🔊 TTS Settings
~Chapter 34~
Logan was wearing thin, round metal glasses, which was unusual for him.
“How did you know I was here?”
“Ever since you were little, whenever you were in trouble, you always ran to a corner where two walls meet.”
That was such a “Logan” answer.
‘He remembers all those little things about me?’
Aveline was amazed by her childhood friend’s sharp memory and changed the subject.
“By the way, when did you get here? Actually, why do you look like that? Are you sick?”
“I stayed up several nights writing my thesis.”
He had been working on a paper for the academic festival and still wasn’t finished.
Logan was a serious scholar, and even after graduating from the academy, he kept studying and working with professors.
Logan gave a weak smile.
His usual frail impression looked even sadder with that smile.
‘Is he even eating properly?’
Now that she looked, his expression was a little gloomy too.
“Nothing’s wrong, right?”
“Hm. Not really?”
His purple eyes had a distant look.
“Come on, something’s up, isn’t it?”
“Nothing… Anyway, I overheard earlier—what was that about flowers?”
Logan changed the subject.
Aveline couldn’t bring herself to say she was spreading rumors about being in a relationship with Theron, so she brushed it off.
“Oh, that. It’s nothing.”
“…Really?”
But Logan looked even gloomier than before.
‘Why is he like that?’
As Aveline tried to figure out his mood, a sharp voice cut in from the side.
“Well, look who it is!”
“Cervel?”
It was none other than Cervel, who always walked with her head held high.
“What are you doing here?”
It was unexpected—this party was hosted by Marquis Nor, a key figure in the Emperor’s faction.
“Is there any place I can’t go?”
Cervel replied confidently, but really, it was a bit strange for her, from a noble family of the other faction, to attend.
‘Then why did Duke Ribes come, too?’
Theron was on bad terms with Marquis Nor.
Logan, noticing Aveline’s confusion, explained quietly:
“This party isn’t just about politics. The real reason is to help people get along across sides—but honestly, it’s for business deals and gathering information.”
“So even the Crown Prince?”
She’d thought he only came because Marquis Nor invited him.
“He’s probably here to see what people are talking about, and… nobles act all proper up front, but they show their real selves when there’s profit involved. It’s the perfect place to figure out what’s really going on.”
“Oh, I see.”
So, in short, people came to see what deals were happening and to spy.
And if the Crown Prince was watching, people would avoid anything that might go against the royal family.
It was a smart move for Serio to attend.
“Anyway, for all those reasons, I came too. And by the way…”
Cervel, covering her mouth with a fan, gave Aveline a once-over.
“You really dressed up today.”
“What?”
“You’re all decked out in Countess Herolds’s things. I heard people gossiping that your ‘image-making’ and showmanship were very impressive.”
She spoke in her usual, proud voice, snapping open her fan.
“Um… don’t you mean ‘image-making’ and ‘showmanship’?”
Logan corrected her.
Cervel’s eyebrow twitched.
“Don’t correct everything I say!”
“I didn’t do anything…”
Logan pouted.
They often fought like this, even when they were kids, so it felt familiar.
Watching them, Aveline suddenly remembered yesterday.
“Oh, right. Cervel, did you send me a letter yesterday?”
“You only got it now?”
Cervel looked totally calm for someone who’d just sent a letter with a single dot.
“I sent you one every day since the last party.”
“With just a dot?”
“What matters is you got it! So, how many of my letters did you actually get?”
“Just one, yesterday.”
“So you didn’t get today’s. What was different about yesterday?”
Aveline instantly realized:
‘Lisa, the letter maid, wasn’t there yesterday.’
If that was just a coincidence, it was an amazing one.
For all the time Lisa was working, Aveline never got letters, but on the one day Lisa was gone, a letter arrived.
‘Definitely suspicious.’
She made up her mind to look into Lisa when she got home.
“You look like you figured something out.”
“Yeah. Thanks.”
Aveline nodded, then asked,
“By the way, did you send those letters just for me?”
“No way!”
Cervel jumped up.
“I was only trying to catch the sneaky goat stealing my letters! My reputation depends on those letters! There’s no way I sent them just for you!”
It was a fair argument.
‘Well, it’s true—if someone else read those letters, it would be bad.’
Aveline and Cervel always exchanged thoughts on the books they read—fine between the two of them, but embarrassing if someone else saw.
‘Still, she kind of did it for me.’
Cervel hated hassle, so there was no way she would have sent all those letters for any reason but Aveline.
“What are you two talking about?”
Logan, who had just been standing there, asked.
“None of your business!”
Cervel snapped at Logan, then spun around.
“I’m leaving.”
Having said her piece, Cervel walked off to join a group of noble girls from her own faction—including Melina Srun.
‘She won’t even look this way.’
Melina Srun, maybe because of what happened at the last party, was doing her best to avoid eye contact.
‘Not that I need her right now anyway.’
Aveline thought she might use Melina Srun’s promise someday, but not yet.
“Good day, young lord Casey.”
Just then, someone greeted Logan.
“Oh, Count Juan.”
The man was Count Juan, small and mean-looking, about as tall as Aveline, and part of the Emperor’s faction.
He was also a rival to Count Herolds, even though they were in the same group.
“And this is…”
Count Juan trailed off, looking at Aveline, signaling for an introduction.
‘How obvious.’
Aveline knew he was pretending not to know her.
She’d seen him in the crowd earlier, watching when she was in the spotlight between Serio and Theron.
“I’m Aveline Herolds.”
When she introduced herself, Count Juan couldn’t hide his sneer.
‘What’s that about?’
Being eye-level because of his height, Aveline saw the disdain on his face clearly.
“I heard things didn’t work out with Viscount Berta.”
Count Juan smirked, bringing up a memory Aveline would rather forget.
She never thought someone would mention that name here.
She was sure that talk about Berta was supposed to stay between Marquis Nor and her father.
Even among allies, personal stuff like that shouldn’t get out.
“Who would have guessed Viscount Berta would join a monastery rather than be with Lady Herolds? It’s funny, a man refusing a woman like that.”
It was hard for Aveline to keep a straight face.
Not only was he bringing up Berta’s terrible reputation, but he was also claiming Aveline got rejected.
It was clearly meant to insult her.
‘Why is he being so openly rude?’
Even if he was a rival to Count Herolds, spreading private gossip like this was a bad move.
“That’s going too far.”
Logan, usually friendly, stepped forward with a serious face.
Aveline had never seen him look so stern.
But Count Juan didn’t care.
“Oh, sorry if that was rude. I only introduced you two because I thought you’d be a good match. Too bad it didn’t work out.”
‘He was the one who arranged my engagement to Viscount Berta?’
