141. under the chandelier (2)

“How are you treating it?”

Marion looked restless. 1 The princess seemed dubious about the fact that she had brought a medicine that could cure Marion, but basically she was happy with the news. It was a bonus that he asked if it would be okay to take a tour of the treatment process. And thanks to that, Marion had the honor of daring to lie down in the princess’ bed.

“majesty… , Is it really a girl like this disloyalty… .”

“Marion, you probably don’t know that disloyalty is greater if you don’t obey my orders here.”

Michelle replied in a stern voice to Marion, who asked in a trembling voice as if asking for a favor. It was a bonus that he gently pressed her chest as she struggled to get up from her seat and prevented her from getting up. Michelle then turned back to Christine.

“Continue explaining.”

Christine gave Marion a slightly surprised look at the princess’s casual appearance, then started explaining as she tapped the reagent bottle.

“The principle is simple. As with other potions, if you spray an appropriate amount on the affected area, the magic you put on this reagent will heal the wound on its own.”

“… Is there such a simple potion? Where and how did you develop it?”

Christine shook her head, saying that it would be difficult to explain to Michelle, who turned suspicious.

“It is confidential.”

“Is it at least an edict given by His Majesty?”

Christine didn’t give a definite answer, but she didn’t deny the first princess’s question either. Michelle knew that Christine’s attitude was positive, so she put on another look of surprise.

“… As for the source, then I won’t ask any more. But I still have questions.”

“You are welcome to ask any questions.”

Michelle asked, unable to take her eyes off the reagent bottle.

“Are you sure the drug is safe?”

“Yes. In the first place, there was no magic that would harm the user, and it has been clinically tested.”

“… A clinical trial?”

“Yeah. It can be said that the effect is already in a state that can be guaranteed.”

As Christine explained to Princess 1, she remembered the person she first healed with the effect of this potion. He was somewhat of a rough person, but since he was able to restore his eyes that were messed up from the trauma, he should be able to easily restore Marion’s burns to their original form. The tearful reaction she had upon regaining her sight, though, was too embarrassing and embarrassing for Christine.

“Once, I was convinced. All that’s left is to decide whether or not to treat it according to Marion’s will.”

The princess looked down at Marion. Marion’s eyes were quivering, but her intentions seemed firmly established. Christine turned her eyes to Marion, who took a deep breath and gave her an answer.

“If you can do that, I would really appreciate it.”

“I see.”

Christine nodded and opened the mouth of the reagent bottle. Contrary to the strange smell that potions usually give off, the reagent Christine opened didn’t smell or smell. Christine approached Marion with a bottle of medicine with a slightly nervous expression, and the princess also watched the scene with nervous eyes without saying a word.

“Then, I will treat you. There won’t be any pain, so it’s okay not to be so nervous.”

Christine said that to Marion, who was looking up at her with a very nervous look. Marion stiffened like a lumber and nodded.

“The mask.”

Christine asked cautiously, and Marion hesitantly raised her hand above the mask. Then, as if asking for permission, he looked at Princess 1. Michelle nodded as if encouraging Marion.

“It’s okay to take off the mask, Marion.”

Marion slowly peeled off the mask with trembling hands. Little by little, the face devoured by the fire began to appear. The hideous distorted skin was exposed, and Christine and the first princess held their breath. The right face devoured by the flames represented the life she had lived. Distorted, horrific, and painful to look at. Marion, revealing her scars, faced Christine and Princess 1, who were surprisingly calm and looked at her with pity.

“… It must have been hard.”

1 The princess could barely say that. Marion gave a small smile and shook her head.

“It’s not hard at all right now, so it’s okay.”

“… like that. Hurry up and get some treatment.”

1 After saying that, the princess looked at Christine again. Christine nodded and looked down at Marion.

“Could you close your eyes?”

Marion’s eyes closed. Christine picked up the vial and started dripping the potion onto Marion’s face little by little. Drops dripping droplets of potion landed on the right side of Marion’s face and began to flow down. Marion closed her eyes and felt something burning on the right side of her face. It feels like someone is pulling your face little by little.

