“No.”
Claisey’s answer was cold and curt. She brushed past him with such brisk indifference that Dernic was momentarily stunned, unable to react.
He had never been rejected this quickly before. A beat too late, the realization sank in: he had been turned away. This was the second time she had refused him.
Dernic caught up, matched her stride, and protested.
“Why this time?”
“…….”
“Last time, you said you had two reasons, though you wouldn’t tell me what they were. Regardless, I figured one out myself. Back then, the weapons merchant didn’t know anything about my status. She didn’t know who I was or if I could be trusted. That’s why you refused, isn’t it? I’m certain of it.”
He was right. Exactly right. But Claisey said nothing.
Dernic, however, continued to chatter away to himself.
“But now, Miss Claisey knows, too. You know I’m not some suspicious character, but a man with a clear, established identity. My standing is as firm as your own convictions. So why? Why have I been rejected again?”
Claisey was so flustered she found herself tongue-tied. Dernic, however, made it clear he was determined to hear an answer.
Claisey ignored him, letting him drone on as she walked down the corridor.
‘If I just keep walking, he’ll leave eventually.’
To her surprise, as she continued, she began to notice couples enjoying secret trysts in the previously empty hallway. The problem was that these people recognized Dernic.
Seeing him pestering a woman, they whispered and giggled among themselves. Claisey’s face burned as she found herself the target of their attention.
In the end, Claisey turned around and headed back the way she came. Dernic stayed on her heels, still rambling.
Once the crowd faded, Claisey’s patience snapped. Her ears aching, she shouted,
“You really are a chatterbox!”
“I am. I can prattle on by myself just as well as the weapons merchant can keep silent. So tell me: if I am to be rejected, I at least have the right to know why.”
*Meren likes you!* Claisey desperately suppressed the scream rising in her throat. Instead, she came to an abrupt halt and turned to face him.
Surprisingly, Dernic matched her movement perfectly, stopping face-to-face with her at the exact right second. An outsider might have thought they had practiced a dance routine together for years.
Claisey groaned at his uncanny physical coordination. Now that she thought about it, this nutcase had even slipped into the driver’s seat of a moving carriage without a sound the first time they met.
She should have been wary of him from the start. She shouldn’t have underestimated him just because of those sleepy eyes and loose, talkative lips.
Claisey had a headache.
‘What do I do?’
Meren was the Marquis’s eldest daughter and heir, as well as the only daughter of Dernic’s benefactor. If the Grand Duke and Duchess were soft on their only son and Meren was lucky, the two could end up together.
Therefore, Claisey had to refuse Dernic, but she couldn’t be so cold as to make him an enemy. They might be in-laws one day.
Furthermore, she had heard rumors back in her hometown that “the cruel-natured Emperor somehow cherished Grand Duke Siwil’s only son more than his own children.”
Claisey found a suitable excuse and opened her mouth.
“You’re a friend of Lord Kishin. That’s why.”
Dernic looked puzzled.
“What does that have to do with anything? You were rejected by Kishin, Miss Claisey.”
“I was.”
“It’s not like you two were together for long, either. Things fell apart before you could even become lovers, so shouldn’t that be fine?”
Claisey felt a bitter pang.
‘If Dernic is saying that, then Lord Kishin must have truly moved on from me.’
A melancholy expression welled up despite her efforts. Claisey cast her eyes down and muttered,
“But I still love Lord Kishin.”
“…….”
“If I love Lord Kishin, how could I enter into a contract marriage with his friend? Don’t you think?”
This time, it was effective. Dernic frowned.
“You didn’t say that to Kishin. You told him your heart had changed.”
Claisey quickly scrambled for an excuse.
“I only said that out of wounded pride. I didn’t want to look pathetic in front of the man who rejected me. If Lord Dernic hadn’t proposed a contract marriage to me, I wouldn’t have said that to you, either.”
Dernic looked disinterested. Now that he realized Claisey wasn’t a flirt like himself, his enthusiasm seemed to wane rapidly.
‘What a taste.’
Claisey clicked her tongue inwardly, wondering if perhaps Meren and Dernic were a perfect match after all.
