The host, Countess Rachel Vivian Hill, welcomed her with a bow as soon as she saw Kyrie.
âMiss Buchanan! Youâre here!â
âHello, Miss Hill. The landscape of the garden is beautiful, even in winter. Thank you for inviting me to this wonderful mansion.â
âNot at all! On the contrary, Iâm very glad Miss Buchanan could make it!â
It really looked like that. Rachel Vivian Hill guided them to the drawing room and subtly put on a haughty attitude.
âActually, I thought you came because we often exchanged letters.â
Kyrie smiled sincerely. It was cute to describe greeting cards as letters.
âYes. Miss Hill is very literary so it brings me great pleasure to read your letters.â
Rachelâs face brightened. She happily led the people, who had envious gazes, to the drawing room.
Standing at her seat, Rachel tapped the teacup twice with a teaspoon.
âEveryone, thank you for coming to my salon.â
She heard voices saying, âYouâre welcomeâ from all over the place.
âIâm so happy to have you beautiful and wonderful ladies and gentlemen who make me forget that itâs winter winter. Please enjoy the salon.â
Rachel smiled broadly. Kyrie checked her smile again. From now on, it was the territory of a group of fancy piranhas(1) feasting off the rumors.
(Q/N: Basically saying they are so hungry for rumours.)
The quickest to act were the young people they pretended to approach Rachel, while fixing their eyes on Kyrie.
âMiss Hill! The interior decoration is wonderful, Countess Hill has a good eye.â
âMiss Hill, weâve met before, havenât we?â
âMiss Rachel! The salon is so wonderful. But the person next to youâŠ?â
Kyrie waited politely for Rachel to introduce her.
âHave you two met yet? This is Miss Kyrie Buchanan! She especially attended today!â
Kyrie smiled at the ostentatiously uttered words.
âIâm Kyrie Buchanan. Nice to meet you, Miss Eleanorra Duntrich and Miss Liana Torvalt.â
âOh my! You know my name?â
âOf course, Miss Duntrichâs proof of Ferelmanâs conjecture caused a stir in the society and everybody knows the vintage wines of the Torvalt family.â
âMy word⊠Iâm quite impressed, Miss Buchanan!â
Nothing was as easy as pleasing someone who was interested in you. Kyrie easily took over the salon.
A few of the esteemed sons and daughters were eager to go up and strike a conversation.
However, for a while, they were busy chatting while looking at each other, and it was only until Viscount Hastings, who had the strongest temperament, approached and spoke.
âBy the way, Miss Buchanan, does the Legendary Lord not like engaging in social activities?â
Everyoneâs ears twitched, Kyrie endured the desire to burst into laughter and spoke softly.
âHe doesnât like to make a fuss.â
âOhâŠâŠ then it would be hard to see him.â
âUnfortunately.â
âCanât you open a salon or something?â
Rachel nudged in and asked.
âIâm not sure what happened in the past, but it is a huge loss to not have someone as elegant and wonderful as him appear in the social world!â
Kyrie smiled softly.
âI understand how you feel. Unfortunately, I do not have the right to ask this of the Legendary Lord. As you know, heâs literally a legend. You understand, donât you?â
Everyone sighed. Their eyes were full of regret.
âI hoped to see him at least onceâŠâ
âI heard he is very good at swordsmanship. He can separate mountains and seas. I wonder, is it true?â
âItâs true that the Marquisâs sonâs pants were cut off⊠heheâ
Since then, people criticized the âMarquisâs sonâ for a while with subtle derisive remarks.
Kyrie watched quietly as people blew up the rumors. When she did not participate in the conversation, people noticed and changed the subject.
âWhat are you going to do, Miss Buchanan?â
Someone asked. Several pairs of peopleâs eyes went back to Kyrie.
âWhat do you mean Miss?â
âFor example⊠I was wondering if you had a good relationship with the snow and the Patriotic Lordâ
In the midst of those who pretended not to listen, Kyrie calmly raised her chin and smiled.
