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"Carrion, how could you do this to me?"
Carrion frowned deeply, his tone icy.
"How did you find this place? Did you plant someone in our household?"
‘I leaked it on purpose.’
Riel glanced at Chloe, who was trembling with a shocked expression.
After the news that Riel would accompany Carrion on his trip spread among the servants, Riel intentionally mentioned "Madame Mari's Boutique" in front of a gathering of maids.
She was sure that Chloe, who aimed to be Carrion's mistress, had placed at least one maid in the Dietrian household.
"Everyone, leave us for a moment."
At Carrion's words, Riel, Madame Mari, and the shop assistant started to leave the room.
Slap-.
Chloe approached and slapped Riel hard across the face.
"Ah!"
Chloe’s nails scratched Riel’s cheek, leaving a small cut.
Riel's expression turned icy as she covered her stinging cheek.
"Oh my!"
Madame Mari and the assistant looked at Riel in shock.
"Chloe, what do you think you’re doing?"
Carrion, sitting on the sofa, asked irritably.
Chloe, her voice shaking with betrayal, spoke up.
"Carrion, I’m really disappointed in you. If I had known you were a man who dallied with such a lowly, traitorous maid, I would never have met you."
"Is that so?"
Chloe pointed accusingly at Riel, her voice rising.
"Yes! Just look at her. It’s clear she’s nothing but a vulgar maid who leeches money off men with her pretty face."
Carrion slowly stood up, a twisted smile on his face.
"Chloe, if you were more charming as a woman, would I have been captivated by such a lowly maid?"
"Carrion!"
Chloe shouted.
"I’m tired of you. I’m tired of your whining, and I’m tired of you clinging to me as if I’m the only thing in your life."
"How could you…"
"A woman who can only offer love to a man is not attractive."
"...!"
Chloe couldn’t find the words, her eyes filled with despair.
"The bill for the dress will be paid by my steward."
"Yes? Thank you, Count."
With those words, Carrion ostentatiously took Riel’s hand and walked out.
Chloe’s sobs could be heard beyond the boutique's door.
As Riel was about to get into the carriage, she noticed her reflection in the window, her cheek bearing a small cut the size of a pinky finger joint.
Blood was welling up from the cut.
Riel made up her mind and spoke softly.
"Count, I need to go back to the boutique. I left something important behind."
"If you go back now, you might face more trouble."
"This is nothing serious to me. And…"
"…"
"You also want to make sure Lady Chloe stays away, don’t you?"
Carrion smirked at Riel's perceptiveness.
"You're quick-witted. I like that."
"Then, please wait a moment."
Riel gently pushed Carrion's hand away and reentered the boutique.
Inside, only Chloe and Madame Mari remained.
Chloe was sitting on the floor, her face tear-stained.
"Miss Chloe, please stop crying. You’ll ruin your pretty face."
Madame Mari tried to comfort Chloe, wiping her face with a handkerchief.
"How could he do this to me? I was willing to give up everything."
"I warned you, didn’t I? Count Dietrian is a notorious philanderer. Forget about him."
"Not only did he marry another woman, but now he’s playing with a maid from a traitorous family. How could he do this to me?"
At that moment, Riel spoke in a dry tone.
"Madame Mari, the Count asks you to step outside for a moment."
"Ah? Well, then, just a moment."
Madame Mari, perhaps thinking she had been caught gossiping about the Count, hurriedly left the boutique.
Chloe glared at Riel with murderous intent and spat out.
"You’re a wicked woman. You’re evil."
"…"
"A maid brought from the Countess’s family? Even if you betrayed your own family, how hard could it be to betray your mistress?"
Slap-.
Riel slapped Chloe hard across the face.
"Ah!"
A scratch appeared on Chloe’s cheek.
"How dare you! How dare a maid lay a hand on a noblewoman!"
Just then,
Whisk-.
Riel grabbed Chloe by the throat with one hand. With the other, she picked up a sharp, crown-shaped brooch from the table.
"What… what are you doing?"
"Miss, there are many dangerous items in a boutique. So watch your mouth."
"Do you think you’ll get away with this?"
When Chloe, now terrified, tried to scream, Riel brought the sharp part of the brooch close to Chloe's face.
"If you mess with me, I’ll make sure to leave a big scar on your beautiful, white face."
