02. That Someone Else

“How about me as that some else, My Lady.”

After the Prince departed, Felicia, who had collapsed into her seat, too drained to even stand, was left to face the desolate wind. Only when she barely regained her senses and began to feel the chill, did a deep, low voice sound from somewhere, as if it were the proclamation of a fairy who would grant wishes. Felicia, unable to locate the source of the voice at once, looked around in confusion, and once again, the fairy’s proclamation descended before her.

“I will help you.”

The lake, encircled by grand willow trees, was exactly the ‘fantastical scene beyond anyone’s imagination’ often described in legends. Madame Angrid, who hosted tonight’s banquet, had spoken truly. The lake, overshadowed by Marhel, had never caught Felicia’s eye until now, and from behind the willow closest to her, the owner of the voice rustled, revealing himself. Dressed entirely in black from head to toe, the man seemed to allow only his eyes the deep, clear blue—the signature color of the Dominic Duchy.

“It has been a while, Count.”

Felicia hurriedly rose, grasping one side of her skirt and bowing her head respectfully. The man, his color made even brighter by the light spilling from the banquet hall, also bowed politely to greet Felicia.

His name was Yuan Xavier Dominic, Count Viamel, the eldest son and sole heir of the Dominic Duchy, which had produced the current Empress. He was famous for his exceptional talent in martial arts since childhood, but whether burdened by such rumors or the perpetual discord within his family, he had, at a young age before even his coming-of-age ceremony, abandoned everything and fled to the front lines with the Akuris division—a move the social circles found eccentric and hard to understand.

However, having grown indispensable to his unit through countless wars, he recently defended an estate that, though small and plagued by external invasions, was still rich in hidden mines and renowned for its forges—an estate the Imperial family had guarded with great effort. For his nearly miraculous achievement, he was awarded the title of Count Viamel, becoming the master of the vacant land at a young age, and only recently returned to the capital. In short, though distantly related to the Imperial family, he had no real connection to Felicia.

“It has been a while, Lady Felicia…”

“Yes, it’s cold. Would you care to go inside?”

Felicia, always quick-witted, certainly understood Yuan’s words. But she truly felt chilled, and it was uncomfortable and embarrassing that he had overheard her conversation with Marhel. Above all, it was unpleasant that someone she’d only met a few times as a child now approached her under the guise of help, with motives she could not discern.

“If you want to seize the opportunity, you’ll need people.”

“I’m not sure what you mean, Count.”

“You know well enough.”

For someone proposing to spend just a few nights together, his persistence was excessive. But the desperation of one recently returned from war is something only those who have experienced it can understand. Unaware that his words were cloaked in the same dark misunderstanding as his attire, Yuan stood by Felicia’s side, ready to heed her suggestion to go inside. With a lift of his left arm, Yuan’s gesture allowed Felicia to quickly judge him—vulgar.

“I’m fine.”

“……”

“I may need help, but it’s not so difficult that I require your involvement, Count.”

Felicia’s resolute tone was evident in every precise word. Yet, contrary to her words, she placed her right arm atop Yuan’s left. No matter how dirty his intentions seemed, he was the Duke’s son, a Count ranked above Felicia herself. Even as the Young Lady of Marquis Akuris, there were social ranks she had to respect. She disliked it, but it wasn’t impossible.

“Still, you won’t find help as effective as mine.”

They walked in silence, and as they drew closer to the banquet hall, Yuan spoke again, as if reluctant to let Felicia go. His words, hinting at a desire for romance, were enough to bring Felicia’s mood to its lowest. Occasionally, such rude people would witness her long-held feelings for Marhel, and seeing Marhel avoid her, they treated Felicia with contempt. She had grown used to it, but it never truly became familiar.

“Would you care to walk with me a bit longer?”

Despite feeling sick to her stomach, Felicia smiled prettily, curling her lips and eyes. Yuan did not add further words, simply walking alongside her as she led.

Without further conversation, the two reached a carriage bearing the Akuris crest. The coachman, startled by the sudden arrival of the Young Lady and her companion, watched as Felicia, still smiling, personally opened the carriage door, inviting Yuan to board.

“My Lady…!”

“Do you, by any chance, know of any good brothels nearby?”

“Excuse me?”

“The Count seems to be in need. Please guide him to a good place.”

“Excuse me, Lady Felicia.”

Yuan’s face, now showing clear displeasure, made Felicia finally reveal what she had been holding back. The only one troubled between their glaring faces was the innocent coachman.

“My Lady, please don’t do this. Just board. It’s cold.”

“……”

“My Lady…”

“Please, get in.”

Eventually, the coachman, trying to intervene, mustered the courage to speak to the two who had been staring daggers at each other. The banquet was still in full swing, and worried for his Young Lady, who was thinly dressed against the cold night, he gently led her hand from the carriage door and guided her inside. Yet, as if the coachman’s words had sparked something, Count Viamel, still speaking politely, used his formidable arms to lift the Young Lady and place her inside the carriage.

“What are you doing!”

“Excuse me for a moment. Please drive home.”

