Chapter 28. To Prevent It From Being Forgotten

Rasiel moved busily up and down the stairs with a joyful heart.

She felt incredibly happy to have become part of the mansion that was busy with memorial ceremonies and greeting guests.

However, strangely, she couldn’t run as nimbly as before.

Rasiel was already breathing heavily despite not having run much, as she hugged the silver candlestick box and turned left from the main building to cross the backyard.

“Haa. Haa.”

Rasiel stopped her hurried steps when she confirmed that quite a number of people were already near the shrine.

She paused to catch her breath while gazing at the ivory-colored building she would soon reach, then lowered her eyes to examine the clothes she was wearing.

She was worried about bringing shame to the Mosteros family if she appeared disheveled.

“Ah, the wrinkles……”

She turned her head back and forth to check if there was any dirt splashed on her and whether her shoes were clean. There were some slightly wrinkled parts, but not enough to be noticeable, and there were no dirty spots.

Rasiel wiped the sweat from her forehead and gently shook her head to tidy her parted bangs.

Thinking she looked presentable enough, she was about to head back to the shrine when she heard mocking voices of men not far away.

“Even though you’re from a collateral branch, I thought you’d be different from us since you’re going to be a son-in-law of this family, but you’re no better. Hughie Sarion.”

“It’s only because I’m not married yet.”

“Ah, is that so?”

“Blia begged me on her hands and knees, saying she was sorry!”

Hughie Sarion, who had always lived boasting that he would become a son-in-law of the Mosteros family, found today’s events quite damaging to his pride.

He kept snorting in anger.

“You should have skipped the engagement and gone straight to marriage. Then you would have entered proudly this time.”

“As a noble of high standing, I couldn’t skip the engagement! It’s the damn! protocol!”

Hughie Sarion’s voice grew increasingly louder.

Rasiel carefully moved her steps, cautiously avoiding being noticed by them.

Fortunately, she reached near the entrance of the shrine without getting entangled with those using rough language.

‘Is all of that real gold?’

It had sparkled from a distance, but up close, it gleamed brilliantly.

The gold decorating the edges of the ivory-colored building seemed to be real gold indeed.

Rasiel admired the wealth of the Mosteros Duchy anew as she looked around.

She had expected Rapellian to be waiting by now, but outside the shrine, there were only mourners gathered in scattered groups, with no familiar faces.

“Is he inside……”

Rasiel rolled her eyes as she recalled what Rapellian had said on the phone.

‘This is actually perfect. You can bring it in.’

At this vivid memory, the corners of Rasiel’s mouth twitched.

‘Like a real family.’

That one statement made her feel like she had become a real family member.

Though they weren’t connected by blood, she was secretly happy that he seemed to truly consider her as part of the family.

Even though she had said it was fine, perhaps she had felt a little disappointed about being left alone in the room.

‘I guess I’m pretty narrow-minded.’

Rasiel felt embarrassed, as if she had truly looked into herself.

Nevertheless, her face, where joy and embarrassment coexisted, showed quite a happy expression.

Rasiel decided to go inside while trying to calm her twitching lips.

After lifting the box and taking a deep breath, she very carefully passed through the people gathered in small groups. She was extremely careful not to make any mistakes that would draw attention.

Fortunately, most people didn’t pay attention to Rasiel.

Just as Rasiel was about to climb the stairs, slightly lifting her skirt like other noble young ladies would do:

“Hey.”

A particularly clear voice rang out amid the murmuring conversations between mourners.

However, Rasiel didn’t think the call was directed at her and continued up the stairs.

“Hey. You!”

Rasiel’s body was suddenly turned around as she was carefully climbing the stairs.

This caused her to lose balance and sway precariously.

Rasiel was so startled that she couldn’t even let out a short scream and only inhaled sharply.

Her complexion, which had been glowing with satisfaction and joy, instantly turned pale white.

Even in this situation, she tightened her arms and grip to avoid dropping the candlestick.

“Who are you?”

A well-dressed man asked with a hostile expression.

It was Hughie Sarion, whose pride had been severely wounded today.

Currently in a very bad mood, he was half out of his mind and couldn’t even sense the protective pheromones of Rapellian that clung to Rasiel’s body.

Faced with the sudden and even threatening gaze and tone of her opponent, Rasiel missed the timing to respond.

“Cat got your tongue? I’m asking who you are.”

The reproachful voice made it even more impossible for Rasiel to open her mouth.

Her pupils trembled aimlessly, colored with anxiety and tension.

“Hey! Who are you to enter the shrine that even I can’t enter?! A mere human girl!!”

Hughie Sarion shouted angrily.

The thundering sound that struck her ears collapsed everything Rasiel had carefully built up.

She had just learned that the touch and words of others didn’t have to mean pain, but now it felt like everything was crumbling down.

“Is this family teaching even human girls to look down on people?! What kind of guest treatment is this?!”

His voice grew even louder.

Because of this, the mourners gathered in front of the shrine began to show interest.

Under the gathering gazes, Rasiel’s lips grew pale without a trace of blood.

“I……”

Rasiel painfully opened her mouth to somehow escape this situation.

