Chapter 10

The next evening at eight.

Sabina wore the outfit Ashton had chosen.

Bright colors rarely suited her skin, but the pale violet Ashton had picked was one of the few that did. The maids were delighted to finally have a chance to dress their lady in something bright.

Her long, lustrous black hair was twisted up and hidden under a wide-brimmed hat.

Julia, carefully pinning Sabina’s hair, asked,

“Is he coming to pick you up today?”

Sabina, looking steadily at her reflection in the mirror, nodded.

Julia grinned.

“He was handsome.”

“That’s right! I’ve never seen someone so good-looking. I don’t usually go for southern men, but…”

Sabina was the kind of mistress who allowed her maids’ shameless chatter. Thanks to that, Vicky could openly agree with Julia without worrying. Even so, her hand, tracing Sabina’s eyes with glittery ink, didn’t waver.

Unlike the naive Vicky, Julia—now in her thirties—just smiled quietly.

“He seems to have a good personality too.”

“You can’t tell that in just one day.”

Sabina, who had been quiet, finally spoke.

“But it’s strange. You all seem to have a good opinion of him.”

Usually, the D’Vialis maids were strict graders when it came to men dating Sabina. But their reaction to Ashton was different. Except for Julia, who’d exchanged glances with him in the dining room, none of the maids had spent time alone with him, so what did they see…

Sabina fell into thought.

“It must be the face.”

Julia, finishing Sabina’s hair and fastening the buttons on her dress, winked.

“That’s the most important part for a man.”

Sabina replied with reluctance.

“…Alright. I’ll keep that in mind.”

Vicky used a brush to dot a small mark under Sabina’s eye. Face dots were all the rage in society lately. Each spot had a different meaning, but Sabina knew barely half of them.

“What does a dot here mean?”

“It means you have a partner, so don’t approach.”

Sabina looked in the mirror again. So that’s what it meant. It seemed to suit her face, but…

“I don’t really need that where I’m going today…”

“Come on, Lady Sabina, you’ll be late. Let’s hurry. Your escort arrived fifteen minutes ago.”

Led by Vicky’s urging, Sabina went down to the first floor and opened the front door. Ashton was indeed waiting.

He didn’t say the usual things about how beautiful she was tonight. He just looked surprised, then lowered his eyes with a smile. That smile was more effective than a hundred words. If he did it on purpose, he was a rogue; if it was unconscious, he was even worse.

Just as he’d promised, Ashton was dressed formally. His hair was neatly parted, he wore a pale violet tie, and his vest and jacket were darker than his partner’s.

Sabina offered her hand. Ashton bowed deeply and kissed her hand. His lips were a bit dry. And then…

Prick.

Sabina’s fingers flinched.

She thought she’d felt a slight prick last time, too.

Ashton looked up at her, still kissing her hand. It wasn’t quite the attitude of a polite gentleman.

“…You look a bit delinquent, even dressed up.”

At that, Ashton raised his eyebrows, lips still on her hand.

“Anything else?”

“…You’re handsome, fine. Is that what you wanted to hear? You know it without me saying.”

Sabina withdrew her hand and headed for the carriage. In Brinita, carriages aren’t pulled by horses—they’re driven by magicians. This time, Ashton didn’t miss his chance and opened the door for her.

Ashton sat beside Sabina and lowered the window blinds. Sabina spoke to the driver.

“To Brinita Bridge, please.”

The driver, a magician, tore a scroll at the wheel. It was a blocking spell. No matter what the passengers said, the driver wouldn’t hear.

The carriage started moving.

Ashton clicked his tongue.

“Wow. I heard there are more magicians than pebbles in Brinita.”

“That’s true. Because every Brinita person is born a magician.”

Sabina rested her cane on her knees and looked at Ashton beside her.

“But there are so many magicians that just having magical power isn’t impressive. Even kids who can’t read can use simple neutral magic. The important thing is attribute magic.”

Ashton’s blue eyes focused on her words.

His gaze was so earnest that Sabina looked away.

“You have to be born with an attribute to enter the academy. That’s what gives you the right to become a researcher. Of course, if you don’t produce results, you keep getting held back.”

