#57
Her entire face was as neat as porcelain crafted by an artisan’s hands, like a glass window that didn’t reveal what was inside.
Isabella’s smile remained elegant and neat.
The earlier commotion, the Second Prince’s blood-spitting, the Crown Prince’s exit—all these events couldn’t even leave a speck of dust on her skin.
Not a single wrinkle in her dress was disturbed, and her makeup remained perfectly maintained.
A few nobles glanced at her as they passed, and some still remained by her side.
Even now that she had moved away from the center, it seemed as if even the air on the terrace was arranged to match her presence.
The commotion that had occurred in the middle of the ballroom just moments ago had no effect on her whatsoever.
Rather, it made her presence stand out even more.
In the gap where the prince who spat blood and collapsed swept away gazes, the single person who wasn’t shaken at all—that alone made Lady Marsien’s composure stand out.
The nobles were reassured again by such composure, and Isabella seemed to have intended even that reaction.
Rico closed the door as he followed her onto the terrace.
The weight of the door rang heavily.
When the door was completely closed, the external noise disappeared with eerie cleanliness.
As if a cross-section of the world had been separated, the bustling music and laughter from the ballroom stopped as if cut by a knife.
When the door closed, the ball’s noise was thoroughly blocked, and the surroundings became quiet.
If you listened carefully, silence settled to the point where you could hear your own breathing and the sound of collars brushing against each other.
On the terrace where moonlight poured transparently, a single small lantern hung on the wall, and its light was softly reflected on the marble.
This terrace was a place that had been specially treated for the half-demons and the Marsien family to have real conversations.
Magic circles that blocked sound to prevent conversations from leaking outside were quietly carved into the floors and walls on all sides.
Though invisible to ordinary eyes, to those mixed with mana, faint red ink lines were revealed.
In short, this was a space perfectly isolated from the outside.
So even if the Lady got a bit excited, no problems would arise.
Rico thought that while carefully closing the distance.
His movements were smooth and unguarded, maintaining tension to respond at any time.
“I see.”
He replied in a low and polite manner.
Though his voice was careful, the nuance slightly caught at the end of the sentence was heavy and firm.
That was only the beginning of the emotion he wanted to convey.
Rico carefully chose his words as he replied.
He didn’t try to hide his emotions.
His attitude was that the weight of conversation didn’t differ regardless of who the other party was.
While acknowledging that Isabella was in a high position, he clearly wanted to warn about the consequences her impulsive actions could bring.
His attitude was close to respect, but the emotion reflected within was somewhat different.
Fatigue and irritation, worry and restraint—mixed emotions seeped into his tone.
He revealed a clear stance while pretending to maintain neutrality.
“If I had known that Your Ladyship was… this impulsive, I would have given advance notice to your teacher even if it meant less pleasure for you. I regret it.”
There was a strange thorn embedded at the end of his voice.
Intentionally using the word ‘impulsive’ wasn’t simple explanation.
It was warning and disappointment.
Isabella’s pupils trembled minutely.
“How rude.”
She tilted her head slightly.
Her movement was still graceful, like a cold flower raising its head.
Her eyebrows rose minutely, and the corners of her mouth remained drawn.
But the atmosphere grew cold.
Isabella spoke while tilting her head slightly.
Her tone was soft, but the underlying meaning was clear.
‘Don’t cross the line.’
Her smile contained that meaning.
“Our teacher would rather praise me, I think.”
Pride was mixed in her voice.
That being feared even by half-demons—the teacher—had chosen her, given her power, and above all made her a ‘winner.’
“I wouldn’t dare presume that person’s reaction. However, I think there’s a need for at least a warning, even if Your Ladyship is favored by that person.”
Rico lowered his voice and stepped further forward.
His words seemed polite on the surface, but contained firm determination within.
The minimum line-drawing to fulfill his role.
“……”
Isabella chose brief silence.
