Mardian, You're Such a Soft Touch
Mardian, you're such a soft touch.
A modest birthday party.
That was the only phrase that fit. Given how strained the Bland family's circumstances were, a birthday banquet was bound to be a humble affair. There was no expensive wine, no roasted meats—just an afternoon tea party in a prettily dressed garden. Fortunately, no one present seemed to mind the atmosphere in the least.
"Tina, what do you think of this dress? It just came out this month from the Larien boutique! The moment I saw it, I thought of you."
A young lady with short brown hair held the gown out to me, her eyes bright with expectation. I couldn't quite place her name, but I covered my mouth and arranged my face into a look of pure wonder.
"Oh my… it's absolutely beautiful."
"I don't think there's a single young lady this dress would suit better than you, Tina. Please take it."
She carefully folded the dress back into its box and pressed it into my hands. I cradled the package against my chest and stammered, a little awkwardly,
"Thank you so much… I'll treasure it and wear it often."
"Hehe. Seeing how happy you look makes me happy too."
She stroked my hair with a thoroughly pleased expression. She seemed fonder of me than I'd realized. I really ought to memorize her name later.
…Another dress, though.
Behind me, the tea table was piled high with gift boxes the young ladies had brought. Of all those presents, not a single one truly appealed to me. Trend-conscious gowns, newly released luxury chocolates—expensive enough, certainly, but the sort of things that lost their value the moment the fashion passed.
What I needed wasn't the kind of dress girls fussed over. I needed things whose worth held steady—genuinely expensive things. As if I would ever actually like those flouncy, trumpet-skirted gowns in the first place.
"Tina, would you look this way for a moment?"
A lovely voice called my name, and I turned. Shari-one and Versha were watching me. The moment those two—the so-called powers of high society—gave a small nod, someone behind me covered my eyes.
"Ah—"
My vision went black all at once and my body gave a startled jolt, but I forced myself to stay calm and sit still. After a moment came a soft rustling, and then a solid weight settled into both of my hands.
"We prepared these for you, Tina."
As soon as Shari-one finished speaking, the hands fell away and my sight returned. I lowered my gaze slowly. Resting in each of my palms was a different piece of jewelry.
In my left hand lay a pair of silver earrings. Set at the center of each was a pink gemstone I had never seen in my life.
"They're pink diamonds. There were almost none on the market, so tracking them down was quite the ordeal—but I put in the effort, thinking of you."
"…They're truly beautiful."
Versha stroked my hair with a fond smile. While I sat staring blankly at the pink diamonds, Shari-one cleared her throat and drew my attention.
"Would you look at my gift as well, Tina?"
At her words I turned to my right hand. What rested there was a simple headband—ordinary in shape, yet the jewels studded along it were anything but ordinary.
"Of course the pink diamonds are rarer, but when it comes to splendor, I believe mine has the edge."
Just as she said, the headband blazed with gems of every brilliant hue—so lavish it bordered on pure extravagance.
I looked up at them with a faintly clouded gaze. As if they already knew exactly what I was about to say, both women shook their heads with firm resolve.
"We won't hear a word about refusing them, Tina."
"When your mistresses give you something, you simply take it with both hands."
Under the full weight of their affectionate stares, I bowed my head and worked my mouth for a long moment. I closed my eyes, waited just long enough, and a clear tear welled at the corner of my eye.
"Thank you… truly…"
I lifted my face before the tear could dry and offered them a smile—neither purely sorrowful nor overly bright, but something complicated in between. Whatever it was, it seemed to please them; they gazed back at me with thoroughly satisfied smiles of their own.
I rose and went to them, settling myself on Shari-one's lap. Then I turned toward Versha, opening my arms and looking up at her with pleading eyes. Versha stared at me with a trembling gaze, then drifted forward as if spellbound and gathered me into a fierce embrace.
"I don't know if I… if I even deserve gifts like these… Just receiving your affection is already more happiness than I can hold…"
At the subdued hush of my voice, Shari-one and Versha both looked down at me and spoke at once.
"This is what a noble's affection looks like, Tina."
"That's right. Compared to the happiness you give us every day, this is only the natural repayment."
I buried my face in Versha's shoulder and said nothing more. Shari-one and Versha chuckled softly, patting my hair and my back.
I knew something good would come of today. Nestled in their arms, I hid a private smile against their clothes.
"Might I join in as well?"
A sharp voice, edged with irritation, cut straight through the warm little scene. A pair of blood-red eyes—narrowed to slits—fixed on me as if they held a mouthful of gore.
"My, Lady Mardian. Are you jealous?"
Versha laughed lightly and drew away from me. Shari-one gave my hair one last stroke, then returned to her place with a look of contentment.
Mardian regarded me for a long moment with those blood-colored eyes, which seemed to gleam more ominously than usual today. Then she held out one hand. Out of habit I went to her and laid my hand atop hers. Only then did Mardian smile in satisfaction and stroke my hair.
"Tina, the gift I prepared is a bit large. It would be rather difficult to present it here."
"Pardon?"
"I've set it aside in the carriage. I'll give it to you once the party is over."
I blinked blankly. At her words my heart began to race with excitement. Just how enormous a gift could it be, that she couldn't hand it over here?
"…Haven't you gone a little overboard, Lady Mardian?"
"It won't do for you to pull so far ahead on your own."
At Shari-one and Versha's sulky tones, Mardian merely curved her lips in a faint smile and stroked my hair one last time.
"For our little pet young lady, is there anything we wouldn't do?"
Today, Mardian's bearing looked more dazzling than ever. Even those eyes of hers—always curved sharp as a villainess's—seemed endlessly beautiful now.
"L-Lady Mardian…"
"Hehe… Save the thanks for later."
