Chapter 46
It was a bleak night, shrouded in darkness. A sliver of light, the moon, pierced through the thick darkness. A delicate crescent moon, seemingly within reach, hung precariously over the mountain, casting a faint glow.
Below it stood a mansion, as grand as a castle. Despite the crescent moon’s efforts, the mansion exuded an eerie, desolate aura. It was the main residence of the Noel count family.
He sat on the windowsill, gazing at the invisible scenery outside and listening to the chirping of insects. He savored the moment, then greeted his ‘master’ who had just entered the entrance hall.
“Welcome back, Raines.”
Raines Noel Delpheman. He had just returned from a two-month barrier inspection.
No one else welcomed the heir of the Noel family back to the vast, empty mansion. Except for Leo Noel.
Leo had been waiting for Raines’ return on the first floor. The Knights uniform suited him perfectly. Leo observed Raines with a curious gaze, then spoke casually, his voice deep and low, a stark contrast to his demeanor.
“How was the inspection? I’m envious. I wanted to go on one myself.”
But Raines didn’t respond to Leo’s friendly words. He walked past him and headed up the stairs.
“Haha, ignoring me?”
Despite his words, Leo followed Raines without a hint of embarrassment.
“So, how was it? The barrier inspection.”
“……….”
“Did you go beyond the barrier? Ah, I guess you couldn’t.”
“……….”
“I heard you met that woman in Emnon.”
“…Hey.”
Gotcha.
Leo smiled triumphantly inwardly.
“Damn bastard.”
Raines stopped and turned to face him. His voice and his eyes were unrecognizable, devoid of any trace of Raines Noel. Leo met his gaze, filled with hostility, without flinching.
“What’s wrong?”
He even mocked Raines, his own eyes filled with malice.
“……….”
Raines pressed his hand to his forehead, suppressing a string of curses. Leo’s face always gave him a headache.
I want to end this already.
He spoke heavily, his voice filled with longing.
“When are you going to finish this? Didn’t you say you would take care of it while I was on inspection and leave the mansion?”
“Sigh, you finally speak, and it’s something boring.”
You used to be quite cheerful.
Raines bared his teeth at Leo, who was feigning disappointment with exaggerated gestures. He was the only one who seemed to be angry in the lifeless mansion.
“Cut the crap and answer my question. How long are you going to drag this out?”
“Keuk… Keukkeuk…!”
Leo couldn’t hold back his laughter, his shoulders shaking. He leaned against the wall, looking down at Raines, who was shorter than him.
“This is more fun than I thought, Raines.”
“Don’t call me Raines. It’s disgusting.”
“Ah, right, right. Mr. Raines Noel Delpheman.”
Leo sneered, raising his hands in mock surrender at Raines’ sharp retort. Raines felt a growing headache, as if he was being toyed with.
“I don’t care if you’re having fun or not. When are you going to leave this mansion?”
“I told you, I’ll do it when I want to.”
Leo ran his hand over his face, his expression blank.
“I’ve practically achieved my goal. So just wait patiently. You can do that, can’t you?”
“…You’ve already achieved it? Wasn’t your goal bigger than this? To have Enzhe Lopetrefer…”
“Ah, right, that’s right. I forgot.”
“…What are you thinking?”
Raines glared at Leo, who had deliberately cut him off.
“What do you mean, what am I thinking?”
Leo shrugged.
“I just forgot. That’s all.”
Because I’m having too much fun. Being with her.
“Well… It’s all good, right?”
Leo pushed himself off the wall and slowly walked towards Raines. Raines hated his unnatural expression, the way he was smiling. Leo placed a hand on his shoulder and said slyly,
“Peace has been restored, hasn’t it? That’s all that matters.”
“It’s not good…!”
“She’s the sacrifice you offered.”
Raines’ furious movements abruptly stopped. The low voice tormented him once more.
“Don’t forget that, Raines Noel.”
“……….”
It was a curse. He couldn’t resist, accepting the familiar curse once again, as if time had stopped, as if he had been cut off by a sharp blade.
“She’s the sacrifice you exchanged for your happiness. Sue Byron.”
Leo whispered, reminding him of the reality.
