(10) Northern Duke Cyrus Carha (5)
“Do you control the weather?”
Cyrus slightly raised his palm in response to Ariana’s question.
Several ice shards, the size of freshly fallen hailstones, appeared and disappeared on his palm.
“It’s simple magic.”
“How fascinating.”
“You don’t look amazed. And I also did you a favor.”
“Rachel... did you drive away my mother?”
Cyrus didn’t answer, instead staring intently at Ariana. Finally, he asked,
“Why did you provoke her?”
“I was just asking something I’ve been curious about. I didn’t do it on purpose.”
“Aha.”
He didn’t seem to believe her at all.
“By the way, I didn’t know Your Excellency, the Northern Duke, was still here. If you’d just told me, I’d treat you well.”
“I don’t like being treated well.”
“But if you sleep in a tree in this cold weather and your mouth gets sore, the women who adore you will be sad.”
“Aren’t you sad?”
“I’ll cry myself to sleep every night, too.”
“Well, I think it’s a good thing.”
“Yeah.”
Ariana, who would normally have cried and complained, answered calmly with a smile, leaving Victoria slightly flustered.
Seeing Victoria, Ariana added,
“Would my mother be happy if I acted like you, too?”
Victoria was both relieved and perplexed by the naive question.
Ariana, acting calmly, seemed so elegant that she felt like a different person. Her beauty, previously obscured by her worn clothes, unkempt hair, and gloomy expression, shone like the sun rising from behind a deep valley. Her uniquely snow-white skin, envied by the women of the West, and her sky-blue hair, half-inherited from the Eastern Duke, were dazzlingly fresh. Her features were densely packed into her perfectly proportioned small face, and her blue eyes filled with a cat-like allure.
'Was she really this pretty?'
She knew Ariana was beautiful.
But when she walked around with a sullen face and a stooped head, that beauty was completely hidden.
Victoria had once been jealous of even that beauty, but now that she knew that looks alone didn't determine a woman's worth, she had let go of her envy.
Since Ariana would never enter society anyway, she considered it foolish to compete with her for beauty.
To Victoria, Ariana was nothing more than a means to keep Helena in check. That was the case until now.
'I can't let her follow me.'
Victoria quickly smiled and linked arms with Ariana.
"What are you talking about, Sister? Everyone likes you."
"But Mother only scolds me..."
"Don't you know what they say, Sister, that the more you love your child, the more you should be punished? Mother is saying that because she has high expectations of you."
"Is that really true?"
"Of course. Sister, let's go to my room and stop thinking about unnecessary things. Dad bought you some delicious cookies yesterday. I saved them for you and me to eat."
"That would be nice. Dad bought me cookies too..."
Victoria, walking beside Ariana, linked arms, but didn't see Ariana's expression.
Ariana's face, expressing envy, was devoid of any emotion.
'You're still immature, Victoria.'
The incident at the garden party tomorrow was undoubtedly orchestrated by Victoria, but it was full of loopholes.
Victoria's current behavior toward Ariana was also still immature. Seeing Victoria's agitation, even at the mere sight of Ariana's slight change, Ariana felt a little more at ease.
Victoria's room was incomparably larger and more luxurious than Ariana's.
It was a spacious room with a living room, bathroom, and dressing room. In her past life, Ariana had felt envy and jealousy every time she entered Victoria's room.
Victoria sat down first on the white chair next to the tea table and pointed Ariana to the chair opposite.
“Sit there.”
When Ariana did so, Victoria called the maid over and ordered her to bring tea and cookies. The maid brought a silver tray filled with precious teacups and a teapot, something Ariana had never been able to touch. When the maid set the tray down, Victoria dismissed her and poured Ariana tea herself.
The white cup was filled with black tea, steam rising from it.
Victoria said commandingly,
“Drink it.”
Ariana obediently took the cup and blew on the steaming black tea to cool it down, but Victoria narrowed her eyes slightly.
