FaRtaL Chpt 10

==From a Ristar to a Lady - Chapter 10 -==
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Haynes Palatial Manor
Innerman City, Inman
Milligan PDZ, Woodbine Operational Area,
21st February, 30612000 hrs (2000 hrs on local 28 hr cycle)
“My luck just sucks.”
Anastasia crossed her arms and sighed, then reached out her hand to grab his arm. Behind the door, there were still groans and a voice cursing vehemently.
Finn let himself be dragged along without resisting.
“What did you do?”
He thought he knew what happened, but Finn asked to confirm, and also out of courtesy.
“I kicked his fre… frickking… dick.”
Finn did not expect such a strong curse out of her elegantly shaped mouth. When her words registered with his brain, he felt like cursing himself at the severity of the situation.
Attacking a member of the Count’s family, especially the heir! She was grimacing. Even she seemed to understand what she had just done, the possible consequences.
“I know you’re quite mad, but you’ve taken it up a notch!” He couldn’t help but be honest with his opinion.
Anastasia crossed her arms as if she didn’t care. “If you stay here right now, it won’t do any of us any good. It’s better to just go quietly. Yes, I kicked that ******’s dick. He’s probably still on the floor.”
Again, she admitted she kicked Renard’s penis. Finn imagined his condition. His pain was entirely understandable as a man, but Finn couldn’t muster up any sympathy.
But still…
“Why did you do that?” He walked with her down the hallway.
“If I tell you, will you believe me?”
“What?”
Finn couldn’t answer the question right away. There wasn’t any real relationship between them. They don’t even trust each other yet. He considered for a moment if Anastasia would lie to him, take advantage in some way.
He sighed. “Tell me. I will try.”
Anastasia looked at him with suspicion and seemed to be a little worried. Then she said quietly. “Say, you are dating a girl. Then she asked you to prove that you loved her. What would you do?”
“Huh?”
“I’m talking about jumping into the manor lake. I did it because Renard told me to do it.”
“What are you saying?”
“The word love was a signal, and I was duped into one of his cruel jokes. The last thing I saw before I lost consciousness was him pointing at me and laughing as I drowned.”
“That is……”
Is she telling me to believe that? Finn thought.
Anastasia seemed to have misunderstood his words. “Yeah, that was stupid. To fall for that kind of sweet talk and trust that bastard.”
Her tone was entirely serious. As if she was blaming herself. Despite the crudeness of her speech, there was an underlying sincerity and ring of truth that convinced Finn that she wasn’t lying to him.
Meanwhile, they had nearly reached the banquet hall again.
If what she said was true, he understood what was going on and why Anastasia found words to be insufficient. For Anastasia, kicking Renard in his genitals many more times would still not be enough.
“Kicking him in the balls though… you’re not worried about the consequences?”
She shrugged. “I did it on the spur of the moment. I did not think that far ahead.”
He grinned. She was certainly turning out surprise after surprise. And to retaliate in this manner against Renard, who had been doing mostly as he wished throughout his life, rarely suffering any consequences.
It was, Finn felt, just desserts for the spoiled Baron.
Besides, the sense of irritation that clouded his mood all day had turned into mild amusement.
A short bark of laughter escaped him. “Hah! But to kick him there…”
“But that is the best place to kick. Where else?”
He tried to hold back his laughter, but it was tough. Where did Anastasia get the idea in the first place?
He couldn’t laugh out loud because of the current situation and its location, so he just kept his voice low and chuckled instead. It was a pity that he couldn’t see Renard on the floor. He regretted not taking a peek inside the lounge.
“So, any more residual feelings for Renard?”
“If I had, I wouldn’t have kicked him there.”
At that, Finn couldn’t endure it any longer and burst out laughing. Anastasia looked at him as if he was going crazy.
Finn thought about how the Baron would react. Injuring any member of the aristocracy, much less the ruling Count’s family, was certainly a crime. However, the circumstances were not so simple, especially for Anastasia’s situation. If the heir to the most powerful position in the Trivet punished a woman for kicking him in his crotch, he would always be a laughing stock. In his estimation, Renard was not likely to take issue with this matter.
