The Radiant Young Lady of the Dark Family - Chapter 50
The classroom fell silent at the professor’s words. Both the professor who asked the question and Hasa who answered correctly were stunned, while nearby students started chattering one by one.
“What? Did she get it right? What? What was the name? What was it?”
“How would I know just because you’re asking me?”
The professor closed her mouth and belatedly composed herself. Then she proceeded with the next question.
“You, that was too easy, wasn’t it? Well, it’s hard not to know about Monteo. Then how about this one, Miss Hartbisa.”
She put down the thick book she had brought and asked while glancing sideways.
“During the Lemont Mountain Heretic Suppression, the youngest knight who participated and received a title for his achievements after 10 years…”
The professor read the name written in the book internally. -Lecante Sambell.
Hasa pronounced it following that clear voice. “Lecante Sambell”
“…Correct.”
The students’ murmuring grew louder at the professor’s pale response.
“Wow, what’s going on.” “This is insane.”
Even after that, although the professor openly held up the book to read questions, Hasa correctly answered by pronouncing the increasingly clear voice she heard as she got more excited.
***
After class, Hasa returned straight to the dormitory. Listening to her rapidly beating heart, she placed her hand on her chest and hurriedly opened the door.
Heize hadn’t arrived yet, as the room was quiet. When she turned her head, Yan was sitting on the windowsill, swishing his tail.
Yan had a calm expression as if he knew Hasa would come. -I don’t know what it is, but you seem the least rational I’ve seen you since meeting you. Did something happen?
At Yan’s question, Hasa pulled up a chair and sat in front of the windowsill. Then, with a face that seemed unsure how to explain this, she moved her lips before answering.
“Um, Yan. I still don’t understand how this is happening.”
-Mhm.
“I can hear a specific person’s inner thoughts. At first, it was just one or two short sentences, but it’s becoming clearer as time passes. What they’re thinking.”
Hasa asked the cat, “Am I going crazy?” To which Yan tapped the floor with his tail, wearing an expression that seemed to say ‘why are you so surprised about that?’
-You talk to cats too, aren’t you overreacting?
“W-well, that’s true, but.”
As Hasa stammered, feeling somewhat self-conscious about confiding such concerns to a cat, Yan continued.
-I’m kidding. As Anelia’s daughter, seems you inherited a similar ability.
“What? Mom was like this too? She could hear specific people’s inner thoughts?”
-Yes.
“But why hasn’t this happened until now? This is the first time.”
While Hasa clutched her head with both hands in confusion, Yan stared silently at her necklace before speaking.
-This is just my guess, but it seems Anelia sealed that power for some reason. And it was released by the artifact.
At Yan’s words, Hasa recalled their previous conversation about the artifact seeming to have activated. She gained an ability she didn’t have before, and the only thing that could have caused such a change was this artifact.
Then did her Mom really seal the power before she passed away? Why? Hasa’s face showed complete bewilderment.
“Why, why would Mom do that…?”
-How would I know? It seems to have happened after I fell asleep. Anelia was quite capricious.
Yan showed a completely disinterested attitude. Hasa looked at this strange behavior and asked.
“Come to think of it, Yan, you said you knew why I was good at ancient languages.”
-…Well, I said something like that.
“What’s the reason?”
Yan turned his chin which was resting on his paw to look at Hasa. His yellow eyes were filled with Hasa’s reflection.
-I already gave you the answer.
“….”
-I said because you’re Anelia’s daughter.
It was like a riddle. Yan would sometimes speak in riddles like this after giving precise information. Hasa had figured out Yan’s personality to some extent over the past few days. She knew he would just say something irrelevant if she pressed further.
Hasa changed her approach and asked a different question.
“You said Mom had a similar ability, right?”
-Mm, that’s right.
“Then explain it to me, Yan. How can I read inner thoughts? There were so many students in the classroom, but I could only read the professor’s thoughts.”
Yan swished his tail gently.
-Since you’re still inexperienced with using the ability, you can probably only read strong desires from others. You’ll need training to handle it properly.
“Training? What kind?”
Yan turned his head toward the window, seemingly getting bored now.
-Try to concentrate well.
