NOVEL WEB Chapter 32 - Unnie
Scene 032 – Unnie
“Phew… This is the best shopping I’ve ever done in my life,” Bella exclaimed as she stepped out of Luelcia, her tone as if she had just awoken from a delightful dream.
“As much as I hate to admit it, the count must be ridiculously wealthy,” she added.
“R-Really…?” Wendy stammered, still awed by the experience.
“Yes. I had no idea Luelcia was one of the brands owned by the count,” Bella admitted.
Luelcia was not like other luxury brands that flaunted ostentation. It was renowned for its understated elegance and simplicity, yet it ensured every product incorporated at least one rare material. This feature alone made its prices astronomical. Among affluent nobles, there was even a saying: one’s wealth could be measured by how many Luelcia items they owned.
“By the way, Miss Wendy,” Bella called.
“Yes?” Wendy responded.
“Are you really okay with giving this to me?” Bella asked, holding a shopping bag adorned with the Luelcia logo.
“I only helped you choose clothes…” Bella started hesitantly.
“N-No, not at all!” Wendy protested.
Earlier, Wendy had felt an undeniable urge to repay Bella. While it may have seemed like mere shopping, in truth, it was much more. The noble Lady of the prestigious Ducal House of Isaachel had personally assisted her—a gesture Wendy couldn’t ignore without expressing gratitude.
However, as a mere maid, offering a gift to someone of Bella’s standing felt risky. It could easily be misconstrued as presumptuous. While Wendy struggled with this dilemma, the store manager intervened with a quiet suggestion.
“If there’s something you’d like, you can gift it to the Lady,” he whispered.
“Pardon?” Wendy asked, surprised.
“Think of it as compensation for the earlier mishap,” he explained. “It’s my personal token of appreciation for your gracious understanding. Would you accept it that way?”
Encouraged by his thoughtful words, Wendy chose a dress she thought would look stunning on Bella. The price? A staggering twenty times her first monthly salary at the estate.
It became the single most expensive purchase Wendy had ever made.
“If it weren’t for you, I wouldn’t have been able to do anything,” Wendy admitted earnestly.
“…Do you know something?” Bella said softly.
“Y-Yes?” Wendy asked.
“Honestly, without you, I wouldn’t have been able to do anything here either,” Bella confessed, fiddling shyly with her cheek.
For Bella, Luelcia was as unattainable as it had once been for Wendy. The clothes she purchased today were only affordable because of her allowance and a remodeling sale at the department store. She had never dared dream of owning anything from Luelcia. Even when her family’s circumstances were better, Bella had been too young to understand the brand’s prestige.
This dress was her first-ever Luelcia item.
“I don’t know if I deserve something like this…” Bella said hesitantly.
“Y-You absolutely do! It helped a lot!” Wendy insisted.
“But… this is more expensive than what you bought for yourself…” Bella noted, gesturing toward the shopping bag in Wendy’s hand.
“Oh, it’s fine! I really like this one anyway!” Wendy said with a cheerful giggle.
She had purchased a cape she had initially admired. It suited her role as a maid to a noble, and the color matched the count’s coat perfectly. Hugging the shopping bag tightly like a treasure, Wendy’s joy was evident.
Watching her, Bella chuckled softly.
“Hehe… Wendy, when we’re alone, call me ‘Unnie,'” she suggested playfully.
“Eek?! B-But…” Wendy stammered, flustered.
In noble households, most maids were commoners. Addressing the daughter of the country’s highest-ranking ducal family so casually? It was unthinkable.
Bella placed a hand dramatically on her temple.
“Oh dear… Was it such an unbearable title?” she teased.
“N-No, that’s not it…” Wendy quickly denied.
“This Unnie feels hurt,” Bella continued with mock sorrow.
“W-What?!”
“Unnie…” Bella pressed.
“Huu…”
“Feels hurt.”
Though Bella smiled, her gaze was intense—the same commanding look that had made Wendy try countless outfits earlier.
Unable to withstand the pressure, Wendy relented.
“T-Then… U-nni… Unnie…”
“Try again,” Bella insisted.
“Ugh… U-nnie…” Wendy managed, her voice trembling on the verge of tears.
“Good job, Wendy,” Bella praised.