No matter how foolish Renard may be, he must have sufficient wits about him not to take revenge on the Kalinskis, who number amongst his supporters, and risk driving them away. Finn decided he had to trust Renard and his advisors to do the smart thing.
He looked at Anastasia. He was beginning to see how unique she was. When she took down the Harvester, he had written it off mentally as pure luck, a minor miracle from somebody too stupid to know otherwise. But now he slowly admitted she actually might know what she was doing.
After laughing for a while, he blurted without thinking, “If anything happens, I will take care of it.”
“Huh?”
It was gratifying to think of Renard screaming with his ****** kicked, and Finn decided to be generous, reasoning that her act of vengeance was warranted. Anastasia blinked as if she had heard something unexpected.
“But if you are so rude in public, you will be punished for insulting the Count by extension. Be careful from now on.”
“Okay, I’ll be more careful in the future.”
She nodded her head politely again.
Finn felt he had misjudged her. She didn’t hesitate to admit her mistakes even though she seemed stubborn. One could not judge by looking at the appearance, and who would have imagined foul cursing words such as “bastard” and ‘dick’ come out of such a pretty face. He smiled again at the thought.
“Stop smiling like that, you look creepy. Why don’t we go and dance?”
“What?”
Anastasia grabbed his arm again and led him. She wasn’t strong, but her two arms clasped Finn’s arms tightly.
“About the dance. I was waiting for you so we can dance. It’s expected of us, isn’t it?”
For Anastasia, there was nothing to do anyway, and the goal was to achieve her duty of dancing quickly, but Finn assumed that was just a cute teasing gesture from his fiancée.
“This is a strange dance request."
Usually it was the man who invited the woman, but he was slowly coming to accept Anastasia’s direct manner. Finn held her hand and led her to the dance area.
When Anastasia and Finn appeared together, all eyes of the people in the banquet hall were focused on them.
And, where was Baron Renard Haynes? Many people looked for him, but he was nowhere to be seen. If Renard, Anastasia, and Finn were together, it would have been a spectacle worth seeing, and could probably generate enough scandal rumors to keep the gossip mills running for ages.
Finn and Anastasia certainly appeared to be affectionate with each other, not just from the usual arranged betrothal. Anastasia’s expression was stiff, but she held Finn’s arm, and he also followed her steps closely, showing his consideration for her well-being.
“It seems like he still cares about her as his fiancée.”
“Yeah, surprising, isn’t it?”
It was the first time Viscount Rason had behaved this way in public, so everyone noticed.
Unlike his predecessors, Finnickerhet Ian Rason rarely appeared in social circles.
Even as a boy, he spent most of his childhood on Delacambre, learning as a Mechwarrior apprentice. Once he was old enough, he was sent to the Kilbourne Academy to complete his Mechwarrior training and learn the art of command. When he graduated summa ****** laude and got a posting as a Leftenant with the prestigious First Davion Guards, it was a major source of pride for the entire Trivet.
As a young officer, Finn participated in Operation Bulldog, the massive attack to drive the Smoke Jaguars out of the Inner Sphere. His courage and skill were amply demonstrated in the battles with the clan invaders. He was even awarded the Silver Sunburst, a decoration reserved for particularly valorous acts in battle.
When the previous Viscount Rason died, Finn was honorably discharged from the AFFC and returned to the Trivet to take up his duties as a noble. Nobody doubted his abilities, and nepotism was never a factor. Everybody knew he earned and deserved his commission and rank.
As a scion of one of the oldest and most prestigious families in the Trivet, he was not just an uncouth soldier. Whenever Finn appeared at parties, there were many admirers from the opposite sex, so only the most beautiful young lady would be by his side, although nothing ever came of such dalliances. Finnickerhet Ian Rason was a trophy for any aristocratic young lady who wanted to show off her beauty. Finn was tall, leanly muscled and perfectly proportioned, a handsome man who exuded masculine confidence and strength.
Finn wasn’t particularly materially ambitious or traditionalist, but he possessed a sharp chilliness. He spoke little in public, but his sarcastic tone from time to time when he opened his mouth was able to verbally skewer most of those who offended him.
