The Price of a Gaze

Under the somber sky, the young girl meekly leaned by the window, gazing at the carriage that steadily grew larger on the path. When the carriage finally halted before the manor’s grand gates, and she watched a man assist a woman from within, a hint of melancholy flickered in her violet eyes. The heavy emotion in her heart transformed into a long sigh.

“She merely resorted to a petty trick!”

Her friend tried to comfort the girl, but she only lowered her head further, almost burying her entire face in her chest. “The Young Master, he truly prefers clever women, doesn’t he?”

“That’s not it at all!”

Anna grabbed Vivian’s shoulders, forcing her to turn around. She looked at her with earnest eyes. “Vivian, every man, without exception, likes women with large chests!”

Vivian’s cheeks instantly flushed crimson. She stammered, “Is, is that so?”

“Of course!”

Vivian shyly lowered her head, her gaze not even reaching her toes.

‘Do all men truly prefer ample bosoms?’

‘If so, then she wouldn’t lose!’

****

At the manor’s entrance, Victoria had already noticed the two girls by the window. She narrowed her eyes slightly, a strange annoyance stirring within her. However, she quickly averted her gaze, focusing intently on Reyn’s profile.

‘Damn it!’

Victoria’s undisguised, fervent gaze sent a shiver down Reyn’s spine. Yet, constrained by their social standing, he could only maintain a polite smile. “Miss Victoria Michelle, I have already arranged dinner and hot water. I hope the Rheinhebo family’s hospitality will not disappoint you.”

Victoria stared at Reyn with an almost aggressive intensity, her covetousness for him clear in her eyes. “I very much look forward to dining with the Count.”

“Regarding that… I have other pressing matters to attend to, so I might not make it to dinner.”

“Eh?”

“After all, Miss Victoria Michelle, you haven’t resolved the casino issue, and I still need to make a trip to the lower city.”

Victoria bit her lip, her expression anxious. “Th-then! I’ll go with you, Count!”

Reyn’s face showed his discomfort. “How could that be? How could I ask a guest to accompany me on official business? That would not align with the Rheinhebo family’s etiquette.”

“I don’t care!”

“Miss Victoria Michelle, do you… like me?”

Reyn’s overly direct question caught Victoria off guard. A faint blush quickly colored her cheeks, yet she held herself upright, managing a polite smile. “Yes.”

“I’m sorry.”

There were no elaborate words, only a single apology. Victoria’s heart plummeted into a frigid abyss. Maintaining the last shred of her composure, she forced a strained smile. “Could you tell me why?”

Reyn remained silent for a moment before speaking calmly. “I am unworthy of Miss Victoria Michelle.”

Victoria’s consciousness began to blur. She mechanically opened her mouth. “That’s a lie. You have someone you like, don’t you? Who is she? Vivian? Anna? Or Elise? Is it Elise, isn’t it?”

Reyn’s pupils sharply contracted. A chill flickered in the depths of his eyes, but he forcefully suppressed it.

‘These names… unless she had specifically investigated, she wouldn’t know them.’

Victoria suddenly displayed an incredibly sorrowful look. “You want to kill me? Just because I mentioned their three names?”

Reyn, however, offered a gentle smile. “No, you misunderstand. Dinner is about to begin; let’s go inside quickly.”

Victoria’s face instantly shifted from sorrow to joy. “You’re not leaving?”

“Upon second thought, such a minor matter can be handled by others.”

“But why did you suddenly decide not to leave?”

Victoria’s expression and voice suddenly turned cold, a deeply artificial smile gracing her lips. “Is it because Vivian and Anna are here? Are you afraid I’ll harm them? Are they more important to you than I am?”

She suddenly covered her face with both hands, letting out a sinister, low chuckle. “Hehe, I understand! It must be that I haven’t done enough! Yes, that must be it! I will prove myself! Compared to them, I am more valuable to you!”

“Victoria Michelle!”

This time, Reyn no longer used the honorific. He gazed indifferently at Victoria, who slowly lowered her hands, and spoke in a voice devoid of any emotion. “They are my family. Family is not measured by value!”

Victoria stared blankly at Reyn, her voice trembling. “Then, what about me?”

“You are not.”

“Liar.”

Victoria simply looked into Reyn’s indifferent eyes, uttering those two words softly.

Azure flames suddenly erupted around her, and the skin on her body began to crack, making her appear like a corpse forcibly pieced together by the same azure fire.

Reyn’s expression drastically changed. This scene was familiar to any noble in the south: the terrifying entity known as the Lust Witch, whose excellent azure flames rampaged across the boundless sea, usurping all, a perpetual nightmare for the southern aristocracy.

This esteemed Miss Michelle had long since been usurped of everything, even her name completely vanishing from history, remembered by no one.

Victoria, now assimilated with the azure flames, gazed at Reyn with a near-pathological fanaticism. “I will—offer all that you desire! At that time, I beg you—”

Her voice suddenly became incredibly sorrowful and timid. “—to bestow your gaze upon me for a moment, even if only for an instant.”

Her azure flames extinguished in an instant, and the shattered body they had possessed reverted to the state of a mere corpse.

Reyn stared in horror at the corpse on the grass, his heart pounding wildly. He struggled to suppress his ragged breathing, then abruptly turned to Ark. “The Michelle family won’t think I killed one of their own, will they?”

Ark froze on the spot, his mouth agape. “Possibly?”

Reyn suddenly let out a soft laugh. “Honestly, who has time to worry about that now?”

With a pained expression, he refocused his gaze on the corpse. The infamous Lust Witch, seemingly harboring romantic feelings for him? What kind of imperial dark humor was this? He had barely known her for a few days!

Reyn took a deep, deliberate breath, his expression grave as he looked at Ark. He spoke in a low voice, “Ark, send people to monitor the sea twenty-four hours a day. Report any disturbance to me!”

Ark snapped back to attention, his mind struggling to comprehend Reyn’s command. He cautiously inquired, “Are you concerned?”

Reyn’s gaze was sharp and piercing. He said grimly, “Those excellent azure flames that usurp everything could very well spread here!”

‘What… would be the problem with that?’

Ark grew even more bewildered, but he agreed nonetheless. “I understand.”