CH 19

Chapter 19 ( Superior field )

Thank you Vicky for the kofi~

Lariette opened her round eyes wide and looked at the sudden appearance of Asrazan. Fortunately, the unsightly hiccups were tolerable.

“… I see the Duke of Alteon.”

Doha quietly bowed his head and greeted Asrazan. He had a sensible expression on his face as if nothing had happened.

Asrazan lightly ignored Doha’s greeting. Because there was no need to accept it.

“Asrazan, didn’t you say that you have a lot of paperwork to deal with in a hurry today?”

Lariette asked, repeating the conversation with him. The amount of paperwork piled up on the desk was no joke. It was absolutely impossible to finish it so quickly.

Asrazan wore a faint smile on his characteristic expressionless face. Then he looked at her and answered in a soft voice.

“It is more urgent to be with you.”

At the unfamiliar lines, Lariette’s cheeks burned red. She didn’t mind when he spoke, but when she heard what he was saying, she felt ashamed.

‘Pretending to be blunt and speaking well!’

She controlled the heat on her face by fanning her hands.

Meanwhile, Doha kept a relaxed expression on his face, but deepened his teeth inwardly.

The Duke, who he called an emotionless monster, was far more tenacious and unreasonable than he thought.

The eyes that had been gently curved toward Lariette were wildly distorted as they turned toward Doha.

There was a clear threat in his cold gaze. He threatened to rip off a limb if I touched Lariette.

“So, can I go with you?”

Asrazan hurried to answer in a low voice. Doha smiled slyly and replied with a feminine touch.

“Of course. It is an honor to be able to go out with you.”

His voice was so bright that he thought he was really honored.

Doha was very good at hiding his emotions, so he cleverly played the innocent friend. It was difficult for the Duke to find out.

Asrazan looked at him briefly with suspicion and then turned to Halstein. Then he gave the order.

“Get the carriage ready.”

“Yes, Master.”

Halstein bowed his head modestly and left. But as he turned around, his face was full of satisfaction.

‘Master! That’s it! That’s it!’

He still couldn’t believe he could see Asrazan jealous of someone and courting a woman while he was still alive. I had no regrets even if I died right now.

Soon Kandel’s black carriage was ready.

Asrazan helped Lariette get on the carriage with a familiar appearance, and Lariette looked back at Asrazan and Doha with a smile.

She was hoping in vain that maybe her lover and her friend might become close.

The carriage departed, and Doha sat quietly and looked at the window.

A strange feeling kept tickling his nerves. It was anxiety. He had a gut feeling that bad things would happen if he followed them like this.

‘We’re just going to the library, so why?’

Doha glanced at the passing scenery with sharp eyes. And as soon as he arrived, his face darkened in an instant.

“Are we going to the Imperial Library now..?”

“That’s right.”

It was a familiar road to Doha. The road to the Palace.

In response to Asrazan’s answer, he bit the inside of his lip and tightened his chin.

There were too many people in the Imperial Family who knew me. Even if there were scandals circulating that the next pope was wearing the attire of a low Priest, he did not want to reveal his identity to Lariette right now.

So, as soon as Doha got off the carriage, he opened his eyes wide and opened his mouth as if he had just come to mind.

“Hey, I’m sorry about this, what should I do? Come to think of it, something happened at the temple today. I think I should go back now to avoid being questioned.”

“ Huh. Doha. Are you getting in trouble? You can go now!”

“Thank you, Lady and Duke, I will leave first. Please forgive me.”

At Doha’s earnest voice, Asrazan shook his head once instead of answering. So it meant to go.

Doha bowed politely and quickly turned around, flapping his uniform and disappeared. There was nothing bad for Asrazan.

Asrazan gently lowered his head and glanced at Lariette’s expression. I wondered if she would be sad.

However, Lariette continued speaking with a bright face.

“Hehe, it’s a library date!”

Lariette looked at him with twinkling eyes and gently held his hand. At that cute action, Asrazan trembled without realizing it.

He was terrified that her eyes were shining too brightly. It was because he had a suspicion that he might do strange things to approach me again.

Since that incident last night, Asrazan has felt every moment on the edge since that last night.

Her lips kept coming into his eyes, and the desire to hide them and bite them took over his head moment by moment. He had to work hard to control it.

‘I’ll be fine today.’

Asrazan looked at the grabbed hand and thought. The destination was the Imperial Library, and nothing could happen in that solemn place.

“Asrazan, can I hold your hand?”

“… Do as you please.”