After inheriting his title, Viscount Finn spent more time in the capital. Furthermore, with the ironclad engagement to his fiancée, who was not well-received in public, people thought Finn would keep his distance from Anastasia, since she had committed an unspeakable and scandalous act.
In addition, her terrible personality was well-known. The only thing she had was her beauty, but that was all. She knew it too so she wielded her beauty like a weapon. Anastasia was willful, temperamental, and vicious, and it was natural that she would be ostracised by other nobles. Therefore, she should be scorned by Finn as well.
But at the moment, anybody looking at those two would not have thought the same. It was a picture of a swooning lady in the arms of her protective fiancé. Finn even looked back at her from time to time. If anyone looked closely, it looked like her hand was held from Finn’s side.
As the people’s gazes lingered and people murmured, the eyes of the Count, who had been talking with the other high ranking nobles, stayed on them. Finn and Anastasia had gone out on the dance floor to the music and started dancing slowly.
It was rare for Finn to dance. He moved his feet a little awkwardly, but her dress was waving, painting a picturesque scene. Anastasia, who was facing Finn, smiled brightly.
One white hand was on Finn’s waist, and the other was holding his hand tightly. It was more beautiful than anything else when she, who always frowned, now smiled brightly.
Finn, who was handsomely dressed in the green dress uniform coat of the AFFC, stared at Anastasia Kalinska’s face. It was as if they were really in love, so passionately focused on each other.
By holding hands and dancing together, it seemed to solidify their engagement to the world. Some of Finn’s retainers and peers sympathised with Finn for his bad luck for getting engaged to such a shrew, and the ladies who had hoped to snag him were jealous and caustic towards Anastasia, saying Finn was too good for her.
Regardless, they were a lovely couple to the extent that magic was created where the lights shone brightly only upon them.
Of course, the fantastic and perfect image the people saw was only an illusion.
Anastasia stepped out her heeled foot just slightly faster than the beat, and Finn quickly shifted his foot to avoid it. At her expression of disappointment, a corner of Finn’s mouth twitched upwards.
Anastasia was dancing as she had been taught by Madame Iris, except for her feet which were not quite in sync to the music beat. It wasn’t noticeable because her shoes were only slightly exposed, but her steps were sometimes fast and sometimes slow. The reason, of course, wasn’t that she didn’t know the beat. The goal was something else.
“You must be planning to break my feet for sure.”
“No, not really.”
He had wondered why she had so readily extended the dance request. Now he knew. He dodged her foot once more. A clear sound of her heel resounded. At that, Anastasia’s skirt swayed gracefully.
“Mind explaining why you are doing this?”
Even after breaking the friendly atmosphere at best, Anastasia did not answer. As the music crescendoed for several beats, she swiftly delivered her blow with a thump. Finn gracefully avoided it.
“You’re aiming for my feet.”
“Right. I don’t like you very much.”
Even if she didn’t outright say that she didn’t like him, seeing this behaviour still made him guess at her true intentions. Still, he had to say he was glad she aimed at his feet, and not between his legs.
When Anastasia’s strategy did not work, she grumbled, “Is it that hard to let your foot be stepped on for once? Stop being so petty.”
“Why do I even have to let myself be stepped on? You’re the one being petty.”
“Because I want to step on you.”
“Why?”
“I wanted to step on you at least once.”
It was childish and it was indeed petty. But Anastasia really wanted to step hard on his foot. Previously, when Avryl saw Finn for the first time after waking up as Anastasia, she wanted to shove her fist into his face. And he had the gall to offer her hegira on Yamarovka! As if she couldn’t extricate her Binary without his offer to withdraw honorably.
Now, she didn’t have the strength to throw a punch in his face, and she wasn’t crazy enough to kick him like she did the Crown Prince. For just this one dance, she had to learn annoying etiquette and steps for almost two weeks, so she wanted to make her wish come true by stepping on his feet. At least once!
“You’re really one of a kind.”
She snarked back, “Right, I’m not your usual lady.”
She, a ristar and trueborn Mechwarrior of the Clans, was inside a noblewoman’s body, so how could it be normal? It was a miracle that she managed to learn to dance formally at all.
