.
Kyrie couldn’t help but laugh a little. She would’ve never imagined this day would come where she was able to witness her father being treated in such an embarrassing manner in her whole life.
She shook her head and stepped forward.
“Please forgive my father for his carelessness.”
“Goodness, Kyrie!”
[Forgiven.] (T/N: LOLOL)
“Huh…  .”
It was at that moment, Kyrie realized that Nathaniel was adept at striking back when hit.
“This is Cesar Buchanan, my father. And father, this is Nathaniel.”
Only then did Count Cesar come to his senses and take a solemn posture.
“Well, Cesar Buchanan. Are you a man worth of your name?”
“Lord Nathaniel, would you like to go inside first? You must have been exhausted from the long journey.”
Kyrie immediately interrupted, making Cesar bewildered
“Kyrie, you aren’t being courteous right now.”
However, Kyrie, as if she wished to bragged, put her hand on Nathaniel’s arm.
“Father, are you still doubting Nathaniel’s identity?”
[Indeed.]
Nathaniel said, doing the task without any enthusiasm. Kyrie stifled her laughter which came like a raging fire.
‘That’s one hell of a catch.’
Cesar’s embarrassment became more apparent to hide. Kyrie cheerfully grabbed Nathaniel’s arm before Cesar and said
“It isn’t appropriate to talk too long in front of the door. Come on in, Nathaniel.”
When some distance was put, Nathaniel lazily whispered
[You look the most dazzling when you’d sarcastically made fun of someone.]
“Oh, is that how a person who had the same attitude with me should be saying?”
[How can I not resist, to tease with your amusing personality that I’ve ever seen?]
“I told you so.”
The two of them then burst out laughing at the same time. As naturally as water flowing, Nathaniel murmured,
[That face is better.]
Kyrie paused. She couldn’t figure out how to react to this statement.
Nathaniel smiled as if nothing had happened.
***
In a few days, Kyrie began to think she and Nathaniel were quite a match.
Solely only when teasing someone.
Unlike his pious and intelligent appearance, he was playful.
On top of that, he was quick-witted, and so natural at pretending.
The game that the two are most devoted to these days was ‘playing an immature lovers’ while chatting near Cesar.
Thanks to this, the tea time increased to 32 times a day, but Kyrie enjoyed it.
“But how do I enter the Sel as soon as possible?”
[I am thinking about how to enter.]
“Are you going to destroy it?”
[These days I was thinking that you have a tendency to be a little destructive.]
“These days I feel that Nathaniel is more merciful than I thought.”
Kyrie patted the back of Nathaniel’s hand on the table with a sweet smile.
“If you are going to break the Sel, please let me know in advance. I want to see it.”
[Be brave enough to watch and talk.]
“It is possible.”
This time, Nathaniel held Kyrie’s hand. The touch of his finger that moved from the tip of her finger was slow and gentle.
Like dealing with a glass doll that will break if you touch it with more strength.
Kyrie quickly removed her hand when she felt the strange sensation where her skin was gently caressed.
“…….You’re fantastic at acting.”
[Your father is going to be crazy]
“That means Lord Nathaniel and I can have a little more fun crying.” (T/N: means they could laugh so hard that tears would start to come)
Kyrie chuckled and shrugged her shoulders.
From distances, she could see a servant approaching, she stood up from her seat.
“But it seems that this is the end of the Maginot Line.” (T/N: Means end of the road, aka fun)
[I wish you luck.] (T/N: she is going to meet her father)
Kyrie giggled and headed into the mansion. The servant that she encountered on her way bowed to greet her.
“My lady. The Lord is looking for you. He said to come to the study.
“Huh. I was thinking of going now.”
Kyrie stepped on the stairs with her right foot, then stopped and turned
“Where’s MarryAnne? Is she in the maids’ quarters?”
“Yes. She’s resting.”
The servant replied with a slight frown on her face.
“But she doesn’t come out of the room either.”
Is it difficult for MarryAnne to bear Nathaniel’s existence itself? Kyrie fell into a light agony.
‘I must send Nathaniel to the palace soon.’
There is no obligation to take care of Nathaniel to the point of neglecting MarryAnne.
She waved her hand to send a servant and went up to the study. Cesar was waiting for Kyrie in the study.
“Did you come?”
With his grim blue-purple eyes, he could’ve been called a man who’s dependable, but she didn’t feel any paternal love.  Kyrie’s feelings towards him gradually subsided.
“Did you call? “
Cesar didn’t even offer Kyrie a chance to sit.
‘Well, I am used to it by now.’
She stood up while swallowing her cynicism. Cesar’s lips tighten at the display of her courteous.
“Why don’t you stop by me once? I raised you as a child….”
“You have made a bad investment. I never asked you to invest, so you have to take that much loss.”
It was always started like this. Cesar scolds, then Kyrie responds.
‘Haa…. He never said anything good.’
Kyrie suppressed her feelings, trying not to lose her temper easily. You will only be criticized if you easily lose your temper.
“What are you calling me for?”
Cesar, who was sincerely annoyed with his daughter, clicked his tongue.
“Who is he? “
“It was just two days ago that both of you said hello to each other, did you perhaps already have dementia?”
Kyrie smiled cheerfully.
