episode_0008

“Eugene, who is this person?”

Julian asked, letting go of their hands.

His gaze was directed towards Aria, who was frozen like a stone behind me.

“Ah, I should have introduced myself first, but I didn’t.”

He took a step aside so that the two could face each other.

“This is Aria Floris of the Floris Counts, my fiancée whom I have spoken of several times. Aria, this is Julian Dustin, the eldest son of the Dustin family I spoke of earlier.”

But for some reason, the two didn’t greet each other right away, and just stared at each other for a while.

“Huh… I see. So this is the fiancée I heard about.”

“… … .”

Julian’s eyes were squinted to the point of almost squinting, and Aria glared at him with eyes so cold they could chill the bones.

Just when I was starting to feel embarrassed by the ominous atmosphere, it was Julian who broke the icy atmosphere first.

“Nice to meet you, Floris Youngae. I’ve heard a lot about you. From Eugene, and from rumors carried by the wind.”

“… Yes, I don’t know if you’re happy, but I heard about you from Eugene on my way here. But it was quite different from what I had heard… I was surprised.”

“Haha, that’s right. Close friends tend to exaggerate things. I’m really curious what you heard that made you think that way. ”

I don’t know why the two of them were acting that way, but the situation they were going through didn’t look good.

It was obvious to anyone that neither Aria nor Julian liked each other.

‘I have a rough idea as to why Julian reacts that way.’

In fact, Julian had previously received counseling several times about his relationship with Aria, which had not progressed much.

Because he was the only friend I could open my heart to.

Julian, who could have been annoying, always gave me advice that was not only sincere but enthusiastic.

It was he who subtly let us know that breaking off the engagement would be a happy ending for both of us.

In fact, because that was the kind of Julian he was, Aria could have seemed somewhat unpleasant.

I have nothing to say about that, and I completely understand it.

‘But why is Aria acting like that? It’s just the first time we’ve met, and it’s not like there was anything particularly bothering her.’

Although I couldn’t quite understand them, I couldn’t just sit by and watch their war of nerves continue, so I stepped in to mediate.

“Now that we’ve finished greeting each other, shall we head to the conference room?”

“… Yeah, the other kids were already there, so we could start right away as soon as you showed up.”

“Eugene, can I join the meeting? I won’t interrupt you.”

He nodded to Julian and Aria’s words in turn.

***

As she entered the conference room, many people who looked to be her age and had already taken their seats began to rush towards Eugene when they saw her.

“All the familiar faces are gathered here. How have you all been?”

Although it might have been annoying, Eugene showed his sincerity by responding to everyone’s greetings one by one.

A faint smile appeared on his lips as he chatted with boys and girls of similar age, and Aria, who was watching from behind, felt a strange emotion.

‘Eugene… has a wider circle of friends than I thought. But far from being jealous or hating, I only see positive views.’

She also had a wide network of connections in the capital’s social circles, to the point where she was practically a street vendor… .

It was a negative relationship between them and her, where they smiled on the outside but only thought of using each other.

‘In reality, after I was cursed, they all decided that I was useless and left without looking back.’

That’s why the relationship between Eugene and the children of the Northern nobility, which seemed so close that it made you wonder if such a thing could really be possible, was so surprising.

Also, unlike Julian who was slender, they tended to have a rougher feel to them, similar to Eugene. Whether it was their appearance or their atmosphere.

Meanwhile, they also naturally began to show interest in her, who had been standing blankly behind Eugene.

“But, brother, who is the beautiful woman behind you?”

When a young man asked the question after observing the situation, Eugene answered with a slightly embarrassed look.

“My fiancee, Aria Floris. She said she wanted to observe our meeting, so she came to observe with me.”

A brief silence follows.

“Yes? If you’re my brother’s fiancee… Ah.”

Their faces, which had been preparing to welcome her as Eugene’s guest, hardened as soon as they heard that she was his fiancée.