“Oh.” Anastasia grimaced, making an annoying sound with her disappointment. Again, Finn had avoided her foot. Just barely.
When Finn saw that expression, it began to feel fun to him. He was able to avoid it easily from the beginning, so he wasn’t too offended.
“Did I do something wrong to my lady?”
“What?”
It was simple curiosity on his part, and not an apology for whatever wrongs he might have committed against her, or to soften the atmosphere.
“Did I do something wrong….”
The problem was that he was a Spheroid Mechwarrior. And he was arrogant. But arrogance was a common trait amongst mechwarriors, even more so in the clans. Avryl would be lying if she said she did not have this character flaw herself.
Anastasia bit her mouth. She disliked him based on her past interactions with him, but would the original Anastasia have liked Viscount Rason?
When the past memories of Anastasia were triggered, she could feel vaguely the real Anastasia’s intense emotions towards Renard. So even if she were engaged to Finn, she probably wouldn’t be any different.
Either way, this guy was pathetic. And stupid. Neither Avryl nor Anastasia would ever like this man.
“Is it because I haven’t been paying attention to you for a while? All the other men must have been interested in you.”
“What?”
“I usually just go with whichever lady approached me first. I thought you might be upset about how I ignored you.”
“Why are you telling me this when I don’t care who you go around with?” Anastasia spoke, thinking what he said was absurd. They were supposed to be married soon anyway. The past was the past, and at least she should feel some discomfort about that.
But right now, Anastasia was laser-focused on only one thing. Stepping on Finn’s feet.
“Ah!”
As Finn was about to say something, Anastasia quickly stepped on his foot. There was a bright smile on her face. Finn let out a rueful smile in response.
His shoes were made of thick leather, and she was feather-light. It did not hurt at all, and felt like only a slight pressure on his feet.
Nevertheless, she smiled brightly as if she had achieved her goal.
Looking at her radiant face, he felt he could only play along. If he lifted his foot, she would lose balance, and she would suffer even more embarrassment on her part. But somehow, he wanted to be the bigger person this time.
As if to flaunt her victory, Anastasia smiled at him. The curves on her red lips gave him a wonderful feeling, and her blue eyes twinkled in the light of the chandelier.
Finn could not help but drink in her beauty. In particular, those eyes had an extraordinary magical power that was indescribable. When he could see that kind of smile, the price of being stepped on seemed meager in comparison.
Then he wanted to slap himself. What am I thinking? Am I crazy?
“You did nothing wrong to me,” she said, looking at Finn.
Finnickerhet Ian Rason did not do anything wrong to Anastasia. Even to Avryl personally, and whatever happened along the clan border was just honest war, brutal as it was. Rather…
Then the song was over. Anastasia removed her hand very lightly. She achieved her intended mission objective, and she felt good.
“You stepped on my feet. What are you going to do now?”
“Well, I am going home. Nothing good will happen if I stay here.”
Finn only then looked around. All those who looked at them did not seem complimentary towards Anastasia.
She shrugged. “I can’t help it. It’s a self-inflicted wound.”
He looked at her. Since she admitted it straightforwardly, he couldn’t help but feel some sympathy for her, replacing his earlier judgmental thoughts that her misfortune was her own fault.
Did he believe this woman? Did Renard put her up to that?
Somehow, Finn believed it. He just didn’t feel it was worth questioning. Whether Renard made her do it or not, she stood by her actions, and accepted the consequences.
“Next time….”
“Huh?”
“Call me the next time you attend a banquet.”
“Why?”
I’ll go with you then. Finn was about to say that and then closed his mouth. In the first place, it was better not to make promises he might not be able to keep. Feeling embarrassed about being overly friendly, he tried to send Anastasia off quickly.
“Come on, let’s go home.”
Since almost all the nobles were gathered for the Feast of Bounty banquet, there was no need for her to address them separately before leaving unless she was a part of the ruling Count’s family.
“First of all, my father……”
“I will tell Baron Kalinski. I’ll take you to the hoverlimo.” If the valets were on the ball, they would alert the chauffeurs of the departing nobles the moment they left the banquet hall.
Was he ever such a kind person? Or is it because we’re engaged? Maybe he treats all women like this…
“Are you always this kind to women?” Anastasia asked, raising the corners of her lips.