Asrazan answered, looking away from her gaze and staring at a distant place. My lips wiggled as It wanted to keep rising.

Her hands were too small and so soft in his gloved hands.

I should have come out without gloves. He regretted it briefly.

“Haha, you don’t have to hold it so weakly.”

Lariette giggled and tapped the back of his hand with the other hand. It was in a state of being so weak that it would break if he held it a little too hard.

Asrazan did not know the proper strength of force, so he held her hand vaguely. It was only natural because he had never intentionally held a woman’s hand.

They got off near the library in the Palace, so they arrived quickly.

The building of the library was gilded, gleaming, and very large. Lariette, who rarely visited the Imperial Palace, was busy looking around with her mouth wide open.

The interior of the library was also very splendid and majestic, but Lariette looked around for a while and soon lost interest.

The suggestion to go to the library in the first place was too much, so I didn’t know what to do now without him.

Lariette looked at the books without inspiration, passing through the large bookshelves. And Asrazan was slowly following her one step at a time.

It was too cute to see a huge man fluttering around in his black coat and chasing her, and Lariette burst into laughter.

And at the same time, she remembered one thing she wanted to do before.

“Asrazan.”

Lariette turned and looked at him and said in a low voice. Then she waved her hand as if to bow his head.

Asrazan bowed his head with a puzzled expression. There was quite a difference in height, so he had to bend quite a bit to get the height right.

Lariette reached out and grabbed him by the neck. And whispered in his trembling ear.

“Stop following me and find a book that Asrazan wants to read.”

“… Did your really have to say this?”

“It’s a library.”

Lariette smiled softly, put her index finger in front of her lips and shh! and whispered.

As her rose-red lips came into view, Asrazan hurriedly took a step back.

Lariette glanced at his location as he left as she requested. Then he settled down in a place that was neither too close nor too far from her.

Just in time, I saw a suitable book on the bookshelf. It wasn’t a good book to read, but it was too high for her to take out.

‘It often appears in romance novels.’

The female protagonist who struggles to get out of high objects and the male protagonist who comes up behind her and takes things out as if hugging her.

It was a classic scene. But the classics were always exciting.

Lariette stretched out her arms to grab the book she couldn’t reach with high expectations. She didn’t forget to whimper as if she was about to run by lifting her heel slightly.

The response came pretty quickly. A dark shadow fell over her head, and strong arms appeared from behind her.

Lariette turned her head and looked behind her with dazzling eyes. But her face was instantly distorted.

“Did you want this book, Lady?”

It was the first man I had ever seen. An unknown man with a grumpy face handed her a book and smiled slyly.

A sticky gaze ran through Lariette from face to hip. It was a gaze that would have been endured before, but the current Lariette was different.

Lariette responded with a smile and opened her mouth.

“Put it down and get out of here.”

Put it back. She added in a low voice that could not be heard otherwise.

The man’s face instantly flushed with humiliation. She was a noble girl, so he thought that his kindness would make her cheeks blush.

At the rude attitude that was different from his expectations, he tried to say something, but he shut his mouth when he saw that her face became cold.

It was clear that the position would be high if you had the guts to tell a stranger to go off.

He was in a position to barely even enter the library, so he didn’t want to be taken by a high-ranking nobleman for nothing.

When the man left with his anger killed, Lariette made a gentle face again, as if she had never put on a scary expression.

Then I looked around and played the poor woman who couldn’t pull out a book again.

And at that moment, the hem of the black coat flapped behind her. As she turned her head, she saw Asrazan’s handsome side face right in front of her.

“… Did you see it?”

“What?”

Asrazan casually lowered his eyelashes and placed the book on her hand.

As if he didn’t know anything, Lariette’s heart was relieved by his gentle tone.

However, Asrazan kept his head tilted and raised the corners of his mouth, smiling, and continued.

“You mean part of it, taking a seat near me and picking up a tall book?”

“……”

“Or the scene where you threatened another guy?”

Asrazan finished his speech by wriggling the black polatti that came up to the bottom of his lips. And Lariette bit her lip in shame.

‘What should I do, you’ve seen it all!’

When she realized that he had grasped all the schemes she had devised, she felt like she was going to die of embarrassment.

Asrazan added, looking at her shyly with satisfaction.

“I like it. Do that to other men in the future.”

“Uh, didn’t I look so ferocious?”

“Is that bad?”

Asrazan had a very strange tone of voice. After spending a lot of time on the battlefield, he was used to threatening to cut their throat.

