*No, that’s impossible. Which member of the royal family would be so frivolous?* Claisey forced herself to push away the terrifying thought.
But it didn’t go well. Once she started doubting Dernic’s identity, all sorts of plausible suspicions began to surface.
Suspicion has a way of becoming more convincing depending on how you piece things together. Suddenly, everything—Dernic’s mocking tone, his arbitrary behavior, his tendency to order people around at random, and even his unnecessarily beautiful appearance—seemed like traits only possible for someone of the royal family.
“Are you not allowed to talk about it?”
When no one answered, Claisey even went out of her way to ask again.
“Why? Are you becoming interested in me, too?”
Dernic teased her while resting his chin on his hand, but this time, Claisey didn’t feel angry. She only felt terrified. It was all because of the notoriety held by the current Emperor.
Instead of rebuking Dernic with her usual sharp tone, Claisey replied in a gentle voice.
“I only asked because you seem close to Sir Kishin.”
Whether Dernic noticed Claisey’s change in attitude or not, he immediately teased her as he pulled his hand away from his chin.
“Miss Weapons Merchant, how many different voices do you keep in your arsenal?”
*You jerk! Can’t you just let it go?*
Claisey struggled to maintain her expression, which was on the verge of crumbling. Regardless of whether this guy was from the royal family or not, Claisey disliked him.
*Who would ever marry a guy like that? Such a selfish person would drive his wife insane dozens of times a day.*
Fortunately, the atmosphere, which had turned awkward, was refreshed as the waiter brought the food. Relieved, Claisey looked down at her plate, determined to ignore the seat next to her as much as possible.
As it happened, Kishin helped Claisey forget about Dernic.
“The Kalasi Family is of the Demonic bloodline, correct?”
“Y-yes. That’s right.”
“I understand that your family has been based in Greengall City for generations.”
“Yes, yes! That’s right!”
In an instant, Claisey wiped away her worries about Dernic. With just two questions, another concern arose immediately.
*How does a person from the Capital know so much about our family? Did he do some research?*
Claisey grew anxious. The Kalasi Family itself had no problems, of course. The problem was the rumors that had been circulating since her older sister Marie died a few years ago.
The rumor that she had pushed her older sister off a cliff to her death. Wasn’t it because of that rumor that Claisey’s prospects for marriage were almost entirely blocked?
That was why she had finally left her hometown and come all the way to the distant Capital alone. But now, when a man she liked seemed to know a fair bit about her family, her heart fluttered in alarm.
“How did you and your niece end up living in the Capital by yourselves, Miss Claisey?”
*Ah. So he doesn’t know about the rumors.*
Upon hearing the third question, Claisey felt more relieved than before. Of course, she wasn’t entirely at ease. After all, the reason Claisey had come to the Capital was because of that very rumor circulating back home.
However, bringing up the rumor now wasn’t appropriate. She wanted to tell him the story about her older sister when she could trust and rely on him.
“There were some circumstances. It’s nothing big, though.”
Claisey answered dismissively, but she found her gaze dropping to her plate before she knew it.
“I see. I must have asked an intrusive question. I’m sorry.”
“No, no, it’s not that. There were circumstances, and… well, I’d always wanted to live in the Capital. I came here with my older sister a long time ago, and it was enjoyable.”
Claisey babbled incoherently, and she nearly bit her tongue in shock after mentioning her older sister without meaning to.
*I meant to avoid talking about her. What am I doing, bringing her up myself!*
But she couldn’t help it. Until the day she died, her older sister had been entwined with Claisey’s entire life like a blood vessel. Whenever she spoke, stories of her sister would naturally pop out.
“I see.”
Kishin showed no particular reaction.
But then, an unexpected thing happened.
“Marie noona?”
Dernic, who had been quietly eating crab next to her, suddenly twisted his body toward them and shouted brightly.
Claisey was so surprised she dropped her fork.
“Yes?”
“The older sister you came to the Capital with—that’s Marie noona, right?”
“Uh… well, yes, she is.”
Claisey blinked, not understanding the situation. She never imagined that Dernic would act like he knew her older sister well.
Ten years ago, it was true that she had come to the Capital with her sister, but it was just a trip. Neither her sister nor she had stayed for very long before returning home. Of course, her sister did occasionally attend the royal banquets held in the Capital.
“Marie Kalasi is Dernic’s benefactor,” Kishin informed her dryly.
“Ah. A benefactor?”
Even after hearing the answer, Claisey asked back, even more bewildered. Was there someone who revered her older sister as a benefactor?
“What kind of benefactor?”
