[Dear Princess Merdellia.]
Hello, Princess Viviana. I owe a debt to Merdellia from the other day. Not only did I enjoy the elevated status of the Merdellia Duchy for a brief moment, but the enchanting performance you shared was an honor beyond what someone as modest as me could have ever hoped for. The hospitality and kindness I received that day will never be forgotten.
Out of consideration for the overwhelming generosity of the Merdellia Duchy, I write this letter wishing to impose no further on you, Princess.
Your time is far too precious for me to take up, and it seems that I have unexpectedly found a solution, so I would like to retract my previous proposal. This decision comes after careful consideration of various circumstances, and I hope for your kind understanding.
The time spent with you will forever remain a cherished memory close to my heart. I wish you blessings on your path, and I bid you farewell.
Should we chance upon each other again someday, I would like to greet you with a smile.
Wishing you peace, and may unchanging prosperity and happiness be with you always.
Farewell.
With respect,
Tina Blanc.
==================================================
*Crack!*
The elegantly decorated letter was carelessly crumpled.
“…Hah.”
A growl slipped out between her beautiful lips. Her gently glowing purple eyes swirled with an emotion that was hard to identify.
“…I’m fairly certain I told you to wait for my response.”
She was the only heir of the Merdellia Duchy, renowned for its unmatched power. It wasn’t light to expect her cooperation for just a verbal proposal.
If she were to merely speak a word, nobles would line up, kneeling and begging for an alliance. Such was the might of the Merdellia Duchy, rivaling even the imperial throne.
Was this Young Lady unable to wait a week for her cooperation?
She had offered to provide information beneficial to the Merdellia Duchy in exchange for her own safety. Considering how positively she had viewed that offer, it was rather presumptuous to expect a response before even a week had elapsed.
However, only five days had passed at most. The one who sent the initial correspondence was not her but the daughter of the Blanc family, and this time it bore the notice of invalidating the previous proposal.
It should be her who needs help….
Why did it feel so uncomfortable?
“What is this nonsense, Young Lady?”
* * *
“Tina.”
“Lady Mardian!”
With a beaming smile, I rushed into Mardian’s embrace. She wrapped her arms around me and gently caressed my back while speaking.
“I didn’t expect you to come see me first.”
“I couldn’t see your face properly last time… I missed you, so I came to visit. Did I impose?”
Mardian’s eyes widened, and she bit her lip. But shortly after, she smiled kindly and gently patted my head.
“How could that be? You are my pet.”
Thank goodness.
It didn’t seem like she was that angry after all.
The last time I saw Mardian was on the third night of the banquet at the imperial palace. When Viviana suddenly appeared and took me away, Mardian’s expression was quite grim.
She was friendly to me, but Mardian was known as a villainess in the game. Concerned about potential consequences, I had gone directly to her mansion, but seeing her calm expression made it clear she wasn’t as furious as I had feared.
“So, did you have a good conversation with Princess Merdellia?”
But perhaps she was indeed bothered by it. Mardian immediately asked about Viviana. I shook my head with an innocent smile and leaned my head on Mardian’s shoulder.
Initially, I had planned to use Viviana to temper Mardian’s increasingly reckless behavior, but I had slightly changed my mind.
“No… actually, I was a bit dissatisfied. I lost my time with you, Lady Mardian.”
Caught off guard by my words, Mardian raised an eyebrow in surprise.
“They seemed to get along quite well, so I must have been mistaken?”
“…The Princess does think I’m pretty, but… that’s not really….”
I hesitated for a moment, swallowed my words, and cautiously glanced at her before speaking.
“I find her quite imposing; it’s a bit scary….”
“…Pfft.”
Mardian’s lips curled into a smile, seemingly pleased by my words. After a moment of wearing a satisfied smile, she pinched my cheek and responded sweetly.
“Well, she is a bit fierce. I thought someone who lives on the battlefield wouldn’t suit us, but you feel the same way, Tina?”
“Yes, and I prefer Lady Mardian much more.”
Unlike Viviana, whose expressions I could not read clearly, Mardian’s face showed a clear reaction. Observing her expression change in real-time as I spoke, I realized I had misjudged the situation.
Why had I approached Viviana at all? Mardian was far easier to deal with.
“My pretty Tina… so lovely and sweet.”
Mardian brushed my hair behind my ear with a ticklish touch. As her gaze turned increasingly intense, I began to realize what it meant. Her unchecked lust was resurfacing. Before she could speak, I opened my mouth first.
“Lady Mardian, I actually have something I want to ask and tell you.”
“What might that be?”
“When I was young… I experienced something unpleasant….”
Mardian, who had been petting my head, paused, raising an eyebrow in confusion as she looked at me.
“Something unpleasant?”
“It’s something I don’t want to talk about, but I feel like I must….”
Mardian gently grabbed my hand. There was no longer any lust in her red gaze, only curiosity remained.
“Please tell me.”
“I… really like you, Lady Mardian… I mean, I really do…”
I looked up at Mardian with drooping eyes. She wordlessly waited for me to continue, and I hesitated briefly before speaking up again.
“I have a trauma because of it.”
“Trauma?”
“It’s just… when I was young… my father touched my body….”
“What?”
Mardian blinked, as if she couldn’t comprehend what she just heard, and her trembling hand gripped my shoulder as she asked again.
“He touched you? Am I understanding this correctly?”
“My mother came rushing in to save me, but if she hadn’t….”
Mardian’s face, mixed with disbelief and anger, turned to horror. Hearing that a father had molested his own daughter would draw the same reaction from anyone. Even from a villainess.
Of course, this was not true.
I had never seen Tina’s father nor cared about what kind of person he was. But seeing how hard Artasha worked every night to cope with debts caused by that child made my blood boil.
They say one must not desecrate the dead, but couldn’t one do anything to someone less than human?
“…Tina.”
A shade of guilt flickered in Mardian’s eyes. It seemed that all the things she had done to me up until now resurfaced in her mind. I stifled the smile bubbling up inside, further drooping my eyelids in feigned sorrow.
“…Tina, I…”
“I truly like you, Lady Mardian… but whenever you become frightening, that memory…”
Before I could finish, Mardian clasped me tightly, her eyes filled with weak guilt, nearly choking me in her embrace.
“…I’m sorry. I never knew that the former head of the Blanc family was such trash.”
Bonnie Blanc, the prior head who ruined the family’s reputation with gambling and infidelity. I always thought of him as a pest, yet here he was helping me like this.
“Why didn’t you tell me? If I had known, I would have been more cautious.”
I buried my face in her arms and secretly smiled.
“But… I feel like it makes you happy, Lady Mardian. I wanted to comfort you, even just a bit.”
Countless emotions danced in Mardian’s red eyes. After a long silence, her complex expression turned as she bit her lip, pulling me even tighter while burying her face in my shoulder.
“…Tina.”
“That… doesn’t mean I don’t want to. I can bear the spanking as long as it’s for Lady Mardian… but kissing is just too difficult….”
I could see certainty in Mardian’s increasingly flustered expression. I knew the answer I longed for was coming soon.
“…Alright. Tina, tell me when you’re feeling better.”
That day will never come, Lady Mardian. I am not a perverted sadistic villainess like you.
“Yes… thank you, Lady Mardian.”
I nodded weakly while harboring deceitful thoughts.
I could once again affirm that I didn’t need Viviana’s help.
After all, it was something I could resolve by myself.
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