TNCFO 60

~Chapter 60~

“…!”

A healer?

Did she just say healing powers?

A power-holder?

The entire ballroom buzzed with shock—and even a few small gasps were heard here and there.

“Maze…? I’ve heard that name before.”

Shariette searched her memory, trying to recall why it sounded familiar.

“Hey, Nixia, did you hear the story about the Maze family?”

“Maze? Oh, you mean the lady who fell in love with her bodyguard?”

That conversation had happened when Shariette first met Hailey at Rosa Bloom.

“Yeah. And this time, she caused a big scene—they say she even tried to take her own life.”

“Oh no… was she hurt?”

“Apparently not. The family’s been keeping quiet, but something’s definitely weird—”

Yes, that was it.

As soon as the name Maze came up, several other ladies around the hall also seemed to remember the rumors. The atmosphere grew tense again.

But soon, admiration spread throughout the room, and loud applause filled the hall.

“No wonder they canceled the usual hunting competition. This whole banquet must’ve been for her debut.”

Noxian commented dryly from beside her.

A healer with divine powers—a person everyone would want more than anything.

Yet he seemed completely uninterested.

Even when others around them murmured in awe, Noxian looked utterly bored.

Honestly, if the Crown Prince had introduced a pet dog, Noxian might’ve shown more interest than he was showing now.

Shariette thought back to something Heron had told her a few days ago.

“One of my juniors was among the doctors sent to the South. He said the cure that solved everything was being kept top secret.”

Ah. She understood now.

The reason the cure was secret wasn’t because of the medicine—

—it was because the cure was a person.

“Shariette. Do you know that woman?”

Suddenly, Noxian leaned in and whispered close to her ear.

It tickled so much her skin prickled, and goosebumps rose along her neck. His voice didn’t feel like it went into her ear—it felt like it went straight into her brain.

Shariette flinched and looked up at him.

Then she turned her eyes to the pink-haired woman standing among the royal family—Anette Maze.

She searched her memory again, but there was no face, no one that looked even a little familiar.

“It’s my first time seeing her.”

Noxian tilted his head to the side, still watching.

“She looks like she’s very interested in you.”

There was a slight edge in his tone—like he didn’t like that.

Was he just imagining things?

Shariette peeked again and carefully observed Anette Maze.

Anette was smiling softly and bowing slightly as she followed Prince Lionel’s lead. She looked a bit shy.

She seemed around Shariette’s age.

“I really don’t think I’ve seen her before.”

And then—

Anette’s eyes turned toward Shariette.

“…!”

Their eyes met in midair.

Thump.

Shariette’s heart felt like it skipped a beat.

“…?”

She stared, stunned, into those soft green eyes.

They moved gently from her to Noxian beside her… and back to her.

Then Anette smiled—softly, sweetly.

Suddenly, a loud ringing noise echoed in Shariette’s ears.

A sharp sound that pierced her eardrums.

The metallic scent of blood and iron.

Sharp nails digging into her cheek—

“Shariette. …Shariette?”

Noxian grabbed her hand and pulled gently.

When she didn’t respond, he touched her shoulder and shook it carefully.

“You really seem like you do know her. What’s going on?”

“…No. I really don’t know her.”

Noxian’s expression darkened.

“If you’re going to lie, at least make it believable. If you don’t know her, then why are you—”

“I really don’t know her.”

That was the problem.

Shariette rubbed her cold, sweaty hands on the hem of her dress. The back of her neck felt icy.

“I don’t know her. So why… why does she feel so familiar?”

And not just familiar—familiar like someone who’s already dead.

The face, the aura, the expression—nothing matched anyone she knew. Not even a tiny detail.

Yet somehow, that scent, that presence… it stirred something inside her.

“Death is irreversible. The dead can’t come back. Once you die, that’s it.”

That’s how it should be.

But then she remembered the back view she saw at Rosa Bloom.

She’d felt something very similar back then too.

Seeing Shariette go completely stiff, Noxian subtly stepped in front of her—blocking her view.

He turned to look directly at the pink-haired woman.

The so-called healer being introduced tonight, in front of all these nobles, using the Crown Prince’s birthday as a stage…

“What a cliché. So that’s Lionel’s taste?”

