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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 10
Chapter Title: Northern Duke Cyrus Karha (5)
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“Do you control the weather?”
In response to Ariana’s question, Cyrus slightly raised his palm, facing upwards.
Several pieces of ice, the same size as the hailstones that had just fallen, appeared and vanished on his palm.
“It’s a simple spell.”
“That’s fascinating.”
“That’s not the look of someone who’s amazed. And I’ve granted you a favor once again.”
“Rachel… Did you drive Mother away?”
Cyrus didn’t answer her words, instead staring intently at Ariana. Presently, he asked,
“Why did you provoke that woman?”
“I merely asked what I’d been curious about; I didn’t provoke her intentionally.”
“Ah, I see.”
He didn’t seem to believe her at all.
“By the way, I wasn’t aware that His Grace, the Northern Duke, was still here. Had you given me prior notice, I would have prepared a proper reception.”
“I don’t particularly enjoy being entertained.”
“But if you were to sleep in a tree in this cold weather and, say, your face were to freeze up, the ladies who admire His Grace would be heartbroken.”
“And you wouldn’t be sad?”
“I, too, would cry myself to sleep every night.”
“I wonder. I suspect you’d find it rather satisfying.”
How sharp-witted he was.
Ariana concealed her true feelings and offered a faint smile.
“It seems you are busy, so I shall take my leave now.”
“Stop, you who cannot be named, and for whom there is no occasion to call.”
What on earth was that supposed to mean?
Ariana, flustered, stopped walking and recalled the words she had spoken to Cyrus when leaving the storage room.
—“Would there be any occasion to call me anything?”
To think he still held onto those words.
As Ariana concealed her embarrassment and calmly met his gaze, Cyrus spoke.
“You who cannot be named, and for whom there is no occasion to call. I wish to offer you a piece of advice.”
“I must decline.”
“I’ll ensure this isn’t counted as a debt.”
“Even so, I must decline, Your Grace.”
“You who cannot be named—”
“Your Grace. Please just call me Ariana.”
As Ariana swallowed a sigh and spoke, Cyrus gave a brief nod.
“Ariana. You need to rein in your gaze.”
“Pardon?”
Cyrus approached closely and looked down at Ariana.
His finger lightly brushed past the corner of Ariana’s eye.
“With such a frail body, revealing your murderous intent will only hasten your demise.”
“And yet, Your Grace’s eyes are also full of murderous intent.”
“I can afford to be. Because I am strong.”
“I’m envious. If I were as strong as Your Grace, I could fully reveal my true feelings.”
“And what are your true feelings?”
A soft smile spread across Ariana’s lips.
It was a beautiful smile, like the sunlight pushing back the darkness at dawn.
“How could Your Grace, with your many official duties, have the leisure to concern yourself with my feelings? I merely pray that you may conclude your planned affairs swiftly.”
“Are you telling me to mind my own business, finish what I’m doing quickly, and then promptly disappear?”
“Perish the thought.”
Ariana bowed her head slightly in deference, then turned sharply.
Cyrus stood rooted to the spot, watching Ariana as she walked away.
Ariana, walking slowly towards the main building, possessed a grace that even noble ladies found difficult to achieve.
Her skirt barely swayed, and her steps were steady and upright.
Isaac, who had been in the tree, leaped down beside Cyrus and spoke.
“To think she can be so elegant even in clothes like that. She’s not like a child at all. And her way of speaking isn’t childlike either.”
“At sixteen, she’s fully grown.”
“Have you ever seen a sixteen-year-old with such dignity? Ah, well, the Princess Royal, yes. And you were in circumstances where you had no choice. But the second daughter isn’t like that, is she? It’s not as if Rachel Bronte would have taught her the etiquette one learns in the imperial family.”
“…”
“By the way, Cyrus, you helped that girl again.”
“As I said, I’m granting favors. That way, it’ll be easier to use her later.”
+++
As Ariana walked down the corridor, she checked her reflection in the window.
Her face, reflected in the shimmering glass, was small, delicate, and impassive, yet her blue eyes held a sharp, piercing light.
She squeezed her eyes shut, then opened them, and the hatred and murderous intent that had bloomed in her pupils vanished.
‘So this is the gaze I’ve been walking around with.’
Since no one in this mansion cared about Ariana’s feelings, no one would notice whether her eyes held hatred or affection.
But if she continued to wear such a gaze, a moment might come when someone would discern her true feelings.
Cyrus’s advice was apt.
‘I need to be more careful from now on.’
Having Cyrus discover this gaze bothered her. It felt as though he had found a weakness, but she quickly dismissed the thought.
‘He’s the Northern Duke; what use would he have for the weakness of the Bronte family’s outcast?’
However, the fact that he was still observing the Bronte mansion was unsettling.
She had anticipated that not everything would go according to plan in her new life. Even knowing the future, many things were bound to change due to Ariana’s actions.
But that was for later.
It was worrying to encounter an unexpected person, especially the Northern Duke, so soon after returning in time.
‘I don’t know when he entered this mansion, but as far as I know, it’s been days. In my previous life, he only spread rumors of coming here and never appeared at all. Was spreading rumors of visiting Seoryeong meant to create an excuse if he was noticed while acting covertly?’
If so, he might return to Buknyeong after merely spying on the Bronte mansion without revealing his identity to anyone.
‘He wouldn’t be observing the Bronte mansion with good intentions.’
She didn’t know what issues existed between Cyrus and the Bronte family, but Ariana had no desire to get involved.
