Claisey felt bewildered. Wasn’t it a bit early for marriage talk? Proposing after meeting only a few times?
Moreover, for marriage discussions to proceed properly, the principals shouldn’t be the ones talking. Even if the parties involved had feelings, the proposal had to be discussed between their guardians.
‘I may be looking after Merran, but I’m not her legal guardian. If Merran wants to get married, she needs her eldest brother-in-law’s permission. Which family is Dernic from, anyway?’
Various realistic factors raced through Claisey’s mind.
‘My situation is unique, so as long as the young man is from a family of similar standing, my parents wouldn’t be too picky. The problem is the other side’s parents. But Merran is different. Merran is the eldest daughter of the eldest brother-in-law. She’s going to inherit a title later. He wouldn’t just give his consent simply because Merran loves the man.’
Claisey asked carefully, making sure not to startle Merran.
“Did Sir Dernic propose to you?”
Merran felt shy and poked Claisey’s arm.
“As if he’d do that already!”
Claisey became confused.
“Then what was all that talk about marriage?”
Merran spun around, put her hands behind her back, and stepped lightly down the hallway.
“The keepsake Sir Dernic was looking for wasn’t here. He was deeply disappointed. So, I told him I’d invite him again when I go back to my hometown. I told him I’d invite him to both my family’s main estate and the Kalasi mansion. And do you know what he said?”
As Merran turned her head, her cheeks, flushed a lovely rose color, were revealed. Excited, she scurried over and grabbed Claisey’s hands.
“He said this: ‘You’re inviting me to both your father’s side and your mother’s side? It sounds exactly like we’re a couple meant for marriage.’ Like that! And then he smiled so! So adorably!”
Merran hopped around, beaming brightly. It was completely different from the way she used to flirt with men she didn’t even like just to stop Claisey’s marriage. Merran was truly, genuinely happy right now.
Claisey sighed. That girl really liked Dernic. This time, it was genuine—she was doing this because she actually liked him.
From a third-party perspective, the words Dernic had thrown out were clearly just a joke. Yet, she was fluttered by a single remark.
Claisey frowned. In her eyes, Dernic seemed far too much of a playboy.
* * *
At the same time that Claisey and Merran were lost in their own thoughts during dinner, Kishin and Dernic were also dining together.
Though they were not the same age, they had been inseparable since childhood. The few months when Dernic was thirteen were the longest they had ever been apart.
That period also marked the point where the lives of Dernic and Kishin, which had been heading in the same direction, diverged completely. Back then, Dernic had met the benefactor who would become his lifelong North Star, while Kishin had received an honor stained with tears.
“So, the conclusion is, I couldn’t find Marie’s keepsake.”
Dernic, who had been rambling on, finally wrapped up his story toward the end of the meal and let out a sigh.
Kishin, who had said almost nothing, replied with a single word: “I see.”
“Well, at least he said he’d invite me to the main estate later, so I’ll be able to find it.”
Dernic mumbled sulkily, looked down at his empty plate, and suddenly asked with a bright smile.
“Enough about me. What about you? How was your day? I heard you’re on a very interesting investigation lately. Something about a spy hiding among the actors of a famous theater troupe. Is it true?”
Kishin furrowed his brows.
“It’s a top-secret investigation. How did you find out about that, too?”
“My uncle told me.”
At Dernic’s brazen answer, Kishin shook his head. Dernic, feeling lively, lightly tapped the top of Kishin’s foot with the toe of his shoe.
“Judging by how much you hate it, it must be true. So, which actor is the spy? Is it someone I know?”
If Dernic wanted to know, it wouldn’t be hard for him to find out the investigation results. However, Kishin didn’t want to share the investigation process with him, so he changed the subject.
“I went to the Grand Theater and met Lady Claisey.”
Dernic took the bait immediately.
“Oh, really?”
Kishin set down his knife and watched Dernic’s surprised expression.
“Didn’t you say you had an appointment with her? That she invited you to her house?”
Dernic scratched his head and gave an awkward laugh.
“I thought so, too. But when I got there, only Marie’s daughter was there. The arms dealer’s daughter had gone out to play.”
Kishin had brought up Claisey to distract Dernic. But now that he was actually talking about her, the embers of the frustration he had managed to dampen during the day flared up again.
Seeing that Kishin’s expression was poor, Dernic asked excitedly.
“Why? Did you two fight when you ran into each other? Your expression is really bad.”
“She was in high spirits with another man.”
Kishin answered coldly. Dernic’s eyes widened.
“Another man? Who? Is it someone we know?”
