Chapter 15 The Broken Young Lady
On the day Rhiannon promised to go to the palace library with Halesia, she was a mess.
Standing in front of her room's mirror, Rhiannon couldn't help but groan at her reflection.
Her eyes were puffy, her face was swollen, and her expression was downcast.
Even her favorite ribbon tie looked all wrinkled.
It was pretty bad.
However, she couldn't break her promise to Halesia.
More than anything, Rhiannon felt an overwhelming urge to talk to someone, so she headed to the palace's annex.
As expected, when Halesia saw Rhiannon in the annex, her face went pale.
"R-Rhiannon! Your beautiful face is in a serious situation!?"
"Yeah, I know. I just can't seem to sleep lately..."
"Is something bothering you?"
"Well, just listen to me already..."
The moment Rhiannon said that in a pitiful voice, her tears started to flow.
Halesia quickly invited her inside.
After seating the sobbing Rhiannon in a chair, Halesia brought out some warm tea.
Rhiannon quietly thanked her and sipped the tea.
Halesia looked at Rhiannon with concern.
"Did something happen at your part-time job? Well, if it's just a minor mistake or a complaint, Mr. Kaine should be able to handle it."
"The part-time job is fine. It's just that I've been a bit worried about Kaine..."
"Wait, is it really about Mr. Kaine!?"
"Yeah, it is..."
After a moment of hesitation, Rhiannon decided to explain everything that had happened.
She talked about how Kaine had been away from home a lot lately and how she felt like he was secretly meeting with Sarah.
And for some reason, she couldn't stand it.
Once she started talking, she couldn't stop.
After listening to everything Rhiannon had to say, Halesia let out a deep sigh.
"Um, to sum it up, Ms. Rhiannon was planning to keep an eye on Mr. Kaine meeting Ms. Sarah in secret, but accidentally said something that sounded like an accusation..."
"Yeah, and then, I kinda started feeling awkward around Kaine."
Looking a bit down, Rhiannon nodded.
"I've been feeling weird lately. I know it's Kaine's personal life, and I shouldn't interfere, but just thinking about Kaine and Sarah meeting makes my chest feel all twisted up..."
"Oh, I see. So you're feeling all twisted up, huh? Hehe, I get it. You're not even aware of it, huh? Ahh, that's so bittersweettt!"
In the middle of Halesia's story, she suddenly slammed her fist on the table and shouted, startling Rhiannon.
"Halesia, what's gotten into you? That was way more aggressive than your usual antics!?"
"──Ahem, sorry. My overflowing passion just slipped out. But still, Lady Rhiannon is just the best, isn't she?"
"Uh, thanks for that."
Feeling a bit confused, Rhiannon thanked her.
She had no idea what was going on.
Meanwhile, Halesia started hugging herself and squirming.
"Lady Rhiannon is feeling jealous, you know. In other words, you're feeling a bit possessive!"
"Wait, jealous? Me?"
Rhiannon's eyes and mouth went wide open.
And when she thought about it, she realized that the feelings she had were definitely jealousy, and she was taken aback.
(I've read about this in a romance novel, that thing!)
Seeing Rhiannon's expression change, Halesia nodded to herself.
"Finally, you've come to realize it."
"But, why would I feel jealous..."
"Well, why do you think? I think Lady Rhiannon knows the reason best. Plus, Mr. Kaine is Ms. Rhiannon's lifesaver, so it's only natural to be drawn to him."
"Wait, Kaine is my lifesaver?"
Rhiannon looked shocked.
Halesia smiled knowingly.
"Come on now. Three years ago, Lady Rhiannon was saved by Mr. Kaine, right? You remember the time when Lady Rhiannon was surrounded by those 3 kidnappers! I won't let you forget something that shocking!"
"Wait... How does Halesia know I was attacked by thugs?"
"Ah."
Halesia's eyes, hidden beneath her long bangs, clearly darted around.
Rhiannon stared at Halesia with a suspicious look on her face.
After a long, awkward silence, Halesia forced a strained smile and fidgeted with her fingers.
"Actually, I fell in love at first sight with the newly debuted Lady Rhiannon, and I wanted to know more about her, so I kinda stalked you while you were in the capital..."
"Ugh, come on! You know way too much about me, and I figured that's what it was...!"
Rhiannon buried her head in her hands.
Why did all these weirdos keep gathering around her?.
"I'm really sorry..."
"Stalking is absolutely not okay! So, you just happened to see me getting attacked by those thugs?"
At Rhiannon's question, Halesia nodded hesitantly.