âI think you might have misunderstood because I received such a big gift from the two of them.â
âMisunderstood?â
âYes. The two were very merciful, so they only shared what they had.â
âOh, is that so?â
âOf course. They are the Legendary Lord and Patriotic Lord. BesidesâŠ.â
Kyrie deliberately trailed off.
âThey said they would give me control of their lands, but who knows? Maybe itâs because I happened to have a good relationship with them. If so, theyâre willing to entrust the rights they had to me for the meantime.â
A jingling sound that couldnât be heard resonated in everyoneâs ears. Peopleâs eyes grew as big as gold coins.
âThe annual income is 120 billion dollars?â
âSince it is an undeserved position for me in the first place.â
âUghâŠâŠâ
âNo matter how much it is, 120 billionâŠ..â
âHow much was the royal budget?â
âWith that moneyâŠâ
Kyrie sat still and waited patiently for the people to whisper among themselves and finish their calculations in their heads.
To Kyrie, it would be beneficial if the interest of the people and the royal family passed over Kyrie and went to the two main perpetrators, the Legendary Lord and the Patriotic Lord.
Kyrieâs position was very vague. Nathaniel cared about her, but it was limited to Kyrie.
What if she brought royal family hatred to herself and they began to touch the Buchanan family and the people around her, instead of Kyrie specifically? Would Nathaniel care about that?
âI donât think so.â
Therefore, she should not pretend to be royal for the sake of the people around her rather than for herself.
(P/R: Pretending to be royal means that she shouldnât be acting all high and mighty like the royal family if she wants to protect those she cherished. And people are looking down on her and feel uncomfortable because of how Nathaniel cares about her.)
Then, they wouldnât look at her, who Nathaniel strangely seemed to care about, and feel uncomfortable.
Therefore, it would be good if the socialites thought âI can replace Kyrie Buchanan if I tryâ as much as they want.
âTake the pressure from my side, and turn all the eyes to Nathaniel.â
Unexpectedly, Nathaniel did not dislike the proposal. He was such a hard man to read. But Kirie could tell that he was thinking, âWill it work out your way?â.
âIâm gonna make it work. I donât want anyone to touch the walking ultimate weapon, but I will also not be a target for people.â
As Kyrie intended, the salon was excited by the story of the Legendary Lord. A servant rushed to Rachel, handed her a small note and ran back. Rachel, who was about to scold her servant, stood up like a thunderbolt.
âOh, my God! Oh, my God! Oh, my God! Oh, my God!
People were surprised by her strange attitude, but Rachel didnât care and started to groom herself out of the blue.
âOh, my God. Oh, my God! If I had known this, I would have worn a more expensive dress!â
âMiss Hill, the air is stuffy. May I open the window?â
One Young Lady criticized her movement with an euphemism, saying âYour movements are so disruptive that itâs dusty.â Rachel shouted, touching her hair with a red face.
âThatâs not important right now! E-, everyone, in our salon right nowâŠ!â
She didnât get to say more. The drawing room door opened. Itâs polite not to be late for other peopleâs salons, but there were only three people in Trevereum who could ignore that courtesy.
The Emperor, The Legendary Lord, and the Patriotic Lord.
What appeared in the drawing-room was the Patriotic Lord.
ăPardon me.ă
Everyoneâs bodies stiffened.
Although not as good as Nathaniel, Leschaux was also a rare handsome man.
The soft curly blonde hair, and the ripe cherry-like reddish-purple eyes made the heart flutter.
A face like a statue without expression evoked a strangely protective instinct.
He was dressed in a light shirt, but didnât seem to feel cold, and a thin dark-colored sword hung from his waist.
It was different from the sword he used the other day to block Nathanielâs cane. People could easily guess that their swords could change shape according to their convenience.
Leschaux, who arrived unannounced, immediately approached Kyrie.
ăKyrie Buchanan. Have you been well?ă
Kyrie grit her teeth. If you treat a person in such a way after they said you werenât that close, everything they said would sound like a lie.