No, some of them went beyond that and even showed their hostility openly. It was just that Eugene was standing in front of her, so they couldn’t explode.

‘What he said in the carriage was said with this situation in mind.’

However, there is something different from what he had said.

The Northerners were wary of Arya herself, rather than simply the fact that she was an outsider.

Well, in a way, it was natural.

Even just a quick glance at their brief conversation told me how much they valued Eugene.

The fiancee who treated him so coldly was none other than her. Even if you haven’t seen her in person, you must have heard rumors about her at least.

‘This way… there are no uninvited guests.’

If it had been the usual Aria, she would have responded venomously as soon as they showed their hostility towards her.

Because the only person her kindness applied to was Eugene.

But the reason he couldn’t do that was because he understood their feelings to some extent.

That’s why Aria just lowered her head to avoid their gaze.

“It’s rude to stare at people like that. Let’s go over there and finish talking.”

Fortunately, Eugene quickly noticed this and led them to the other side of the conference room.

In that moment, a person approached her, who was left alone at the entrance to the conference room.

“Now you know, you are not welcome here.”

“…Dustin Prince.”

“Eugene, you know, is like a spiritual pillar to us. But that’s not just because he’s the successor to the Grand Duke’s family.”

Julian, who came next to Aria, looked at Eugene chatting happily with several boys and girls on the other side of the conference room.

“Northern nobles, regardless of gender, are required to serve in the front lines when they reach a certain age. Like a lion dropping its cub off a cliff.”

“What a crappy custom,” Julian scoffed coldly.

“Those who were forced to the front lines like that died in vain. Only a handful of those who were worthy of being strong survived. It’s a shame.”

“… What on earth have you been trying to say?”

Aria became serious at the sudden rambling, but Julian looked at her with eyes filled with mixed emotions.

“There is a person who runs around the battlefield to save those children, and who is so desperate. He doesn’t even care about his own injuries, and doesn’t expect any compensation… He is a fool who sacrifices only for others.”

Who do you think it could be?

Slurp-

Julian and Aria’s gazes overlapped at one point.

“You don’t know anything about Eugene. So you’ve been judging him based on his appearance and have been rejecting him. But… .”

Why on earth are you clinging to me now?

Julian, whose tone changed in an instant, growled fiercely.

“… Certainly, I have caused him a wound that will never heal and have committed a wrong that I can never repay.”

“Ha! What, am I getting my point across correctly? Then… .”

As Julian was about to finish speaking, Aria showed no emotion at all… .

No, rather, he stared at Julian with mad eyes that were so mixed with longing and regret that it was impossible to even understand.

“So, as a sign of atonement, I will spend the rest of my life… Yes, I will risk the rest of my life to take care of him so that he will never be hurt again. So.”

Outsiders, please stay quiet.

After experiencing regression, Aria has shown herself to be infinitely soft towards Eugene… but she was once a villainess who dominated the social circle where all kinds of people gathered.

That is to say, its nature does not disappear anywhere.

“… You’re a more interesting woman than I’ve heard?”

“Well, it wouldn’t be more fun than a lying, deceiver living somewhere?”

“… … It’s time to start the meeting.”

Julian, who had fled the scene, soon gathered those who had been separated in the hall and started a meeting.

Aria dragged a chair to a corner of the conference room and sat quietly throughout the meeting.

The topics of the meeting ranged from politics to diplomacy, management, and even military issues such as defense, and were discussed in depth.

“Finally, here is a report from our Dustin family.”

How much time had passed like that? Before we knew it, the meeting was coming to an end.

“A while ago, we found a man wandering around the territory, arrested him, and during the investigation, we found out that he was a member of a suspicious group called the Masin Church. If anyone like this is found in other territories―.”

The moment the name of that hateful group, the Masin Church, which cannot be forgotten and must not be forgotten, came out of Julian Dustin’s mouth.

Aria’s eyes, which had been quietly holding her breath, sparkled.