Chapter 16. Eve’s Tea Party (1)

A hand, burning with intense heat.

It was almost puzzling how he could harbor such a searing warmth within him all this time.

Kasha felt his heat penetrate her own naturally cooler skin, seeping into her body.

This was no ordinary warmth; it was an aggressive, almost inhuman desire, something no human body should have to contain.

For a moment, she bore that raging intensity alongside him.

Had someone seen them, they might have mistaken them for lovers at the beginning of their journey, blushing as they held hands, uncertain what to do next.

In truth, it was a tense, thick moment where confusion, anger, fear, and desire collided, leaving them both suspended.

“Stop… stop that.”

He pulled his hand away abruptly, as if breaking free from a trance.

Turning his back, he pressed his hand to his forehead. Kasha looked at her now-empty hand, feeling a faint sense of loss.

It had been warm.

‘Because I, too, am as unbearably lonely as you are.’

A bitter smile twisted her lips painfully.

“Just leave.”

Leon’s voice was rough and weary, betraying the confusion he felt.

“Leon…”

“You are… a dangerous woman. I’ll send word soon. Until then, stay away from me.”

He looked like a wounded animal, hunched and desolate, and his voice almost sounded like a plea.

“Leave. Please.”

As he spoke, his figure seemed to blur with the image of a ruined temple, crumbling in the background.

‘Is she really the wicked Katiana?’

The memory of those words, spoken with such hollow eyes, resurfaced in her mind.

Kasha said nothing more. She lowered her head slightly before quietly leaving the room.

* * *

As she closed the door behind her and descended the stairs, she heard it.

Soft, muffled sobbing.

“…?”

The quiet sound of a child crying. Almost instinctively, Kasha followed the sound.

It led her to the drawing room where she had been sitting earlier. In the corner of a sofa, a small girl with platinum-blonde hair was curled up, trembling. The child’s face immediately reminded Kasha of the infant from the portrait in Leon’s study.

‘Eve Aranias.’

The resemblance to Leon was unmistakable.

Why was she crying here, all alone?

Without thinking, Kasha approached the girl.

Sensing someone nearby, the girl looked up, her tear-stained eyes widening.

“Who… are you?”

The girl’s face mirrored Leon’s so closely, and her lovely violet eyes softened Kasha’s expression into a warm smile.

“I’m Kasha Ruschino, a guest of Leon’s. It’s nice to meet you, Eve.”

Hearing the guest’s greeting, Eve tilted her head in curiosity.

“A guest of Leon? Leon’s never had a woman visit him before.”

Her eyes, still wet with tears, now sparkled with curiosity. Kasha took a moment to meet those innocent eyes, then spoke.

“But why are you… crying alone? Should I fetch Leon?”

Eve shook her head slowly, her expression downcast.

“No. Leon’s always busy… and lately, he won’t even let me near him. I must be a bother to him.”

Kasha wanted to assure her that wasn’t the case, especially remembering Leon’s sorrowful eyes when he had once spoken about Eve in the abandoned temple. Yet, she also had a sense of why Eve might feel this way.

Recalling what Leon had shared before, Eve’s mother had passed away when she was three. Duke Osilote had always been preoccupied and distant with his children, leaving Leon to practically take on the role of a father for his siblings.

Especially with the youngest, Eve, who clung to him dearly. He was likely the only adult in that lonely mansion who would lift her in his arms and show her affection.

But after the curse of lust had awakened, even that had become difficult.

Regardless of age or gender, Leon had grown uncomfortable with physical contact, avoiding it altogether.

Combining what Kasha knew from Leon’s past and the current timeline, it had probably been about nine months since his curse first manifested.

Which meant Eve had been feeling isolated for just as long.

Just then, Eve got up and timidly sat beside Kasha, whispering.

A soft, sweet scent wafted from the little one.

“Um, may I ask you something?”

“Yes.”

“Have you ever hosted a tea party before, Lady Katiana?”

“A… tea party?”

She hadn’t. Not once, nor had she ever attended one.

“Well, you see, I’m supposed to host a tea party soon, but… well… as you know, I don’t have anyone here to help guide me on how to do it.”

Eve’s small face grew serious as she voiced her concern.

“Just last week, Lady Fenilton hosted a tea party, and everyone praised it. Her mother helped her decorate the venue so beautifully. But I…”

Eve trailed off at the end of her words.

Without a mother to turn to, she was left with no one to ask for help—that was her unspoken sentiment.

