Translated by d6y (ko-fi)

Edited by Emmi

Chapter 3

After barely tearing Lancer away from me, I started moving to attend the tea party.

"Would you like to change your clothes?"

Phoebe, my maid who had just returned from kicking  Lancer out, calmly asked me.

"It's not dirty, so why would you ask if I'd like to change it?"

I glanced down at my outfit which was a simple white shirt paired with a black skirt that was adorned with intricate gold thread detailing.

Although I own much more extravagant clothing, I prefer comfortable ones like this since I spend most of my time working. 

"The people who are gathering at this tea party are Lady Aronia, Lady Dolce, and Lady Beatrice. This is a gathering of young aristocrats who currently hold great influence over high society. If you arrive in simple attire, you may appear shallow."

Phoebe expressionlessly said.

But I knew full well that she was just bluffing.

Since she was.

'Sigh… My lady's beauty is so breathtaking that it could shatter the world… I wish my lady would wear that blue sapphire dress she  purchased the other day… I would carry that memory in my mind as a family heirloom for the rest of my life if my lady did so…'

She was a true follower, committed to the core.

"Phoebe."

With a bright smile, I called for my dear maid's name.

"I am a member of the Kaerun Duchy, you'd be careless to think less of me after hearing my name, wouldn’t you?"

In other words, upon hearing my name, no one in this empire dares to disrespect me or act without regard for my status.

'... The only problem is that there are only  a small number of people who recognize me.'

Maybe it's because I've been stuck inside my house for years.

Lately, whenever I go out, commoners don't recognise me and some are often rude to me.

As Phoebe said, if I wore something like this, I'm afraid I'll be mistaken for a commoner…

'But I'm only going out for a while, does it really matter?’

Thinking so, I suppressed the feeling of anxiety creeping up.

"...I see, I didn't think about it enough."

Phoebe bowed her head slightly and apologized briefly.

At the same time, her thoughts rang in my ears.

‘Oh, that’s my lady! Her ambition! Her confidence! I think I'm going to fall in love! I must go home now and add that to my collection of <Lady Skyla Quotes>!’

…Phoebe, what the hell have you been writing?

Upon hearing Phoebe’s thoughts, I could only smile stiffly.

But Phoebe, who was unaware that I could read her mind, remained expressionless.

Walking towards the main gate with Phoebe, I noticed that my carriage had already been prepared.

I only use this carriage to go to social gatherings and whatnot, except for official events.

It's an ordinary carriage for commoners.

There were no silk curtains, no ducal crests, and no decorations to imply that this was a noble's carriage.

If you're wondering why a noble member of the Kaerun Duchy like myself is travelling in a carriage like this, the answer is simple.

‘It's just bothersome.’

The aristocratic society was small and narrow-minded.

So I didn't want the whole of society to know which house I was going to and who I was meeting.

“My lady!”

Ticef, my exclusive coachman, bowed politely to greet me.

“Are you going to the Garnett Marquis, my lady?”

“That's right. I need to be there by two o'clock.”

"Alright, I'll make sure my lady’s on time for your appointment!"

Ticef answered kindly and quickly climbed onto his seat.

With a clatter, the wheels of the carriage began to roll.

“Phew…”

I sat up with a clenched jaw, closed my eyes, and let out a shallow sigh.

My eyes felt bleary as if someone had sprinkled sand over my eyelids.

Phoebe, always sensible, lowered the curtains of the carriage windows to block out the light.

“Are you not feeling well?”

“It's nothing. I'm just tired from dealing with Lancer.”

“Shall we ask the knights to impose a ban on him?”

“That's alright, someone could get hurt if that happens.”

“The knights of Kaerun Duchy are very strong, so I'm sure they'll protect you.”

“No, it's not that.”

I opened my eyes slightly and squinted at Phoebe.

“What if the knights get hurt instead of Lancer?”

“Ah… I understand.”

Only then did Phoebe slowly nod.

I meant it.

As you may have already noticed, Lancer was blessed by God with powerful magic, but unfortunately not common sense.

Furthermore, Lancer tended to be an unnecessarily aggressive childhood friend who was always causing trouble for me.

As a result, I found myself in difficult situations too often.

There were times when I seriously thought about cutting Lancer off.

But I soon gave up on those thoughts.

I was the only one who was close to Lancer in this country except for his family.

What would happen if I threw Lancer away?

I can't imagine what that immature guy would do.