Kishin knew who that man was. Dernic probably knew him, too. That man’s family had once been subjected to a massive investigation regarding dark mages.
However, Kishin didn’t go that far and shook his head. This was just a story about a flirtatious lady.
“I only saw their backs, so I don’t know. Anyway… that woman is too much of a flirt. One moment she says she likes me, then later she says she likes you, and then immediately she’s cozy with another man.”
As he spoke, Kishin’s mood sank even further. To think the first woman he had ever been shaken by was a flirt.
But the more Kishin’s spirits sank, the more Dernic laughed, clearly enjoying himself. He clutched his stomach, laughing, and asked,
“Are you angry because the woman who liked you is dating someone else, Kishin? But you and the arms dealer’s daughter aren’t even dating, are you?”
“You and Lady Claisey would get along quite well.”
“Why? Did Lady Claisey say things like I do?”
“She asked me if liking me meant she had to like only me for the rest of her life. And when I asked if the time it took for her heart to change wasn’t too short, she asked me what the difference was between regretting it for a day or a month.”
The more Kishin spoke, the wider Dernic’s mouth gaped. Once he finished, Kishin felt a bitter taste in his mouth and downed his wine in one gulp.
But when Kishin lowered his glass, he saw that Dernic’s expression was stranger than usual. His rather excited face even looked dangerous.
“What is it?”
When Kishin asked, sensing that his attitude was truly suspicious, Dernic smiled brightly and said,
“Hearing your story, Lady Claisey’s values seem similar to mine.”
“…You mean the values of a flirt?”
“The world might call it being a flirt. But we aren’t flirts. We don’t like several people at once. We just cut off our lingering attachments quickly!”
Kishin believed that loving one person for his entire life was enough. He considered Dernic a good friend, but he couldn’t understand his values. Kishin shook his head.
Dernic giggled and asked,
“Kishin, do you still have feelings for Lady Claisey?”
Kishin felt offended and answered immediately.
“Not at all.”
He had no interest in romance. Perhaps he wouldn’t even date for the rest of his life.
But if he were to love someone, he wanted it to be a sincere and eternal love. A love where two people looked only at each other, never letting their eyes wander for a lifetime. He didn’t even want to get near a flirt.
Dernic asked with a mischievous grin,
“Then, would it be alright if I tried to woo Lady Claisey?”
Kishin felt even more offended and asked,
“I thought you were interested in Lady Merran.”
Dernic pulled back, shuddering with unexpected intensity.
“What are you talking about? Marie’s daughter is the child of my benefactor, so I’m just being kind to her. I’m not interested in naive young ladies. Romance should be fun, with someone like Lady Claisey who treats it like a war of emotions.”
Dernic drew a firm line and looked at Kishin as if asking for his permission. Kishin toyed with his empty wine glass in silence.
He was, of course, not interested in Claisey Kalasi. He despised flirts like her. There was no way he would ever have anything to do with her in the future.
“Kishin, why aren’t you answering—”
“You need to tell me that you have no interest in Miss Claisey so that I can feel at ease approaching her.”
After a long silence, Kishin replied coldly and stood up.
“Why are you asking for my permission? It’s not as if I am married to Miss Kalasi. We are both adults, so do as you please.”
* * *
Snow had been falling continuously for several days. As it grew cold outside, Claisey stayed locked in her warm room, idling away without stepping out of the house.
Although Merran seemed to get around just fine despite the cold weather, Claisey had no intention of putting her precious self through such hardship.
Her friend Florence, who had sent invitations to Claisey several times, eventually could not hold back any longer; she came over in person and even pinched Claisey’s cheeks.
“You lazybones. Is it really too much trouble to come over to the house next door?”
“My body feels heavier with each passing day……”
“You were like this even when you were little! What kind of excuse is that?”
Florence chased Claisey out of bed and forced her to change into outdoor clothes. Claisey reluctantly rode in Florence’s carriage and headed to the plaza.
The plaza had turned completely white. The snow that had piled up over the past few days had yet to melt, leaving snowmen scattered everywhere, and children were running around, screaming in delight.
Seeing the lively atmosphere, Claisey finally felt her spirits lift. Florence pulled Claisey out of the carriage.
Once they were actually outside, Claisey felt excited, too. The two of them rented skates and stepped onto the frozen ice.
However, as the two of them were happily sliding across the ice, Claisey kept catching glimpses of Dernic. Holding hands with Florence, Claisey turned her head this way and that.
“Are you looking for me?”
At that moment, someone asked from behind as they skated past. Startled, Claisey let go of Florence and turned around, almost slipping in the process.
A firm hand caught Claisey just as she was about to fall backward. It was Dernic.