Chapter 33
“W-What? This woman…!”
The man seemed flustered by Diana’s fierce aura.
“I can endure being yelled at or scolded myself, but I won’t stand anyone doing that to Luerie.”
Her eyes flashed dangerously.
Luerie was one of the few people precious to her.
To insult him by calling him a beggar—she couldn’t forgive it.
But the man didn’t realise his fault and instead shouted louder.
“What’s wrong with calling a beggar a beggar!”
He raised his thick hand to strike Diana.
Just as his fat palm was about to slap her cheek, Diana’s mana reacted to her fury, and the ground beneath her began to freeze.
The chilling air made the man flinch.
Luerie swiftly grabbed his hand and blocked him from reaching Diana.
“Stop.”
“W-What?!”
“What are you doing, Luerie?!”
Both the man and Diana shouted in unison at Luerie, who held the man’s hand firmly.
“Don’t waste your mana, sister.”
If Luerie hadn’t intervened, the man’s hand would have been frozen solid by her magic.
He turned to Diana with a bright smile.
She whispered softly:
“People who judge others by appearances deserve to be punished.”
“No.”
“Huh?”
“People like him should be punished the way they understand best.”
“What do you mean…?”
Luerie winked at her, then turned back to the man.
“You look like a noble from this Grand Duchy.”
“Th-That’s right! Someone like you, a beggar—”
“Do you even know who she is before you act so arrogantly?”
Cutting him off sharply, Luerie gestured towards Diana.
The man glanced over her attire.
Though elegant, he couldn’t identify the brand of her dress and thus her status.
In truth, he wasn’t a high-ranking noble.
If he were, he would have recognised Diana instantly.
He was merely a baron living on the outskirts of the Grand Duchy.
“Wh-Who is she…?!”
Stammering, he looked flustered by Luerie’s confident demeanour.
Luerie smirked coldly.
“She is the Grand Duchess of the Ernst Grand Duchy.”
Before his words even finished, the baron froze—not by Diana’s magic, but by the sheer terror of what he’d just done.
He knew about the Grand Duchess.
She was renowned as a saint, and her family, House Pereshte, was immensely powerful.
“I-I… I didn’t know… Grand Duchess…!”
He trembled violently, unable to speak properly.
Even though the Ernst Grand Duchy had weakened, a mere border noble like him had no right to belittle its duchess.
“So… this woman is really the Grand Duchess…?”
Realising what he had done, he collapsed in front of her, trembling.
Luerie’s plan was clear to Diana, and she raised her chin proudly, standing beside him.
People like this man, who judged by appearance and status, needed to be taught with their own currency.
“Yes. I am the Grand Duchess of this land, Diana el Pereshte.”
At the name ‘Pereshte’, his memory stirred.
He remembered seeing Marquis Pereshte once at a royal ball, too intimidated to approach.
His body trembled even harder.
He lowered himself completely before Diana.
“F-Forgive me for not recognising Your Highness…!”
She looked down coldly at the man grovelling at her feet.
Then, deciding to go along with Luerie’s plan, she spoke slowly.
“Do you know who the person you just called a beggar is?”
She smiled softly.
“Even if you know nothing of mages, surely you’ve heard his name.”
“M-Mage…?”
“This is Luerie de Constantine, the next Tower Master.”
“T-Tower Master…!”
The man’s face drained of colour.
No one would have guessed that the next Tower Master would walk around in such a shabby robe.
“I-I’m so sorry…!”
Panicking, he turned to Luerie, bowing deeply.
The Magic Tower was a supreme institution with powers beyond human.
To offend them wasn’t just a crime—it could cost him his life.
“Please forgive me, Sir Luerie! I didn’t know who you were…!”
A cold smile crept across Diana’s lips.
It was amusing.
Nothing about her or Luerie had changed.
Only their titles had caused such a drastic shift in the man’s behaviour.
“P-Please take this, Your Highness. You touched it first, but I was rude…”
He quickly held out the box containing the mermaid’s tears to her.
But Diana didn’t want to accept it under such unpleasant circumstances.
“No. You should fix your habit of judging people by appearances.”
She looked at the box in his trembling hands with cold disdain.
“Especially at your age.”
Then she turned away, grabbing Luerie’s arm, and led him downstairs.
After paying for the items she picked up and ordering the rest,
“Please deliver the mermaid’s tears and golden sand to Ernst Grand Duchy. As quickly as possible, in top quality.”
“Yes, madam.”
As she was leaving, the baron blocked their way again.
“P-Please accept it…!”
Sweating heavily, he grabbed her hand, trying to force the box onto her.
“What are you doing?”
Luerie pried the man’s hand away, glaring at him with a displeased expression.
Still, the baron didn’t give up.
“I’ve already paid. Please take it as my apology…”
Diana had been ready to let it go, but his persistence irritated her further.
“You want me to forgive you just so your conscience feels better?”
“Y-Yes…?”
“I have no intention of forgiving someone like you. I hope your guilt eats at you forever.”
With that, she brushed past him and exited the store.
Luerie, who had planned to teach the baron a lesson, simply glared at him before following her.
“Sister, wait for me.”
“Sorry you had to see that.”
Her face was still flushed with anger.
“Why? That was amazing.”
“Amazing…?”
Hearing his boyish praise, her face turned red for an entirely different reason.
“You really haven’t changed, sister.”
She turned back to look at him as his red hair fluttered in the breeze, and his blue eyes glimmered brightly.
“What… do you mean…?”
She wanted to ask more, but Luerie suddenly pulled her close, wrapping an arm around her shoulders.
“So, where to next?”
“What do you mean?”
“You’re out, aren’t you?”
How did he know her so well?
She nodded slightly.
“Then, shouldn’t you go on a date with a handsome younger man like me before heading back?”
He added a playful wink to his teasing words, making her heart flutter.
But unfortunately, time had flown by during the commotion with the baron.
Checking her pocket watch, she sighed regretfully.
“…I’m sorry, Luerie. I have to go back now. I’ve been out too long.”
“Really? That’s a shame.”
“I think so too.”
She mixed sincerity with polite refusal.
“Really?”
“Huh?”
But Luerie caught it immediately.
“Then next time, promise to go on a date with me.”
He held out his pinky finger like a child.
It reminded her of the orphans she used to promise happiness to.
But none of them had red hair like his.
“Promise me, sister.”
“Ah… okay.”
She linked her pinky with his.
Luerie looked at their joined fingers with satisfaction and grinned brightly.
“Then I’ll take you home. I’m faster than your carriage.”
Wrapping an arm gently around her waist, he used magic to transport them instantly back to her room.
“Thank you, Luerie.”
Trying to calm her pounding heart from the sudden teleportation, she smiled softly.
“See you in our next lesson, sister.”
With that, he disappeared.
He left quite an impression—his kindness, his familiarity with her.
And yet, she realised she knew so little about him.
She stared blankly at where he’d been, her mind swirling with thoughts.
“Luerie… he’s different.”
Since the first time they met, nothing about him felt unfamiliar.
“Milan.”
Taking a deep, confused breath, Diana finished organising her purchases and stepped into the hallway where Milan was drawing back the curtains.
“Tell the coachman I’ve returned and prepare bathwater, please.”
Milan widened her eyes in shock.
“Huh? How did you return so quickly?”
“I ran into someone… someone quite amazing.”
Thinking of Luerie, Diana smiled warmly.
Inside her blank canvas-like heart, the colour of red paint was beginning to spread—so faintly, she hadn’t even noticed it yet.
