Two days later.
Karen, who had gone out under the pretext of running errands, returned less than thirty minutes later and immediately began making a fuss.
“Miss! Miss! I’ve found out all about Sir Dernic and Sir Kishin!”
As it happened, Meren was gazing out the window.
When Karen approached, she spotted a guard standing by the front gate, once again holding a bouquet. It was clearly flowers sent by Kishin to Claisey.
“Sir Kishin sends flowers and letters every single day. He has absolutely no sense of restraint.”
Karen muttered grumpily, acting as if she were doing it all for Meren’s sake.
“Maybe he owns a flower field and a printing shop at home!”
Meren slammed the curtains shut with a sharp snap and turned around.
“Forget that. More importantly, tell me what you found out. You gathered that information remarkably quickly. You didn’t just half-ass it, did you?”
“Of course not. I was able to find out so quickly because the two of them are just that famous, Miss.”
“Famous?”
“They might not know their faces, but many people know their names.”
Intrigued, Meren hurried over to the sofa and sat down.
Karen placed the basket she had been carrying onto the floor, sat opposite her, and began to spill what she had gathered.
“Sir Kishin is a talented man who was the youngest to receive a family title directly from His Majesty.”
“Now that you mention it, I think I heard someone say that back home, too.”
“Yes, his father holds a Marquessate tied to an estate. That means Sir Kishin will eventually hold two titles. His prospects are quite excellent.”
“Then why doesn’t he have a fiancée yet? Is there something wrong with him?”
“They say he’s so focused on work that he doesn’t care about social life. Since his looks and credentials are so impressive, quite a few people have shown interest, but apparently, he did something to make them all recoil in disgust and give up. There’s a rumor that his personality is extremely unpleasant.”
Meren recalled Kishin, who had looked down at her with eyes devoid of any warmth, and nodded in agreement.
“He did look unpleasant. My aunt has weird tastes.”
“But he is handsome.”
“What about Sir Dernic? What are they saying about him?”
“It goes without saying. He’s the most eligible bachelor in the entire Empire. Not only is he the only son of the Lije Dukedom, but he’s also the only unmarried man in the Imperial family. They say His Majesty cherishes him dearly, especially after the death of one of his only two nephews. Besides, if Duke Grail ends up childless, Sir Dernic will likely inherit those assets, too. It’s an astronomical fortune!”
Meren smiled with satisfaction, as if she were the one being praised.
However, at Karen’s next words, Meren’s expression stiffened.
“But the individual character reviews are better for Sir Kishin, Miss. Um… it’s not that Sir Kishin has a good personality, but there are far more negative stories circulating about Sir Dernic…”
Meren cut her off firmly.
“It doesn’t matter what other people say. The Sir Dernic I saw was a good person. That’s enough. What does it matter what people who don’t actually know Sir Dernic are whispering about?”
As Meren defended Dernic, Karen didn’t dare say anything more.
However, Karen still felt it was a pity to let Kishin go, so she glanced toward the curtained window.
“It would be great if you could have both of them, Miss.”
* * *
Meren and Karen weren’t the only ones who disliked the letters being exchanged between Claisey and Kishin.
“What the… how annoying.”
Dernic also shuddered when he entered Kishin’s office and found his friend smiling while reading a letter ‘yet again.’
He rubbed his arms vigorously and asked.
“Just how many letters do you and the munitions heiress exchange a day? Why are you reading Claisey’s letters every time I see you?”
Kishin didn’t answer. He just glanced at Dernic and continued reading.
“What does it say? Let me see.”
As Dernic lunged forward like a bull, Kishin finally folded the letter and tucked it into his pocket.
“That’s really unsightly!”
Dernic complained irritably and sat on the edge of Kishin’s desk.
Kishin frowned and pushed him away.
“You wouldn’t have to care if you just didn’t pay attention. If you didn’t care, you wouldn’t even be able to tell if it was Claisey’s letter or not.”
At those words, Dernic was dumbfounded and pointed a finger at him.
“I’m not paying attention because I want to; I’m paying attention because it’s an eyesore. All the envelopes Claisey sends are bright pink or chick yellow!”
“…”
“If it weren’t Claisey, you wouldn’t be carrying around bright pink or neon yellow envelopes in your front pocket!”
Kishin had nothing to say this time, so he just fidgeted with his lukewarm cup of coffee.
Dernic crossed his arms and turned his head away, pretending to be sulky.
“It’s not like it’s some precious letter, not even showing it to me.”
“It is precious.”
“Ridiculous. A letter exchanged several times a day can’t be precious. It must be very common!”
“We only exchange letters once a day.”
At Kishin’s calm reply, Dernic’s expression twisted even further.
“Then are you reading the same letter over and over again all day long?”
Kishin drank his coffee in silence, and Dernic felt hurt.
“This is why people say there’s no point in raising a friend. Do you just throw your friend away as soon as you get a lover?”
“Raising? I believe I’m a year older than you. And Claisey and I are not lovers yet.”
“Not yet? So you’ll be lovers soon!”
