Just a while ago, her clothes, which had only been slightly dirty, were now stained with blood. Her mouth wasnât the only place that was bleeding. Her stomach was bleeding too.
âYou have to use healing magic right now! If she bleeds this much, sheâll die!â
Nearby, someone shouted at Reden devotedly but that didnât reach him. Reden was deaf as if his ears were submerged in water.
How did it end up like this? With a blank mind, Reden looked back on what had happened so far.
With a boiling fever, she went back to the mansion, woke up within the day normally, and made a strange expression after declining to attend the banquet, but he followed her otherwise here.
He was suspicious but he just thought it would be better to keep her by his side and see what she does.
And nowâŠâŠ
Pale face. Neck stained with blood, drooped body, and weak, closed eyes due to the constant vomiting of blood.
She looked like she was about to die at any moment and seemed to be at peace somewhere. Reden just stared blankly at her.
âAt the week-long welcome banquet for the Hugo Knights, letâs throw a noble into a cake and humiliate him!â
[Tl: I debated for a second if itâs âthrowing the cake to the nobleâ instead, but nope, XD the noble itself is the one being thrown omg hahaha.]
I sneaked a glance at the unanswered mission and gazed at the cake on top of the white table.
Do I have to throw a noble on that cake?
HaâŠ
Just imagining it made me stressed.
If only the first mission wasnât to push Catherine from the top of the stairsâŠ.
Or the second mission wasnât ordering me to set fire into Redenâs roomâŠ
I wouldnât have had to come to the banquet like this.
âWhat kind of trick should I do to succeed in this mission?â
As I was quietly sympathizing with myself, Reden, who had finished talking to other nobles, whispered.
âBe honest with me. Why did you come with us here?â
âIâve said this over and over again, that I didnât want to come either.â
âYour bodyâŠâ
âItâs okay, itâs okay, itâs in good shape.â
âDid you know that Solen took you to the carriage yesterday?â
âIâm going to thank her when I meet her.â
Our conversation was interrupted and continued intermittently. This was because people who wanted to talk to Reden occasionally came.
It seemed that people are still reluctant to approach us because of me, but Reden was still as popular.
Thatâs true. He is smart, has a good face, a good body, and a good status. Anyone would want to be close to Reden.
I had no choice but to look at the nobles with unfamiliar faces because I didnât know them. Anastasia and Aiden were not around.
Rather, only uncomfortable people were seen. For exampleâŠ
A black-haired man surrounded by as many people as Reden.
Yeah, like Diwen Fergus.
When I saw Diwen smiling beautifully surrounded by people, I remembered the scene yesterday replaying in my head.
âAnastasia, do you have a mirror?ââ
âHey, you dammit!â
âIf I hit you, you wouldnât kill me right?â
ââŠYou really wonât kill me, right?â
I was sick.
I couldnât remember the events clearly.
I must have been out of my mind because I was sick and in a hurry because of the mission.
Itâs quite understandable that my memory of yesterday was hazy.
I donât even remember who I slapped!
âIt canât be Diwen FergusâŠââ
An ominous feeling came up. The moment it tickled my chest, I shook my head.
âNo. If I had slapped Diwen Fergus, my head and body would have said goodbye to each other. It must have been someone elseâŠ.â
Who the hell was it?
The reason why I glance over the aristocrats as if I were observing them now was because of todayâs mission, however, it didnât slip my mind to look for the person I slapped yesterday.
I might remember him if I see his face.
However, the more I observed the aristocrats, the more skeptical I had to leave the place as soon as I could rather than recalling yesterdayâs memories.
Their gazes showed their intentions on how much they disliked me. I wanted to be alone, away from Reden, but the person himself gave quite a strict order.
âDonât ever be away from me today.â
âBy the way⊠Itâs the first time that guests are seeing you two together.â
It was then. I heard a voice near me.
âOh, is it about me?â
When I lifted my head away from the thoughts that were flowing elsewhere, I saw a man I had never seen before.
The man who looked much older than Reden glanced at us and didnât make a good impression openly.
âDid I do something? He looks mean.â
Still, I was a person who knew how to hide my feelings.
I smiled, and the opponent pretended not to see me and fiddled with the black cane he was holding dearly.
âIs that so?â
Reden replied calmly. Perhaps because of the mood, his gaze seemed to be directed at the cane held by the opponent.
