Aries naturally expected that by now, Seiana would burst into tears.
But instead, she responded in a completely unexpected way.
“What, what is it?”
Aries was dumbfounded as Seiana frowned at her, looking as if Aries’ threats were laughable, as if she felt nothing at all.
It should have been Aries making that kind of face—not Seiana.
‘What is this? What’s going on?’
Could she be blind?
But her sparkling eyes were clearly staring right at Aries.
‘Is she also an ability user…? No, that can’t be.’
Abilities were inherited through blood and family lineage.
Even if some blood might have mixed by chance, Seiana didn’t belong to any of the ten noble houses.
‘And she doesn’t have that distinct aura of an ability user.’
Just as normal people feel fear when they see an ability user, ability users also feel a faint sense of disgust toward each other.
Some call it a kind of self-loathing, though the cause remains unknown.
Aries thought of Raymond as her only peer, but they couldn’t be affectionate with each other because of this mutual repulsion.
At best, they were antagonistic allies.
But Seiana, standing right in front of her, didn’t seem to emit that aura at all—nor did she recoil from seeing an ability user.
‘Is this even possible?’
It was unheard of. Since the founding of the Empire, no normal person had ever failed to fear an ability user.
“Aren’t you scared?”
“No, not really…”
Seiana replied, although she did look a bit nervous.
But Aries could tell it wasn’t fear of her powers—it was discomfort at Aries’ strange behavior.
That made all the difference.
Aries felt something like a breeze.
Not a real wind, but a sense that the suffocating pressure she had always carried as an ability user had suddenly lifted.
Like she’d been trapped in a tiny space, and now the wall that had separated her from others had crumbled, letting her see the outside world clearly.
She tried to convince herself otherwise—that Seiana must be hiding her fear somehow—but couldn’t stop her heart from pounding.
Without realizing it, she stepped closer.
Seiana flinched, but she didn’t look afraid—just startled by Aries’ sudden approach.
Aries stepped closer again. And again.
Before she knew it, she was standing right in front of Seiana.
Looking at the anxious face gazing straight at her, Aries reached out as if entranced.
“Your… hand. Can I…?”
Seiana hesitantly reached out, her face full of uncertainty and confusion.
Aries flinched at the warmth of human contact she hadn’t felt in so long.
Even though Aries had behaved so oddly, Seiana just waited silently.
Eventually, their hands met.
‘Ah… so that’s how it is.’
Raymond hadn’t been deceived.
The Count hadn’t thrown his daughter to a monster.
The girl standing in front of Aries was someone who could see a monster as human.
And in front of Seiana, Aries could remain human too.
“Damn it, Raymond.”
You hid something this precious?
Still, Aries understood his reasoning.
If she had found Seiana first, she would have hidden her away too—never letting Raymond or any other ability user take her.
‘What do I do? I want her…’
A greedy desire rose up.
How could she keep Seiana for herself?
Even if it meant using the family power she had sworn never to rely on, Aries wanted to bind Seiana to her side.
That creeping obsession began to rise, but her sharp rationality reminded her that it wouldn’t work.
‘The Imperial family is stronger than House Esteban.’
If Raymond had wanted to, he could’ve used the Emperor’s command to keep Seiana at his side.
The Emperor and Empress, though afraid of their youngest son, still cared deeply for him.
And yet he hadn’t used that power, which meant…
‘He didn’t want to force her and be hated.’
When Aries imagined a version of Seiana who hated her, her chest felt crushed.
Seiana was the only one who could truly see her as human.
To be hated and ignored by her—that was unbearable.
Then what should she do?
Aries had never resented her own gender before, but for the first time, she wished she weren’t a woman.
Marriage was the most certain way to keep someone close.
“There must be something… What should I do, what should I…”
“Um!”
Seiana’s voice snapped Aries out of her thoughts.
Startled, she looked over to see Seiana glancing awkwardly at their clasped hands.
Her expression was a clear request to let go.
“Oh, right. We were talking about something, weren’t we? What was it again?”
Aries pretended not to notice and sat down beside Seiana, still holding her hand.
From a distance, they might have looked like close friends.
Even though their arms and thighs were touching, Seiana only looked flustered and didn’t pull away.
