When the distance widened enough that Clyde was no longer in sight, Cassian stopped in his tracks.
Turning around slowly, he lowered the hand that had been resting on Beatrice’s back and asked cautiously,
“Are you all right?”
At the question that seemed to carry multiple layers of meaning, Beatrice nodded hurriedly.
“Uh, y-yes! Of course! Um, I was too flustered to say so back there, but it wasn’t… that kind of situation!”
“…Whichever the case, there are plenty of ways to handle it so that it won’t cause you any harm, my lady, so you don’t need to be afraid. Ah, it might feel uncomfortable talking to me about this. Shall I call someone else for you?”
“Ah, no! It really wasn’t anything like that!”
“Is that so….”
There was still a faint trace of disbelief laced in Cassian’s voice.
Thinking quietly about it, it was only natural. If Beatrice had been walking down the hall and seen a man cornering a woman, she would have rushed over immediately as well. All the more so if the woman was frozen stiff.
Briefly imagining objectively how the two of them must have looked, Beatrice swallowed a groan.
‘…This is bad. At this rate, Clyde’s going to look like a complete piece of trash.’
She wasn’t sure which was worse: scum who threatens a subordinate, or scum who hits on another woman right after getting married.
‘Ugh…. What do I do? It’s not like I can spill the whole story of how things ended up like this.’
Racking her brains, Beatrice inwardly clicked her tongue once more.
This was why habits were a frightening thing.
Because they were so accustomed to bickering and threatening each other on a daily basis, she hadn’t even considered how it would look to others!
After a moment of agonizing, she spoke quickly, as if an idea had struck her.
“Actually, Sir Dalton was trying to help me! Um, since you weren’t in the meeting hall, you probably wouldn’t know, but… I ended up blowing away one of the meeting hall’s windows?”
“Pardon?”
“Ah, um, that’s also a long story, but I was suspected of being a criminal…… Anyway, some debris must have gotten into my eyes during that explosion. We were discussing something we urgently needed to consult on, and he was trying to take off my glasses to check my eyes, which is how it became like that, yes.”
“Ah….”
For now, this was the best she could do.
Beatrice decided to act shamelessly, just as she had when announcing the news of their marriage to the Imperial Princess and her family.
“Um, actually, Lady Hartwell and I are close friends. To the point where there’s nothing we don’t know about each other!”
That was somewhat true, after all.
Since the person in this world who knew her best was herself.
“If it still makes you uneasy, you may tell Lady Hartwell everything you saw today. You see, Lady Hartwell knows better than anyone that Sir Dalton and I could never have an improper relationship.”
This was also true.
Ria Kruger and Beatrice Hartwell reached a amicable agreement as of this very moment.
Was it because of the confident way she spoke while pushing up her glasses?
Cassian’s serious demeanor seemed to soften somewhat.
“If you say that much, then I understand. I shall offer a separate apology to Sir Dalton.”
“Though you did nothing wrong, Sir Cassian, and if anything, acted very considerately. Thank you so very much for your concern!”
When she bowed her head deeply to express her sincere gratitude, a large hand gently touched her elbow.
“Not at all. I merely did what any member of the Marquisate ought to do, so receiving such thanks is rather embarrassing.”
At the request to rise, Beatrice raised her head, her eyes widening slightly.
Because now that she took a proper look at him, Cassian Downer was quite handsome.
‘Oh….’
It was not often that Beatrice judged someone to be handsome.
For by sheer circumstance, she had grown up seeing some of the Empire’s finest beauties—including Clyde Dalton, who was perpetually trailed by the descriptor ‘flawless’—as commonly as dogs in the neighborhood.
His well-trained, solid build, his silver-gray eyes revealed beneath long navy hair tied in a single tail, and his neat, orderly impression were all considerably charming.
‘It’s a strong impression that could easily look cold, but it doesn’t feel particularly threatening. The Marquis was… a bit like that, though.’
Perhaps it was because of the way he had acted.
At the sight of Beatrice staring without so much as blinking, Cassian’s brow furrowed slightly in puzzlement.
“…Forgive me, but is there something the matter with my face?”
“Yes? No? I just thought you were handsome.”
“Pardon?”
“Just, you know, thinking that the Marquis had good reason to boast about his son?”
“…You flatter me.”
Oh, he’s blushing.
Beatrice blinked rapidly, observing the slight flush creeping onto the tips of Cassian’s ears.
Rubbing the back of his neck with a hand as if somewhat bashful, he naturally shifted the subject.
“By the way, Lady Kruger, may I ask about that meeting hall window you mentioned earlier? And about being suspected as a criminal. I had only just returned after hearing at the gateway that His Highness had sent an escort party….”
“Aha.”
Letting out a low exclamation, Beatrice wore an awkward expression as she explained what had transpired so far.
Having listened to the whole story, Cassian’s expression turned serious once more.
“…Indeed. I share Sir Dalton’s view. In fact, Kalbaron Temple sent an urgent dispatch not long ago stating that the number of patients is continuously increasing.”
“Kalbaron Temple? Do you mean the one belonging to that prayer house… said to travel the Empire doing medical charity work…?”
“Yes. They came to provide aid alongside His Imperial Highness the Archduke.”
“Mmm….”
It was just when Beatrice was recalling Valoa Crawford, whom she had momentarily forgotten amid the sudden commotion.
“In any case, Lady Kruger, you possess remarkable talent in magic. Thanks to you, the Marquisate is deeply indebted. I shall be certain to repay you in the future.”
“Ah, there is no need for that! It was nothing. I hardly know anything about magic, anyway. It’s just… Lady Beatrice knows a bit of alchemy, and somehow we happened to be together…….”
At Beatrice’s words, Cassian hesitated briefly. It was as though he was debating whether or not to broach a subject.
“…I hesitate because it may seem like prying, but may I ask you one thing?”
“Uh, yes?”
At his cautious demeanor, Beatrice tilted her head.
Cassian weighed his words for a moment before speaking.
“Is Lady Beatrice Hartwell… doing well?”
“Lady Beatrice? Uh, yes. Naturally, she is… doing well.”
Answering awkwardly, she added with a hint of curiosity,
“Um, but why do you ask so suddenly……? Are you two acquainted?”
It was a question tossed out thinking there was no way, yet surprisingly, the answer that returned was contrary to her expectations.
“It is difficult to say we are strictly acquainted, but I know her.”
“…Huh?”
“I received help from her in the past. We even exchanged letters a few times.”
‘…Me?’
When on earth?
Beatrice blinked with a dumbfounded expression as she looked at Cassian’s face.
Cassian’s cool-looking silver-gray eyes were tinged with a touch of warmth.
You mean, I did something warranting an expression like that?
‘Me?’
An urge surged within her to ask what in the world had happened and when, but thankfully Cassian was slightly faster than her.
Composing his emotions calmly, he shook his head and said to Beatrice,
“I am glad to hear she is well. Please simply forget what I said. Ah, which room have you been assigned? Since you must not be familiar with the Marquis’s estate yet, shall I escort you?”
“…Uh, mmh, no, you must be busy, so it’s fine…”
Beatrice hesitated, then shook her head. Today was really not a good day.
‘Maybe because I’m tired, I feel like I keep making small mistakes.’
Cassian looked at Beatrice for a moment, then nodded his head.
“If so, then I shall take my leave here for today. It seems we will see each other often during your stay at the estate, so I look forward to working with you, Lady Kruger.”
With that concise farewell, Cassian turned and walked further down the corridor.
Watching his retreating back with narrowed eyes, Beatrice sucked in a breath through her teeth and shook her head.
As expected, nothing came to mind.
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