“No, Sister. You shouldn’t drink like that. Didn’t anyone teach you proper tea etiquette?”
Victoria pointed out Ariana’s rudeness with a pitying look.
It was just like her past life.
At that moment, Ariana's face flushed bright red, and she didn't know what to do; Victoria watched her with amusement.
This time, Ariana pretended to fluster a little and put down her teacup.
"But it's too hot."
"Sister, why do you think this is there?"
Victoria pointed to the saucer.
When Ariana just stared at her as if she didn't know anything, Victoria sighed softly and picked up her own teacup.
Victoria tilted the teacup and poured a little tea onto the saucer.
Then, she picked up the cup, the black tea clinking, and drank it in one slurp.
"You pour it into the saucer like this and let it cool a little before you drink it loudly. A loud slurp lets the person serving you know how delicious the tea is."
Ariana watched Victoria as if she were watching a funny play.
'You're trying to make me laugh, Victoria.'
“Do you control the weather?”
Cyrus slightly raised his palm in response to Ariana’s question.
Several ice shards, the size of freshly fallen hailstones, appeared and disappeared on his palm.
“It’s simple magic.”
“How fascinating.”
“You don’t look amazed. And I also did you a favor.”
“Rachel... did you drive away my mother?”
Cyrus didn’t answer, instead staring intently at Ariana. Finally, he asked,
“Why did you provoke her?”
“I was just asking something I’ve been curious about. I didn’t do it on purpose.”
“Aha.”
He didn’t seem to believe her at all.
“By the way, I didn’t know Your Excellency, the Northern Duke, was still here. If you’d just told me, I’d treat you well.”
“I don’t like being treated well.”
“But if you sleep in a tree in this cold weather and your mouth gets sore, the women who adore you will be sad.”
“Aren’t you sad?”
“I’ll cry myself to sleep every night, too.”
“Well, I think it’s a good thing.”
How sharp.
Ariana concealed her feelings and smiled faintly.
“You seem busy, so I’ll be heading back now.”
Ariana concealed her feelings and smiled faintly.
“You seem busy, so I’ll be heading back now.”
“Stop, you who cannot be called anything, and who has nothing to call you.”
What was that supposed to mean?
Ariana stopped walking, dumbfounded, and remembered what she had said to Cyrus when she came out of the storage room.
“There is nothing to call you, is there?”
What was that supposed to mean?
Ariana stopped walking, dumbfounded, and remembered what she had said to Cyrus when she came out of the storage room.
“There is nothing to call you, is there?”
Who would have thought those words were still in his mind?
As Ariana hid her bewilderment and stared calmly, Cyrus said,
“You who cannot be called anything, and who has nothing to call you. I would like to offer you a piece of advice.”
“I will decline.”
“I won’t count this as a debt.”
“Still, I will decline, Your Excellency.”
“You can be called anything...”
“Your Excellency, please just call me Ariana.”
Ariana swallowed a sigh, and Cyrus nodded briefly.
“Ariana. You need to control your gaze.”
“Yes?”
Cyrus stepped closer and looked down at Ariana.
His finger brushed the corner of her eye.
“Showing your will to live with such a fragile body will only hasten your death.”
“Even Your Excellency’s eyes are filled with murder.”
“That’s fine with me. I’m strong.”
“I envy you. If I were as strong as Your Excellency, I could fully reveal my feelings.”
“What are your feelings?”
A soft smile spread across Ariana’s lips.
It was a beautiful smile, like sunlight dispelling the darkness at dawn.
“Do you think Your Excellency, with his busy schedule, would have time to understand my feelings? I sincerely hope you can complete your plans quickly.”
“Are you telling me to ignore your own work, finish what you need to do, and then quickly leave?”
“No way.”
Ariana bowed slightly, showing her respect, and turned around sharply.
Cyrus stood there blankly, watching her walk away.
Ariana, slowly walking toward the main building, possessed an elegance that even a noblewoman rarely possessed.