As Marion frowned like that with her eyes closed, she heard Christine murmur softly.

“great.”

Christine smiled. Then, the remaining potion was evenly spread on Marion’s face. Marion felt the burning sensation spreading all over the right side of her face.

“Wait a little.”

Michelle looked at Marion, who was lying there with her arms crossed. The right half of her body was out of Michelle’s line of sight, so she couldn’t tell what was going on with Marion’s face. Michelle closed her eyes as if she would not snoop around until the treatment was completed.

How much time had passed, even after pouring all the potions on the right side of her face to heal it, Christine, who had used some more magic, looked down at Marion. There was a stiff smile on his lips, like someone overwhelmed by the scenery.

“It makes no sense, this.”

Christine put the reagents back in her arms and woke Marion, who had closed her eyes.

“It’s done, Marion.”

Marion’s closed eyelids trembled, and soon two bright blue eyes were revealed. Christine, looking at herself through a vague gaze, spoke again.

“Treatment is successful. Would you like to get up and take a look in the mirror?”

Marion raised her left hand and brushed the right side of her face. didn’t feel The terrible sensation of burn marks that should have been felt through the fingertips was no longer felt.

“Nonsense.”

Christine murmured, and Michelle couldn’t hold it in any longer, opened her eyes, and spoke to Marion. His voice pretended to be calm, but underneath it was a feeling that he couldn’t stand it because he was curious.

“Would you like to get up?”

Marion cautiously rose from her seat. Then, he carefully turned his head toward Michelle. It didn’t take long for Michelle’s tense expression to turn to shock.

“Oh My God.”

A startled exclamation escaped Michelle’s lips. Michelle stared blankly at Marion for a while, as if at a loss for words.

“This.”

Michelle let out a small sigh.

“I really think the main character of this prom could change.”

—

“No, don’t move.”

“Uh huh, even if it tickles you, you can’t turn your head, senior.”

Late afternoon, in one of the headquarters of the 1st Guards. A light brown-haired knight was surrounded by several people, held tightly to his chair as if he were being tortured. Maxim rolled his eyes and tried to ask for help, but no one could take his side. As Maxim flinched, Christine raised her scissors with a frown.

“Senior, if you keep doing that, I will really shave your head.”

“Sorry, I’ll be quiet.”

Christine was styling Maxim’s hair. The words ‘harsh’ and ‘trimmed’ didn’t quite match, but the way Christine touched Maxim’s hair could only be described as trimming.

“… But do you really need makeup?”

The one holding Maxim’s chin was Charlotte. Charlotte, unusually active for her, tried everything as if Maxim’s face might explode. Putting makeup on a man’s face seemed to be quite a pleasure for her.

“What are you talking about. Don’t you know how thoroughly prepared male aristocrats go out into the social world? Everyone says they decorate a little bit. I trimmed my eyebrows and put on basic makeup on my face.”

Maxim hated the many sticky medicines that were applied to his face, but Christine glared at him with scary eyes, so he couldn’t say anything and couldn’t help but stand still.

“I told you to stay still, Maxim.”

Dennis, who was still wrapped in bandages, said teasingly with a giggle. Of course, her face is fine, and her body condition has returned to the point where she can be active, so it was a bonus to say that she had to attend the prom. Maxim protested in a voice that seemed to be unfair, keeping his head fixed straight ahead.

“Senior-nim, you say you’re going to the prom, aren’t you wearing makeup?”

“I don’t have to be like you. I’m not even the main character, so what?”

“What nonsense, you should do the same makeup. Where are you pretending not to be?”

Charlotte shot a sharp glance at Dennis. Dennis caught Charlotte’s gaze and slipped back.

“Does it have to be?”

“Can you hold on to me so that I won’t run away, seniors?”

The other knights of the 1st Guards, who stood back and looked at them with interest, nodded. Dennis flinched at the beckoning gestures of the knights of the 1st Guards, who raised their hands on his shoulders.

