Chloe's Vanishing Act
"Ngh...!"
Basking in the bright morning sunlight, Marian stretched her sluggish body with a lazy yawn, her face blooming into a radiant smile. "Hehe..."
She tapped her lips, still tingling with the phantom sensation of Chloe's kiss from the night before, replaying that ecstatic bliss in her mind. I'm so glad I mustered the courage, she thought. From now on, every time I get a wish ticket, I'll use it to drag Chloe in for a kiss. No exceptions. That was Marian's firm resolution.
But...
"Where is she...?"
Chloe, who should have been right there, was nowhere to be seen. Marian didn't always wake first, but whenever she slept in, Chloe was invariably by her side, watching over her. So where had she gone?
"Is she mad?"
Maybe she'd hurt Chloe's feelings by kissing her without warning, followed by that barrage of smooches? Sure, Marian had even used her precious wish ticket, but Chloe was being petty about it.
"Next time I get one, I'll add that she can't get upset about the kissing." Flashing a sly grin, Marian looked forward to their next wish ticket bet. Now that she had the confidence she could beat Chloe, she'd claim victory in this one, the next, and every one after. Burning with determination, she pushed aside her regret at not getting to greet Chloe good morning and headed into the bathroom. There, she opened the secret passage door and slipped inside.
"Ngh, haa!"
Even after climbing the ladder, her body felt refreshingly light. Humming a cheerful tune—"Lalala"—Marian unlocked her bedroom door. Before long, the Arona and Perona sisters arrived to pay their respects.
"Good morning, miss!"
"Have a wonderful morning!"
"Yeah, good morning to you too."
"You seem in high spirits today?"
"Did something good happen?!"
"Something good... yeah, something very good."
Marian grinned and responded to the sisters' lively greetings.
'Huh...?'
'Wha...?'
For a split second, the sisters sensed an aura of raw sensuality emanating from Marian. But...
'No way.'
'Just my imagination.'
Dismissing it as a fleeting illusion, they shook their heads vigorously to banish the stray thought.
"All dressed now!"
"White suits you perfectly with Teacher today too!"
"Thanks, you two. Now I won't feel so awkward facing Chloe. See you later."
"Yes!"
"Until next time, miss!"
With that, the two finished helping Marian dress and withdrew. Left alone, she waited for Chloe and today's lesson.
"Hmhmhm."
She waited.
"Hmhmhm...~"
Waited some more.
"Mm..."
And waited.
"Huh...?"
Still no Chloe. What on earth...?
Chloe's absences were starting to become routine.
"Where are you...!"
Today marked the third day. Bursting unannounced into Chloe's bedroom, Marian growled in extreme agitation.
Marian wasn't born of common blood. She was the rightful heir to the Evergreen Grand Duchy, a Sword Expert in her own right, thick with the blood of Haksen Evergreen. For her, Chloe—already marked with her saliva, lips stolen, sharing beds and baths as a matter of course—suddenly vanishing was utterly intolerable. The Evergreen blood surging through her veins refused to stand for it, slowly draping her in violent impulses.
"I'm really upset... But I'll find you no matter what. You're not the type to leave me, so I'll just chalk it up to a game."
Of course, separate from her thick inheritance of Haksen's blood, Marian was also a noble lady well-taught by Chloe. She quickly quelled the surging violence, whipped her head around, and stormed back into the bathroom. She'd take the secret passage ladder up to her own bedroom now...
"This is bad..."
Clinging to the outer wall of the Grand Duke's Castle, Chloe broke out in cold sweat as she awkwardly scaled toward another window. She was trying to keep distance from Marian, cancel the scheduled lessons, and ship her off to some ball to mingle with other nobles—but...
"She seems really pissed..."
Chloe had expected it, but Marian was furious. Even calling it a "game" came through gritted teeth, as if forcing down her anger...
"Gotta wrap this up fast."
Slipping into the study via the outer wall, Chloe reviewed the letters piled before her and dashed off replies on the spot.
"Thank you for the invitation, Viscount Arundel..."
Three days prior, Chloe had sent out letters scouting suitable social events for Marian's debut, and the fruits were ripening. A key figure in the imperial central politics, Viscount Arundel, was hosting a birthday celebration for surrounding nobles—perfectly timed twenty days from now.
"Perfect. I'll send the reply, then report to Madam."
She stamped the reply to Arundel with the seal Rosetta had gifted her, handed it to a messenger familiar, and sent it off. Then Chloe dove into preparations for the social debut.
A social event with Marian—prime bait for assassins. Chloe needed countermeasures aplenty.
"I'll bring Viola and pick a few knights. Arundel Viscountcy is near the capital, so travel time's about a month round trip. Can't half-ass the prep."
Chloe burned with zeal.
And so, a week passed with Chloe studiously ignoring Marian.
For the first three days, Marian brimmed with confidence.
She had beaten Chloe. She surpassed her in raw strength, stole her lips when off-guard—proving quicker reactions—and with mana, she could pin Chloe down by force. But that didn't mean she could find Chloe whenever she pleased.
"Why, why... nowhere? I've checked every room in the castle..."
Marian had taken Chloe's vanishing as a lighthearted game of hide-and-seek. She's just embarrassed. Next time, I'll kiss her gentler. With that mindset, she'd scoured every nook of the Grand Duke's Castle.
"Not here...? Not here either...?"
But Chloe never appeared. It was inevitable. Chloe was an elite assassin; she wasn't green enough to be tracked by a novice alchemist not even three years in.
"Ah..."
And so, a week slipped by.
"Chloe..."
Marian's confidence shattered completely. She was like a hummingbird. No longer that tiny size, but like one, she withered without food for hours. Without seeing Chloe for mere hours, her energy flagged. A whole week?
"I miss you, Chloe... Chloe... Chloe..."
She was on the verge of madness. Servants confirmed Chloe hadn't left the castle—they'd glimpsed her. That tore at Marian's heart all the more. Had she pushed too hard, too fast? No, that wasn't it. The wish ticket covered it. She'd given it for anything. But using it for kisses led to a week of avoidance?
"Isn't Chloe the bad one here...?"
In Marian's mind, the dynamic flipped—the blame squarely on Chloe. If Chloe hadn't run, she wouldn't be hurt. She'd fled over a wish ticket used for kisses, as permitted. Days without proper talk left her chest aching. She missed Chloe so much.
"Miss."
"Chloe?"
Right on cue, Chloe arrived. Marian yearned to rush over, bury her face in those voluptuous breasts, sob, and pour out her grievances...
"Get ready. We're heading out."
"Out? Where?"
"To Arundel Viscountcy. You'll debut at the social there. Chance to make friends your age—let's prep."
Chloe's vibe felt oddly cold, deliberately distant. Timed right after the "use freely" wish ticket? It stung.
"Don't wanna."
"Yes, quickly... What?"
"I said no. If I go, what'll you do for me?"
"Huh...?"
Do I have to do something? It's not like I'm going for my sake...? Chloe's skeptical gaze said it all.
"Give me another wish ticket?"
"Miss..."
"No."
"I haven't even—"
"You said use it freely, so I did—and you avoided me for a week. Why trust you'd do different now?"
She lashed out fiercely.
"N-No..."
Chloe felt a dizzying vertigo. This is puberty. Real puberty. That kiss a week ago twisted something big inside Marian.