Her skirt barely moved, her steps firm and steady.
Isaac, who had jumped down from the tree next to Cyrus, said,
“How can she be so elegant in those clothes? She doesn’t look like a child. Even her speech isn’t childish at all.”
“She’s all grown up at sixteen.”
“Have you ever seen such elegance at sixteen? Oh, the Princess is like that. You couldn’t help it. But the second Princess isn’t like that. I doubt Rachel Bronte taught her the manners only a member of the royal family would learn.”
“...”
“By the way, Cyrus, you helped her again.”
“As I said, it’s a favor. That way, it’ll be easier to use later.”
Ariana walked down the hallway and checked her reflection in the window.
The face reflected in the sparkling glass was small, frail, and indifferent, but her blue eyes were radiant with a piercing light.
She closed her eyes tightly, then opened them again, and the hatred and murderous energy that had been simmering in them vanished.
'I've been walking around with this kind of look in my eyes.'
No one in this mansion cared about Ariana's feelings, so whether her gaze was filled with hatred or affection, no one would notice.
But if she kept that gaze, someone might catch on.
Cyrus's advice was sound.
'I need to be more careful from now on.'
As Ariana hid her bewilderment and stared calmly, Cyrus said,
“You who cannot be called anything, and who has nothing to call you. I would like to offer you a piece of advice.”
“I will decline.”
“I won’t count this as a debt.”
“Still, I will decline, Your Excellency.”
“You can be called anything...”
“Your Excellency, please just call me Ariana.”
Ariana swallowed a sigh, and Cyrus nodded briefly.
“Ariana. You need to control your gaze.”
“Yes?”
Cyrus stepped closer and looked down at Ariana.
His finger brushed the corner of her eye.
“Showing your will to live with such a fragile body will only hasten your death.”
“Even Your Excellency’s eyes are filled with murder.”
“That’s fine with me. I’m strong.”
“I envy you. If I were as strong as Your Excellency, I could fully reveal my feelings.”
“What are your feelings?”
A soft smile spread across Ariana’s lips.
It was a beautiful smile, like sunlight dispelling the darkness at dawn.
“Do you think Your Excellency, with his busy schedule, would have time to understand my feelings? I sincerely hope you can complete your plans quickly.”
“Are you telling me to ignore your own work, finish what you need to do, and then quickly leave?”
“No way.”
Ariana bowed slightly, showing her respect, and turned around sharply.
Cyrus stood there blankly, watching her walk away.
Ariana, slowly walking toward the main building, possessed an elegance that even a noblewoman rarely possessed.
Her skirt barely moved, her steps firm and steady.
Isaac, who had jumped down from the tree next to Cyrus, said,
“How can she be so elegant in those clothes? She doesn’t look like a child. Even her speech isn’t childish at all.”
“She’s all grown up at sixteen.”
“Have you ever seen such elegance at sixteen? Oh, the Princess is like that. You couldn’t help it. But the second Princess isn’t like that. I doubt Rachel Bronte taught her the manners only a member of the royal family would learn.”
“...”
“By the way, Cyrus, you helped her again.”
“As I said, it’s a favor. That way, it’ll be easier to use later.”
***
Ariana walked down the hallway and checked her reflection in the window.
The face reflected in the sparkling glass was small, frail, and indifferent, but her blue eyes were radiant with a piercing light.
She closed her eyes tightly, then opened them again, and the hatred and murderous energy that had been simmering in them vanished.
'I've been walking around with this kind of look in my eyes.'
No one in this mansion cared about Ariana's feelings, so whether her gaze was filled with hatred or affection, no one would notice.
But if she kept that gaze, someone might catch on.
Cyrus's advice was sound.
'I need to be more careful from now on.'
She felt bad that Cyrus had caught her eye. She felt like he'd found a weakness in her, but she quickly dismissed the thought.
