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~Chapter 50~
“This letter is too good to keep just for myself.”
“Nixia, stop laughing and check it for me.”
“It’s already perfect. This letter really shows Shariette’s charm.”
It sounded like sarcasm. Shariette narrowed her eyes.
“I know you’re teasing me.”
“I’m serious. But by the way, ‘I must escort’—does that mean Shariette is the one doing the escorting?”
Not the one being escorted?
“Of course.”
After all, Noxian was the patient, and she was his personal doctor.
The word itself had the meaning of protection, of guarding.
“Since I’ve been given this task, I’ll do it properly. First, I’ll prepare medicine to dull his senses and nerves a little, then I’ll check the food in the banquet hall for poison…”
“Wait, Shariette. What task did you say you were given?”
When Nixia heard the full story, she bent over the desk, pounding it with her fists as she burst out laughing.
“Hahaha! This is crazy! So you’re saying—you’ll go to the royal banquet as Noxian’s escort? As his personal doctor, guarding him? You’re even his partner, and this is how you see it?!”
Shariette tilted her head. What was the problem?
Nixia doubled over again, laughing so much her stomach hurt.
So that pitiful brother of hers must have played the “poor, weak patient” card, acting as though he needed protection.
But the fact that Shariette took it so seriously—believing she was “working” at the banquet—was hilarious.
Nixia thought: “That little brother of mine has finally met a real opponent.”
Letter
To Her Highness the Princess
Aylard Royal Palace.
The Princess’s residence.
When Princess Diana saw the letter, her lips twisted in a cold laugh. The greeting sounded far from sincere.
“I have received Your Highness’s invitation. It has been a long time since you were of use.”
What nerve.
From the very first line, he managed to make her angry.
The princess’s slender hand crumpled the letter tightly.
“However, allow me to correct your mistake. Facts should always be precise.”
The second line wasn’t any better. She could practically hear his arrogant voice.
The princess pushed her golden hair back and kept reading.
“There is no connection between Genoa and Lady V. Just as you wouldn’t call two strangers on the street ‘acquainted,’ it is the same here.”
No connection? But it was already in the papers, the rumors were everywhere.
Everyone knew Caiel Genoa had personally visited the Rubellot family.
“Since Your Highness asked so earnestly, if there is a chance at the banquet, I will arrange an introduction. If Lady V wishes for it.”
Earnestly asked.
If there is a chance.
If she wishes.
Every phrase was sharp enough to cut.
“That arrogant brat,” Princess Diana spat.
Fuming, she slammed the reply aside and gulped down cold tea.
“What should we do, Your Highness?” asked the chief maid.
“Prepare it as is. He said he would arrange an introduction.”
“…What?”
Hadn’t she just called the letter rude and disrespectful?
Seeing the maid’s confusion, the princess gave a crooked smile.
“In Noxian Rubellot’s language, that means yes. By the way—what have you found about this Lady V?”
“Yes, Your Highness. Her name is Shariette Verdette. She has been seen at the Rubellot estate for the last few months. Around summer, the young duke himself brought her there.”
“…Continue.”
“It is hard to learn exact details since the Rubellots keep her background secret. But based on witnesses’ accounts, this is her.”
The maid presented a portrait.
A young beauty with wavy white hair and a sharp, delicate expression.
“Nixia Rubellot introduced her as a ‘friend.’ Though her identity is unclear, she is believed to be at least semi-noble. She seems to hold great importance in the Rubellot household.”
That day, everyone in Caldeon had heard about her.
“Of course. Nixia and Noxian Rubellot don’t easily give their trust to anyone.”
At that, the princess glanced again at the tossed-aside letter.
“It has been a long time since you were of use.”
‘What did he mean by that?’
She couldn’t guess what Noxian was thinking.
The chief maid, Jenna, carefully continued.
“We also inquired at the Royal Pharmaceutical Association. Heron Varein, head of the Varein Viscounty, introduced her as his apprentice.”
“The head of House Varein?”
“Yes. And not only that—Noxian Rubellot himself appeared as her guarantor.”
“Noxian himself?”
“Yes. They seemed very close…”
“Very close?”
Princess Diana laughed coldly.
She had known Noxian for more than ten years. She couldn’t believe he was “close” to anyone.
Not a person, at least. Maybe an animal.
The past few years, he had been even worse: sharp, irritable, rejecting everyone.
‘And that man, the one who trusts no one, acted as someone’s guarantor?’
The more she heard, the more curious she became.
“Jenna. Do you think this Lady V could be of use to me?”
The maid hesitated. Honestly, she couldn’t understand why the princess cared about this “Lady V.”
She was tied to both the Rubellots and the Genoas. An unknown pharmacist of unclear origin.
Strange, yes. But worthy of a princess’s attention? Probably not.
‘Is it because she’s a skilled pharmacist? Then the Association or the Vareins would matter more… Or is it because of the young duke?’
She didn’t know.
But since the princess always had her reasons, the maid simply bowed.
“Perhaps it would be best if Your Highness meets her directly and judges with your own wisdom.”
“Yes. I should meet her.”
The princess studied the portrait closely.
The painter had worked especially hard on the eyes — a mysterious color of blue-green, looking green from some angles, blue from others.
‘So… is this Noxian Rubellot’s taste?’
Originally, Noxian hadn’t planned on suddenly taking Shariette to a royal banquet.
Especially not now, when too many useless people seemed ready to set their eyes on her.
He tossed the princess’s reply into the fireplace and muttered:
“Damn Genoa.”
First the father, now the son — both useless.
No, worse. A nuisance.
Caiel Genoa had come up with the excuse of “gratitude” and “escort,” stirring up trouble and making Noxian lose focus for a moment.
“Why burn a letter from the princess just because of Genoa?”
Luke clicked his tongue.
Even if they were close, was it really okay to treat a royal’s letter like that?
“It didn’t say anything useful anyway.”
“Please, don’t say things that could get us killed if someone hears.”
“You’re the only one listening.”
“I mean I don’t want to hear it either.”
Noxian ignored him and kept watching as the paper in the fireplace burned black and crumbled to ash. Then he asked:
“Did you check?”
“Yes. As you ordered, I searched through every channel, but nothing. Inside the Argen Marquis’s household, they might have secretly known, but outside—there wasn’t a single trace. Honestly, if such records had existed, we would have been the first to find them.”
That made sense. If there had been a weakness, others would have torn into it already.
The fact that the outside world had no trace of her explained why finding Shasha had been so difficult.
Noxian tapped the desk with his fingers, lost in thought.
He remembered a conversation with Nixia a while back.
“Hey, I need to talk about Shariette for a moment.”
Shariette desperately pretended not to be Shasha in front of him, never showing any cracks.
But in front of Nixia, she seemed to reveal quite a bit of her inner self.
That fact didn’t sit well with him.
“Nixia, the place where you brought Shariette from—was Willowhill really that backward of a countryside?”
“Why do you ask all of a sudden?”
“Because of Shariette. She suddenly panicked in the plaza, like she’d never been outside before. But even for a first time, it was too extreme.”
Nixia hadn’t understood.
But Noxian, who knew Shariette was really Shasha, could guess.
Shasha had told him she had never left the Argen castle.
Only when sneaking out to scout escape routes at night, through water drains or near the incinerator.
Back then, he had thought her words were just exaggeration.
“But it was true.”
