Chapter 88. Asterope Franz, Part V

Translator: Khan

Editor Group: Liber Reverie

'Have I ever had a kiss like this before? That's on the back of my hand…?'

No, there had not been. Kissing had been only an intermediate process. What most men wanted was something other than a kiss, so they seemed to have considered it of little value. Of course, it didn't mean she had allowed the next.

Kissing was not worth much for Aria anyway. She thought it was so all the time.

'What the hell is this…?'

The kiss on the back of her hand, not the other part, made her heart beat fast! If it wasn't on the outside, she was well over twenty, and it was hard for her to believe that she was simply swayed by the kiss on the back of her hand by Asher, who was far younger than her.

He left a long aftertaste on the back of Aria's hand. He took off his lips and slowly stood up and stared at her. She didn't know what he was trying to do, but her heart was pounding so hard that Aria avoided his gaze. She was ashamed of her red-hot face.

"... more than that, you've surprised me every time. I didn't know how many times I rubbed my eyes after seeing you beyond the terrace."

She remembered meeting him every time she had experienced growth. Since she herself had been surprised by her sudden growth, he must have been appalled. She couldn't even see his face when he said such words after that kiss that had made her heart tremble.

Then Asher added, "There's a pretty cute side to you."

"... what!"

As she turned her head to say, "What are you talking about?", she saw his ears which were slightly red. 'Don't tell me, are you shy?' His soft smile was so calm that she couldn't guess what he was really thinking, and she closed her mouth.

The two silently greeted the wind on the terrace for a while. Aria wanted to cool her hot face, but she could not know Asher's intention. It was Asher who broke the long silence and opened his mouth first.

He looked at the box on the table and said, "So, it's the box I've seen in the general store before, isn't it? I remember you got your repaired hourglass back."

Surprised by the sudden mention of the hourglass, Aria opened her eyes wide. 'Don't tell me you know something about the hourglass.'

She replied, pretending to be as casual as possible, thinking it wouldn't be. "Yes, it's like my treasure. If it is not, I feel empty."

"Hourglass. You have a unique hobby."

Aria did not answer back because it was clear that she carried the hourglass that she could not otherwise boast about. Whether Asher didn't want an answer either, that was the last time they talked about the hourglass.

'As expected, you didn't know about the hourglass.'

'Then what kind of secret do you know? Don't people become more secretive if we argue about the existence of a secret?'

She didn't know what had happened, but while she had been wandering in a vacant lot with him, where she had never seen before, her sight had been suddenly changed to a square.

She hadn't taken any drugs that had been popular in the dark area, so it wouldn't have been a kind of hallucination... It was evident that he had done a strange trick. So it was not Asher, but Aria herself who should question.

"That day, in the square."

Aria spoke first in the conversation that had been cut off since his mention of the hourglass. Then, Asher smiled as if he recalled the moment, saying "Ah," and played innocent, smiling.

"Unfortunately, we were wandering around for a long time without knowing that we were so close to the square. It was a rare experience."

"... are you saying it's all about wandering around?"

"Well, what happened, otherwise?"

If he denied it perfectly in that way, she had nothing else to say. Since he responded flexibly as if he had prepared in advance, Aria wondered what she should do to question him.

"Is there something to share than such a trivial thing?"

"Ah..."

It wasn't a trivial conversation, but his skill to change the subject was excellent.

Aria bit her lips. 'Yeah, you said you knew my secret. If you don't ask too much about the hourglass, then I don't think the secret you know is about that, but what do you know?'

As if he had no intention of taking the time any longer, he went to his main point. "It seemed that you didn't like being noticed."

"... what are you talking about?"

"Even though you were deprived of your glory, you didn't express anything."

Aria was able to understand the meaning of what Asher was saying at once. It seemed to mean that Mielle had stolen her exploit for the fur business. But how did Asher know that? There were very few people who knew about that.

"You have to tell me exactly, so I can give you an answer."

"The fur business."

"..."

Where on earth did the story spread from? Mielle didn't seem to even notice it yet, so she wouldn't have made it out of her mouth, and he wouldn't have disgraced his daughter's face unless the count had been out of his mind. Then who the hell?

Then Aria stiffened her face. It was because Lane, the only possible figure, came to her mind. He hadn't looked like a man who had a light mouth, but he seemed to have been talking about it all over the place. If it was known, he would be antagonized by the family of Count Roscent. How foolish he was!

"Where did you hear that?"

"I guess it's true."

At Aria's question, Asher avoided the answer. He just wanted to make sure of what he wanted to know. There was nothing more to be gained from continuing the conversation. If she kept the conversation going, she felt like she would only make a loss.

"Is that all you are curious about?"

Aria, who was determined to turn over the hourglass, reached out to the box and asked. If she deleted this conversation now, She and Asher would end up having a useless conversation, such as when Asher kissed her on the back of her hand, or he had an illusion when his ears blushed. But contrary to Aria's expectation, Asher shook his head and announced that the conversation would continue.

"No, I haven't even started yet. There's something else I'd like to ask."

Aria's hand stopped in the air when he said he had not even started. It was only natural that the eyes of Asher followed her. He looked at Aria's hand with a very curious look.

'I can't let you pay attention to the hourglass.'

He was still too interested in her. She couldn't let him know her secret anymore. Aria picked up the box. Then she sat down so that she could get out of the terrace at any moment. She made him think that she was reaching out to the box to get her things back and go back home. Fortunately, Asher showed the reaction Aria wanted to see.

"You may regret it if you don't listen."

"All I regret is the fact that I allowed you to come into the terrace."

"Even though I am going to make an offer, which you might be interested in?"

'An offer which I might be interested in? Are you saying you're going to kill Mielle?'

Aria didn't need anything else, for all these acts were to take revenge on Mielle. To Aria, who was deep in her thoughts, Asher spoke with ease. His words were quite unexpected.

"I heard you bought books from a bookstore with your maid."

"... how far have you been peeping into my private life? It's very unpleasant!"

"You bought books on economy and politics for beginners. You seemed to be interested in the international situation as well. They are still quite unique for a young lady to read. There's no other place to use them."

'So what do you want to say?' She didn't care what he would say afterward. Now was the time to end the conversation. As much as the secret of the hourglass, she didn't want her private life to be exposed. She had to turn back the time and have him close his mouth shut.

"So would you share that knowledge with others?"

This time she was going to do so, but instead of threatening Aria, he made an unexpected offer.

"... what does that mean?"

"I'm suggesting to you to attend the meeting that I'm hosting."

'The meeting you're hosting?' Aria's eyes trembled momentarily. It was hard to believe that he, a man, made such an offer to her.