Chapter 26
Skirmish
The moment she turned right, the magic power inside the Cribon surged upwards. Sue didn’t panic. She calmly absorbed the backfiring magic power, making it her own. The Cribon, drained of magic power, faltered in its flight, but as it sensed the magic power returning, it flapped its wings powerfully and soared upwards once more.
Back on course, the Cribon followed Sue’s commands, racing through the sky along the designated rail. Through the hazy clouds, into the refreshing wind.
Sue’s lack of magic power and stamina was a chronic problem, and her mind, which had been intensely focused, began to wander. She closed her eyes halfway and concentrated solely on controlling her magic power, praying that the Cribon would keep running smoothly.
“Good work, Sue.”
Sue slowly opened her eyes at the sound of a clear voice ringing in her ears. Her blurry vision focused on a radiant golden figure racing ahead of her. The moment she saw that figure, Sue’s tension drained away, and she fell off the Cribon’s back.
It was over.
Sue landed on the grass with a thud, her body sprawled out. This was the last time.
“With you too.”
She chuckled wryly and stroked the Cribon, which rumbled as usual.
It seemed she had been overtaken once. She looked up at the sky and saw Melaine passing someone. Melaine crossed the finish line, and then Ricelancer followed, safely crossing as well.
“We won…”
First place. It hadn’t been a close race. But for Sue, it had been a grueling and nerve-wracking battle.
With the Ribbon Race concluded, the Black Eagle Team had achieved a perfect victory. At the closing ceremony, Fritz, the team representative, received the winner’s medal from his father, Duke Fritz. He raised the medal high in the air, his face filled with joy and pride.
They had really won.
Sue Byron had won, Melaine Vava had won, and Shina Fritz had won.
The legend of Shina Fritz, who had never lost, would undoubtedly continue.
Sue admired him. No, she envied him. Truly.
***
Sue was sitting in a small salon on the outskirts of the capital, a place she had never been to before. Her appearance was a little different from her usual simple dresses, academy uniform, or training clothes.
She was wearing a pale pink dress with delicate lace, high-heeled white leather shoes, and a small fascinator with a veil. She was also carrying a pale pink parasol with three layers of frills and a small, impractical handbag as accessories. She was dressed to the nines, a perfect picture of a noble lady.
“It’s been a while, Sir Leo.”
Sue greeted Leo Noel, who was sitting across from her at a round table with their teacups.
“It’s been a while. I’m grateful that you accepted my request, Lady Byron.”
Leo stood up and bowed deeply. Sue smiled politely in response.
“It was nothing. I’m simply fulfilling my responsibilities as the next head of the Byron family. Please, have a seat.”
It was rare for Sue to be so formal, emphasizing her status as a noble lady of the capital and the next head of the Byron family.
Sue’s red eyes carefully observed Leo as he sat down with a faint smile.
He had dark blue hair, droopy brown eyes, tanned skin, and a large, muscular build. The navy blue velvet jacket he was wearing looked a little small for his physique, but not enough to be a problem.
He looked almost exactly the same as he had a month ago.
“How’s your arm?”
Sue asked, glancing at Leo’s left arm. The only change she could find in Leo was his left arm, which was now free of the bandage.
“It’s fine, thanks to you.”
Leo lightly flexed his left arm. It was a stark contrast to the day he had been grimacing in pain with his arm wrapped in bandages. Sue watched him for a moment, then inwardly sighed in relief, finally letting go of the worry that had been building up for days.
“I received your letter through Noel… I mean, Sir Raines.”
Sue took something out of her handbag.
“I’m grateful for your kind consideration. So… Sir Leo, why did you want to meet me?”
She placed it on the table. Leo glanced at the object Sue had offered and smiled faintly. It was a worn, crumpled piece of parchment, folded carelessly. It was the ‘letter’ Leo Noel had sent to Sue Byron.
And that letter was the reason why Sue had come to this unfamiliar salon, dressed to the nines.
[To the esteemed and honored eldest daughter of Byron,
Warm sunlight and cool water coexist, and star-like petals dance endlessly in the air.
I hope you are enjoying the spring of Atlantis, blessed by God.
I am Leo, who recently made my presence known to you. Though I am of humble origins, I am currently staying with the Noel count family and experiencing the grandeur of Löhn. I would be grateful if you remembered me, and even if you don’t, it is my small hope that you will recall me after reading this letter.
