Chapter 04
That’s Not Germaphobia
The Elcanto Count’s estate, built of white marble, looked grand and beautiful even from afar.
And apparently, the road leading to it was the southern version of an autobahn.
“Michael, is there a carriage race at the Elcanto estate today or something?”
Thud-thud-thud-thud—
Carriages had been coming out of the estate one after another, and the moment they spotted ours, they all suddenly sped up.
The horses pulling them were even foaming at the mouth, like racehorses.
“There’s no way they’d race with those kinds of carriages. More importantly… judging by the crests, those seem to be the families that were supposed to attend today’s tea party…”
Michael trailed off, frowning slightly.
“Wait… could it be…”
“Could it be what?”
“…Nothing. We’re almost there. Let’s go.”
Maybe the coachmen were dropping off their ladies and then racing each other in frustration. They must’ve had a lot pent up.
When our carriage stopped in front of the large entrance—resembling that of a five-star hotel—a servant hurried over and opened the door.
“Y-You’ve arrived, Lady Lavius!”
“Yes, hello. Have the others all arrived?”
I asked because I’d seen so many carriages leaving earlier.
But the servant’s pupils shook like a weather vane in a storm.
“Well, that is…”
“Several guests had urgent matters and returned early.”
A middle-aged man, clearly more experienced, spoke instead of the young servant.
He gave off the same refined aura as Michael’s father, the butler of the Lavius family.
“I am Henrik, the butler serving Count Elcanto. The refreshments are prepared in the garden. Please allow me to guide you.”
“Thank you, Henrik.”
For some reason, Henrik hesitated for a moment—
but quickly composed himself and led me to the tea party.
The place we arrived at was a beautiful garden filled with the fresh scent of flowers and grass.
I’d heard about it beforehand, but the emerald sea stretching below the cliff was truly breathtaking.
White chiffon draped over milky pillars entwined with climbing roses, glowing softly in the sunlight.
If this were Earth, it would definitely be a social media hotspot.
On the lawn, a table was lavishly set with a five-tier tray and an afternoon tea set.
And around it, as I had heard, the southern noble ladies—
‘There are only two?’
“Ahem, welcome, Lady Lavius! I’m Luisa Elcanto, the one who sent the invitation! Please call me Luisa!”
“I’m Maribel Yuno of the Yuno Count family. You may call me by my name as well.”
A cute young lady with curly blonde hair and another with dark brown hair and sharp eyes stood up to greet me.
“Nice to meet you, Luisa, Maribel. I’m Kalia Lavius of the Lavius ducal house. Please call me Kalia as well. But… where are the others?”
The invitation said there would be about eight others besides me.
Why had that number dropped to a quarter?
“Well… they all had urgent matters…”
“How unfortunate. Six people all had urgent matters at the same time.”
“Well, that is…”
Luisa fidgeted, her eyes darting around.
Then Maribel calmly revealed the truth.
“They found out about the identity of the surprise guest Luisa invited and ran away.”
“Oh.”
The surprise guest must’ve been me.
So that’s why those carriages sped up when they saw mine.
Made sense immediately.
“It seems my reputation isn’t very good here either.”
“Unfortunately not.”
Hearing Maribel’s concise answer, I nodded and took a seat.
“I’m so sorry, Kalia! If I’d known, I would’ve told everyone in advance…!”
Luisa squeezed her eyes shut and apologized, then peeked at my reaction.
She looked exactly like a guilty puppy.
Which is to say—cute.
And I’m weak to cute things.
“It’s fine. The carriage race was fun to watch. Honestly, I prefer it this way.”
I meant it.
I liked not having to meet people—so when I saw a nine-person invitation, I was actually nervous.
Now the burden was reduced, and my villainess reputation was still useful.
If possible, I’d like to keep living as a legal outsider like this.
“Lady Kalia…”
“Yes, Michael. Everyone, this is my butler. Handsome, right?”
“Yes, very!”
“Indeed, quite a rare beauty even in the South.”
Michael, who had been calling me in a gloomy tone, shut his mouth.
‘That face… he has a lot to say but is holding back because people are watching.’
I should change the subject before I get lectured later.
“So, Luisa is the host, so that makes sense. But Maribel, did you know I was coming?”
“Of course not. Luisa kept it a secret, so I only found out after arriving.”