As expected, the gazes from the people around her became sharp. Kyrie smiled with a feeling of crying.
âHello, Lord Leschaux. Iâm doing well but if you participate in the salon, it is polite to greet the organizers first.â
ăIs that so. I didnât know.ă
Leschaux turned to Rachel. He simply tilted his head. She didnât expect him to say hello in the first place, but it certainly seemed like he had left his manners beyond the horizon.
âNathaniel was so polite that no one could ever complain, but why is he so different?â
Kyrie sighed inwardly, Rachel was so nervous that she couldnât speak, and others were clearly unable to speak as well.
âWhat brought you here?â (Kyrie)
ăI came to drink tea.ă
âI see.â (Kyrie)
ăCan I have a seat?ă
The question was directed at Rachel. Rachel was so amazed that she nodded and called her servant.
The salon became quiet and bustling.
People wanted to talk to the Patriotic Lord, but Leschauxâs blank expression showed clear disinterest. So only the small sound of music flowed in the drawing room.
âI want to run away.â
Kyrie once again opened her mouth with tears in her eyes. The only person who could solve this atmosphere was herself.
âDoes the tea suit your taste, Lord Leschaux? Miss Hillâs tea is quite excellent.â
ăItâs delicious.ă
Rachel gave Kyrie a look that seemed to say she would be very fond of her in the future.
âI know that you donât usually attend salons, so what brings you here?â
ăI stopped by because I heard you were here.ă
Kyrieâs back was tingling with the increasingly stinging eyes.
âIf you were to visit the Legendary Lord, Iâm sure heâd be quite pleased.â
ăI donât want to speak in the presence of Nathaniel.ă
âWhy?â
ăHe wouldnât like it.ă
âIs it a problem if he doesnât like it?â
Strangely, the answer seemed to take a while.
ăDefinitely.ă
Kyrie clenched her fist, she covered her tension with a smile.
âThatâs right. Itâs better not to do things the other person doesnât like.â
Leschaux blinked his mysterious opaque eyes.
ăWhat kind of behavior do you dislike?ă
It was a nuance as if Kyrie were an extremely important being.
âI really need to stop him now.â
Kyrie stopped laughing, she spoke in a voice that everyone around her could hear.
âI recently heard that you opened the port of Classico to FortDucane. Is it because of me?â
ăThatâs right.ă
âBecause Laura FortDucane is close to me?â
ăThatâs right.ă
âIs there any other reason?â
ăThere isnât.ă
âBut it wasnât for me. Is that right?â
Leshauxâs reddish-purple eyes glowed strangely.
These transcendents sometimes saw humans with these eyes. Like humans who watched monkeys calculate math problems, as if they were very unique.
ăThatâs right.ă
âItâs probably because of Lord Nathaniel because Lord Nathaniel said he cares about me.â
ăExactly.ă
âThen, Lord Nathaniel cherishes someone else who wasnât me, you would be nice to them as well, the reason you said you were giving me the estate was also because of the Legendary Lord. Is that right?â
ăYes.ă
âSo it doesnât matter if itâs not me.â
Kyrie glanced around and said.
âYou hear that? Itâs not because of me. You can be the same. Instead of speaking ill of me, try to win their favor.â
Fortunately, people understood the meaning and were in a strange state of excitement.
Greed to take over the territory that went to Kyrie Buchanan if they did well.
Leschaux responded gently until the very end.
ăNaturally. ButâŠâŠ.ă
He was keen to say something more but Kyrie stopped it.
âThatâs enough. Would you like some tea? Thereâs a rule in Salons that you have to talk for a short period with everyone.â
ăIs that so?ă
It wasnât. However, he silently listened to her and began talking to everyone in the salon.
Filled with fatigue, Kyrie moved, her target, a chair lying on a remote wall. In the distance, Kyrie sat as if she was no longer involved and thought.
âI wish Nathaniel could be half like Lord Leshaux.â (T/N: leschaux listens to Kyrie but nathaniel doesnât)
People became nice to Kyrie once again.