He then handed something from his inner pocket to the coachman and boarded the carriage himself. The coachman, glancing inside to check on the Young Lady, was met by the Count’s sharp gaze and quickly closed the curtain to block the view.

‘What should I do… If I don’t go, the Count will scold me, but if I do, Lady Felicia will.’

After a moment’s hesitation, the coachman, deciding he must heed his Young Lady’s wishes, reached to open the carriage door, but then happened to notice what the Count had given him.

‘I’m sorry, My Lady. The Count gave me gold coins.’

＊＊＊

“You’ve abandoned what you should have learned early on, and it shows quite a bit.”

Felicia’s lowered tone made her sharpened words stand out even more. She had seemed ready to give everything to the Prince, yet now, with Felicia’s clear change, Yuan let out a hollow laugh. The conversation seemed about to end easily.

“I never imagined you couldn’t even hide your flushed body.”

“Don’t talk nonsense.”

“Nonsense, ha.”

With Felicia refusing to react to his provocations, Yuan grew increasingly irritated. Felicia gripped her dress tightly in both hands. Fairy’s proclamation? He was just a filthy demon. Why did she have to run into someone like him when she was already upset! And even the coachman, who had once claimed to be the best, was now obediently driving the carriage as Yuan wished—she found him annoying too.

“I have nothing to give you, Count.”

“His Highness the Prince seemed to suggest you should give anything to anyone.”

“You cannot be one of those ‘anyone’, Count.”

“Yes, I am someone else.”

Yuan raised one eyebrow, clearly teasing. Felicia was so frustrated she wanted to jump out of the carriage. She hated how he had placed his hand carelessly on a woman’s body, forced her into the carriage, and showed no manners whatsoever. Whether Yuan understood her feelings or not, he simply leaned back, gazing down at Felicia with a calm tilt of his head.

Clop, clop.

The moving carriage came to a halt. Determined to scold the coachman as soon as she got out, Felicia reached for the carriage door herself.

“Let me help you.”

Yuan placed his hand over Felicia’s, which was gripping the door handle—just resting it there. In an instant, warmth spread through her cold hand, chilled from the wind.

“I told you, I have nothing to give you.”

“Then give me something else.”

“Count.”

“Yes, Miss Felicia.”

“Is it that you want to spend the night with me?”

Ah, Yuan finally seemed to understand everything, removing his hand from hers. He hadn’t expected her to be so imaginative. Yuan, unable to hide his troubled expression, folded his arms. So that was why she had looked at him with such wary eyes—wondering if he might deliver her safely to the Prince.

“What I want is not your body, nor a night together.”

“……”

“I am looking for someone.”

Yuan gently took Felicia’s hand, still on the carriage door, and placed it on her lap.

“Someone very precious.”

“……”

“I thought perhaps you might know this person.”

Yuan continued, gazing softly at Felicia, whose expression grew increasingly uncomfortable. Within his deep blue eyes, a green gaze was reflected.

“If you help me find this person, I will help you regain Prince Marhel’s love.”

“……”

“Your body, your heart. I don’t need them.”

Felicia had much she wanted to say. Who was he searching for? How could someone who had recently fought in a war not find someone? She wanted to argue, to ask, and even to demand responsibility—what would happen if, as a member of the Dominic Duchy, she caused bad rumors about the Imperial bloodline? But perhaps because she was so exhausted, or because his eyes resembled those of the one she always longed for, or maybe because Yuan’s earnest voice sounded like her own desperate cries, Felicia found herself persuaded by a voice within her heart—maybe it was better to take his hand than to waste time searching and risking danger.

“You’ll regret this.”

Felicia, the scandalous, filthy Akuris—just as Marhel wished. No, what he truly wanted was for her to hear his proposal and give up on him. The one thing Felicia could not do—stop loving him. For Felicia, who was prepared to obey anything Marhel said, it was unbearably cruel. In contrast, if she could win his love by spending a night with another? She could gladly do so. Perhaps that was why, somewhere in her heart, she convinced herself taking his hand might be better than searching for someone and facing danger.

“We shall see about that.”

“Who are you looking for?”

“There is a very famous theater in the capital.”

Storia. That was the place Yuan spoke of. The theater, known as the living temple of muses in the Veone Empire. Once, music sung only in the language of gods and understood only by them began to tell human stories, in human tongues. Emerging like a comet, in just five years it had become grander and more splendid than any building in the capital—a sanctuary for musicians.

Dejaire, Beth, Daphne…

Felicia immediately understood Yuan’s intention, recalling the names of several actors who had recently starred in the theater.

“Nadia.”

“…!”

“If you find the owner of that name, I will help you win Prince Marhel’s love.”

“……”

“Without needing another’s love.”

With the deal successfully struck, Yuan’s expression relaxed into a slight smile. In contrast, Felicia, escorted out of the carriage by the coachman, could not recover her pale expression until Yuan had left her mansion.

‘Ah, I’m screwed.’

Felicia thought, as if realizing she had been abandoned alone in some unknown place, conjuring up a word whose origin she could not even guess.