“Don’t even think about running away.”

“You’ve been messing around all the time, but you did well today, Dennis.”

“I’m glad.”

“Good. Shall we go to the hospital one more time today?”

While Dennis was receiving attention from his seniors that lacked love, the Maxim decoration that Christine and Charlotte were running was running toward the end.

“Okay, that’s it.”

Charlotte removed her hand from Maxim’s face. And soon after, Christine stepped back with a satisfied expression, as if Maxim’s hair had been tidied up.

“It becomes a picture, senior? It would be very worth seeing if you put on clothes.”

“I don’t think I’ll ever be in a social world like this again.”

Maxim grumbled and got up to change his clothes. A sigh escaped Christine’s lips as she saw Maxim walking to the room in the corner of the headquarters. Seeing Christine like that, the knights of the 1st Guards were chatting among themselves. Under its terrifying clutches, Dennis was caught and was on his way to becoming Charlotte’s second victim.

“Anyway, what kind of relationship do they have? I heard that the ring on Maxim’s hand isn’t the one with Christine?”

“I know. Someone muster up the courage to come forward and ask.”

“… Do you have any questions, seniors?”

Christine turned her head towards them with a nonchalant expression, and the knights began to cough and harass the innocent Dennis. Christine waited with her shoulders slightly moving as if she was looking forward to seeing the room Maxim entered. Not long after, the door burst open and Maxim, dressed in clothes, appeared.

“It’s been a long time since I’ve worn clothes like this.”

Christine hurriedly ran to Maxim who awkwardly lifted the hem of her coat. The knights of the 1st Guards exchanged delicate expressions as they watched. Christine’s eyes were shining brightly as she looked at Maxim, so it was a bonus that she couldn’t hide her laughter.

“It suits you. senior. Your clothes are your wings.”

“Thank you for telling me even empty words.”

“… It’s not really empty words.”

Christine sullenly replied. Maxim sighed and looked at Christine. Christine slightly turned her head away from Maxim, who was staring at her.

“little… , I’ll come back after fixing the messy makeup.”

Christine quickly moved away from Maxim and approached the dressing table. The seniors watching the scene spat out one word at a time.

“Maxim, good job.”

“Yeah? Yeah… .”

—

The evening sky on the eve of New Year’s Day was so dark that it could not be called an evening sky. Now, the clear sky was shining purple, revealing stars that had not been seen before. The official banquet had not yet begun, but most of the attendees had already arrived and were talking among themselves.

“Today, Her Highness the 1st Prince, Her Highness the 1st Princess, and the 2nd Prince are all attending.”

“They were all present. The problem is that there are many other people attending.”

Earl Leon Benning, a great nobleman and supporter of the 2nd prince, Count Ray Agorn, also a great eastern nobleman and supporter of the 1st princess. Big names who can shake the entire royal capital with just their name are gathered. And it wasn’t just the great nobles that the nobles had their eyes on.

“And, the winner of the martial arts competition.”

“yes. Did you say that his real name was Maxime Appard? I heard that Baron Apart is staying at Count Agon’s estate to the east.”

“… Not without risks, though.”

Just like my father and mother, but for a different reason, the young ladies’ attention was focused on the knights who participated in this martial arts competition.

“Have you seen the driver named Maxime Appart who won this time?”

“It was great. Unlike our family’s knights, who have a tough impression, it gave the impression of seeing a calm nobleman.”

“Where are you now?”

Maxim felt somehow uncomfortable. The gazes pouring toward him from the moment he entered the entrance were not the kind of gazes that explored his skills like the knights, but those that seemed to judge his appearance or demeanor. And the emotions in those eyes were feelings of goodwill to the point of feeling uncomfortable, or a look of caution and jealousy.

“I don’t like the way the eyes stare at us, Maxim.”

Dennis was accepting those gazes casually. He faithfully escorted Charlotte and walked with a graceful appearance. Charlotte put her hand on top of Dennis’s, somehow turning her face red like a carrot, but she didn’t let go of it.