Claisey studied Dernic’s face. He looked to be around her age. As far as Claisey knew, the only place her sister did volunteer work was at a nursing home.
“Ah, there are reasons.”
But Dernic was a jerk. While he kept firing questions at her, he wouldn’t answer any of Claisey’s questions at all.
However, Dernic’s eyes were sparkling so brightly that Claisey couldn’t even curse him in her head this time.
“Marie noona is the person who changed my life. She saved me and changed me. If you told me to give a name to the light, I would name it Marie noona!”
The way Dernic muttered in excitement was extremely passionate. He looked like a cultist worshiping her older sister.
Claisey sat a little further away from Dernic.
“I see.”
But Dernic didn’t stop there.
“Actually, there was something I wanted to ask you, Miss Claisey.”
*He changed it from ‘Weapons Merchant’ to ‘Claisey’.*
“What is it?”
“There’s something I’m looking for among Marie noona’s belongings.”
“Pardon? What is it?”
“It’s embarrassing to tell other people.”
“……”
Claisey glared at Dernic with eyes full of suspicion and distrust. Isn’t saying something like that exactly what’s embarrassing?
If Dernic hadn’t said that with such a fanatical expression, Claisey might have suspected he was her sister’s lover.
“You have to tell me what it is so I can look for it, even if you’re embarrassed.”
Her voice became blunt on its own, but Dernic, still unable to snap out of his excitement, replied.
“If you show me Marie noona’s belongings, I can find it myself. Miss Claisey, would you mind if I took a look at her belongings?”
“No.”
“Did I tell you? Miss Claisey, you look like an angel. The reason I got into your carriage that day was because the carriage you were in was shining brightly.”
“That’s not it; I don’t have any of my older sister’s belongings.”
“There were no other carriages passing by at that hour except for the Weapons Merchant’s carriage.”
Claisey felt like hitting Dernic. Excluding Merran, it had been a long time since she’d met someone so annoying.
Then, hearing a soft laughing sound, she turned to see Kishin smiling as he listened to their conversation. She had become a laughingstock in front of the man she wanted to impress.
Claisey quickly glared at Dernic, then, reminding herself that he might be a royal family member, forced a smile.
“Most of my older sister’s belongings were inherited by Merran. You know who Merran is, right? The two of you even talked separately.”
Dernic let out a sigh.
“Then I’ll have to ask Miss Merran. This is a problem. That haughty lady is very difficult to meet.”
Claisey continued her meal, pretending not to notice.
If Dernic were just a slightly better person, she might have invited him to her house so that he could talk to Merran about those belongings.
But now, with her second date thoroughly ruined, Claisey didn’t want to show Dernic any such kindness.
***
Kishin tried to take Claisey home in the guard’s carriage. But Claisey refused, saying the carriage she had come in was waiting nearby.
If she went back in the guard’s carriage, Merran would find out who she had met, and then, the persistent interference would begin.
As the carriage carrying Claisey moved away, Kishin and Dernic began walking side-by-side down the street at night. As if by mutual agreement, the two headed toward Kishin’s house.
The topic of conversation naturally centered on Claisey, whom they had just parted with.
“If you ask me, I think that young lady arms dealer is head over heels for you.”
Dernic teased him, poking Kishin in the side with his elbow. Kishin didn’t budge an inch.
“How about you? You aren’t indifferent either, right? That must be why you had a private dinner with her at night, no?”
Dernic continued to pester his friend, tugging at the hem of Kishin’s cloak. Kishin remained silent.
However, Dernic read Kishin’s answer in that silence.
“So you like that Miss too! If you didn’t, you would have said so long ago. You’re always clear about what you like and dislike, aren’t you? But seeing you so quiet all this time, it’s certain. Am I right?”
“I find her honesty to be quite decent.”
Exhausted by the persistent questioning, Kishin finally confessed.
Dernic circled around Kishin, looking fascinated.
“I knew from the moment I first saw that young lady arms dealer that she was no ordinary person! To think she would be the one to melt your eternal ice! You’ll have to thank me if things work out with Miss Claisey. It’s thanks to me that you two met!”
“You stole my identification card as you pleased, yet you act so shamelessly.”
“But the result is good, isn’t it? Even to me, Miss arms dealer—no, Miss Claisey—seems like a very cute lady. Especially that clumsy pretense she puts on; it’s quite adorable.”
Regarding the same person, one says she is fine because she is honest, while the other says she is cute because she is clumsily pretending. Noticing these polar opposite evaluations, Kishin frowned.
Suddenly, Kishin recalled how Claisey had averted her gaze, making up an excuse that she had ‘come up to the Capital due to some circumstances.’