“Huh?!” Wendy gasped as Bella embraced her warmly, like a caring older sibling. Flustered and honored, Wendy didn’t know how to respond.
“…Huh?” she murmured, suddenly noticing something unusual.
Amid the luxury department store’s ambiance, a peculiar scene was unfolding.
People were murmuring, and amidst the commotion, knights in crimson armor rushed purposefully toward an unknown destination.
—–
Blanche’s claws sliced through the air with lethal intent.
Her near-supersonic strike aimed directly at the man’s head, intending to cleave it effortlessly, like slicing tofu.
Or so she thought.
“!?”
“Surprisingly light,” the man remarked calmly.
In a motion so quick it seemed unreal, he had grabbed Blanche’s wrist mid-air. He stared at her hovering figure with an unnerving intensity.
“A body unsuited for effective attacks, beast,” he said coldly.
“Let go of me…” Blanche growled, struggling to free herself, but his grip was immovable.
“…What strength is this?!” she exclaimed, her eyes wide with disbelief.
Despite his seemingly average build, the power emanating from him was anything but ordinary. But then again, Blanche herself was far from human in capability.
Crack-!
A dull sound echoed through the air.
“I warned you to let go,” Blanche said, her voice icy as her sharp kick landed squarely on the man’s face—a kick powerful enough to instantly kill a bear.
This time, she felt certain. There was no way anyone could withstand that.
“So, you’re the type who prioritizes speed,” the man remarked casually.
“?!”
Blanche’s eyes widened in shock as she saw the man, completely unfazed by her attack. He casually tilted his head.
“Still, it doesn’t make sense,” he muttered.
“What…?” Blanche asked, her voice edged with frustration.
“No matter how fast you are, it’s useless if you’re this weak, beast.”
Weak?
Blanche couldn’t believe her ears.
She was once an assassin of the Ruelberta family—a name that struck terror in the underworld.
And he’s calling me weak?!
“You’re weak. Do you admit it?” the man asked again, his tone maddeningly calm.
“…Is that so?” Blanche replied, her voice trembling with suppressed anger.
The man’s words finally ignited something within her. The change was immediate.
The rooftop floor began to freeze as the temperature around them plummeted. Snowflakes swirled through the air, descending in a chilling storm.
“Hm?”
A bitter cold enveloped the man as sharp ice shards spiraled and struck his body. At last, a flicker of surprise crossed his face.
“This cold… Is it from a spirit beast? Impressive. Not an easy power to acquire,” he admitted. “But it’s still a crude, degraded imitation.”
“Is that so?” Blanche hissed through clenched teeth.
Why does everything he says irritate me so much?
The magic surging through Blanche’s body began to spike.
“Then, is this weak too?” she spat.
A burst of icy energy exploded in front of the man. The air vibrated with the force of intensely compressed magic. Blades of ice materialized from thin air, flying straight for his eyes.
Crash!
“Not bad,” the man said, nodding slightly.
Blanche’s shock deepened as she realized what had just happened.
Where had it come from?
The man now held a shield, stained crimson, as if conjured from nowhere.
With a calm motion, he set the red shield aside, letting shattered ice fall to the ground in useless fragments.
“But still weak,” he said, his voice steady and unyielding.
By now, Blanche understood the truth.
This man wasn’t someone she could deal with easily.
Lowering her body into a defensive stance, she asked cautiously, “Who… are you?”
“I am Marco Feiligris,” he replied evenly.
At that moment, a shiver ran down Blanche’s spine.
But it wasn’t fear—it was heat.
Marco’s searing magic swept over her, heavy and oppressive.
“A knight protecting Her Majesty the Empress,” he declared.
“A knight… of the Empress?!” Blanche repeated, instinctively stepping back.
The overwhelming heat surrounding Marco felt like it might consume her whole.
“Are you done with your questions, beast?” he asked, his tone sharp as flames flared in his hand.
As the fire roared, something began to take shape within it.
At first, it appeared to be a blackened, charred stick, but it was far from ordinary.
“Then, I shall deliver your punishment,” Marco announced.
From the flames emerged a massive mace. Its black, menacing form glowed faintly from the residual heat of its creation.
The weapon’s head pointed directly at Blanche, its weight palpable even from a distance.
For the first time, Marco’s expression changed.
His lips curled into a mocking smirk.
“A beast learns best by the lash.”