“It’s like eyes looking at a gold nugget. If you see that even though you have Charlotte as your partner, you see that kind of attention. I can’t even imagine what kind of eyes you’re going to have.”

Maxim shrugged. The eyes of Christine, who played the role of Maxim’s entry partner, were scanning the surroundings fiercely. Her blonde hair, which was beautifully flowing, was delicately trimmed and shining, and her confident and beautiful face, as usual, was a little hardened.

“It looks like it’s looking at its prey, senpai. I can’t even imagine what will happen if I leave.”

Maxim let out a deep sigh at Christine’s words. Just imagining it made my head throb.

“I wonder if it was a place where you would become tired this far.”

“Isn’t that something you should have been prepared for since you promised to win, senior?”

At that time, a person who appeared to be an employee of the banquet approached Maxim. He wondered if he was going to offer them champagne, but he cautiously conveyed his business while looking at Christine.

“Christine Watson, wait a minute, Her Highness, the 1st princess… .”

When Christine heard that, she let out a small sigh. The fine brow furrowed for a moment, then Christine let go of Maxim’s hand.

“Senior, I’ll be back for a while. I made a promise to Your Highness.”

Maxim nodded his head as he looked at Christine walking away with a bewildered expression. Christine left Maxim, saying that he would be back soon, and before long, Maxim could feel that the eyes falling on him doubled. Charlotte and Dennis looked at Maxim with pity.

Before Dennis could say anything consoling, a person who appeared to be a nobleman’s daughter broke through the crowd and spoke to Maxim.

“Oh my, isn’t that Maxim Appart? The winner of this martial arts competition! To meet you here by chance… .”

What a coincidence, as if he was a cormorant trying to catch fish, he kept aiming for Maxim. Dennis murmured, and Charlotte pinched his side.

As the partner left for a while, the number of young ladies looking for Maxim increased. When the position of the 1st princess was declared, they looked at the 1st princess as she entered, but soon after the princess came in and became noisy again, they were willing to argue with each other in order to openly steal their maxim.

“Would you like to dance with me first?”

“I have a partner today… .”

“Then, could you come over after dancing with your partner?”

My head was dizzy from all the incense. Maxim unknowingly turned his head to ask for help from Dennis and Charlotte, but they also disappeared somewhere. The dizzying commotion increased. The touch on Maxim’s arm also increased.

It was the moment when Maxim’s temples were about to gain strength as he could not handle it more and more.

“Today his partner is set.”

A clear voice was heard.

Maxim was startled and turned his head in the direction from which the voice came. The young ladies surrounding Maxim also turned their heads toward the voice at the same time, sharpening their eyes.

“Marion.”

Maxim murmured softly, and Marion lowered her head slightly and smiled. Appearing wearing a mask, she had her black black hair twisted up and tied back. Each of the young girls looked at Marion, who appeared with a sneer on her face.

“Oh, was the masquerade held today? There seems to be a young lady here who has no idea what the New Year’s ball is going to be like.”

“Iknow, right. Even if it’s a masquerade, it’s the first time I’ve heard of a ball where you have to cover only half of your face. Is there such a custom in the far south?”

At the words of the young ladies, Maxim’s spirits subsided. As Maxim began to show cold hostility, the young ladies looked back at Maxim in bewilderment.

“It’s okay, Maxim.”

Marion told Maxim that. Then, she looked back at all the young ladies who were laughing at her and smiled beautifully.

“I was wearing a mask until I met Maxim at the order of Her Highness, First Princess. If that made you feel uncomfortable, I apologize.”

1When the name of the princess was mentioned, the young ladies again put on a puzzled expression and started to evade their words.

“No, we… I didn’t say it with that intention.”

Marion slowly reached her hand and brought it to the mask. Then he picked up the hem of the black mask and showed it. The young ladies sensed that Marion’s outspoken behavior had begun to deviate from their plans.

“So, I will take off the mask for now.”

Click.

Before Maxim could say anything, Marion took off her mask.

And, the noisy banquet hall fell into silence in an instant.