The Bad Ending of an Otome

Cassio Brahamdorff’s displeasure seemed exceptionally genuine. 

There was annoyance despite his usually friendly and good-natured smile. 

It flashed over his usually flawless gray eyes.

“Lady Emilia has gone out.”

A remarkably attractive man who may have been carved out of black rock frowned directly in front of him.

“Where to?”

“I see no reason to inform Lord Raretis of this. Whether the Lady decides to see the capital or takes a carriage ride to soak in the Golin family’s hot springs on a whim. I’m not the type of man who would restrict my partner’s independence.”

“You’re saying you could confidently ensure her safety in an emergency, without even knowing her basic whereabouts?”

Raretis Hope. 

Cassio Brahamdorff recalled the name with a straw-like tone. 

This man was always on the go. 

Raretis, unlike Cassio, who had opted to forgo today and tomorrow’s debutante balls together, even though they started only in the evening, would not have had such luxury.

To visit this townhouse without previous notice in pursuit of Emilia. 

Nonetheless, considering Raretis’s reputation as a gentleman, one would have expected him to send a polite notice indicating the time of his visit. 

However, Raretis Hope was more eager to find Emilia than imagined. 

It was completely unexpected by everyone…

“I have something important to convey.”

Cassio’s gaze shifted slightly in response to Raretis’s addition. 

Something to covey? 

He thought it was finished when she got the potion.

“I’ll take responsibility for delivering it if you give it to me.”

“…”

Raretis glanced carefully at Cassio Brahamdorff’s happy face instead of answering. 

Even his silent look, given Raretis Hope’s temperament, imposed pressure. 

His deep purple eyes were filled with ‘distrust.’ 

Cassio Brahamdorff strained to keep his bold smile.”

Regardless of what anyone says, Cassio Brahamdorff is Emilia’s partner, the keeper of this debutante ball, and the owner of this house. 

Raretis had nothing to envy, whether he was a national hero, the deputy commander of the Glamis Knights, or the next Marquis.

“…I must deliver it directly to her.”

“What’s this? Are you afraid of something going missing in the Brahamdorff house?”

Certainly not. 

The House Windrose was wealthy, but the Brahamdorff family had always been successful with money. 

They had gold and silver mines with high mining yields. 

Their attentiveness to current trends and support for popular boutiques helped them gradually increase their impact.

Cassio erected a smiling-faced wall. 

He was convinced he could find something more luxurious than anything Raretis had brought, whether it was gowns, jewelry, or flowers.

It was pretty upsetting that Raretis had brought a present for Emilia to this home. 

It felt like an encroachment on his personal space. 

Yes, the man before him was undeniably charming. 

Nothing was lacking in him. 

Even in everyday clothes, his torso was chiseled, and his hooded eyes were infinitely deep.

His distinct presence, developed from adolescence spent continuously handling life-and-death circumstances, made it impossible for anybody to turn away. 

His unique purple eyes were not easy to come across.

If Cassio Brahamdorff was a snake with masterfully crafted steel spines in silver, Raretis Hope was armor, sword, and shield forged from the world’s heaviest black iron.

“Just because Emilia has taken the hand of the Brahamdorff family, do you have the right to meddle in personal gifts for her?”

“It’s a harsh world, isn’t it?”

The response was far too bold for a noble knight charged with keeping the peace in that ‘harsh world.’ 

Raretis didn’t even raise an eyelid when he heard it. 

He was a knight who had no interest in teasing.

In retrospect, the House Windrose was outstanding during Ophelia’s lifetime. 

It seemed normal at the time. 

Ophelia, who detested Cassio, and Emilia and Raretis, who remained by her side, were both reticent and firm, not readily swayed by others. 

Even back then, there was a sense that Raretis Hope was a complex man, but that was it. 

He didn’t used to feel like a thorn in the eye the way he does now.

After all, Emilia, whom he assumed was just another lady who parried or ignored Cassio’s compliments, began making explosive statements on the day of Ophelia’s funeral. 

It’s unclear what the man is hiding.

Raretis Hope irritated him. 

It was a primal instinct. 

The scenes with Emilia and Raretis, the black-haired man and woman in the palace…

‘They appeared to be a matched set from a picture book.’

Raretis’ voice was particularly startling, strangely clinging and losing composure. 

Emilia’s expression was calm. 

Or, more accurately, there appeared to be a faint sour smile. 

Her serene white face. 

A basic and lovely gown, suitable for a just debuted lady with limited exposure, embellished with gleaming white crystals and flowers amidst her styled black hair.

Emilia’s expression was as deep as a well. 

So deep that moving the winch for a long time would be required to draw even a drop of water. 

To even catch a glimpse of the feelings submerged at those depths, a noble act was required. 

This was why Cassio Brahamdorff had attempted shaking ‘Emilia’ multiple times.

Emilia’s behavior in front of Raretis, on the other hand… 

Although she appeared to be tranquil as usual, this was only the surface. 

Emilia was reasonably competent at keeping herself under control at all times. 

However, the feelings oozing from her black eyes were undeniably disturbed. 

‘Why do you speak of the Marquis family as if it’s strange to you?’ her lips quiver in response to Raretis’s direct question.

When Cassio discovered Emilia was with Raretis, he felt he couldn’t leave them together any longer. 

It was an innate forewarning. 

They should no longer be left together. 

Cassio attempted a smile to conceal his pain. 

Raretis Hope’s intensity remained frightening as he glared at Cassio Brahamdorff with an expressionless face.

What had he been thinking? 

Was it because Raretis Hope acted like a hesitant and somber older brother when Ophelia was alive? 

Because he acted like a thoughtful host, masking his presence and looking after the guests?