“What?”
What kind of bullshit was she talking about? Finn’s eyebrows twitched. What made him feel uneasy was Anastasia‘s mocking expression on her face. It was as if she knew everything, just like the expression Raymond sometimes made.
“Should I now remind you that you almost got killed a while ago?”
“Oh, yes. So, is that the reason for the escort, because you are worried about me?”
Even if that was the reason, seeing that kind of expression made him want to say no. Finn knew Anastasia should have been recognised for her bravery in taking down the Harvester. He was considerate in case she incurred psychological trauma, but he felt annoyed to be on the end of her teasing glances.
“Just go back alone then.”
“I will.” She turned her back to him decisively and walked away. Again, that also made him feel rotten. She displayed no hesitation and left him completely cold.
Finn reflected on himself whether he was unattractive as a man, and he concluded he wasn’t. It was rare for him to step into the social world, but every time he did, usually a beautiful woman would approach him.
He was quite certain he was good-looking. But for Anastasia, that didn’t work at all. Did she not like him? How could she dislike him? Because of his behavior? Well, he was trying to be more civil to her.
Then Finn felt people’s gazes on him. Rumors would spread that they had a fight if he sent her alone, so Finn sighed, gave in to the inevitable, and followed after her.
He glanced at his watch, tuned to the local cycle. 2100 hrs, dusk turning to night. As Finn moved away from the banquet hall, the sky continued to slowly darken.
Finn immediately found Anastasia.
She must have walked quickly, as she was already some distance down the hallway. As Finn looked at her back, he frowned at his strange feeling about the way she walked.
The dress obscured her steps, but somehow they were unnatural. Finn didn’t notice it when she was walking earlier, but her fast walking was odd for a noblewoman. But then again, it didn’t seem that strange to him. He concluded that was probably just her.
Finn caught up with her with several long strides. He didn’t run because it might seem that he wanted her and was chasing after her.
“What, why did you follow me?”
“I don’t want to hear about sending my fiancée out alone.”
In response, she smirked and walked away again. Fortunately, she didn’t seem to be telling him not to follow her.
Wait a minute. Fortunate? He didn’t know why he was thinking that right now. Finn shook his head as if the thought itself was absurd.
After catching up with Anastasia, Finn walked with her along the corridor. Anastasia closed her mouth as if she didn’t want to talk to him much. She didn’t even glance at him.
However, Finn was able to look at Anastasia freely with peace of mind from the corner of his eyes. Her appearance alone was striking. If his father had chosen his fiancée for her looks, he could understand why she became his fiancée.
She had sleek hair as black as night, skin as white as milk, and fine features with delicate lines. A thin but soft neckline and exposed collarbone made her look elegant. Her appearance was something a lot of men would lose their minds over.
However, for Finn, her eyes, to be precise the twinkling of her eyes, strangely caught his attention more than anything. While dancing, her eyes were clearly bright and twinkling. Now her eyes were reflecting the aloofness of moonlight. Although it was not his first time meeting Anastasia, she seemed different. Whether it was because their relationship was all tied up with their engagement or the events that had happened, there was a different aura about her. Her star-studded eyes are like, yeah, like.....
Then, Finn suddenly woke up to the sound of a distant voice. Then his face frowned. It was the voice of Captain Larouche.
The bastard Spencer said he was in charge of the banquet security tonight. He must have been making some quick checks. Finn didn’t want to ruin his mood that had been good so far.
“Heard something?”
Suddenly she stopped her steps. It was clear to Finn where the voice was coming from, and for some reason, Anastasia took interest. Of course, Finn would have no idea that Anastasia would recognize Spencer Larouche’s voice.
“It’s not something my lady needs to care about. Let’s go.”
“No, I think I heard a voice. Whose voice was it?”
“It’s nothing to worry about.”
Finn pulled her arm gently. The two did not feel awkward because the physical touch happened so naturally. Anastasia’s curiosity did not subside, and she kept trying to look back. She was just a bit stubborn, but Finn didn’t feel the need to satisfy her curiosity.
To think about Anastasia meeting and greeting that bastard automatically made him feel rotten.