Not only that, but he actually cut their heads without hesitation, so her words were cute enough.

Lariette’s face, who had never imagined that he was comparing her threats to the situation of war, was moved with emotion.

It was because she looked different from the other ragweeds who forced her to be a gentle woman.

“I was worried that Asrazan would run away because I was too ferocious!”

“That’s something I’m worried about.”

Asrazan put the shawl that had flowed down to one side and put it back on her shoulder and said in a soft voice.

“Of course, if you run away, I will surely find you.”

So it’s best not to think in vain. Asrazan gently curled his eyes and whispered in her ear. As if revenge from before.

Lariette swallowed dry saliva involuntarily in an unfamiliar aura. Then she replied with an awkward smile.

“Sure.”

It was an unexpected answer.

* * *

After that, the library dating continued as Lariette had expected.

It was a dream-like time, choosing a book together and reading each other’s books alternately.

Asrazan only smiled faintly from time to time, but continued to have a blunt expression on his face.

So Lariette left the library with great satisfaction. It wasn’t long, so it was still bright outside.

“That’s why brownies taste better when moist.”

“I will instruct the chef to do that.”

“Also put some ice cream on top too!”

“Yes, I understand.”

Lariette went down the stairs while chatting with Asrazan.

Asrazan listened to her, wondering how she could talk about food for so long.

She was the one who thought that he should hire an additional patissier to make her more satisfied.

At that moment, a familiar and terrible voice reached Lariette’s ear.

“Lariette.”

Lariette shook her head and slowly turned her head.

And a red-haired man came into her sight.

“… Raon.”

Illustration 

It was my brother I didn’t want to see more than the Marquis of Segreb.

Lariette managed to press it with a desire to argue why he pretended to know her and made a fuss.

I didn’t want to show such an ugly side in front of Asrazan. So she desperately pretended to be composure.

“How are you, brother? your face looks good. This is….”

Raon raised his head and looked at Asrazan. And trembled in shock.

He was a person who had no reason to be with Lariette, but the person’s attitude was only natural.

“… I see the Duke of Kandel.”

“Prince Blanche, raise your head.”

It was a greeting that would normally be ignored and overlooked, but it was Lariette’s brother. Therefore, Asrazan accepted his greeting according to the etiquette.

Seeing this, Lariette felt a fire rising from the depths of her heart.

I didn’t want Asrazan to talk to that terrible bastard. However, Raon stood there, as if he had something to say to me.

“… Asrazan. Would you like to go back first? I’ll talk to my brother and go later.”

“I can wait.”

“It’s been a long time since we met, so I think the story will be long.”

There wasn’t a single story I wanted to keep with Raon.

However, if Asrahan was bright at the beginning, she thought she could hear the conversation even if she was far away.

So Lariette wished he had left the mansion altogether. In order not to reveal their secrets.

“… Okay. I will send the carriage, so please come back before it is too late.”

“Yes, see you later.”

Lariette greeted him with a slightly bright voice. Asrazan looked back at her a few times with a look of regret, then got on the carriage and left.

And only then did Raon reveal his true colors.

“What, Asrazan-? I can’t believe it. You’re living with that monster Duke, right?”

“Watch your mouth. Unless you want to be thrown back to the ground.”

Lariette stared at him with eyes that had subsided in an instant. Suddenly, mana was wrapped around her hands.

Seeing the amount of mana, Raon flinched and trembled. It was because the humiliating experience of a few weeks ago was still in his body.

Raon recognized the fact that he was not an opponent with magic. So he quickly changed the subject.

“Are you kidding me? Destroying the atmosphere of the house, leaving, and living in another Duke’s family? Do you want to ruin the image of Blanche with even a scandal?”

“You have to be straight. It was father who told me to leave, and Blanche’s image had already been ruined. I don’t think that’s what a human being who worked together with father and ruined it with him would say.”

“Our mother was sick because of you. Do you know?”

At Raon’s criticism hardened Lariette’s body. It was too late to provoke my guilt.

“… It’s none of my business now.”

“This bitch…!”

Lariette cut his words calmly and coldly.

Raon thought of her as an idiot who didn’t even pity their mother, and approached her with a tearful look.

Lariette looked at him proudly. She grasped the flow of mana around her. In any case, it was to counterattack immediately when he used magic.

Raon snorted and laughed as if he had expected it.

If you can’t deal with it with magic, it’s just a matter of using a superior field to her.

Whoops!

A fierce fist slashed Lariette’s face in an instant.