But suddenly, a piercing ringing sound came from her left ear, accompanied by a stinging pain.

Rasiel frowned as she endured the sticky discomfort and pain.

Looking at her, Hughie Sarion sneered.

“I guess the reputation of the Mosteros family was all just for show. To bring something like this into their house.”

Rasiel, who had seemed about to collapse to the floor at any moment, raised her head.

She had tried to be quiet and somehow quickly escape this situation, but she couldn’t just let his mockery pass.

He was badmouthing the Mosteros family, of all things.

“N-No. That’s not true.”

Rasiel took a deep breath, shook her head, and squeezed out her voice.

“Ha! What?”

“If you suddenly intimidate someone with such a scary face, anyone would be unable to answer your question.”

Rasiel’s eyes were still filled with fear, her shoulders were stiff with tension, and her fingertips trembled.

However, she had learned that treating people this way in the Mosteros Duchy was wrong.

And because she didn’t want the Mosteros family to be spoken ill of because of her, she did her best to defend the ducal family.

“No one in the Mosteros family disrespects or looks down on people. So please don’t say things like the guest treatment is wrong or that it’s all just for show.”

“How dare you talk back now!”

“I-If you felt I was being impertinent, I apologize. But if you had asked me calmly, I would have answered you right away.”

“A worthless human girl dares to talk back so articulately? So you’re saying you’ve done nothing wrong?”

As Hughie Sarion openly displayed his displeasure and looked like he might hit her, Rasiel stepped back to get out of his reach.

After that, she tried to look at him straight and said:

“I’ve done nothing wrong. Rather, you are the one who’s wrong, Young Master. What you’re doing now is very wrong. No one in the Mosteros family treats people like this. They are kind and gentle even to someone like me.”

“Ha! Are you, of all people, trying to lecture me? How ridiculous.”

The man snorted and showed even more signs of being offended.

But Rasiel didn’t want to get further entangled with him, so she quickly blurted out her words as if she hadn’t heard anything.

“If you don’t intend to apologize, there’s no reason to continue this conversation. I don’t want to waste my time. I need to complete the errand the Young Master asked me to do, so I’ll be going now.”

Rasiel bowed her head deeply and put strength in her legs to leave the place.

“Wait. Haha. You’re that one. The one they were talking about in the newspapers.”

Hughie Sarion slapped his palm as if he just remembered and blocked Rasiel’s path.

At his statement, the mourners who had been glancing this way with feigned disinterest now openly shifted their gazes.

“Hmm. I heard you bewitched the Young Duke, so I thought you’d be some great beauty, but you’re just a skinny nobody.”

After facing Rasiel for an extended period, he could now see the pheromones surrounding her. However, his prideful nature made it hard for him to back down, so he picked a fight unnecessarily.

Hughie Sarion grabbed Rasiel’s chin without any hesitation and turned it left and right.

Rasiel flinched at the rough touch, then shook her head to free herself from his hand and stepped back.

“Neither the Duke, nor the Young Duke, nor Young Master Briel, nor Young Master Riello ever touch me so carelessly. Please apologize.”

She had tried to ignore it.

She had thought that if she just endured it herself, she could get through this moment, as she had done before. But at that moment, she recalled Rapellian’s voice, which had told her several times during her stay at the ducal residence:

‘Treating you carelessly is the same as disrespecting us. Don’t cower for things you haven’t done wrong. I hope you won’t make the care we’ve shown you seem like nothing.’

She couldn’t make the grace bestowed by the Mosteros family seem like it never happened.

Rasiel was scared, but she looked at him with wide eyes, trying not to waver, as if she absolutely wouldn’t let it go without an apology.

“A girl with no background dares to run her mouth. Do you know who I am? I am to be the son-in-law of this family……”

Hughie Sarion tapped Rasiel’s forehead with his finger.

Rasiel couldn’t help but flinch and cower.

At that moment, Blia, a cousin of the four Mosteros siblings who had heard about the commotion outside, ran out.

“Hughie Sarion! What are you doing now!”

Blia, gripping the hem of her dress, wedged herself between Hughie Sarion, her fiancé, and Rasiel.

“What am I doing? This impertinent and lowly girl……”

“Stop it! How dare you utter such vulgar words! What do you think of our family!”

Fabrel, who had followed his daughter outside, stomped his foot.

Hughie Sarion then beat his chest in frustration and shouted:

“Father. Why are you taking the side of this human girl instead of me, who is to be your son-in-law!”

Blia pulled his arm and gave him a stern look.

“Do you think I don’t know why you’re acting like this? Don’t take out your anger on an innocent person.”

“Take out my anger?”

“You’re upset because you can’t enter the shrine right now! If I had known you were such a narrow-minded man……”

“Haha. Everyone’s gone mad. Ah, indeed, Mosteros has fallen too. To be swayed by a skinny, plain human girl. And yet they talk about laws and customs. Acting so proud, going on about direct descendants.”

“How…!”

Blia’s eyes widened in shock.

At that moment, a low voice resonated in front of the shrine.

“How grand is your background that you dare to run your mouth?”