Who on earth had ever cursed Mardian as a perverted, sadistic villainess? How could anyone call a woman with a heart like this a villainess? Mardian was an angel.
"Ah, by the way—have you all heard about that?"
From there, one young lady's remark sent the conversation spinning off in an entirely new direction. All sorts of trivial chatter came and went, but the only thing circling through my mind was the gift Mardian had prepared.
What on earth could it be? Some enormous jewel? Or enough gold coin to live on for the rest of my life without lifting a finger?
The curiosity blooming without end looked as though it would find its answer soon enough. Talk drifted among the young ladies, and before long the sunlight had softened into early evening. It was time to head home.
"Happy birthday, Tina."
"We'll see you again soon."
With Versha and Shari-one's warm parting words, the young ladies departed for their estates one by one. The garden that had been so lively sank into quiet. All that remained were the countless dishes still scattered across the tables—and Mardian's red eyes, gazing at me with a lingering fondness.
Mardian took an elegant sip from her teacup, then held out her hand to me with a captivating smile at her lips.
"Tina. Shall we go collect your gift?"
"Lady Mardian… you really didn't have to prepare anything separate for me."
"None of that. Come along."
Mardian rose from her seat and extended her hand. Fighting down the excited hammering of my heart, I took it, letting my eyes droop just slightly at the corners.
Hand in hand, we stepped out through the mansion's front gates—and there stood a carriage of dazzling opulence. One coachman, four horses, and a vehicle whose sheer size alone made it clear this was no ordinary conveyance. When I followed Mardian inside, I was forced to marvel all over again.
There's a bed inside the carriage…?
The interior was so vast I could barely tell whether I was in a coach or a private bedchamber. It had the kind of luxury that called to mind first-class cabins on airplanes back in Korea. It wasn't quite on the level of the carriage Viviana had once sent, but a coach like this was one I could happily ride in all day long.
And yet—perhaps because my companion was Mardian—the bed set in the center of the space stirred an oddly ominous premonition.
"Tina. Would you take a look at the gift I prepared?"
But that unease melted away the instant she said the word gift. I turned with a fluttering heart—and there, already perched on the edge of the bed, Mardian held a single box across her lap.
…What? It's not that big.
The brief flicker of disappointment vanished the moment the lid came open. For a long while I could only blink, stunned. The box was packed full of jewels, each throwing off its own radiant light. I had no expert knowledge of gemstones, but even I could tell by pure instinct.
Every last one of them was genuine.
And extraordinarily expensive.
"L-Lady Mardian? This is…?"
"A small token of sincerity for my pet. I've heard your house is rather deep in debt. If you like, you're free to sell them and clear it."
Her unexpected words sent a rush of fluster through me. I'd fully intended to sell the jewels anyway—but I never imagined she would say so herself, out loud.
Which meant… unlike the gems I'd been hiding in the wardrobe, I could sell these ones outright, immediately. Stones of this size would be an enormous help to Mother. They might even be enough to wipe out the remaining debt entirely.
Gulp.
I swallowed dryly without meaning to. The dizzying glitter of the jewels nearly stole my wits for a second, but I clung to reason and held myself together.
"Lady Mardian… how could I possibly… I can't accept this."
The words held none of what I actually felt. Mardian stroked my hair, then set the jewel box gently on my lap.
"Take it. I did dip into the family fortune a little, but Father has given his full permission for all of it."
Thump—thump—
My heart pounded hard. If I resold just these, Mother would no longer have to work through the night. And that meant the idle, carefree life I'd been dreaming of was right within reach.
Stay calm. With a gift this large, the proper etiquette was to refuse at least twice.
"Lady Mardian, receiving something like this makes me uneasy. Your affection alone is more than enough for me…"
"I know you aren't greedy, Tina. But think of your mother, struggling so hard as head of the house—and accept it for her sake."
That settled it.
Mardian was no villainess.
She was an angel.
An angel without equal in all the world.
And… a soft touch without equal in all the world.
Heh.
"Lady Mardian…"
I let a mournful little voice slip out and sank into her arms. Mardian held me tight and gently patted my back.
"Tina. For you, I could give far more than this."
At the intensity of her words I buried my face in her shoulder, hiding the smile I could no longer suppress.
I never knew. That the infamous Mardian had a soft streak like this in her.
I really did make the right call, ditching Viviana for Mardian.
If I'd chosen Viviana, I never would have received jewels like these. Unlike that needlessly sharp-witted Viviana, Mardian was the perfect mistress.
"Tina. I truly cherish you and love you. You feel the same, don't you?"
I answered without a shred of hesitation.
"Yes…! Lady Mardian is the most precious person in the world to me!"
Just look how happy a single line like that made her. In the end, even a so-called villainess couldn't go against basic human instinct.
"Good. From now on, jewels like these—I'll replace them for you every single day."
"No, Lady Mardian… I've already received far too much."
"Don't give it another thought."
With that, Mardian pulled me into a tight embrace, her red eyes flashing bright.
"After all, starting today, you belong to me alone."
"…"
"Pardon? What do you mean by—"
Thud—!
"Augh?!"
A raw, piercing pain sank into my flesh and my whole body jerked. A moan tore out of me before I could stop it. I wanted to shove Mardian away, but I didn't have the strength to break her grip.
All I could do was roll my eyes toward the source of the pain.
My pale forearm. And there, for no reason I could comprehend, a syringe was buried in the skin. Inside it, a thoroughly ominous pink liquid swayed and sloshed.
"…Huh?"
Mardian pressed her thumb down on the plunger. The pink fluid in the barrel began to disappear, little by little.
Traveling down the slender needle.
Slowly, into my body.
"W-Wait…"