Chapter 24
24
After the servant left, I informed Vincent that the lesson was over.
Vincent was very disappointed, but he must have sensed that something was amiss, so he accepted it without complaint.
As he was about to leave the room, Vincent grabbed the hem of my dress.
I turned around with a puzzled expression, and Vincent asked with an anxious look, "Via, are you alright?"
He seemed worried that something had happened to me.
Seeing his concern, I smiled even more brightly and nodded. "Of course. You don't have to worry."
"...Yes."
"Then, see you tomorrow."
"Yes...!"
After reassuring Vincent, I left the room and headed to the drawing-room, following the servant.
Walking behind the servant, I was lost in thought.
'I didn't expect him to show up this quickly.'
Of course, I had anticipated that it would be handled quickly since I had directly requested the Rune Information Guild, specifically the master.
But it had only been about three hours.
I had expected it to take roughly a day or two, so I couldn't help but be taken aback by Eden's arrival sooner than expected.
'Well.'
Thinking about it a bit more, it wasn't that strange.
'Unlike what they had planned, an anonymous informant appeared, so they probably want to cut off the tail quickly before they get caught.'
The fact that Eden Aquillium had appeared so quickly was proof in itself that they were flustered.
'They won't be able to figure out that I'm the informant anyway.'
Anyway...
I thought about Eden, whom I had seen a moment ago.
A man who exuded a virtuous sense of pressure from his entire being.
'Eden Aquillium...'
I knew he was coming, but somehow...
'It feels strange to see him in person.'
Like Khadien, he was a sub-male lead in <Everyone Loves the Saintess>, a character who concealed his emotions and silently stood by the female lead, Celestina.
And...
'He was also the one who clashed with Khadien the most.'
In fact, near the end of the story, it was 'Eden Aquillium' who cut off the arm of the corrupted Khadien.
'The readers were enthusiastic about Eden.'
But I somehow didn't like that scene.
'More importantly.'
I raised my head.
I was already close to the drawing-room.
Anna was standing in front of the door with an excited expression.
Soon, Anna noticed me and gave me a smile filled with triumph.
"..."
I was speechless at the sight.
* * *
'Look at that stupid expression!'
Anna internally sneered at Livia's dumbfounded face.
Then, with a superior expression, she thoroughly looked down on Livia.
'I don't know why that bitch is here, but...'
A bitter smile formed on Anna's lips.
'It's better this way. I'll show my worth in the presence of Eden Aquillium and the Duke.'
Anna's shoulders lifted proudly.
There was a clear reason why she was so confident.
It was because of what her father, Count Lever, had said to her recently.
'We have recently established a special relationship with the Temple. I will be sending your portrait to Eden Aquillium soon, so behave yourself.'
'Yes, of course.'
'He must have come to see me.'
And that thought turned into conviction the moment she was summoned to the drawing-room.
'I didn't expect him to come so abruptly.'
"It must mean he missed me that much, right?"
He must have fallen in love at first sight after seeing her portrait.
'Because I'm beautiful.'
Well-maintained, luscious auburn hair, cat-like eyes, fair skin, and a long neck.
Any man would fall in love with her at first sight.
That's why he came rushing over to find her without even contacting her.
'Eden Aquillium isn't bad either.'
Although he had devoted himself to the Temple, he was also the Marquis of Aquillium before being a Holy Knight.
Currently, the Marquis's proxy was leading the family, but if he were to marry, his wife would become the proxy and rule the family.
'It's a bit inferior to the Mercedes Ducal Family, but it has a high reputation, and she can do whatever she wants with everything in the Marquisate.'
When you think about it that way, it might be better than becoming the Duchess of Mercedes.
The Duke of Mercedes's power was so strong that even if she became his wife, she wouldn't have much authority to enjoy.
'Besides, what's the point of being beautiful if he's Insanity?'
Khadien was undoubtedly the most beautiful man in the Empire.
It wasn't a sparkling, radiant beauty, but a quiet, desolate beauty that drew even more attention.