Their sharp gazes seemed to say âYou gave us a chance to talk to the Patriotic Lord! As expected, Buchanan is fair!â
They all shared the same expression. This was exactly what they wanted. It was a power struggle that would be difficult to survive without maintaining neutrality.
âHaâŠâ
Kyrie smiled unrestrainedly with her gaze somewhere in the air. She was tired.
Leschaux approached Kyrie only after he had completed his mission to talk for a short period with all the participants.
At that time, no one glared at her any longer. Rather, their gazes were full of compassion, saying, âIâll take your place soon, so Iâll understand the special treatment you have now.â
ăI didnât know there was such a rule.ă
âIt was a lie.â
ăâŠâŠ..ă
âWhatâs the matter? I donât think someone like the Patriotic Lord would have come here for no reason.â
Once again, he gave her a look
(T/N: above it was mentioned how his eyes shined when he saw Kyrie trying to clean up the rumors, thatâs the look he is giving now)
ăHow is Nathaniel?ă
âYou can come and see.â
ăHow about you? Do you need anything?ă
âWill you listen to me if I tell you I do?â
ăTo the best of my ability.ă
In response to the generous answer, Kyrie gazed at Leschaux.
âWhatâs the point of doing that?â
ăI told you earlier.ă
âMy opinion is the same as before. Isnât it possible for Lord Nathaniel to kill me tomorrow?â
ăIts possible.ă
âIs that so?â
ăRather, it is better. Than if you were to die by someone else.ă
Kyrie looked around reflexively. There was no one around.
âAre there any plots to kill me?â
ăNot yet.ă
âYou did that on purposeâŠâŠ to raise the name of âKyrie Buchananâ in order to stop it. Donât you even dare think about it.â
Leschaux looked out the window without any sign of agreement or denial. The weather was clear, but it was becoming cloudy.
ăGo back to the Buchanan mansion.ă
âThatâs just normal winter weather.â
ăI know better than you. My coming here today is something I agreed upon with Nathanielă
âWhat? Why do you two have to agree on that?â
ăBecause each of us is an independent individual representing a species, the first and the last. Respect each otherâs territory as much as possible. There is an unwritten rule.ă
âAn independent individual might end up feeling lonely in such circumstances.â
The conversation with Leschaux which had been running smoothly, stopped. She didnât know whether he was having fun or was feeling offended.
ăFirst, if I were you, I would call it possessiveness. Second, if too much power is held in one place, order collapses.ă
There was tension in his rough voice, like a dog scratching a bark. A servant came in to report that the weather was getting bad. Kyrie asked softly as she watched Rachel draw the salon to a close.
âWhat was the last thing you were about to say?â
Naturally, Leschaux answered without hesitation.
ăIt didnât matter if it wasnât you⊠But Nathaniel has already accepted you, so he wonât let you go. He is an immortal, and his choices are just as unchanging. If necessary, heâll get you back, even if he has to take on death.ă
Because Leschauxâs manner of saying so was too calm, Kyrie realized it. That was the truth.
However, Kyrieâs heart shuddered.
âThank you for your concern, but that wonât happen.â
After returning to the mansion, Kyrie headed to the billiards room where Nathaniel was.
Nathaniel appeared to be in the same reading posture she had seen before leaving.
âIâm here. Fortunately, thereâs no head hanging in front of the door.â
ăYou are the best at greeting without dignity.ă
Kyrie looked at Nathaniel. To be exact, the book he was holding.
Nathaniel, who was superior to humans, could read a book in a blink of an eye. However, the bookshelf remained the same as it was before she left.
He didnât show it. Instead, he closed the book if he had noticed Kyrieâs gaze.
Their eyes met, his blue eyes colder than dawn. She smiled, but there was no response.
Kyrie became afraid.
âWhat will happen to me if Lord Leschauxâs words are true?â
* * *
T/N: Hyyy I am sorry it took a long time than I expected to complete this volume, I tried my best to keep the word count less but ig it wasnât fully possibleâŠ.