“You graduated top of your class from that academy.”

Sabina lowered her gaze and stroked her cane.

“I was born with a rare attribute. The rarer your attribute, the easier it is to get your thesis approved.”

Sabina D’Vialis’s unique attribute was famous even in other countries. Ashton looked at her nearly translucent pale profile and whispered,

“Your attribute is time, right?”

“Yes. Time. The first in the history of the Kingdom of Brinita…”

It was the time magic carved into her heart that had made Sabina regress twice. Regression could be a chance or a curse. Sabina was doing her best to make it a chance.

She looked at Ashton with a composed, expressionless face.

“I don’t use attribute magic often. The flow of time is tangled with countless causes and effects. Side effects can cause other problems. To use time magic, you have to control many variables and use it responsibly.”

It was a little embarrassing to say, since she’d unconsciously rewound years twice. So she brushed imaginary dust off her cane.

“…”

“There’s no need to use it often…”

By the time she finished speaking, they’d arrived at Brinita Bridge. Ashton got out first and helped Sabina down.

“So, where do we go from here?”

Sabina tapped the ground with her cane. Two masks dropped from the air. Ashton, with impressive reflexes, caught both masks.

“Masks.”

Sabina took a small mask from Ashton’s hand.

“From now on, we’re going to a secret auction.”

She grabbed Ashton by the collar, and in the next moment, they were swept into a noisy, luxurious hall.

There was dancing, music, cheers, jeers, laughter, and drinks.

“What is this…”

Ashton staggered, letting out a confused groan. Sabina gripped his arm tightly and put a mask on his face.

“D’Vi…”

“Shh.”

Her silver eyes flashed behind the mask.

“Let’s hurry and sit down.”

It was a spacious place. There was nothing like this near Brinita Bridge. Ashton’s head felt a little fuzzy. He shook it.

Looking around, everyone was masked. Some, like Sabina and Ashton, were dressed plainly; others were extravagantly adorned. No one could be identified.

Ashton had bad memories of places like this. His stomach churned.

‘Get it together.’

He bit his tongue and scowled.

He knew Sabina would come here. Sabina D’Vialis was scheduled to visit ‘today.’

He only realized Sabina was holding his hand after regaining his composure. Her hand was small, cold, and smooth. Ashton’s hand was so much bigger, their grip looked a bit awkward.

Ahead of him, Sabina chattered.

“Feeling dizzy? It’s unavoidable. This is my first time moving someone to a new place.”

She seemed to think Ashton’s discomfort was a side effect of teleportation.

If she would misunderstand, Ashton was grateful. He quickly composed his voice to sound calm.

“Did you just teleport?”

“Yes. There’s a gate installed here. You can’t come unless you know the exact location. Since you have to use magic, only Brinita people can come, and only invited guests know the exact place.”

Sabina, trying to hurry Ashton to his seat, stopped as he caught her hand and pulled her closer.

“…Are you very dizzy?”

Sabina asked innocently. Instead of replying with a sly or playful remark, Ashton looked into her eyes for a moment and shook his head.

“Let’s go.”

As if he’d never been lost, he skillfully escorted Sabina to a seat.

People laughed loudly at the clown’s antics. Even with masks, those drunk on alcohol and drugs had flushed faces, crowding together and snickering. They seemed to enjoy the vulgarity of this space.

Masks weren’t really for hiding faces. Even if half the face was covered, silhouettes and voices revealed identities.

Masks were a kind of promise. Once outside, whatever happened here was to be forgotten. Everything here was just a moment of escape…

Ashton liked alcohol and was skilled at socializing, but he felt uncomfortable in this atmosphere.

He forced his gaze down to look at Sabina.

Her lips, which had just been pulling Ashton along so confidently, were now pale.

It wasn’t hard to understand why.

In fact, not understanding would be harder.

“…”

Ashton looked around.

‘That man’ was leaning against the wall, sipping champagne. Bright earrings glittered beside his mask.

Even through the mask, it was easy to follow his gaze. He was looking at Sabina with relentless intensity. That gaze was an interrogation, a pressure.