Dernic, now displeased, scanned Kishin’s desk, but feeling tired of complaining, he simply stood up.
“I came to say goodbye. It only ruined my mood. I’m leaving. Keep reading your letter!”
At the mention of a farewell, Kishin finally paid attention to Dernic. While one could say goodbye every day, it wasn’t common for someone to come all the way to the office just for that.
“Where are you going?”
“I have to go to Greengall City for the Sage Princess business. I won’t be able to meet you for a while. A few months, maybe.”
Dernic left in a huff, not offering any further information, as if he were truly offended. He didn’t even close the door all the way behind him.
Kishin stared at the door left half-open and sighed, then wrinkled his brow as he processed the location.
‘Greengall City?’
He took out the letter he had been reading earlier and unfolded it again.
Sure enough. That location was written at the bottom of the letter.
—I’m going down to my family home for the New Year. But since my family home is in Greengall City, it takes nearly a month just by carriage. I’m afraid that if I send letters, they might get lost or seen by someone else while in transit, so please don’t send any until I return. I’ll write to you first when I get back.
Kishin felt his mood sour. Both Dernic and Claisey were going to Greengall City, and the timing happened to be the same.
And hadn’t Dernic once courted Claisey? Of course, it wasn’t out of love, but because he saw her as an ideal political marriage candidate; but a courtship was a courtship nonetheless.
‘…It’s concerning.’
* * *
Anna was carrying a hot, freshly made pumpkin cake when she spotted Claisey at the dining table. Claisey was sitting there with an expression as if her soul had been half-stolen.
“Miss? Why do you look so listless?” Anna asked, feeling bewildered.
For the past two days, Meren had been in that state, and Claisey had been full of energy. Every time she opened her mouth to sing the praises of ‘Kishin, Kishin,’ Anna would end up having dreams about ghosts.
How happy had Claisey been after sending a reply to Kishin this morning? Meren had been so nauseated by the sight that she had decided to eat lunch in her room. But as Claisey’s condition deteriorated during the short time she was out cooking, Anna felt more perplexed than worried.
Claisey replied in a weak voice.
“Because of Sir Kishin…”
“What about Sir Kishin? You were excited and sending him letters just this morning, weren’t you? Did you have a fight already?”
Claisey looked at the steam rising from the yellow cake and confessed.
“I’m just a bit anxious because things are suddenly going so well with Sir Kishin.”
“Yes? Why?”
“I’ve never had things go this well with anyone before.”
*Rumors were bad, and Meren always got in the way.*
Anna shook her head, finding it both ridiculous and amusing.
“What kind of talk is that? It’s a good thing if it goes well.”
“Wouldn’t a cake with no reason behind it make me sick if I ate it? I’ve been single forever, and now that things are suddenly going well with someone as wonderful as Sir Kishin, it feels so strange.”
Anna clicked her tongue. Claisey usually had high self-esteem, but whenever it came to matters of marriage, she became like this—despondent. To think such a wonderful lady was like this.
“It’s because you are who you are, Miss, that things are going well with Sir Kishin. You two look so good together.”
Claisey realized that Anna had misunderstood. It wasn’t that Claisey felt she wasn’t good enough for Kishin. Because she was used to always being rejected, she was simply terrified now that things were finally starting to go well. But thinking that Anna wouldn’t understand even if she explained, Claisey decided not to say anything more.
“Right. Thank you.”
*I suppose Anna is worried because I’m acting like this here. I should go worry in my room instead.*
Claisey rose from her chair. However, just as she was about to step through the dining room archway, the butler approached her with a quick gait to deliver a message.
“Miss. A guard has brought a reply.”
“Already? It hasn’t been long since I sent the letter, has it?”
Anna added from the side, “That’s true. Usually, you two exchange letters once a day.”
Anna and Claisey’s expressions hardened at the same time. Hadn’t Claisey just complained about how she was ‘suddenly scared because things were going too well’? Yet, at a time like this, to hear that Kishin had sent another letter—it made them both have ominous thoughts.
“Miss…….”
“*Sigh*.”
Claisey let out a sigh and walked toward the door. All sorts of negative thoughts flooded her mind. What if he’s happy that the misunderstanding is cleared up, but tells me he has no intention of being with me? What if he tells me to stop sending letters because he’s annoyed? What if he heard those rumors about me?
As she walked along, imagining the worst-case scenarios, strangely, Claisey felt at ease. As a familiar situation was about to unfold, she felt both repulsed and relieved. Even if that meant getting rejected.
Having gone outside feeling completely dejected, Claisey nearly fainted.
“Sir Kishin!”
Kishin himself was standing in front of the door.
As she stood frozen in shock, he offered an awkward smile.
“I didn’t think it was right to keep calling on my subordinates for personal business, so I came myself.”
Claisey cleverly advised, “In that case, you could have just sent an errand runner from your family.”
Kishin’s smile became even more awkward. Seeing this, Claisey clamped her mouth shut, wondering, *‘Did I say something wrong?’*
Kishin hesitated for a moment before saying:
“Actually, I came because I wanted to see you.”
“!”