'He's the Northern Duke. What use would he have exploiting the weakness of a Bronte swindler?'
The only thing that bothered her was that he was still watching Bronte Manor.
She'd expected that things wouldn't go according to plan as she began her new life. Even if she knew the future, Ariana's actions would change everything.
But that was for later.
She was worried that, having just returned to time, she'd be dealing with an unexpected figure, and a Northern Duke at that.
'I don't know when he came into this mansion, but as far as I know, it's been a few days.'
'He's the Northern Duke. What use would he have exploiting the weakness of a Bronte swindler?'
The only thing that bothered her was that he was still watching Bronte Manor.
She'd expected that things wouldn't go according to plan as she began her new life. Even if she knew the future, Ariana's actions would change everything.
But that was for later.
She was worried that, having just returned to time, she'd be dealing with an unexpected figure, and a Northern Duke at that.
'I don't know when he came into this mansion, but as far as I know, it's been a few days.'
In her past life, he only spread rumors of his coming here and never showed up. Was the rumor of his visit to the Western Region just to make an excuse if he were to be discovered while secretly working?
If so, he might just spy on Bronte Manor without revealing his identity to anyone and then return to the North.
'He wouldn't be observing Bronte Manor with good intentions, would he?'
Ariana didn't know what problems existed between Cyrus and the Bronte family, but she didn't want to get involved.
However, Cyrus cared enough about Ariana to point out the difference in her gaze. That was precisely what made her uneasy.
'If the Northern Duke gets in the way of my plans at this point...'
Dealing with the Bronte family wasn't difficult, but she didn't yet have the strength to deal with the Northern Duke. Hoping to avoid any more clashes, she walked down the hallway when Victoria approached her from the other side.
Victoria was a pretty girl with light blonde hair and vivid green eyes. As expected of a Westerner, her skin was slightly darker, and she resembled Rachel a lot.
Ariana had adored and trusted Victoria, who was a year younger than her. She may not have known that Victoria harbored a sharper sword than Helena within her.
Victoria pretended to help and care for Ariana, only to push her deeper into the abyss.
Too late, she realized that it was Victoria who had manipulated the foolish Helena into driving Ariana down the path of self-destruction.
“Sister.”
Victoria approached Ariana with a bright smile.
Ariana wondered what Victoria was thinking behind her kind and charming smile.
Standing before Ariana, Victoria furrowed her eyebrows, a worried expression on her face.
“It seemed like you got scolded by your mother earlier. Are you okay?”
“Yeah, I’m fine.”
“...Really?”
If so, he might just spy on Bronte Manor without revealing his identity to anyone and then return to the North.
'He wouldn't be observing Bronte Manor with good intentions, would he?'
Ariana didn't know what problems existed between Cyrus and the Bronte family, but she didn't want to get involved.
However, Cyrus cared enough about Ariana to point out the difference in her gaze. That was precisely what made her uneasy.
'If the Northern Duke gets in the way of my plans at this point...'
Dealing with the Bronte family wasn't difficult, but she didn't yet have the strength to deal with the Northern Duke. Hoping to avoid any more clashes, she walked down the hallway when Victoria approached her from the other side.
Victoria was a pretty girl with light blonde hair and vivid green eyes. As expected of a Westerner, her skin was slightly darker, and she resembled Rachel a lot.
Ariana had adored and trusted Victoria, who was a year younger than her. She may not have known that Victoria harbored a sharper sword than Helena within her.
Victoria pretended to help and care for Ariana, only to push her deeper into the abyss.
Too late, she realized that it was Victoria who had manipulated the foolish Helena into driving Ariana down the path of self-destruction.
“Sister.”
Victoria approached Ariana with a bright smile.
Ariana wondered what Victoria was thinking behind her kind and charming smile.
Standing before Ariana, Victoria furrowed her eyebrows, a worried expression on her face.
“It seemed like you got scolded by your mother earlier. Are you okay?”
“Yeah, I’m fine.”
