Chapter 149

The man raised one hand and pulled out the earring from his ear.

Then, the indigo hair and black eyes that he had gradually returned to their original hues.

Dark green hair, green-gray eyes.

He rummaged through his inner pocket and took out silver-rimmed gla.s.ses. And as Logan returned to his original self, he now carried himself with a completely different atmosphere than when he had been posing as Maxwell.

Quietly watching this transformation, Rosetta was impressed.

Its amazing, even to me. I cant believe you look so different after just putting your hair down, dressing in different clothes and changing your eye and hair color.

Actually, if a person would change that much about themselves, theyd look like a different person entirely. At least, no one would think that theyre the same person at one glance.

The person who said this was Lanco, who had been quietly sipping her tea throughout this.

She soon set down her teacup upon the table and removed the tie keeping her hair up.

And at the same time, the color of Lancos eyes and hair changed as well.

Beyond her ordinary brown hair and brown eyes, what appeared thereafter were purple hair and silver eyes that were impossible to forget about even after just a simple glimpse of her visage.

The hair tie with a metal ornament attached to it escaped from her hair and jingled as it was set down on the table.

Lanco, or rather Blanca, smiled faintly as she tapped the hair tie once.

Then, she opened her lips to speak.

So, was the second son of House Carter completely deceived?

Yes. There were no signs of any doubt, Rosetta answered.

Its not just that.

On the contrary, he seemed rather pleased about the revelation.

Indeed, he must have been suspecting that the face beneath that mask must have been owned by Ca.s.sion, so he must now feel relieved after confirming that, as a matter of fact, it was not his older half-brother.

Blanca nodded pleasantly as a response to the succinct but certain answer given to her.

She reached forward and picked up the teapot.

Then, she filled up her own teacup, which had been emptied before anyone knew it.

Glug, glug.

The sound of flowing water rang through the s.p.a.ce.

Blancas voice mingled together with it.

However, I cant allow this for a second time. Lending you Logan, I mean. He is my precious right-hand man, and my successor. I would find it difficult to let such an important individual be swept away in such a precarious disturbance such as today.

The sound of the flowing tea stopped only after the cup was already full.

Tak.

With that sound, the utterly full teacup shook dangerously.

Their eyes met for a moment.

Gold eyes and silver eyes, similar in color and strength, quietly confronted each other. After which, however, they each turned elsewhere.

I apologize about that. I didnt know that the other side would do such a thing. Ill be sure to be more careful next time.

As she was given a gentle apology, Bianca grinned and answered back positively.

This is why I like you, Ducal Lady.

Is it because Im good with my words and at backing down?

People who cant do those two things are called tactless people, are they not? Im not very fond of those who are clueless.

Indeed, I understand your sentiments.

Rosetta also wasnt very fond of people who couldnt read the room properly.

Shrugging, Rosetta momentarily looked at the tea, swaying as ripples ran through it.

Then, she turned to Logan.

In any case, thank you for today. I apologize for putting you in a dangerous situation.

Are you sure that you didnt expect this to happen?

Her pleasantries were answered with an astute question.

In a way, it was more sharp than astute, but its only understandable that he was reacting this way. After all, his life had been at stake.

The corners of Rosettas lips tugged up, her smile forming into a smooth arc as she nodded.

Yes, I really didnt. I never expected them to go this far.

Right, she was telling the truth.

Of course, she expected that Leo would try to check Ca.s.sions face today.

Because of the situation, he wouldnt be able to kill Ca.s.sion right away, but instead, he would try to confirm what his face looked like somehow.

So, Rosetta planned around this to take advantage of the situation.

There was of course still the alternative of continuing to hide Ca.s.sions ident.i.ty by making sure that the mask would never be taken off, or just not making him accompany her there.

However, that would only add fuel to the flames of doubt.

Just as a strong denial would be no different from a strong affirmative, excessive concealment would be no different from clearly declaring, Im hiding what youve been looking for all this time.

Therefore, it was necessary to subvert the other sides expectations.

So that they wouldnt be so fixated on the face beyond the mask any longer.

And thus, there came the plan to trick them by showing a fake.

After hatching this plan, Logan just happened to be the right man to fit the bill.

He was reliable, and he had a similar physique to Ca.s.sion.

However, Rosetta just didnt expect that the other side would take such drastic measures.

If she knew, she wouldnt have factored Logan into the plan.

Hes Blancas favorite, and Rosetta had absolutely no intention of turning the madam into an enemy by way of destroying what she cared about.