She turned her gaze silently to look at Rico, and solid hostility was contained in those eyes.
Her lips hardened minutely, and her shoulders stiffened imperceptibly.
Rico glanced sideways as he said those words. It was to indicate that his words contained meaning beyond simple reporting.
He didn’t meet her gaze head-on and eased tension by slightly lowering his head.
However, his pupils were directed toward the dark garden beyond the terrace wall.
Someone might be standing there.
“Our relationship must not yet surface above water. So there are limits to the cleanup we can provide. Do you understand what I’m saying?”
He spoke as definitively as an ultimatum.
His voice was low but absolutely unwavering in its rigid tone.
Each word was firm and stabbed straight without modulation.
Isabella stared at Rico expressionlessly. It was a look that wouldn’t be strange if an assassin sought out Rico on the way back.
Her gaze was cold and frightening.
The back of Rico’s head momentarily grew cold as their eyes met, but he didn’t back down.
Though killing intent subtly arose, he accepted it as it was.
Rico continued speaking without concern.
He fully understood what kind of board he was standing on.
But there was no fear.
Rather, with the will to control the situation, he brought out deeper words.
“It would be troublesome if you wield the power we gave you based on mere emotion.”
Though it was a refined tone, the content was heavy and painful.
The ’emotion’ he mentioned encompassed everything.
Jealousy, obsession, anger—all the emotions that led her to act.
“How unfortunate, Rico. To think you were a person with such inflexible thinking.”
What truly bothered Rico wasn’t the threat to the Second Prince.
His gaze remained consistently calm from beginning to end, and he had no interest in what injuries Prince Ersen II had sustained.
In the ballroom where nobles had become unsettled, even the few gazes that seemed to worry about the prince who spat blood and collapsed were merely amusing to Rico.
He was someone who had seen countless such performances.
He had known far too well for a long time that the world would be fine even if one half-brother prince of the imperial family collapsed.
Rather, it was the opposite.
What truly bothered him was Isabella Marsien, standing on this terrace with an elegant face right now,
And the ’emotional judgment’ she had shown.
He frowned inwardly several times.
The fact that Isabella had activated power equivalent to a curse, and in an unprepared state at that.
That was more than a mistake.
By Rico’s standards, it was behavior close to ‘betrayal.’
To such an insignificant being, to waste the precious ‘power of curse’ driven by emotion—Isabella’s action was absurd.
Rico slightly lowered his head and exhaled briefly.
Wind swept across the cold terrace, stirring Isabella’s hair, and she was still glaring at him with an unperturbed face.
Light reflected off her gorgeous accessories, but those cold eyes weren’t dyed by the light.
The ignorance hidden beneath a refined smile.
Rico had long been wary of that.
…Well, the Lady probably believes it’s black magic without a doubt.
Her not knowing the essence of that power was sometimes fortunate and sometimes dangerous.
That power wasn’t just given—it was a ‘specific-purpose magical formula’ that half-demons had prepared for years.
What was called black magic was only the outer shell; its true identity was ‘curse-type’ magic mediated by emotions and memories.
She still didn’t know what it really was.
And that was the problem.
“Wasn’t it you all who taught me black magic?”
Isabella’s voice was neat.
Emotion was slightly infused in the deeply suppressed tone.
It was the tone of someone who regarded herself confidently and believed she had fully absorbed the training she received.
He found that confidence frightening.
At Isabella’s words, Rico subtly twisted the corners of his mouth.
His expression instantly became strangely distorted.
Though he had the principle of not revealing emotions, now he couldn’t help but show a slightly twisted smile.
Cynicism was contained within, and some fatigue was also mixed in.
“Black magic. Yes, that’s right. That’s exactly why it’s a problem.”
He answered a beat late while slowly reducing the distance with her.
His tone was still quiet and refined, but each word was edged.
“So that’s why it’s a problem?”
Isabella’s eyebrows rose slightly.
She didn’t back down.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