He thought bitterly.

They say people only see what they want to see.

Maybe that’s why this whole thing felt so fishy—because he’d been the one to give Shariette the exact same kind of fake backstory.

Noxian glanced toward the royals.

The princess looked calm—but not calm enough to fool his eyes.

Her icy blue gaze had a trace of frustration she couldn’t hide.

“So even she didn’t know about this.”

So much for today’s meeting.

Even if he could meet the princess now—he didn’t want to anymore.

One unexpected name had shaken everything.

And one of those things was…

He turned slightly to check on the girl behind him.

Shariette looked like she was back to her usual self now that her view was blocked.

But Noxian couldn’t forget the look on her face just moments ago.

Whether she was ‘Shasha’ back then, or Shariette now—he had never seen that expression before.

“She suddenly ran out saying she saw someone she recognized… but her face didn’t look like she recognized someone. It was just… strange. The knights said it was a blond man.”

That was what Nixia had said before.

“But this one’s not even blond.”

Noxian’s face hardened.

He’d thought he only needed to deal with the blond guy…

“Now do I need to deal with the pink-haired girl too?”

A few weeks had passed since the banquet—where someone else had taken the spotlight.

Now, for the first time since Shariette arrived, the Rubellot estate had become noisy.

It started when a long line of fancy carriages bearing the royal crest rolled through the gates.

“Something feels off. The Duke and Duchess… they didn’t look happy.”

Mia, the maid who had brought Shariette some tea, spoke cautiously.

Shariette’s room overlooked the estate grounds, so she could clearly see both the carriages and the arriving guests.

“What about Noxian and Nixia?”

“They’re all gathered in the reception room, I think.”

Well, that made sense. When royal guests arrive, the whole household would naturally greet them.

Shariette wondered who the royal guest might be. It couldn’t be the king himself… Maybe the Crown Prince? Or the princess?

But judging by the tense atmosphere, it was probably the Crown Prince. The princess usually didn’t stir up such gloom.

Especially since Noxian and the others didn’t seem to have the best relationship with the prince.

“The head butler said they just showed up without warning. He didn’t sound happy about it…”

“Didn’t sound happy” was a polite way of saying he probably cursed out loud.

Shariette remembered the butler from her first day here—the one who proudly bragged about how Rubellot stood up to the royal family and still got everything they wanted.

Yep. That guy would definitely curse.

“Aren’t you going downstairs, Lady Shariette?”

“Why would I?”

Everyone—nobles and servants alike—was busy dealing with the royal guests. But she had no reason to be involved.

Shariette passed through the now unusually quiet hallways and stairs and made her way to the apothecary.

In tense times like this, doing something structured—like preparing medicine—helped her sort her thoughts.

“Oh, Shariette. Of course you’d be here.”

Heron, who also couldn’t care less about guests, greeted her cheerfully.

Shariette, who had spent hours shut inside the apothecary without even realizing she missed lunch, was finally chased out by Heron. He scolded her like an old man warning her that her joints would wear out.

Normally around this time, she would be sipping tea with Nixia or getting dragged into a forced walk by Noxian, who insisted that physical activity was part of being a refined lady.

Now, the garden was completely empty. It felt strangely unfamiliar.

Then—

Click, click.

Light footsteps tapped across the stone path, sharp in her ears.

“Hello? Nice to meet you.”

A clear, friendly voice came from behind.

Shariette had never heard that voice before—and it came from behind her—but she already had a feeling who it was.

She turned—and, just as she expected, there stood the person she’d guessed.

A kind face with a sweet voice that matched perfectly.

“I’m Anette Maze. I’ve heard a lot about you, Lady Shariette.”

Anette smiled brightly as she stepped closer, without hesitation.

So this was the “guest” who had arrived today?

Then why was she here, in the garden?

Clouds drifted slowly across the midday sun, casting soft shadows over the lawn.

“I hope we can become close, Shariette. Can I call you by a nickname?”

“Nickname?”

She didn’t have one. In fact, she hadn’t even been called by her own name for a full year yet.

But Anette didn’t seem to care as she made her cheerful suggestion:

“Shasha.”

“…!”

“Let’s be friends from now on, Shasha.”