“...Really?”
“Yeah.”
Ariana, who would normally have cried and complained, answered calmly with a smile, leaving Victoria slightly flustered.
Seeing Victoria, Ariana added,
“Would my mother be happy if I acted like you, too?”
Victoria was both relieved and perplexed by the naive question.
Ariana, acting calmly, seemed so elegant that she felt like a different person. Her beauty, previously obscured by her worn clothes, unkempt hair, and gloomy expression, shone like the sun rising from behind a deep valley. Her uniquely snow-white skin, envied by the women of the West, and her sky-blue hair, half-inherited from the Eastern Duke, were dazzlingly fresh. Her features were densely packed into her perfectly proportioned small face, and her blue eyes filled with a cat-like allure.
'Was she really this pretty?'
She knew Ariana was beautiful.
But when she walked around with a sullen face and a stooped head, that beauty was completely hidden.
Victoria had once been jealous of even that beauty, but now that she knew that looks alone didn't determine a woman's worth, she had let go of her envy.
Since Ariana would never enter society anyway, she considered it foolish to compete with her for beauty.
To Victoria, Ariana was nothing more than a means to keep Helena in check. That was the case until now.
'I can't let her follow me.'
Victoria quickly smiled and linked arms with Ariana.
"What are you talking about, Sister? Everyone likes you."
"But Mother only scolds me..."
"Don't you know what they say, Sister, that the more you love your child, the more you should be punished? Mother is saying that because she has high expectations of you."
"Is that really true?"
"Of course. Sister, let's go to my room and stop thinking about unnecessary things. Dad bought you some delicious cookies yesterday. I saved them for you and me to eat."
"That would be nice. Dad bought me cookies too..."
Victoria, walking beside Ariana, linked arms, but didn't see Ariana's expression.
Ariana's face, expressing envy, was devoid of any emotion.
'You're still immature, Victoria.'
I felt Victoria was like a towering mountain because I was at her mercy until the day I died. I wondered when exactly she had started hiding her true feelings and manipulating people behind the scenes.
Victoria's current behavior toward Ariana was also still immature. Seeing Victoria's agitation, even at the mere sight of Ariana's slight change, Ariana felt a little more at ease.
Victoria's room was incomparably larger and more luxurious than Ariana's.
It was a spacious room with a living room, bathroom, and dressing room. In her past life, Ariana had felt envy and jealousy every time she entered Victoria's room.
Victoria sat down first on the white chair next to the tea table and pointed Ariana to the chair opposite.
“Sit there.”
When Ariana did so, Victoria called the maid over and ordered her to bring tea and cookies. The maid brought a silver tray filled with precious teacups and a teapot, something Ariana had never been able to touch. When the maid set the tray down, Victoria dismissed her and poured Ariana tea herself.
The white cup was filled with black tea, steam rising from it.
Victoria said commandingly,
“Drink it.”
Ariana obediently took the cup and blew on the steaming black tea to cool it down, but Victoria narrowed her eyes slightly.
“No, Sister. You shouldn’t drink like that. Didn’t anyone teach you proper tea etiquette?”
Victoria pointed out Ariana’s rudeness with a pitying look.
It was just like her past life.
At that moment, Ariana's face flushed bright red, and she didn't know what to do; Victoria watched her with amusement.
This time, Ariana pretended to fluster a little and put down her teacup.
"But it's too hot."
"Sister, why do you think this is there?"
Victoria pointed to the saucer.
When Ariana just stared at her as if she didn't know anything, Victoria sighed softly and picked up her own teacup.
Victoria tilted the teacup and poured a little tea onto the saucer.
Then, she picked up the cup, the black tea clinking, and drank it in one slurp.
"You pour it into the saucer like this and let it cool a little before you drink it loudly. A loud slurp lets the person serving you know how delicious the tea is."
Ariana watched Victoria as if she were watching a funny play.
'You're trying to make me laugh, Victoria.'
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