Askin’s blue eyes flickered at the sharp, angry tone and the eerie calm of Charlize’s demeanor.
Charlize noted the reaction, but Askin moved with singular speed, mounting his horse before she could respond.
She clicked her tongue, watching his retreating back as he vanished in a heartbeat.
‘I should feel relieved, but…’
Though relief surged through her, she couldn’t help but wonder if she had been too harsh.
‘If the Yoon Ji-Hoo of my past life had possessed even a fraction of this backbone, I would have unleashed a barrage of insults at Manager Park and Section Chief Kim.’
She forced herself to focus on other thoughts.
If she didn’t, the image of that man—his face streaked with tears—would keep surfacing. Even when Askin’s gaze had faltered, Charlize had felt a strange, jarring sense that she was the one tormenting him.
“…Ugh, he shouldn’t have been so handsome.”
It was irritating for no reason.
With a low groan, Charlize clutched her forehead and let out a long, weary sigh.
***
Meanwhile, at the same moment.
Askin, accompanied by his adjutant, Ben, rode in a direction that veered away from the path back to his territory.
“The young count of the Child Family went this way?”
“Yes, the confirmation is certain.”
He had come to seek out Ian Child—the man he had spotted upon arriving—once again.
While Askin was in pursuit, the very man he sought was inside a carriage heading back to the mansion, engaged in a low-voiced conversation with his aide and longtime friend, Shomore.
“What has you so preoccupied, Young Master?”
“‘Young Master,’ my foot. We’re alone; speak comfortably, won’t you?”
“I should at least maintain a formal tone for the sake of appearances.”
As Adjutant Shomore shifted into a more relaxed posture, Ian chuckled.
“So, what is it? What are you thinking about?”
“Just… contemplating the greatest beauty in the Empire.”
“…The Duchess-To-Be of Alzbeit?”
“Correct.”
Ian rubbed his chin. Shomore wore a mischievous smirk.
“Actually, did you know that two people are constantly cited as the greatest beauties in the Empire?”
“One is the Duchess-To-Be, but who is the other?”
“Someone you’ve seen, too: Duke Remut.”
Shomore explained that he was a man frequently described by that term. Ian nodded, a vivid memory of Askin Remut surfacing. He was indeed a man whose features were masculine, yet possessed a refined quality that skewed closer to ‘beauty’ than a mere handsome face.
“They say Duke Remut has a younger sister who looks just like him; wouldn’t she be the true greatest beauty of the Empire? Ian, surely you haven’t seen her?”
“I haven’t.”
The sister of the Remut line was a figure shrouded in rumors. Moreover, Ian had never held any interest in her, so his curiosity faded almost as quickly as it had arrived.
“But what kind of person is the Duchess-To-Be of Alzbeit, really?”
“Huh? Didn’t you ask that earlier? Wait—are you actually interested in her?”
“Well… if you could call it that? Just curiosity, for now.”
Shomore looked genuinely shocked by Ian’s lighthearted reply.
Here was the precious heir of the Child Family, nurturing a curiosity that could spell ruin for their entire lineage! As a friend and an aide who cherished his master, he couldn’t let it slide.
“Lose interest. Don’t even make eye contact! Understand?!”
“Why the sudden fuss?”
“You’ve been away from the Empire for too long, so you don’t know! That woman is truly wicked.”
Determined to save him, Shomore began to bluntly list the litany of evil deeds and vicious rumors surrounding Charlize Alzbeit.
“Do you have any idea how many noble families have been ruined by her hands? Playing with three or four men is nothing; she’s gone as far as using violence when she drinks, not to mention ordering knights to do her bidding. She loves inciting conflict. You don’t know, but the stories of her provoking the commander of the Holy Knights and forcibly dragging away a disciple of the spiritist Rophenheim for blackmail are practically legendary!”
Shomore continued to catalog her misdeeds, his voice thick with intensity.
“Do you have any idea how terrified I was, watching from afar when you handed her that drink? It wouldn’t have been strange if that bottle had been smashed against your head. Truly.”
Ian stopped listening halfway through. Instead, he drifted into deep thought, a faint, curious smile touching his lips.
“Shomore, don’t be like that. Find out more about the Duchess-To-Be for me.”
“Are you even listening to me!”
He really was fascinated by a dangerous woman. His friend and master had been this way since childhood—whether it was obsessing over a flower clinging to a sheer cliff or insisting on climbing a tree no one else dared touch.
He treated perilous curiosity as if it were nothing, and he always followed through until his desires were satisfied.