Like obsidian, which buries itself deep underground to allow the ‘Ophelia’ diamond to shine brightly. 

Why is it that he is only now openly expressing his dissatisfaction with Cassio? 

Staying with the House Windrose after peacefully escorting Elodie as the Marchioness desired. 

Being a gentleman at all times.

‘What a farce.’

Cassio laughed again, his chilly eyes hidden. 

Raretis Hope had numerous opportunities. 

Why hadn’t he shown his affection for Emilia earlier?

Emilia was, in some ways, icy and steadfast. 

Everyone regarded her as Ophelia’s accessory until her death, but after her death, she revealed her side and turned away resolutely. 

Cassio might appreciate that element.

Edmund Gloucester acted irritably because he was blindly dedicated to Ophelia, even denying that he cared about Emilia.

‘Raretis Hope isn’t such a moron, is he?’

Was he genuinely silent only till Ophelia’s death because he desired the status the heir?

For Cassio, Elodie was just an impersonator. 

But only because he compared her to the ‘real’ Ophelia and her one and only friend Emilia, who were always by his side. 

Those who disliked Ophelia’s thorny personality relished the opportunity to have Elodie by their side.

Her beauty should have been enough to captivate Raretis Hope, no matter how stony he is. 

No matter how familiar he was with Ophelia’s beauty, even though they were as close as sisters…

“…I’ll visit again later.”

Raretis informed him briefly that he appeared to be out of choices. 

Cassio smiled, relieved. 

But there was a nagging feeling in his chest.

What is it that bothers me so much?

Emilia’s demeanor had been similar throughout. 

From the day of Ophelia’s funeral till the present. 

She claims that what belongs to the Marquis family is not hers, and she does not crave what does not belong to her. 

She even told Cassio not to tease her, that she would never allow him to take her heart…

Cassio was definitely in a strange state of flux. 

Many ladies are said to suffer from lovesickness simply by taking looks at Raretis Hope or Cassio Brahamdorff from afar.

There is no one to look up to in terms of appearance. 

Cassio is considered to seem more royal than royalty, and Raretis Hope is, without a doubt, one of the greatest knights of the period. 

And then there’s Emilia, who refuses even to give them a chance, acting as if she’d ‘never like’ one of them…

“What will you do if rumors start to spread?”

That’s probably why he posed such an unusual question to someone graciously leaving. 

Raretis Hope slowly turned around. 

His purple eyes were a little puzzled.

“Rumors?”

“About you courting the Brahamdorff family’s guest while leaving your partner behind. Such a beautiful romance with the best knight in the land.”

“One gift and you make such assumptions.”

“However, you are a knight, aren’t you? Lady Emilia and Lady Elodie’s name may also be mentioned. It’s a period when we must be extra cautious about everything.”

“You talk about being careful when you just watched Edmund strike that girl’s cheek.”

Cassio’s eyes briefly lit with a black spark.

“…Ha, ha, hahaha! You truly amuse me. It was just polite counsel, given that Knight Raretis may be unfamiliar with the social circle and may unwittingly cause difficulties for my lady, but if Knight Raretis misunderstands my comments like this…”

“Since we’re on the subject, allow me to inquire. Was it your idea that Emilia made her debut this year?”

“Doing? It’s the family’s thought for the lady…”

“If you really wanted to protect her, you wouldn’t have made her debut but would have sent her for rest at a countryside villa.”

“…”

Cassio remained silent. 

Raretis’ purple eyes were like keen amethyst knives.

“Does the Brahamdorff family now have a reason to sponsor her?”

“You’re greatly underestimating my lady’s charm, Sir Raretis.”

Cassio drew the corners of his mouth up. 

Having been at a loss for words for a minute, he rapidly rediscovered his stride in making conversation, an area in which he excelled. 

His reputation would be ruined if he was defeated by Raretis in such a circumstance.

“Traditionally… even if a young lady does not come from a noble family, if she demonstrates great potential, there have been noblewomen who marked her for success and made her a socialite. Isn’t it a test of a chaperone’s abilities? My aunt may resent the bother, but because Lady Emilia is her jewel, it’s only fair that I assist.”

The public explanation for Emilia’s support from the Brahamdorff family was precisely what Countess McGinty told the queen.

“So, initially…”

“If you ask me how Lady Emilia and my aunt met, I have no idea. How could I have casually mentioned Lady Emilia’s problems to you? Concerns about her dignity? Particularly now that…”

Cassio Brahamdorff had a confident and sometimes obnoxious smirk as if looking down on his rival. 

It wasn’t sarcastic enough to be mocking, but it wasn’t a pleasant expression.

“Sir Raretis and Miss Emilia are completely unrelated, after all.”

“…”

Cassio didn’t miss Raretis’s fist clenching involuntarily as he heard those remarks. 

Raretis did not erupt in rage, nor did he grind his teeth and cry, ‘Who are you to speak such things?’ 

His face had just hardened, and his right fist was squeezed so tightly that the tendons were visible. 

Even such a slight difference is a surprise for someone like Raretis.

“…Even so, one cannot ignore the past entirely.”

It took a long time for a quiet voice to emerge. 

Cassio couldn’t just chuckle and disregard those words.

The past, yes… 

Emilia had purposefully avoided bringing up Marchioness Windrose or Raretis Hope. 

Her efforts to avoid looking back at the dark and deep well whose lid she had sealed shut after swallowing and suppressing her feelings for a long time were desperate. 

Cassio was particularly irritated by it for this reason. 

He despised the appearance of urgently attempting to turn aside.

She was speaking indifferently and laughing as if she had no attachment to anything. 

A woman who didn’t trust Cassio Brahamdorff, on the other hand, had no reason to feel deceived, and the relationship would soon fade away, smiling.