“Who is it?”
“It’s just a son of a bitch.” Finn spat out. It wasn’t his nature to speak badly of others to a stranger, but he showed his distaste in front of her for some reason.
“Son of a bitch? Those are strong words, my lord.”
Despite the insulting and vulgar expression, Anastasia asked again without being surprised. She didn’t even frown at it.
When he talked that way, except with his subordinates or aides, others usually showed their discomfort, but Anastasia’s attitude showed that it didn’t matter. Finn was somewhat satisfied with that part.
However, Anastasia was thinking a different thing. A son of a bitch? If that’s the case, Finn isn’t much better, since they are all Spheroid freeborn degenerates. What is with this violent hatred?
“Anyways, please remember that you are engaged to me. I absolutely detest him. If there is one person I hate most in the Inner Sphere, it would be him.”
“Who is he?”
“I don’t even want to say his name.”
She didn’t want to get on Finn’s bad side since he had already offered to tidy up the loose ends after she kicked Renard, so she meekly nodded her head. She vowed that she would get that name later on her own.
As she grabbed her skirt and went down the steps of the palatial manor, she almost fell, tripping over her long dress.
Seeing this, Finn held out his hand. Anastasia glanced at his hand, yet as if to taunt him, she rolled up the hem of her dress and went carefully down the steps.
Just as she thought to herself that she did not need a man’s help, she again stumbled on her foot. Damn those heels!
Finn sighed and quickly grabbed her arm to support her. At his touch, Anastasia felt massive goosebumps. She thought about pulling her hand away, but her body staggered again.
She was sure it would be unsightly if she fell there. She swallowed her pride and forced herself to lean on Finn’s arm. As they struggled a bit for Anastasia to recover her balance, the two naturally held hands.
When they went down the stairs, the valets disappeared to call for the Kalinski hoverlimo, and they were momentarily alone.
Silence fell between Anastasia and Finn. Finn felt no need to say anything, and Anastasia was immersed in her thoughts about the voice she heard just now, which seemed so familiar. Then she realised that she was still holding hands with Finn.
“Can you let go of my hand now?”
Now that people weren’t watching, there was no need to be overly affectionate. She was a bit grateful for what he did for her, so she had just followed him, but not a bit longer than necessary. She hated that the engagement forced her to be so close to him physically, like a real lover.
At her sudden cold attitude, Finn raised one of his eyebrows and looked at Anastasia. The atmosphere, which had softened a little, was tense again. The reason Anastasia remained quiet was simple. This was a banquet that limited her behaviour, where she had to dance with him, and he said he would take care of her incident with Renard.
He shouldn’t mistake this as my affection. Anyways, he is the same as other men fussing over a pretty girl. Anastasia had no intention of being friends with Finn. When she glanced over at him, he also grinned as if he read her mind and smirked as if the notion itself was ridiculous.
Anastasia looked at Finn. She thought that if she was not forcibly invited to the banquet like this in the future, she would hardly have a chance to meet this man again. Of course, it was not likely anybody would be inviting her either.
When the hoverlimo arrived in front of them, Anastasia opened the door herself without waiting for the valet or Finn to do it for her. She then sighed as she leaned back on the seat. When she looked out the window, she saw Finn standing there, patiently waiting for her hoverlimo to leave before returning to the banquet hall.
Finn was looking at her, too, and their eyes met. After she settled into the hoverlimo, she began to look at him properly through the window.
His tall stature and good looks caught her eye. He had a chin with a strong masculine line and a sharp, clear nose as if carved into a sculpture. His green eyes were still sharp and intense. His dark red hair seemed like a dark flame in the night.
“He is handsome.” She hated to admit it, but it was the objective truth.
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*;Chapter Note from the Author : It's important to note how neglected the Outback is. For Finn to even get into the 1st Davion Guards was due to his academy performance and his family's history of service.To put matters into context, Victor Steiner-Davion also graduated top of his class at the Nagelring and was promoted to Kommandant (Major) right off, in charge of a full mech battalion. So putting a backwoods yokel (even if he is a noble, because that's the perception in the FS) in charge of a lance in the 1st Davion Guards sounds about right.
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Chapter 10