I deeply regret the great inconvenience I caused you due to my carelessness. Not only did you, the benevolent lady, not blame me for my recklessness, but you also bestowed upon me an undeserved kindness. Thanks to you, my injury is healing quickly. I have been thinking deeply about how to express my gratitude for this immense honor, and also to the coachman who caused the accident…]
Even at a glance, it was clear that the letter was written in a style that adhered perfectly to aristocratic etiquette. Sue marveled at how he had managed to fit so much writing onto a piece of parchment barely bigger than her hand, reading each line of the tiny script.
This letter, filled with praise for Sue, was the note Noel had given her on the day of the Sports Festival.
It was a letter expressing gratitude for the handling of the accident and surprise at the compensation, and praising the Byron viscount family, but the real reason why Leo had sent the letter to Sue was summarized in a single sentence at the end.
[…Esteemed Lady Byron, if it pleases you, I would like to meet you again and express my gratitude in person. I pray to God that this meeting will come to pass.]
He had even added a postscript with the time and place of their meeting, as if it were a given.
‘I’m not sure if this is a polite letter or a rude letter.’
Sue looked down at the old, crumpled parchment, which didn’t even have the family seal, with a strange feeling.
It was one thing for the victim, not the perpetrator, to write a lengthy letter of gratitude, but it was another to send it through Noel, on a piece of scrap paper, without even writing his name on it. There was no sender or recipient address. No, it was probably impossible for such things to even exist. It felt like he had followed the form and was being obsequious, but he was also being incredibly presumptuous.
The anxiety she had felt, wondering if the letter contained insults or threats, quickly subsided, but Sue still hesitated to meet Leo until the day of the appointment. Noel, who had heard about the letter, had said, “I can tell him for you if you don’t want to go,” but she refused, not wanting to trouble a third party.
‘Our family doesn’t really interact with anyone outside the Lopetrefer and Vava families… So, it’s rare for me to meet anyone alone. Maybe that’s why it feels so awkward.’
They didn’t have many enemies, but the Byron family was practically ostracized in noble society.
And even though Atlantis was a safe and relatively open-minded place, it wasn’t exactly appropriate for a man and a woman to meet privately outside.
But there were two reasons why Sue had accepted Leo’s presumptuous request. First, she wanted to check on Leo’s condition herself. And second, because she was the one who had broken his arm with a horse’s hoof. It was a way to alleviate her guilt.
It was true that all the praise for Sue in the letter was a lie, and she wouldn’t be surprised if Leo started hurling insults at her the moment they met.
‘But if he actually insults me, I’ll probably cry out of fear.’
Judging from the situation, it didn’t seem like the worst-case scenario she had imagined would happen. Besides, she had Ten and a few other servants waiting outside the salon. Nothing strange would happen.
As Sue glanced towards the door, picturing Ten’s stoic face, Leo’s deep voice rang out.
“Why did I want to meet you… you ask?”
He rested his chin on his hand and pondered her question for a moment. Then, he answered in a monotonous voice.
“As I wrote in the letter, I wanted to express my gratitude to you.”
His answer didn’t end there. His eyes narrowed slightly.
“And I wanted to talk to you. To you.”
***
“Talk to me?”
The salon was quiet. Perhaps because it was a place that didn’t get many customers, the owner was sitting in a corner, leisurely reading a book.
Sue couldn’t help but think it was a shame, considering the clean interior and the pleasant aroma of tea leaves.
“Yes.”
Leo nodded at Sue, whose expression was unreadable.
“Forgive my boldness, but I was curious about the next head of the Byron family.”
“I see.”
Sue nodded. At the same time, she suppressed her surprise. Even though Sue and the Byron viscount family were insignificant in the capital, they were still officially recognized nobles with Skia medals. And the person who had summoned her was just a distant relative of the Noel count family, a man from the borderlands.
Should she applaud him for his audacity in summoning a Skia out of mere curiosity?
‘He’s being polite, but also rude.’
Sue was aware of the need to assert her position as a Skia. But she wasn’t offended by Leo’s words. After all, she had come here prepared to be insulted.
“Why are you curious about the next head of the Byron family?”
Sue asked nonchalantly.
“Because it’s you, the next head of the Byron family.”
Leo’s eyes sparkled, as if he had been waiting for that question. Sue nodded vaguely and fidgeted with the handle of her teacup. Steam was rising from the hot tea, but the handle was cold and hard.
‘What should I do? Should I just change the subject?’
Sue sighed inwardly. The conversation had gone back to square one. It was only their second meeting, he was Raines Noel’s relative, and he was a man from the borderlands. She didn’t know how to treat him.