To Aries, that small gesture was overwhelmingly sweet.
“Were we talking about fairies? Right, do you believe in fairies, Seiana?”
“Wh-what? How do you know my name…?”
“Of course I know! You’re the lovely daughter of the Count of Estarote. Who in the Empire wouldn’t know your name?”
“Oh…”
Was that so?
Seiana tilted her head, looking like she was starting to believe it.
And to be fair, she was quite famous.
If the Count of Estarote could have, he probably would’ve minted a commemorative coin with her face on it.
The only reason he didn’t was that coin production was controlled by the Imperial family.
‘If it had come out, I’d have bought half the supply.’
The other half would’ve been bought by Raymond, of course, so there was no helping it.
Aries smiled warmly at Seiana, who still looked dazed.
“Oh, right! I haven’t introduced myself, have I? I got so excited meeting you that I completely forgot.
I’m Aries. Aries Esteban.”
“E-Esteban? You’re the lady of the duke’s house…?”
“Oh, come on! No need for formalities between us! Just call me Aries—or even Ari. We’re the same age, so don’t make things awkward with honorifics and distance.”
“But…”
“Please? Hm? I really want to be friends with you. It would make me sad if you kept your distance…”
Aries drooped her eyebrows and looked at Seiana with teary, puppy-like eyes.
Seiana seemed completely thrown off by Aries’ sudden shift in demeanor.
‘Well, yeah. If someone who was glaring like they were about to kill you just moments ago suddenly acts like this, anyone would be confused.’
Aries wanted to beat up her past self from ten minutes ago.
Why on earth did she do such a thing?
What did it matter if Raymond got scammed or not!
If the scammer was Seiana, she could’ve just fallen for it willingly once or twice!
No.
This was all Raymond’s fault.
If he had just properly explained Seiana to her, she wouldn’t have made such a mistake, would she?
Aries was boiling inside, but she smiled brightly without showing it.
She had already ruined her first impression, so she had no choice but to be desperate.
She had to keep appealing that she was harmless if she wanted Seiana to keep giving her attention.
“Um, I get it, but… how did you get here? Did Duke Esteban decide to join this gathering?”
A sudden big shot like that?
She looked like she couldn’t understand what was going on.
In truth, someone of a duke’s status would normally host such gatherings, not attend ones organized by others.
Aries hesitated.
Should she have brought Duke Esteban after all?
They might now be worse than strangers, but she had been his daughter once—he might come if she asked.
“If he refuses, I’ll drag him here by force if I have to.”
Be it physically or through authority.
Even with such a borderline immoral thought, Aries pretended to be meek without batting an eye.
“Hmm~ that’s not it. I just came alone because I wanted to be friends with Seiana. But… would you like it if the Duke joined this gathering?”
“No… I don’t care whether he comes or not… I was just curious how you found out I was part of this gathering.”
If Seiana had nodded, Aries had been ready to drag him here somehow… but more than that, she was just thrilled that Seiana was showing interest in her, so she made her move—she boldly linked arms with her.
Even though she tightly hugged Seiana’s arm with both of hers, the fact that Seiana didn’t find it strange made Aries’ face light up with joy.
“Hm? What are you curious about? Ask me anything! I’ll tell you!”
Not only would she tell her, she’d give her anything she wanted.
Even if it belonged to someone else, she’d steal it to give it to her.
Seiana looked at Aries’ sparkling—no, dazzling—eyes with trembling eyes of her own.
Her face showed a mix of pressure and bewilderment.
“No… I get that you came because you wanted to be friends with me, but I’m just curious how you knew I was participating in this gathering, considering you’re not one of the official attendees.”
“Oh… that?”
Aries hesitated.
Actually, I stole a look at the letter I sent to Raymond.
If she told the truth, Seiana would likely be extremely offended.
She didn’t want to tell the truth, but couldn’t think of a good excuse either.
As she was racking her brain over what to do, a sudden gust of wind blew so strong it was hard to keep her eyes open.
“Ah!”
Aries moved instinctively, shielding Seiana from the strong wind as she closed her eyes in surprise.
Since they were outdoors, a strong wind wasn’t unusual—but the place they were in was a maze with high walls on all sides.
It shouldn’t have been wide enough for wind to blow this strongly.