“Yan, don’t be like that. Think carefully. Didn’t Mom say anything about this to you?”
Just as Hasa was desperately calling out to the black cat, the door rattled and Heize returned.
“Hasa? You’re back early!”
Heize entered bouncing excitedly after seeing her major textbook placed in front of the door. Then, seeing Hasa and her cat standing by the window frame, her lips curled up.
“What’s this, did Hasa also rush back early because she missed Yan?”
“W-well, not exactly.”
Heize approached stealthily, suppressing her urge to pounce on Yan. Yan looked at Heize with a face that seemed to say ‘here we go again.’
Hasa decided to try concentrating as Yan had suggested, looking at Heize’s face. As she listened carefully, like when she heard the professor’s inner thoughts earlier, Heize’s voice crept in.
-Ahh. Yan’s glossy fur. Look how soft it is.
“……”
-How nice would it be to rub my face there? Burying my nose there and dying would be my wish! Yaaan!
Hasa tightly closed her eyes and shook her head.
***
After that, Hasa began observing people bit by bit. People’s desires changed dozens of times a day. As Yan had said, the more easily excited someone was, the better she could hear their inner thoughts.
From trivial thoughts like wanting to eat their favorite dessert to worrying about pending assignments. Sometimes she even heard the voices of people trying to hold in their bathroom needs.
Pretending not to know, Hasa helped with what she could. She helped people find lost items, gave advice on assignments, and showed understanding about their interests and likes.
At first, most people were surprised or showed discomfort when Hasa approached them, but their hearts opened easily to her uncanny ability to say exactly what they wanted to hear.
In her distant past life, when Hasa was in charge of TV programs, she had to open people’s hearts through conversations with all sorts of individuals.
Even then, she had to think hard about what people liked and what their interests were, but now it was easier thanks to being able to hear their inner thoughts.
Thanks to this, Hasa made quite a few new friends in a short time.
“Hasa! Are you done with class?”
A group approached Hasa as she was leaving class. They were people she had become friends with recently while taking the same classes. Having friendly friends was nice. But not everyone could be a friend she truly liked.
The male student with pomade in his hair had entered the Swordsmanship Department following his father who had received a knight’s title. At some point, he started approaching Hasa warmly, following other students who had become friendly with her.
‘Yes, being friendly is fine up to a point.’
But his casual physical contact, touching her shoulders or back, made her uncomfortable.
“This is our last class today, right? We’re all thinking of going to Central Town, want to come with us?”
Behind his voice, his inner thoughts echoed like an echo. -Hasa is really small and cute. Her cheeks are so white, I want to touch them.
And recently, as Hasa began hearing people’s inner thoughts, she realized something. Among human desires, the loudest and noisiest voices were anger, jealousy, envy, and s****l attraction.
As Hasa was about to decline due to his uncomfortable thoughts, their gazes shifted to one side. Turning her head, she saw Berl walking towards them.
Hasa’s shoulders instinctively hunched when she saw Berl.
Since their last meeting, Hasa had been unnecessarily conscious of Berl. So she had been avoiding places where she usually ran into him. That’s why it had been a while since she’d seen him. Berl saw Hasa and smiled brightly. Then he approached and said.
“So this is where everyone was. Hasa, it’s been a while.”
“It has been a while, Berl.”
He responded to Hasa’s greeting with smiling eyes, then looked around at the students surrounding her.
“You’ve made new friends while I haven’t seen you.”
At his words, the surrounding students exchanged glances before saying to Hasa,
“Hasa, so it was true that you’re close with the Young Grand Duke.”
Their faces were full of requests for introductions. As Hasa hesitated uncomfortably, the man who had been constantly clinging to her placed his hand on her back again.
“Pleased to meet you, Young Grand Duke. I’m Cowell, taking the same classes as Hasa.”
“Um, your hand……”
Just as she was about to ask him to remove it, a low, chilling voice flowed. -Disgustingly clingy.
“……”
This cold and chilling voice was definitely something she’d never heard before. Yet why did she think this voice resembled Berl’s?
-It’s annoying, should I kill him?
Berl was smiling brightly while looking at the man who had his hand on Hasa’s back.
