Chapter 53.2

Chapter 53.2

“No, Professor, you’re not going out like that! Let’s get you cleaned up and out of here!” Jonathan cried.

“I’m fine, Risha replied. “I’ve got my beauty to back me up.”

“Even if you’re fine, what will you do about that dog grease?!”

“Don’t tell me it’s dog grease. It’s gloss.”

Risha walked out into the hallway, ranting madly, leaving her assistant’s plaintive cries behind.

The morning sun shone brightly, and she hummed to herself as she dug into her pockets and quickly combed her scattered hair into a bun, transforming from disheveled to presentable.

With her white bachelor’s robe, glasses, and languid, aloof demeanor, she even looked intelligent. It was a triumph of the fraudulent “real deal.

“Well, I can’t be bothered to go all the way back to the main house. Maybe I’ll write to Jill or Nysa.”

Curious yet impatient, Risha scratched the bridge of her nose in annoyance.

“I have to write a lab report on this new p!stol I invented and a new medical thesis. I should have inherited some wealth and gone off to do leisurely research in the countryside. But firearms are banned from private research, so what the hell?”

And so, her thoughts drifted from her brother’s scandal to her personal research until she spotted the back of someone’s head. It brought her back to the beginning like an echo chamber.

Hmm, what’s with today?

Risha scratched her head and walked over to a petite, brown-haired woman picking flowers in the corner of the garden. She wasn’t surprised to see her, as she had been so openly greeted. Even though Risha was surprised by her personality, she was always happy to smile and greet people.

“Morning, Risha. You’re up early, aren’t you?”

“Well. It just happened.”

“Whoops, you pulled an all-nighter again, didn’t you? You’re hurting yourself.”

Her white smile was clear and beautiful—as white as a freshwater pearl and as delicate and innocent as a wildflower. Her narrow shoulders, long eyelashes, and thin wrists made her look like a deer wearing a wide-length bachelor gown.

Risha paused for a moment. She wondered if the girl heard the news from earlier.

“How are the wedding preparations going? I know it’s still half a year away.”

“Yeah. Actually, I don’t have anything to do. Peter did everything on his own terms.”

She smiled shyly and kindly asked Risha again, something she had refused several times.

“Can Risha attend my wedding?”

“I don’t know. When the time comes.”

“I think Risha is a lot like Richard. So honest.”

Putting aside the unpleasantness of the resemblance, Risha wondered if Richard himself could really be described as honest. Still, neither of them realized that something had already passed that would change their relationship forever.

When she first saw her, Risha had thought, ‘This is what my brother’s taste is like. I wondered if he had eyes for someone as nerdy, noble, and innocent as me.’

“I don’t think so, Lily,” Risha replied.

***

A week had passed.

The social world was anticipating Lady Jasmine Liovanni’s return, as she was the darling of high society and the center of a sensational scandal.

However, to everyone’s surprise, she remained within the confines of her mansion, meeting only with her closest and dearest friends and avoiding all public appearances.

Jasmine had no intention of going out, but her family insisted, and her old friends were eager to catch up. As Jasmine absorbed the familiar bustle, she found it strangely comforting, even though only a week had passed.

Her friends had varied reactions to Jasmine’s reappearance in the midst of love and war.

The first words uttered were, “Isn’t Richard Aion a total nutcase!?”

Being the most short-tempered, Nicky was the first to vent her indignation. Jasmine thought her cheeks were as red as her hair, and she looked like a tomato. She poured a chilled sherbet for her friend and leaned in to whisper.

“Nicky, your voice is too loud.”

“Who cares? There’s no one around!”

They enjoyed a leisurely brunch at a quiet outdoor cafe owned by Lichang. No one else was within earshot, but one could never be too cautious.

Jasmine feared that gossiping about the Duke of Aion, the Emperor’s nephew and favorite, the number one figure in the military, might reflect poorly on her friends if they were caught.

“No, you’re not wrong.”

“Thanks.”

At first, Aisha listened with high expectations, but as the story continued, her face became strange, and she crossed her arms and shook her head.

Jasmine breathed a sigh of relief, knowing that Aisha’s professionalism and dedication to her clients, including members of the imperial family and other prominent aristocrats, would prevent Nicky from causing a scene.

Then, her wise friend Aisha smiled and remarked.

“He’s not just a nutcase, he’s a fu!ck!ng  asshole, isn’t he?”

Jasmine took another sip of her drink.