Blanca was Rosettas strongest ally, in both name and reality.

Well then, its fine. Its not like I knew about it either when I joined in on the plan. However, I would much prefer more favorable work conditions next time.

Logan answered in a business-like voice just as usual, but he soon turned away as though he had lost interest.

He had spoken in a very indifferent tone, but what he said was a lie.

After all, he was someone who understood perfectly why Blanca cared about this.

Rosetta smiled quietly, thanking Blanca this time.

Madam, I must thank you for your willingness to give me a helping hand today.

Oh, its nothing. It was interesting. When would I ever wear something like this again?

Blanca responded in a playful voice, fluttering the lace on the collar of the maids uniform that she was wearing.

And besides, I was prepared for things to go south, just in case. Logans the one who wasnt prepared for that possibility.

May I offer my apologies once again?

It wont sound sincere if you do it too often.

Raising one finger and slightly flicking it from side to side, Blanca said this.

And Rosetta, watching the moving finger, moved her gaze towards Blancas maid uniform.

It suits you better than I first imagined.

According to the original novel, Blanca must be of a certain age already, yet she looked so young, as if she really was just around Dianas age. Maybe its because of the frilly lace of the maid uniform.

It was a strange thing.

Well, suffice to say, even though she physically looked vastly different from Alicias real maid, Blanca managed to disguise herself into a perfect copy.

If Rosetta were to say, I took a risk, she would mean that quite literally. One of the reasons Rosetta had asked for Blancas direct help was to strengthen her power.

She needed more people on her side to make sure that Alicias well protected, just in case she would be forced to be away from her again.

She didnt want to be in a situation where shed be forced to leave Alicia in the care of someone she was suspecting to be Urien, just like what happened during the hunting festival.

No. Even if such a situation would once again occur, she needed enough power to respond post haste.

During the hunting festival, Dianas abilities had already been revealed.

Power was usually more effective when hidden.

So, Rosetta turned to Blanca, who seemed to be the most secretive and most reliable person, for help.

Blanca was the most secretive woman she knew in this world.

What do you say, Logan? Dont you think I look pretty good in this outfit?

Hearing Blancas brazen question, Rosetta looked at Logan with a hint of interest in her eyes.

And Logan just reacted with a disgruntled twitch of an eyebrow.

Making a face that looked like he had bitten into a bitter persimmon, he answered with a serious tone.

Youre being ridiculous, Madam.

Oh my, youre no fun at all. How about you, Ducal Lady, what do you think? Doesnt it suit me?

When the arrow was soon returned to her, Rosetta blinked.

She was more inclined to react in the same way that Logan did, but she had already admitted to herself that Blanca indeed looked good in that outfit.

Quite honestly, it suits you very well. You even look cute in it.

As expected, the person who put a ring on me is different.

Its only natural.

Haha,is it? Anyway, I had a lot of fun today. I tried on a maids uniform, and I saw Logan in a knights uniform. And further, in a coachmans clothes

At that point, she trailed off.

As she turned around, her silver gaze headed towards the secret door that was disguised as a frame.

There was a subtle smile reaching her eyes.

Rosetta also glanced towards the disguised door.

To be precise, she was looking beyond it and feeling the presence behind the threshold.

Speak of the devil.

The door opened at the same time Rosetta murmured the phrase under her breath.

A tall man entered through the open door. It was Ca.s.sion, and he had a separate set of clothes slung on his arm.

Looking around, he swept up the hair that was tickling his forehead.

When he saw that the three people sitting inside the room were all looking at him, he tilted his head to the side, perplexed as he closed the door shut again.

Why did you stop talking after I came in?

Asking this question calmly, Ca.s.sion sat down in an empty seat around the table.

The seat right next to Rosetta.

Rosetta reached towards the teacup thats been kept upside down in front of Ca.s.sion.

After she turned it right side up, she reached towards the teapot this time. Or rather, she tried to do so, but Ca.s.sion beat her to the punch and picked it up himself.

Watching him pour tea for himself in such neat, elegant gestures, Rosetta opened her lips to speak, her voice sounding like a melodious hum.

We were talking about how unexpectedly good you look in a coachmans clothes. Frankly, I dont think theres anything that you wouldnt look good in.

I dont think I do.

Well. I, for one, think that you do.

At the airy whisper, Ca.s.sions brows furrowed together as he finished pouring the tea.

However, he couldnt ride his reddened ears.