“Kyrie.  I’m not kidding. Who is that?  Could it be a hidden bastard of the royalty?
“I have a good reason for that.”
“Pardon?”
Cesar burst into laughter.
“You are not going to marry him, are you? You broke off the engagement with the Crown Prince? No, you didn’t, did you, in the first place, purposely break-up the engagement just to be with that good-for-nothing man?”
“If I really wanted to, I wouldn’t have kept the engagement for more than a year.”
“Do you have any idea what kind of rumours about you that is circulating, in the society now?”
Cesar smashed the desk furiously with his fist.
“They are saying that you’re pregnant! With a lowly commoner!”
It was expected to some extent.
‘So this is the rumour that Maria didn’t want to tell me about, for certain it was the work of Vermont.’
Kyrie snorted calmly.
“Do you actually believe that? It makes so sense to think that he is a commoner.”
“Even if he’s a hidden member of the royal family, I didn’t raise you to marry someone who didn’t have a proper position!”
“Well, I’m dealing with it, just like how my father did.”
She wasn’t wrong because she was monitoring the demise of the capital city anytime soon.
The count roared angrily when he heard the words that Kyrie just said. Then anxiously started to pace around the room while glancing over to her on the corner of his eyes.
“How many months? “
She burst out laughing angrily. It was a question that made her want to run out of the room right away. Kyrie clenched her fist.
“Pregnancy, I’m not pregnant. I haven’t even been on a date with a man yet.”
“Go now right away to the west, there is a village called ‘Libra’. It’s the national border territory. I’ll contact Lord Hemish, so go right away now.”
“Yes?”
“I heard that there is a good wizard.”
“Wait. I don’t understand what you are saying!  You have to explain. Why do I suddenly need to go to Libra?”
To Kyrie’s question, Cesar annoyedly answered.
“To erase the child, you have to erase it far away from here. If it was near the capital, everyone would know about it!”
Kyrie was speechless for a moment. She then exclaimed angrily.
“The hell, are you even listening to me?  I just said no…!”
“Then I couldn’t trust you! How could I trust a daughter who’d go rolling on the bed with some random man so soon after her engagement is broken.”
Kyrie‘s body trembled violently with shock. She wanted to scream. Unbeliefied of what she had just heard, she wanted to ask if that‘s a proper thing to say to one’s own daughter.
‘What If I ask you? Will you listen?’
She bit her lips until it was bleeding.
“……What do you think of me, I have never been pregnant or committed any immoral things. I will not go to Libra.”
“If you didn’t like to hear this, you should have done better!”
“Why do I have to keep repeating this again? Do you think it makes sense to spend all your time on this irrevocable thing?”
“That sarcastic habit! Your mother…”
“Oh! So, who taught me how to do it after my mother left?”
Cesar eventually couldn’t stand it any more. He started to throw the books close to him at Kyrie.
“You ungrateful girl!”
Kyrie covered her head with her arms, while kept biting her lips, which already started to bleed. Obviously, even in the same situation as before, everything still felt like a mess.
‘Like a fool.’ She mocked herself.
Did she feel like she was venturing with a legendary existence?
The last book brushed past Kyrie’s cheek.  She felt the familiar fishy taste as if the inside of her mouth was ripped open.
Her white cheeks dyed red, Cesar finally stopped.  She felt disgusted when, at that moment she saw a very faint regret in Cesar’s eyes.
That was the meanest personality of Cesar. To be abandoned all alone when one made a mistake, wondering what one actually did wrong. (T/N: to throw away/blame when one does mistake without any confirmation)
There’s a hatred that she couldn’t untangle in her heart that’s always hovered inside.
‘What did I expect?’
Everything was the same as before she left. However, much to her surprise, she wasn’t angry, all that’s left is only the feeling of tiredness and emptiness.
“Are you done?”
“…..”
“I’d better be going now. And just for an advice, you’d better not act like you did to me towards him. If you do, I wouldn’t even try to stop him even if you have 12 lives.”
(T/N: She warned him not to do anything in front of Nathaniel, if he does then Kyrie will just pretend to see nothing and she wouldn’t recommend doing the harsh treatment towards Nathaniel, coz for sure the Count will regret it even if he has 12 lives.
12 lives here might mean how he is always safe and sound while doing all the harsh behaviours. Like there is a myth that the cat has 9 lives so if you kill them, they have 8 more. So it’s like this)
She ran out of the study. Then, she ran into the person she didn’t want to see the most at the door.
Nathaniel
‘Why are you here.?’
Nathaniel looked at Kyrie, who had his usual half smiles mixed with faint surprise on his face.
Kyrie covered her face with embarrassment and shame.
‘Have you heard it all?’
She was so mortified to make him see something that she didn’t want him to see.
At that time, there was a sound of three vases striking something from inside the study room. It made Kyrie hardened her shoulders in shock and humiliation.
Beyond the sleeves, Nathaniel was reaching out his hand.
[Kyrie]
When the voice calling her name fell into her ear, she ran away towards the hallway despite knowing it was unbecoming of her to have acted so rude and embarrassing like she has done.
T/N: Hmm. Hmm. They had ‘moment’ hmm. Fck why am I scared?
Anyways a small gift
I wouldn’t even talk about that scum father I don’t want to ruin my mood.