“Oh dear, you missed your chance to escape.”
I was going to graciously let her go, but Maribel simply raised an eyebrow and smiled.
“Oh my, leave? I’m not foolish enough to pass up the chance to meet the only daughter of the Lavius family.”
“Even knowing my reputation?”
“There’s a saying—stones at the top of a mountain become boulders as they roll down. Rumors grow exaggerated over distance. I never believed them entirely to begin with, dear customer.”
“‘Customer’?”
“The Yuno Merchant Guild and the Lavius Guild have long been partners, overseeing the South and Central regions respectively. I look forward to working with you, Kalia.”
So money matters more than whether I’m a villainess.
Very capitalist of her.
Come to think of it, Michael did mention yesterday that Maribel was the real power behind the Yuno Merchant Guild.
Of course, I had forgotten until just now.
I shook hands with Maribel, then with Luisa, who looked at me like a pitiful kitten.
Then Maribel brought over a rectangular box from a nearby stool.
“This item seems quite to your taste, Kalia. Would you like to take a look?”
A sales pitch?
It was a thick book bound in blue velvet.
‘Hmm, Kalia wasn’t really into reading.’
Still, hoping it might be interesting, I accepted it.
Luisa’s eyes widened.
“Maribel, that’s…!”
“I did say this would only be revealed today. Too bad for the six who left.”
Maribel gestured for me to open it.
Inside were… portraits of well-dressed young men.
“Wow, what is this?”
“A collection of realistic portraits of unmarried noblemen—to prevent fraud from fake portraits.”
“…What?”
“I got deceived by portraits three times and broke off engagements because of it. So I made this myself.”
“Ah.”
After briefly explaining its origin, Maribel smiled again.
“As a result, many families now wish to trade with our guild. Life is quite ironic.”
I nodded.
While the Lavius family was powerful enough for Kalia to personally “interview” fiancé candidates at balls—
most people simply exchanged portraits and married.
As I flipped through the book with interest alongside Luisa, my hand suddenly stopped.
The man in the portrait was unbelievably handsome.
He could stand beside the original male lead, Friedrich, without losing in the slightest.
In fact, in some ways, he might even surpass him.
But alas, just a painting.
“Oh! Admiral Aquilus is in here too!”
Yes, written beneath the portrait in elegant script:
Richard Aquilus
A 28-year-old admiral who controlled the Empire’s seas.
“If not for his germaphobia, he’d be the Empire’s best marriage prospect.”
Maribel muttered regretfully.
But I couldn’t agree.
‘If it were just ordinary germaphobia, sure…’
But having read the original story, I knew better.
Richard Aquilus appeared only once in <Contract Saintess>.
When he came to the Emperor seeking approval to eliminate pirates.
The Emperor didn’t want Aquilus to expand his already powerful influence.
So he deliberately hosted a ball—despite Aquilus refusing.
‘He used Aquilus’s aversion to people to undermine his authority.’
And it worked.
Noble families were offended when he avoided their daughters or rejected their dances.
His proposal to send naval forces against pirates was rejected.
However—
Anael was also present.
And she discovered the truth.
‘It wasn’t germaphobia at all.’
It was a curse.
Anyone he touched would have their life force drained.
Anael, being kind, told no one.
Not even the Emperor.
Because she knew he would exploit it.
The curse wasn’t something she could purify—and it wasn’t Aquilus’s fault.
So she chose silence.
‘Anyway, none of this concerns me.’
Even if we’re both in the South, there’s no reason we’d meet.
I have no interest in a man I can never even hold hands with—
and he avoids close contact with anyone.
But somehow, seeing my thoughtful expression, Maribel and Luisa misunderstood.
“Kalia, don’t be upset. Even if not at Admiral Aquilus’s level, there are plenty of handsome men in the South!”
“That’s right! Especially in the navy!”
“That’s genuinely great news.”
Whether they’d like me or not was another matter—
but handsome men are nice to look at regardless.
Smiling at the thought, I looked at them.
Luisa’s eyes sparkled even more.
Then she clapped her hands.
“Right? Oh, I know! Maribel, let’s go there!”
“Ah, that place? Excellent idea, Luisa.”
What? Why are you two the only ones who know?
“Where is ‘there’?”
At my question, Maribel smiled mysteriously.
“Get up, Kalia. We’ll show you the true South.”
