Chapter 143. The Wicked Woman Comes Ashore, Part I

Translator: Khan

Editor Group: Liber Reverie

She became angry at this rude act, and one step faster than that, Asher took hold of Cain's arm as quickly as possible, which had seized Aria's wrist, and said,

"That's not up to you, is it? And now you don't even seem to realize how threatening it is to her."

Cain bit his lip and loosened the force he gave to his hand when he saw that Aria's wrist was losing color.

Aria, who pulled out her captured hand, stepped back a few steps. She then told Cain with a wary stare. "I just want you to go back. I'm going to go back... with Mr. Pinonua. I want you to take care of poor Mielle and be by her side."

Aria turned away after leaving such cold words. Aria got out of the way, holding the arms of Asher, who was a little embarrassed by what she called him—Mr. Pinonua. Cain's angry eyes followed the image of Aria and Asher as they disappeared.

Aria, who had remained silent long after passing the appointed place and continued walking through the corridor, did not stop. Asher looked at her and said, "Mr. Pinonua...? Are you talking about me?"

Then Aria, who had stopped walking, looked at him and said, "Yes, weren't you Pinonua Louie?"

"You still remember that name?"

Asher slightly smiled. He seemed to think he had met Aria only once under that name, but in fact, she was the Investor A, so she exchanged letters with Asher under the pseudonym of Pinonua Louie over and over again.

But she knew the whole situation, so she didn't mean to blame it. She just wanted a way to avoid it. In front of Cain, he couldn't identify himself as the Crown Prince. Moreover, it was Aria's turn to hide her identity. She then changed the topic.

"But why did you come here?"

"I was worried about you."

Asher was really worried about her.

"I've met the judge before, and she knew my identity, so I couldn't go to court, so I've been waiting outside. If you come to court, you'll face the real culprit."

The real culprit. When he found out that Berry had been released safely, he did not ask questions about it. Rather, he was worried.

Perhaps that was why questions that had been hovering around her head had become bigger and more unstable. 'Does he really know who I am? Why is he treating me so tenderly? How long can I see him while hiding my inner thoughts?'

"Mr. Asher... I think you don't know me that much."

He replied, noting the meaningful answer.

"Then you can tell me from now on."

The honest, straight answer and glance meant that he would accept whatever real intention she might be hiding.

"... Even if I'm actually a terrible, gossip-like wicked woman?"

"I'm not the same on the outside. No, I don't know if such a person exists in the world."

He added that he was also the original character when he had first seen Aria in the general store. Aria's eyes shook as she recalled the cold, blunt and rough figure she had seen. In addition, the image of many people, who had been different on the outside and on the inside, also came to mind. 'Isn't Emma the one who will disappear through execution?'

As a sudden realization struck Aria, she lost her mind in silence. He recalled his encounter with her in the general store and hurriedly added an excuse, worried that she might be scared

"Of course, I'm the one that I'm showing you. I think that any shape I made is myself. It's just different depending on time and place."

Aria gazed hard at Asher, who continued to talk. The anxiety and doubt that stood in her eyes suddenly disappeared. It might sound like he didn't know the truth, but that was enough comforting, and it was also the answer she most wanted.

After making excuses, Asher, who had been staring at Aria's eyes long before her anxiety and doubt disappeared, handed over her hair.

"On the other hand, I hope you will be what you're rumored to be… I think there's too much junk around you."

Aria's face glowed with deep emotion in his eyes. At the same time, Aria, who understood what he was referring to, made an excuse for misunderstanding.

"As you know, he's just a brother to me. He's family."

"That's not all I'm saying."

He didn't seem to like Aria's occasional appearance at a gathering of people, drawing people's attention.

Aria, who had no idea what he was thinking about because of his vague words, tried hard to figure it out. "I think it's better for you to go back now," Asher said as he watched Aria with a soft look.

"I'd love to talk about this and that..."

Asher swallowed his following words. But even if he didn't say it, Aria nodded calmly because she knew in the letter how busy he was with the establishment of the new academy.

"Then, I hope to see you again soon."

Asher would always kiss the back of her hand before he set off. Leaving behind the regret of a brief encounter that ended with a dripping lip from the back of her hand, she went back to the mansion in a carriage prepared by Asher.

* * *

Mielle, who was unconscious while Aria hoped she approached closer to her death in each passing day, came to her senses while being taken to the hospital, and, thanks to that, she had been resting in the mansion. The doctor said Mielle had a temporary breathing problem due to the shock and advised her to relax for a while.

But if she had intended to save her by taking advantage of the little time left before Emma's execution, Mielle led her weak body and forced her to go out several times. She didn't even know what others thought of her for her excessive behavior.

'It's already too late.'

After finally seeing Emma's end with that beautiful green eyes without finding any way, Mielle began to spend the day dazed as if she were out of her mind.

There was no more Mielle, who had always won the yearning and respect of the maids with her elegant gestures and sparkling eyes. Emma's absence, who had protected Mielle from the day she was born, was enough to make her a soulless empty shell. Mielle's actions were enough to make her maids nervous.

"My God, how many hours has she been standing there?"

At Aria's question, the maids waiting in front of Mielle's room shook their heads in astonishment. Mielle must have locked the door, so they couldn't even clean it.

Next to them was a maid with a light meal. She was a close aide of Mielle's but still unable to take a step into her room, and her eyes were flushed.

'Is there a better chance?'

Aria recommended warm tea for the girls, who were having a hard time.

"… Tea?"

"It's because you look exhausted. I think you should take a break."

"Ah..."

There was something they needed to do, and they showed a sign of trouble. Mielle neither allowed nor refused, so they had to wait for an answer all the time.

'Besides, drinking tea with their master?' It was rumored that Annie and Jessie were doing so, but it was a far-away world from those who had always worked as Mielle's maids. When they hesitated, Aria stretched out her hand of temptation again.

"If anyone asks, I will say that I had something to do and called you, so you should all take some rest."

Aria was so friendly to them that the impressed maids' cheeks blushed. Soon, her reputation began to change little by little as the stories of those who had favored Aria spread in the mansion. Before that, Emma's vacancy was the biggest that overwhelmed and led them.

So Mielle's close aides gradually turned their minds to sweet temptation as the poison spread little by little. Inside the mansion, the flow was quietly changing, so no one had noticed it yet.

"... Well, do you really want to give this to us?"

The maids asked one by one, holding some cosmetics in their hands that added color to their lips. As Annie nodded triumphantly on Aria's behalf, the maids screamed a little and immediately opened the lid of the cosmetics to identify the scent and color.

"Oh my God, this precious thing..."

Aria, who smiled benevolently at the admiring girls, took a sip of her tea. She didn't buy it to give it to them. One of the businessmen, who she had invested in as Investor A, had just sent a large quantity of this and that, saying that they were cosmetics he made.