That beauty had even captivated Anna's heart, but her feelings gradually faded as he paid her no attention.
Moreover, it was a well-known fact that the Duke of Mercedes suffered from Insanity, so even if he was beautiful, she would have to think more about becoming the wife of a man with such a flaw.
'What if they both start fighting because they can't give me up?'
Anna, who was already troubled by the thought, was hesitating in front of the drawing-room when she suddenly sensed someone's presence and turned her head, her expression twisting.
'Why is that bitch here?'
Things always went wrong when Livia was around, so she couldn't hide her displeasure.
But soon, a brilliant idea struck her, and Anna smiled slyly.
'It wouldn't be bad to show her how superior I am.'
It was an opportunity to properly crush Livia, who was acting without knowing her place.
'Besides, I'll stand out much more if I'm with Livia.'
Anna's lips curled up as she scanned Livia, who was already standing next to her, from head to toe.
'Dull hair color and old-fashioned clothes. Anyone can see that I'm much more beautiful!'
Then, Anna unexpectedly met Livia's eyes and shouted in embarrassment, "What, what are you looking at!"
"Looking at what? You were the one who looked first."
"Eek..."
Anna's face turned red as she was at a loss for words.
But that was only for a moment.
Soon, Anna said with a meaningful smile, "You'll regret being so arrogant, Livia Plington."
Then, the servant who had announced their visit opened the door to the drawing-room.
Bright light poured out, and Anna confidently stepped inside.
However, Anna did not know what was waiting for her inside.
* * *
As I entered the drawing-room with Anna, I almost gasped in admiration.
'I knew there was a separate drawing-room for VIPs, but...'
Most noble residences usually have separate drawing-rooms and VIP drawing-rooms.
The regular drawing-room is, as the name suggests, a place to receive ordinary guests.
'The room I was guided to was the regular drawing-room.'
I was already impressed by the magnificence of the Mercedes Ducal Family at that time, but the real thing was the VIP drawing-room.
'Is this a drawing-room or a banquet hall?'
The spaciousness was secondary; all the furniture and ornaments were covered in platinum, giving the illusion of being in the middle of a snowfield.
But my admiration for the drawing-room didn't last long.
The beauty of the drawing-room was quickly overshadowed by the two men sitting in the center.
I looked at the two men facing each other with a fresh feeling.
'I didn't expect to see Eden Aquillium and Khadien Mercedes together so soon.'
Seeing the two men sitting facing each other in the desolate, vast, and pure white space, it was like seeing light and darkness.
It wasn't because of their appearance.
In terms of appearance, Khadien's silver hair was brighter and more sparkling than Eden's azure hair.
The unique aura and atmosphere emanating from the two men were quite contrasting.
Anyone could see that Eden was light and Khadien was darkness.
"You two have arrived."
Winston, who was sweating profusely between the two men with considerable presence and pressure, quickly approached us after discovering us.
"I apologize if you were surprised by the sudden summons. The reason is—"
That was when Winston was interrupted.
"I am the one who summoned you."
Eden interrupted Winston and approached me.
Soon, his huge shadow covered me.
I blankly looked up at him.
Seeing him up close, he was like a pure white lion.
But...
'Why is he coming to me?!'
I looked around in confusion.
It seemed that it wasn't my imagination, as Anna was looking at us with wide eyes.
Winston had an expression filled with worry and concern, and Khadien was quietly watching the situation, as if he wanted to gauge my reaction.
"I have come to take you."
"..."
"Miss Anna Lever."
"..."
Only then did I realize that Eden was seriously mistaken.
'He's mistaking me for Anna.'
He must have rushed over without properly acquiring information about Anna.
I breathed a sigh of relief internally and calmly faced him, parting my lips.
"You've mistaken me for someone else. Anna is not me, but—"
"It's me!"
Anna pushed me hard and jumped out.
Someone quickly grabbed my swaying body, which had been pushed by the force.