âYeah. How about going around together more often? You two look like a painting, beautiful to the eyesâ
Huh? Is that a compliment?
It wasnât like someone to look at me favorably. However, the way this personâs words were spoken was unpleasant to me.
I wondered if Reden would do the same if we were alone. Still, I glanced and saw his expressionless face. I couldnât grasp the aim of such nonsense.
I pretended not to notice anything and smiled, but the man leaned forward a bit and spoke to me.
âBy the way, Lady Blair seems to have changed these days.â
âYes? Me?â
âWho else can it be than you? Just a month ago you were like an unbridled pony, but nowâŠâ
He looked at me from up to down.
âYou look calm now, donât you think? Have you come to your senses now?â
I couldnât answer the manâs question. I just blinked and looked at him in embarrassment.
This man⊠He was talking without hesitation.
I didnât like such sarcasm disguised as compliments, but I remained silent for now.
Please do not repost our translation. Read only at Pink Muffin Translations.
The man tapped a bean on the floor with the cane he was holding.
âAnyway, it was nice to see you two. I donât know why, but you must have decided to live a straight life. Then again, you canât be protected by the Blair family forever.â
âUhâŠâ
âI hope you meet a good partner soon. Iâm not sure I can find a family to connect you with due to the past interactions.â
â······Thank you for your concern. But Iâll take care of such private matters.â
âAh! But you have your advantage, donât you think so?â
I tried to cut him off due to his increasingly excessive remarks, but the man interrupted me again.
âIt means you have a lot of personal property. You can win over a money-blinded family from the outskirts.â
â⊠Excuse me.â
âDonât think of it too badly. Iâm saying this because Iâm worried.â
Are you telling me to believe that? When he was no longer able to control his facial expression as he gradually disappeared, the man finally broke into laughter.
âitâs quite true so it doesnât sound so bad to hear, donât you think so? Honestly, what else would they look at from the reckless Lady Blair beside her wealth?â
ââŠ..â
âOh, what?â
The man looked up and down at me again. This time, it was different from before. It was a look that made me feel dirty.
âThe old aristocrat who is interested in young women must see something else.â
This bastardâŠ.
It seemed that the line of reason had been broken. Regardless of his face or reputation, I wanted to make him shut up right away.
What is this man saying to someone? His words were all outrageous!
âThatâs enough.â
Reden intervened quietly. He even stopped using honorifics.
I didnât know how to reply, so he stopped what he was going to say and looked up at Reden
Redenâs tone was stiff.
âSince youâre staying still, is it your familyâs lineage that doesnât know anything?â
âWhat?â
âYouâre treating me quite politely so I wanted to ask if talking without knowing the context is a characteristic of your family, Count Sirius.â
âI⊠Did I say something wrong? I was just saying this because I was worried about Lady Blair.â
The man, called Count Sirius, looked bewildered for a moment but regained his momentum back. He answered with a sly face. He seemed to claim that he was not trying to insult me.
Please do not repost our translation. Read only at Pink Muffin Translations.
I thought it was best to ignore it. The moment I was about to tell Reden to ignore him, Reden suddenly approached the Count one step forward and looked down at the Count who was shorter than him.
He asked bluntly with a cold voice.
âCount. Perhaps you······â
ââŠ..â
âThought I looked like a fool?â
The atmosphere froze. I felt the aristocrats around me looking in our direction without realizing it.
Wow, at this rate, itâs going to be a spectacle! However, neither Reden nor the Count showed signs of resigning.
âWhat do you mean, Marquis? When did I everâŠâ
âIf itâs not like that, thereâs no way that youâll make such a claim without sincerity. Are you saying that because youâre worried about her? Unless youâre kidding everyone.â
ââŠ..â
âYouâre probably holding a grudge from three years ago, thatâs why youâre insulting this child these days, aiming for her docile nature, isnât that right?â
âT-Three years ago? What do you meanâŠ?â
The man somehow blurred his words with an awkward face.
What happened three years ago? I tried to interrupt and block the two, but I stopped wondering because of what Reden mentioned.
âDonât you remember? How unexpected. You proposed to this child, how can you forget?â
âWait!â
âI canât believe you even forgot the fact that she refused it. How amusing.â
âWait, Marquis!â
As if asking why he was saying that, the Count called out to Reden with a hoarse voice. The banquet hall instantly went silent, and I looked at the Count stupidly.