Hadn’t Meren also acted like a playgirl to thwart Claisey’s marriage, regardless of her true feelings? If those two got together, a “couple of the century” of playboys would be born.
In any case, things were settled. Looking at Dernic’s expression, he didn’t seem likely to pursue a contract marriage anymore.
Claisey sighed in relief and turned around. But standing a short distance away was Kishin! And he looked as if he had heard every single word.
Though his expression remained cold, his eyes were clearly trembling.
‘Oh my god!’
Startled, Claisey spun halfway around, only to realize she looked like a person who had just spun in a circle by herself.
“What are you doing?”
Dernic asked, confused. Claisey pointed behind her with her eyes. Dernic looked and finally spotted Kishin.
“Oh, you. When did you get here?”
Claisey wanted to flee on the spot. However, Kishin walked up right behind her as he answered.
“A while ago.”
It had become a three-way confrontation. Claisey felt the blood drain from her face as her pulse raced.
Kishin stood between Claisey and Dernic, looking from one to the other.
Dernic seemed annoyed at first, but soon he began to chuckle behind his hand, as if he found the situation amusing. Since he hadn’t proposed out of deep love for Claisey, he seemed more intrigued than jealous.
Claisey closed her eyes tightly and asked,
“Lord Kishin. How much did you hear?”
“I heard from the part where Dernic said he was my friend.”
*He’d heard from just the right place!* Claisey wanted to cry. She opened her eyes cautiously to see the two men observing her with different expressions.
It was true she had liked Lord Kishin, but she didn’t like him enough to pine after him in secret! Claisey felt a bit aggrieved.
The only saving grace was that Kishin wasn’t mocking her. He was unexpectedly serious.
Seeing this, Claisey mustered the courage to stretch her hunched neck, and Kishin asked,
“Do you love me?”
‘You really ask so directly!’
Claisey’s neck shrank back. Dernic nudged his rigid friend.
“Why ask it so bluntly?”
Kishin changed the question.
“If you love me, why did you tell Miss Meren that you liked Dernic?”
“!”
Claisey’s face turned bright red. She twisted her hands together and snapped her head up.
“When did you hear that, too?”
Dernic filled her in.
“Remember the time the three of us—Marie’s daughter, me, and you—had a meal together? Remember when I stepped away to ‘go get a gift’? I was going to fetch this friend here. But when I brought him back, you were telling my niece that you liked me more than this guy. Remember?”
“!”
Claisey’s mouth fell open as she looked back and forth between them. Belatedly, her head cleared.
That was right. Ever since that day, their attitudes had changed. Dernic had become friendly, and Kishin had become cold.
Claisey couldn’t understand why Kishin, who had unilaterally dumped her, was acting like the one who had been rejected. Now it was clear: Kishin had misunderstood and thought she was two-timing them.
Claisey was at a loss for words.
“Merran dislikes Sir Kishin. That’s why I said it—to tease her.”
Dernic tilted his head.
“I don’t quite understand. Why would that be teasing? If Merran dislikes Kishin, wouldn’t it be more of a tease if Lady Claisey said she liked Kishin instead?”
Claisey hesitated. Despite being a talkative liar, Dernic was unexpectedly sharp.
However, Kishin was sharper still. As a Palace Guard who frequently acted as an investigator, he instantly picked up on the one detail Claisey had omitted: the fact that Merran liked Dernic. If you added Merran’s feelings to the excuse Claisey had just made, it made perfect sense.
Merran likes Dernic and dislikes Kishin. So, to tease Merran, she claimed she felt the same way.
Kishin didn’t bother to unearth the story Claisey was trying to hide. He didn’t want to make her uncomfortable, and he had no interest in the person named Merran.
Kishin gazed at Claisey’s flushed cheeks and her forehead, which looked even smoother under the reflection of the light. The knot in his heart, which had tightened every time Dernic mentioned her, softened in an instant.
Kishin thought the weather felt mild today. It was strange, considering it was snowing heavily. He held out his hand to Claisey and asked,
“Could we speak in private for a moment?”