So that was why she had been crying alone. Although she was the only young lady of House Osilote, she was still a ten-year-old girl without anyone to share even her smallest concerns with.

In a calm voice, Kasha asked.

“Hmm… don’t you have any older relatives?”

“Aunt Sheila visits often, but she’s so strict and uptight. If I held a tea party with her help, everyone would be suffocated by the atmosphere. Sigh.”

Even the thought seemed to weigh her down, as Eve’s delicate brows drooped.

Kasha considered it for a moment.

A tea party.

She was admittedly unfamiliar with such things, but this could be a good opportunity to connect with Leon’s family.

And thinking of Eve as one of the victims of the mana stone, she found herself unable to ignore the child’s troubles.

Kasha murmured softly.

“Well, I suppose… I could help you.”

“Really?”

Eve leapt up from the sofa, clearly delighted.

“But, you must keep this a secret from your brother. For now, at least.”

“Why?”

“He’d certainly disapprove. He thinks help shouldn’t be accepted without reason.”

“True… you really do know my brother well.”

“When the date and place for the tea party are decided, send me a letter. To House Ruschino.”

“Alright!”

Eve’s face lit up with excitement at the idea of exchanging letters with an adult. Her bright, fresh smile reminded Kasha of a blossoming flower, and she couldn’t help but smile back.

* * *

After finishing her little secret pact with Eve, Kasha made her way to the front entrance, where a butler waited and courteously opened the door for her.

As the late afternoon sunlight poured in, she felt the garden’s heat roll in with it.

She stepped quickly down the stairs.

‘The coachman must have been waiting a while. I should hurry.’

Holding up her skirt, she descended the steps, but a sudden chill ran down her spine.

‘What was that?’

Kasha stopped and glanced back up at the mansion.

At that moment, she caught sight of a curtain stirring at one of the second-floor windows.

‘Is that Leon? But that doesn’t look like the direction of his study.’

She hesitated, tilting her head slightly, but then continued down the stairs.

All the while, a sharp, dark gaze lingered heavily on her back.

* * *

Five days later.

On the second floor of House Ruschino, in Kasha’s room.

As Kasha bent over a blueprint, Sena placed a few envelopes beside her.

“My lady, please take your lunch. If you don’t want to come down, I’ll bring it to your room.”

“Are these letters for me?”

Ignoring Sena’s question, Kasha picked up the envelopes.

There were three in total.

One was from the Imperial Library. She quickly tore open the envelope, only for her face to fall.

‘…They refused my request for the book, as I expected.’

She was in the midst of developing a method to convert magic tool energy sources to operate with divine power, just as she had told Leon.

Crafting the magic tools themselves wasn’t particularly challenging; she had completed much of that research in her previous life.

But transforming tools usually powered by magical energy to work with divine power wasn’t as simple as she had hoped.

‘I need to finish this conversion project as quickly as possible.’

Time was of the essence, yet she still couldn’t get her hands on the book she needed.

In the past, Simon had always taken care of securing any necessary books or materials, so she had no experience in this area.

Finding a blacksmith capable of translating her designs into actual magic tools was also no easy task.

‘I really do need people to help me,’ she thought as she picked up the second envelope, glancing over the front.

With a flick of her wrist, she tore it open.

But as soon as she recognized the handwriting on the second envelope, it went straight into the trash.

“My lady… have you really decided to break things off with Sir Simon?”

Sena, who had been watching Kasha’s actions, asked with wide eyes, her voice barely above a whisper.

The second envelope had been from Simon.

“Yes, absolutely. If he comes by again, just tell him I’m not here.”

Sena nodded earnestly at Kasha’s words.

“Understood. Honestly, if I may say so, I had a feeling about him from the start… He never spoke to you respectfully, always acted so superior…”

Once the floodgates opened, Sena couldn’t stop herself from airing her grievances about Simon.

Lately, Sena seemed much more at ease around Kasha than before.

Though it felt a bit odd, listening to Sena’s chatter had a way of calming her, and it gave Kasha the chance to practice her conversational skills.

Nodding absently as she listened, Kasha picked up the third envelope, and her expression immediately brightened.

‘Finally, it’s here.’

She quickly opened the envelope. Watching her, Sena bustled out of the room.

‘I’d better at least bring her something quick to eat, or she’ll skip another meal. She was doing so well taking care of herself for a while… I don’t know what’s captivated her this time. I never noticed before, but she actually looks a bit impressive when she’s all focused like that with her glasses on…’

Unaware of Sena leaving, Kasha began reading the letter inside the envelope.