However, Cyrus was paying enough attention to Ariana to point out her gaze. That very fact made her uneasy.
‘If the Northern Duke interferes with my plans at this point, things will get difficult…’
Dealing with the Bronte family wasn’t difficult, but she didn’t yet possess the power to contend with the Northern Duke. Hoping to avoid any further clashes with him, she walked down the corridor, only to see Victoria approaching from the opposite direction.
Victoria was a pretty girl with radiant blonde hair and vivid green eyes. Like a person from Seoryeong, her skin tone was a little darker, and she strongly resembled Rachel.
Ariana used to adore and trust Victoria, who was a year younger than her. Unaware that Victoria harbored a sharper knife within her than even Helena.
Victoria pretended to help and care for Ariana, all while pushing her deeper into the mire.
She had learned too late that it was Victoria who had manipulated the dim-witted Helena to drive Ariana down the path of self-destruction.
“Sister.”
Victoria approached Ariana, smiling sweetly.
Ariana wondered what thoughts Victoria concealed behind her benevolent and charming smile.
Standing before Ariana, Victoria furrowed her brow, adopting a worried expression.
“You seemed to be getting scolded by Mother earlier, are you alright?”
“Yes, I’m fine.”
“…Really?”
“Yes.”
When Ariana, who would normally have wept and complained, responded calmly with a smiling face, Victoria was somewhat flustered.
Seeing Victoria’s reaction, Ariana added,
“If I act maturely like you, do you think Mother will like me more?”
At the naive question, Victoria felt relieved yet also bewildered.
Ariana, acting so calmly, seemed so elegant she felt like a different person.
Her beauty, which had been hidden by old clothes, uncombed hair, and a gloomy expression, now shone like the sun rising from behind a deep valley.
Her distinctly pale skin, envied by the women of Seoryeong, and her light blue hair, which resembled only half of the Eastern Duke, were dazzling anew.
Her perfectly balanced, small face, with its delicately arranged features, and her blue eyes that filled her captivating, cat-like gaze.
‘Was she always this pretty?’
She knew Ariana was pretty.
But when she walked around with a tearful expression, hunched over and her head bowed, her beauty was completely hidden.
There was a time when she had even envied that beauty, but now that she knew that mere appearance didn’t determine a woman’s worth, she had set aside her jealousy towards Ariana.
Since Ariana would never enter society anyway, she considered it foolish to compete with Ariana over beauty.
For Victoria, Ariana was merely a tool to keep Helena in check. Until now, that is.
‘I can’t let her imitate me.’
Victoria quickly smiled and linked her arm through Ariana’s.
“What are you talking about, Sister? Everyone likes you.”
“But Mother only scolds me…”
“Sister, don’t you know the saying, ‘Spare the rod and spoil the child’? Mother is like that because she has high expectations for you.”
“Do you really think so?”
“Of course. Sister, don’t think such unnecessary thoughts and let’s go to my room. Father bought some delicious cookies yesterday. I saved them to eat with you.”
“How nice. Father bought you cookies…”
Victoria, walking beside Ariana with her arm linked, did not see Ariana’s expression.
Not a single trace of emotion was evident on Ariana’s face as she expressed envy.
‘You’re still immature, Victoria.’
Having been manipulated by Victoria until her death, she had come to see Victoria as a towering mountain. She wondered when Victoria had started concealing her true intentions and manipulating people from behind the scenes.
The incident that would occur at tomorrow’s garden party was undoubtedly orchestrated by Victoria, but it had many flaws.
Victoria’s current behavior towards Ariana was also still unrefined. Seeing Victoria openly display her agitation simply because Ariana had shown a slightly different demeanor, Ariana felt a bit relieved.
Victoria’s room was incomparably spacious and luxurious compared to the one Ariana occupied.
A large room with an attached parlor, bathroom, and dressing room.
In her previous life, Ariana used to feel envy and jealousy whenever she entered Victoria’s room.
Victoria first sat on a white chair next to the tea table, then gestured to the opposite chair for Ariana.
“Sit there.”
When Ariana did so, Victoria summoned a maid and ordered tea and cookies. On the silver tray the maid brought were precious teacups and a teapot that Ariana had never been allowed to touch before.
After the maid set down the tray, Victoria dismissed her and personally poured tea for Ariana.
The black tea, filling the white teacup, was so hot that a faint steam rose from it.
Victoria spoke in a commanding tone.
“Drink.”
Ariana obediently picked up the teacup and blew on the steaming black tea to cool it, causing Victoria to slightly narrow her brows.
“No, Sister. You mustn’t drink it like that. Has no one ever taught you tea etiquette?”
Victoria pointed out Ariana’s impropriety with a seemingly pitiful air.
It was exactly like her previous life.
Back then, Ariana had flushed crimson and not known what to do, while Victoria had watched her with amusement.
This time, Ariana pretended to fumble slightly and set down the teacup.
“But it’s too hot.”
“Sister, why do you think this is here?”
Victoria pointed to the teacup saucer.
As Ariana merely stared, feigning ignorance, Victoria let out a small sigh and picked up her own teacup.
Victoria tilted her teacup and poured a little tea into the saucer.
Then she lifted the teacup, with the black tea sloshing within, and slurped it down.
“You must pour it into the saucer like this, let it cool a bit, and then drink it with a loud slurp. The louder the sound, the more it tells the person serving the tea that it is truly delicious.”
Ariana watched Victoria as if she were observing an amusing play.
‘You’re really trying to make a fool of me, Victoria.’