Raines’ trembling fists finally went limp, surrendering like a drowned cockroach. Leo, watching him, couldn’t suppress a triumphant grin.
Yes, it’s all in my hands.
“It’ll be interesting to see. When she realizes that the person she thought was her friend was actually trying to kill her.”
“……….”
“We’re both bad people, aren’t we? …Ah, no, she’s the bad one.”
“……….”
“We’re just trying to punish the bad girl, right? You saw it too. What Sue Byron is really doing. So enjoy it while you can. She might be an idiot, but opportunities to toy with her don’t come often.”
“…You…”
Leo drove the final nail into Raines’ coffin, who was speaking in a lifeless, broken voice.
“Anyway, let’s continue to work together.”
He was happier than he had ever been in his entire life.
“Until I kill Sue Byron.”
***
On the first day of autumn, the humid heat still lingering, Sue stood in front of the mirror, wearing a white uniform embroidered with silver thread. She turned around, checking for any loose threads, and made sure there were no stray hairs in her braid. Finally, she looked at the beret on her head with satisfaction and left the house.
“Good morning, Sue.”
On the first day of school, the first place Sue went to at the academy was, of course, the Golden Lion Class, which felt more like home than her own classroom. She opened the golden door, and Melaine greeted her. Her golden eyes sparkled as brightly as ever.
“Good morning, Lady Melaine. Is Lady Enzhe at the glass garden?”
Sue looked around Enzhe’s empty seat. It was a blessing when Enzhe was at the glass garden during the morning hours, because she could skip the greeting and go straight back to the Black Eagle Class. But Melaine shook her head, her face worried.
“No, she’s not here yet. I wonder what happened…”
“What? You mean Lady Enzhe isn’t here yet?”
Sue asked back, her eyes wide with disbelief.
“Yes. I wonder if she’s sick…”
Enzhe was always the first to arrive at the academy and sit at her desk, even when she was sick.
‘Could it be that she’s still upset about her fight with Fritz?’
The other students in the Golden Lion Class also seemed surprised to see Enzhe late for school, and her name started being mentioned here and there.
Even though she wasn’t even late yet, and her absence hadn’t been confirmed, the students were all talking about it, adding the phrase “that Lopetrefer girl” to their conversations with interest. That’s how strictly Enzhe adhered to rules and principles.
‘She’s never skipped school because of a fight with Fritz.’
Sue tilted her head, puzzled, and briefly explained what had happened at the ball to Melaine, who was unaware of the situation.
“What? They had a fight?”
As they were whispering, discussing what to do, Acrea entered the classroom.
He casually greeted the girls who flocked to him, then slowly approached Melaine and Sue. Sue greeted him cheerfully.
“Good morning, Master Acrea!”
“Hello, Lady Byron, Lady Melaine.”
Why is he here?
She didn’t understand, but she kept smiling.
“Are you alone today?”
Melaine asked, looking around. Come to think of it, Fritz, who always came to school with Acrea, wasn’t there. Acrea chuckled wryly as she looked at him curiously.
“We’re not a package deal.”
Well, you usually are.
The only time you two were apart was when you were fighting over Halo.
“Shina won’t be coming today. I think Enzhe will be here soon. Probably.”
“Oh my… Did something happen?”
Melaine asked worriedly. But Acrea just smiled wryly and refused to answer.
“I’m sorry, but I can’t tell you, even if you’re Lady Melaine.”
‘Even if you’re Lady Melaine…?’
Sue couldn’t ignore those words and looked back and forth between them. There was something strange about the atmosphere. They seemed closer than before, when they only exchanged formal greetings.
Come to think of it, Acrea had personally gone to the salon to find Melaine. Had something happened then?
‘They can’t be… in love, can they? Or maybe they’re engaged?’
No way. Sue laughed inwardly.
Knowing the future is such a pain. Nothing would change until at least next spring, when Halo enrolled. It was easier to think that way.
Acrea was trying to hide it, but Sue was certain that Enzhe and Fritz had fought this morning. Enzhe must have gone to Fritz’s house and caused a scene. Enzhe had never been late to the academy, but she remembered seeing her barge into Fritz’s house in the novel quite often.