"…!"
"I have no attachments to life. So I’m not afraid of anything."
It wasn’t a lie.
Riel had survived every perilous moment since becoming a slave with that very mindset.
Riel’s words, spoken with a chilling calm, left Chloe speechless, her face filled with fear.
Riel lowered her threatening hand and straightened her disheveled clothes.
"You were just the Count’s high-born mistress."
"…"
"So don’t act like you’re his official wife. It’s disgusting."
Riel held the brooch in her hand, bowed politely, and walked out of the boutique.
Carrion was chatting with Madame Mari in front of the carriage.
When he saw Riel, Carrion smiled and asked,
"What did you forget so clumsily?"
Riel slowly extended her hand, holding the brooch.
"I wanted this brooch. Please buy it for me."
Madame Mari glanced at Carrion, gauging his reaction.
But he laughed and said,
"Sure, I’ll buy it for you."
Carrion’s laughter continued for some time.
On a sunny afternoon, Iana headed to the castle's back garden at Charles’s invitation.
"Ugh!"
With each step, it felt as though her legs would give out. Vera, who was supporting Iana, grumbled beside her.
"The Grand Magician is too harsh. How could he make someone who fainted run through the training ground?"
Seeing Vera’s genuine concern, Iana felt guilty for bringing her into such harsh conditions without fully explaining the dangers.
"Vera, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have brought you to a place where monsters appear, without telling you the truth."
Vera, clearly uncomfortable with her mistress’s apology, quickly changed the subject.
"Oh, don’t say that! Oh? There’s the Grand Duke waiting for you."
Iana turned her head in the direction Vera pointed.
Charles was standing in front of a small fenced area, about knee-high. Hearing the noise, he looked at her and nodded.
She sent Vera away and quickly approached Charles.
Inside the fence, several fist-sized white rabbits were hopping around.
"Your Grace, what are these rabbits?"
"They are magical rabbits that only live in Erbin. Because their noses look like pink flowers, they are called flower petal rabbits."
Charles handed the smallest rabbit to Iana.
"Flower petal rabbits?"
Iana cradled the fluffy rabbit in her arms.
Munch munch.
The flower petal rabbit twitched its nose as it nibbled on a piece of carrot.
"According to Mule, the magic of a flower petal rabbit should be safe for you."
As Iana stroked the rabbit, she felt a tingling sensation in her hand.
"I can really feel something!"
"Mages who use combined magic need to get used to the flow of magic in their bodies. You need to gradually increase the intensity of the absorbed magic to avoid harming yourself."
The flower petal rabbit in Iana’s arms grew sluggish. Before long, it fell asleep, still holding the piece of carrot in its mouth.
"How cute!"
Iana exclaimed involuntarily.
"Do you find the flower petal rabbits cute?"
"Yes. They’re adorable."
"Then you should take responsibility and raise them well."
Charles seemed to decide this on the spot, but Iana could see his sincerity.
The flower petal rabbits were not just for her magic training.
In the face of a violent husband and a deceptive family, he was giving her something to care for, something to attach herself to.
"Why, does it feel like a burden?"
Charles asked carefully when Iana didn’t respond, his eyes warm and understanding.
Feeling grateful for his consideration, Iana decided to express her joy more openly.
"Thanks to Your Grace…"
"…"
"I have a family!"
She held the flower petal rabbit close to her face and smiled brightly, like a delighted child.
But Charles’s reaction was different from what she expected.
Did she seem frivolous? Charles furrowed his brow slightly, staring at her in silence.
Under his intense gaze, Iana slowly lowered the rabbit and her smile.
Then Charles leaned in a bit, looking back and forth between Iana and the rabbit.
"Now that I see it, you and the flower petal rabbit look alike."
"Me? I look like a rabbit?"
"I know it’s a bit impolite, but you’re small and cute like the rabbit."
‘Small and cute?’
Iana’s face turned bright red at Charles’s words.
Just then,
"Your Grace!"
The senior knight with the red cloak from the outer fortress came running urgently.
Charles's expression sharpened instantly.
"What is it? Has another monster appeared?"
"No, it's not that. We captured some suspicious people hiding their identities in the outer fortress…"
"…?"
"One of them is the Marquis Marcellus Lecelles, the brother of the Countess."
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