*That look earlier—she was definitely troubled, trembling, if only for a moment.*
According to Shomore, she was a shameless villainess incapable of regret. But what was that expression he’d seen? And the way her face had cooled the moment she caught sight of Askin Remut. Why had she looked at him with such desperation?
Why had he felt that flicker of pity?
*I’m curious.*
It was the moment the intentionless curiosity finally took root and blossomed.
As Ian reached that conclusion, the carriage jolted to a sudden halt.
Having mastered swordsmanship, Ian braced himself instinctively to stay upright, but Shomore, a mere civil official, went tumbling across the floor.
“Ugh, hey! What is this? How are you the only one standing…”
“What is it?”
Ian opened the door and stepped out.
He found the path blocked by an unexpected figure. It was Askin Remut—the Duke he had parted ways with only moments ago.
It felt surreal to encounter the very man he had just been contemplating, especially with the Duchess-To-Be of Alzbeit still fresh in his mind.
“My, if it isn’t Duke Remut. I saw you at Alzbeit Castle just a short while ago. What brings you all the way here?”
Ian greeted him with perfect, calm etiquette, despite his inner shock.
“I came in haste because I have something to discuss. I apologize for obstructing your carriage.”
“Not at all, Your Grace. If the matter is urgent, it is entirely understandable.”
Ian gestured toward the door. “Would you care to step inside?”
He hinted that a sound-dampening spell had been cast, and Askin nodded before climbing in. The carriage suddenly felt suffocating, crowded by the presence of two large men.
“What is the matter?”
Since the situation was clearly urgent, Ian skipped the pleasantries. This was exactly what Askin had wanted.
“I will borrow money from the Child Family. I accept the conditions you proposed.”
“…”
“The terms remain the same, correct?”
Ian wore a mask of surprise, though he quickly returned to his usual, gentle demeanor and nodded. While he assured the Duke that the terms stood, he was burning with curiosity: why had Askin chased him down so abruptly?
Could it be related to the Duchess-To-Be of Alzbeit?
“However, I would like to ask if it is possible to proceed with a slight adjustment to the previous terms.”
Askin calmly explained that he required a larger sum. Even as he spoke, he maintained a cold, composed air, signaling that Ian should speak up if the increased amount was too burdensome.
“Well, for starters, the increase in the amount is not a problem at all.”
Ian was admittedly surprised by the sheer scale of the request, though it remained well within the Child Family’s capabilities.
“Instead,” Ian continued, a faint, sharp smile playing on his lips, “since the financial terms have changed, I would like to propose one additional condition of my own.”
“What is it?”
“Please, ensure that you break your engagement with the Duchess-To-Be of Alzbeit.”
Askin hesitated.
He had intended to break the engagement anyway. That was exactly why he had decided to join hands with the Child Family.
However, Askin felt a prick of displeasure at the added condition. He suspected an ominous intent.
Lost in thought for a moment, Askin asked, “Are you perhaps trying to send a daughter of the Child Family to the Remut Duchy? If that is the case, I will treat the Child Family as no different from the Alzbeits.”
“…My, I seem to have caused a misunderstanding.”
It was true that Ian had a younger sister. To be precise, a younger twin sister.
“Someone like Your Grace would surely be well-liked by my sister, but that is not the condition at all. On the contrary, my sister is a smart girl who dreams of free love rather than a political marriage, so please, do not worry.”
Ian spoke cleanly, subtly showing affection for his sister. Askin’s cold expression softened, perhaps because that faint flicker of pride in Ian’s voice did not feel entirely unfamiliar.
“If the misunderstanding has been cleared, may I assume you are accepting the terms?”
Askin intended to say yes.
But for a brief moment, her face flashed through his mind. Specifically, the moment she was forcibly dragged away by the knight’s hand. And then…
“Let me ask you one thing. Why did you borrow such dirty money?”
“…….”
“Was it not dirty back when you were desperate for it?”
Even the memory of just a while ago, when she had snapped at him fiercely yet wore an expression as if she were the one more wounded, lingered.
Askin slowly closed his eyes and opened them again, trying to erase the image. It did not fade cleanly.
“I accept.”
“That will be an excellent choice.”
Even though it was the right choice, a subtle, eroding sense of discomfort led Askin to shift the topic. Keep the contract secure—that was a lesson he had learned from his engagement with the Alzbeits.
“……If I manage to pay off the debt owed to the Child Family early, must I settle the remaining interest all at once?”
At Askin’s probing question, Ian smiled broadly.
“What are you talking about? Once you have repaid the principal, what interest could possibly be left? The Child Family is not a loan shark like the Alzbeits. In fact, our family is closer to being Your Excellency’s devoted followers.”