"Yes. When Lady Rhiannon was surrounded by those 3 men, I realized I couldn't handle it on my own, so I went to get an adult right away. But by the time I got back with an adult, Mr. Kaine had already beaten up all the thugs."
"Kaine beat up the thugs..."
"Like, he beat them up so badly it was almost sad for the thugs..."
Rhiannon didn't remember much from that time.
Maybe it was too shocking, and her memory was hazy.
She asked with a puzzled expression.
"Are you sure it was Kaine who saved me from the thugs?"
"Yeah, no doubt about it. A person with brown skin and golden eyes is pretty rare in this country. I thought for sure that Lady Rhiannon hired Mr. Kaine as a butler because Lady Rhiannon was impressed by his strength when he saved you from that thug."
"No, Kaine came to us about a year ago. ...Still, it's strange. Why didn't Kaine tell me about that beforehand?"
"There might be some really deep reasons behind it, you know."
At Halesia's remark, Rhiannon momentarily lost her words.
She had a strong feeling about that "reason".
(Hearing that 'the person who saved me from the thug is my destined one,' Kaine probably couldn't bring himself to say anything. He really must hate me... Being with me is just for Sarah's sake...)
Rhiannon slumped her shoulders.
But soon, a question popped into her mind.
(Then why did he help me back then? If he wanted to protect Sarah, he could've just let that thug attack me...)
The more she thought about it, the deeper the mystery became.
Rhiannon rested her hand on her cheek and sighed.
"Ugh, there's just so much I don't understand about Kaine."
"Personally, I think the quickest way to get answers, including about his relationship with Ms. Sarah, is to ask him directly."
"Ugh, is that really the only option...? I'm feeling so heavy about it."
Rhiannon sipped her now lukewarm tea.
After hesitating, Halesia suggested,.
"How about we do something fun for now? Specifically, let's go to the palace library!"
"That's true. But don't you think my outfit is kinda shabby?"
"Leave that to me, Halesia Jouteau!"
Saying that, Halesia hurriedly brought a big box from another room.
She claimed, "It's the Jouteau family's secret beauty products!".
Halesia started by lining up various bottles from the box, applying perfume into Rhiannon's messy hair, and rubbing several types of creams into her rough skin.
Then, she alternated placing a chilled towel and a warm towel on Rhiannon's face to reduce the swelling, using all the makeup tools in the house to glam her up.
"Hehe, I've always wanted to do this, you know? Producing Lady Rhiannon just the way I like! Oh, and how about we change your outfit too? I'll bring out some accessories...!"
Halesia had a look of pure joy that Rhiannon had never seen before as she transformed her.
Rhiannon just had to stand there, dazed and confused.
About an hour later, Halesia nodded in satisfaction.
"Phew, this is it! Finally, let's add a red ribbon tie, and we're done! Lady Rhiannon, you can't cry anymore! Your makeup will come off, you know!"
"Y-yeah, I got it... But still, I can't believe you managed to fix my face that was in such bad shape."
Holding back tears by squeezing her eyes shut, Rhiannon looked into the mirror.
The reflection showed a refined young lady with perfectly done makeup and milk tea-colored hair styled half-up, glaring back at her.
Rhiannon hurriedly forced a smile at the mirror.
If she relaxed for even a second, she'd look just like a villainess.
But even with a smile, she still looked like a villainess.
The outfit and accessories Halesia chose were all chic and sophisticated, highlighting Rhiannon's sharp, cold features.
Halesia gazed at Rhiannon proudly, her face beaming.
"I've always noticed that Lady Rhiannon usually wears cute outfits, but honestly, this mature and chic style suits you so much better."
"Y-yeah...!"
The clothes and makeup Halesia picked were all chic and mature designs.
Rhiannon was well aware that they suited her perfectly.
Right now, Rhiannon looked every bit the "villainess".
(Well, if you look at it objectively, today I really do look like I'd bully a weak girl, just like Sarah...)
Sadly, prioritizing what "suits her," Rhiannon ends up perfectly embodying the role of a villainous noblewoman.
Halesia, with a huff, grabs Rhiannon's arm.
"Alright, let's go!"
"Wait, are we really going like this!?"
"Of course! We gotta show off that beautiful look of yours to everyone!"
"Ugh, dressing up this much just to go to the library is──."
"We're heading to the palace, so we need to dress appropriately!"
In high spirits, Halesia says this and strides out of the room with enthusiasm.
Although a nagging sense of dread flickered in Rhiannon's chest, she forcibly ignored it and followed Halesia.
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