ITIEUPCML 31

~Chapter 31~

Astia had her first lesson with Countess Helen.

Countess Helen’s first impression was very strict, and Astia felt nervous.

‘I heard even the people in high society find her difficult.’

It felt like she was at a job interview. Astia had never had such a quiet tea time before. She carefully lifted her teacup, trying not to make a sound.

Countess Helen watched her closely, narrowing her eyes. Her gaze was so sharp, it seemed like she wouldn’t miss a single thing.

Because of that, Astia paid even more attention to her manners than usual. Countess Helen sat in silence.

After a short moment, Countess Helen finally spoke.

“…I think the rumors are exaggerated.”

“…Sorry? What do you mean?”

“Lady, do you know what people in society are saying about you? If you don’t, I can tell you.”

Astia tilted her head, puzzled by Countess Helen’s words.

‘Is it because I went to the tea party?’

She’d been exchanging letters with Cecilia, who mentioned that the tea party made it into the newspapers. So Astia got a copy right away.

As expected, there were lots of articles about her first social event.

“Lady Rovellito attends Count Alton’s tea party. Is this the start of her real debut in society?”
“The best match for Duke Diego Cellion.”

Astia felt dizzy from all the unexpected attention. Still, it was natural for people to be surprised if a noblewoman thought to be incurably ill suddenly appeared healthy.

She was uneasy about the mention of Diego at the end of one article.

‘Duke Diego Cellion…’

Every time she saw the name “Cellion,” she thought of Ruby and felt complicated inside.

“It’s more than I thought…”

Astia seemed to know a little about what was going on, so Countess Helen stopped talking for a moment, sipping her tea and looking Astia over carefully.

Astia swallowed nervously.
Why is she being so quiet? Does she not like me?
Astia wondered what Countess Helen would say next, feeling uneasy.

But what came was unexpected.

“…You’re very skilled in etiquette.”

“Th-thank you.”

“And you carry yourself with such elegance. …You’re beautiful as well, so I’m really looking forward to your debut.”

Countess Helen smiled with her eyes and began to praise her sincerely.
Astia was surprised by the change, but soon let out a sigh of relief.

“To be honest, I have nothing to teach you.”

Countess Helen seemed strict at first, but if someone met her standards, she was endlessly generous.

“…But, I’d feel bad not doing anything for the duke, so let’s pretend you’re at a tea party and have a conversation.”

“That’s fine with me, madam.”

Astia smiled back at Countess Helen.

“Lady, I’ll tell you about society. After your debut…”

Astia ended up listening to all kinds of stories about high society and life.
It didn’t feel bad at all.

All the attention, and the way Countess Helen took care of her—Astia wondered if this was what it would feel like to have a mother.

She never expected that the famous iron-walled Countess Helen could be so gentle.

“And… if some annoying young man bothers you, just raise your middle finger.”

“…Huh?”

“Or you can just kick him where it hurts.”

…Countess Helen was more bold than Astia expected.

When the lesson ended, Astia was leaving her room when she saw Haron standing there, looking lost.

“Sir Haron.”

“Miss, did your lesson go well?”

“Yes, I think it’s going to be fun from now on.”

“That’s great! You’ve always been perfect… I’m truly happy.”

“Haha, thank you. Did you clear things up with Annie? Why do you look so glum?”

“Ah…”

Haron looked flustered for a moment, but then smiled brightly.

“Thanks to you, Miss, we made up! And… I was going to keep it a secret a bit longer, but…”

“A secret?”

Haron looked around and lowered his voice.

“…I proposed successfully, and Annie and I are going to get married.”

“Really? Congratulations!”

“It’s a bit embarrassing… We’re not getting married right away, since we’re busy, but we’ll do it next year.”

“Oh, I see. Still, that’s wonderful. Please take good care of Annie, Sir Haron.”

Haron bowed his head to Astia, grateful.

“Yes… Thank you so much, Miss. I regret waiting so long to propose. If I’d known Annie was hurting inside, I would have confessed sooner…”

“All that matters is that it worked out.”

“That’s true. I’m so happy, I can’t believe I was ever worried. Even if I get married… I’ll always be your personal guard! That’s my dream.”

“It’s okay. If you find something better later, you can go. But thank you.”

Haron saluted her with a big grin.

Astia felt relieved.

It seemed Haron and Annie were in a good place now, and Astia had played a big part in that.

“Are you going to the garden? I’ll escort you.”

“No, that’s alright. I already told my brother, so I’ll go alone.”

“Ah. Then I’ll guard you from somewhere you can’t see!”

“Thank you.”

Astia smiled as she headed to the garden.

Since she became an adult, she didn’t have as many guards when she walked in the garden. Since she stayed inside the estate, Damian accepted there was little risk.

“Ian.”

She walked to the deeper part of the garden, and soon, Ian appeared as if he’d been waiting.

“You look proud.”

“Haron is marrying Annie. His proposal worked.”

“Oh, really? When are you getting married? Don’t humans usually marry soon after they become adults?”

“…I don’t plan to.”

“Why not?”

“There’s no one I like, and I enjoy living with my family.”

“That’s not a bad choice.”

Ian nodded, then gathered his magic.

“I have something for you.”

His golden eyes sparkled.
A portable crystal ball appeared in the air. Ian moved it with his magic and handed it to Astia, who caught it in her hands, surprised.

Astia looked at Ian, as if to ask why.

“What’s this for?”

“Something complicated happened. There was strange magic detected in the back alleys.”

“…Really?”

“Yeah. So I’ll have to stay at the Mage Tower for a while. I don’t know how long, but I won’t be able to meet you in the garden for some time.”

“Oh, that’s why you’re giving this to me? It’s a crystal ball, right?”

Ian nodded and looked away.

“It’s just something extra from my pocket dimension. It connects straight to the Mage Tower, so you can contact me if you need to.”

“Wow… Direct line to the Mage Tower?”

“Ahem. If you don’t need it, throw it away. I just brought it since I had it. Oh, and just in case, I’ll give you a magic tool that can record things too.”

“Thank you. I’ll use it well. You’re just worried about me, aren’t you?”

“No, don’t get the wrong idea.”

Astia couldn’t help but laugh at Ian’s awkwardness.

“Pfft.”

“Don’t laugh.”

“I’m not laughing.”

“…”

Ian looked really serious.
Even with his furrowed brow, he didn’t look threatening, but Astia accepted it.

Instead, she smiled to show her gratitude for his kindness.

“I’ll use it when I need to. It’s great that it connects straight to the Mage Tower.”

“…Glad you like it.”

“So what’s this strange magic about? Can you explain?”

Ian sat on a tree branch and spoke seriously.

“Do you know what the back alleys are like?”

“I do.”

Astia remembered how the original story described the empire’s back alleys.

It was a place full of shadows—black markets, crime, and slums.
The imperial family never completely cleaned it up, so at night, it became lively and dangerous.

“There was a murder there.”

“…A murder?”

“Yeah. The mages investigated after hearing someone scream, and they’re sure it was murder. But the body disappeared without a trace. That’s the weird part.”