Emotions have a significant influence on magical power, and if a once-in-a-thousand-years archmage like Lancer were to lose control of his emotions and go on a rampage, the entire empire would be doomed.

Lancer's father, the Duke of Soli himself, was well aware of this and came to me, pleading.

‘Skyla, please don't ever abandon my son.’

The Duke of Soli personally asked me with his head bowed and I couldn't refuse his request.

Besides, above all, I wanted to ensure that Lancer’s magic didn’t go out of control and expose him to any potential danger. 

That's why I didn't prevent Lancer from coming to me all this time.

Despite my cold demeanor, my behavior hasn’t changed since childhood.

I closed my eyes while thinking ‘You're the same age as me, yet you still act like a child.’

While thinking this...

“Argh! Argh!”

“Neigh!”

The screams of Ticef and the horse pierced my eardrums as the carriage screeched to a sudden halt with a sharp, fricative sound. I could feel the impact of the rattling wheels resonate through my body.

“Argh!”

I was momentarily disoriented and then  fell hard to the side.

"Ah! my lady!"

For the first time in a while, I could hear the panic in Phoebe’s voice.

"My lady, are you all right?!"

Ticef called out after he hastily calmed down his excited horse and opened the carriage door.

“Uh, I'm fine. What's going on?”

I asked, pulling myself to my feet with the help of Phoebe.

“That's…”

Ticef hurriedly opened his mouth, but he got interrupted. 

There was a loud shout behind his back.

“Hey! How the hell are you even driving a carriage!”

What was that?

Frowning, I opened the small window leading to the coachman’s seat and examined the situation.

There was a large carriage in front of my carriage.

Decorative tents and silk flags were hung up, it was apparent that it was an aristocrat’s carriage.

However, the family seal attached to the carriage was a seal that I have never seen before.

Which aristocrat’s carriage is that?

‘No, let's put that aside.’

I examined the positioning of my carriage and the one adjacent to it.

The other carriage had come to a halt on the right side of the main road, right next to mine. 

It appeared to be leaning slightly forward, perhaps attempting to cut in front of my carriage. 

Realizing this, my blood pressure rose.

No, shouldn't my carriage go first since mine was in front of theirs? Or they could've rang the bell to give us a signal!

It was obviously the other carriage’s fault.

I got out of the carriage to protest against the other coachman.

“It's your fault but why are you yelling at my coachman?”

“Who even are you?”

The other coachman, who was angry, turned to me nervously.

For a moment, I could hear his thoughts.

‘Who is this girl? How dare she butt in when men are talking.’

As he looked at me, I felt his gaze scan me up and down, as if he was trying to recognize me.

I shook off his unpleasant gaze and questioned the other coachman.

"My carriage was on the right side of the road. If you have common sense, shouldn't you let my carriage go first?"

"Hey!"

The coachman shouted when he heard me.

"Let's hear it! Let's hear it! You can't even drive a carriage so what do you know about it?"

At that moment, Phoebe and Ticef, who were standing behind me, screamed in unison.

"Hey, now you're talking too much!”

"How dare you disrespect my lady!"

“You two,”

I said in a hushed tone to Phoebe and Ticef before they could lunge at the other coachman.

"Stay put.”

"But, my lady...…!”

"Stay put."

I looked at Phoebe and Ticef and smiled politely.

"Stay put."

"...yes."

Only then did those two bow quietly at my command.

I could hear the other coachman’s thoughts loud and clear after that.

‘My lady? Pfft, you must be some rich merchant’s daughter. You look quite the part…’

‘What? He's writing a third-rate novel inside his mind.’

I frowned slightly.

I didn't expect to bump into someone like this.

Just because I dressed simpler, I once again got mistaken for a commoner.

I glared at the other coachman.

But he just crossed his arms and tilted his chin toward me.

“What? You got something to say? If you wanna say it, come here and discuss it with Viscount Artisina.”

Viscount Artisina?

What a bunch of unheard-of mongrels. You don't even recognise me even when you work for them?

I was at a loss for words for a moment and stared at the coachman before me.

But he seemed to think I was embarrassed and speechless.

He glanced at me again and spat on the ground.

“Poor me… it's been a bad afternoon and now I'm arguing with a useless wench. Hey, get your carriage out of here.”

The coachman had said everything he wanted to say and seemed a little relieved, but it was short-lived. 

After just three seconds, I opened my mouth and spoke. 

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