To offer an excuse, Charlize was in a state of extreme agitation following the incident at the Imperial Palace. Having just encountered such blatant malice, she remained on edge, her nerves frayed by the presence of a man whose identity she did not know.
Charlize realized she had reacted with unnecessary sharpness, but the bottle had already fallen and shattered.
‘Oh my, what have I done?’
Wine, vibrant and deep in color, gushed from the broken bottle, soaking the floor. It had even splashed across the hem of Ian’s trousers and his polished shoes; from any angle, she was clearly the villain here.
What now? Do I act brazen and walk away? Or do I apologize while masking my nerves with snide deflection?
Charlize’s mind raced. Will this man finally reveal his true colors? Will he lash out?
She looked up, bracing herself.
The instant their eyes met, a soft, disarming smile seeped into Ian’s gaze.
“My apologies. It seems this wine was not quite good enough for the greatest beauty in the Empire.”
“…….”
Charlize blinked. Even if it hadn’t been intentional, the fault was undeniably hers. Yet, the man bowed politely, as if the mistake were entirely his own. He offered these words before she could even speak, his etiquette flawless, shielding her from the indignity of the situation.
To an outsider, the blame would have seemed to rest solely on him.
“I shall prepare a better vintage next time.”
She was unaware of it, but amidst her heightened sensitivity, a mix of embarrassment and confusion had bled onto her face. Ian’s narrowed eyes caught this shift with ease.
‘Oh my. I shouldn’t be this intrigued.’
He was fascinated.
The villainess whom everyone in the capital branded as vicious had, for a fleeting moment, displayed an expression of genuine, unguarded innocence. Who was this woman, so far removed from the wicked rumors that preceded her? Had she been misunderstood all along?
“……Will you drink with me then?”
Charlize pressed her lips together. Her sharp gaze turned toward him, but perhaps because she had already caught his look of bewilderment, her expression didn’t appear quite as fierce.
She rose from her seat.
“I’ve quit red wine.”
“Oh dear. The world is overflowing with wonderful white wines.”
“If you are a guest of my grandfather, you would do well to mind your own business.”
“I had wanted to see the Duchess-To-Be even more than I wished to see the Duke…….”
“…….”
Charlize felt flustered inwardly. *What is wrong with this man?*
Just how much of a grudge did he harbor against her that he was obsessed with securing an audience? He was certainly someone she needed to view with caution. Her guard surged once more, but finding no further amusement, she turned away.
Ian stepped forward—gentle, courteous, and precise—to offer a final, lingering bow.
*Hmph. A man who insists on staying polite until the very end.*
Moreover, contrary to her first impression of him as a mere scholar, the way his eyes curved was as cunning as a fox’s. One might easily be bewitched if they weren’t careful.
Just as Charlize was clicking her tongue and brushing past him:
“Duchess-To-Be!”
She spotted her maid, Susan. But to her surprise, Susan was not alone. Charlize’s eyes widened at the sight of the figure standing behind her.
*My fiancé?*
To her shock, a large, tall, and exceptionally handsome man stood in the shadows. It was Askin. What in the world was he doing at the Alzbeit Residence?
As Charlize stood startled, Askin’s gaze fell upon Ian Child.
‘……Why is he here?’
His handsome eyebrows twitched minutely. The Child Family had offered their cooperation to Askin. Yet, a man like that was here, at Alzbeit? Did he intend to keep a foot in both camps? Was the Child Family ultimately aiming to play both sides, using their wealth to manipulate the situation just as the Alzbeits did?
At the same time, Askin’s eyes narrowed as he noticed the hand Ian Child had extended toward Charlize.
Why was it? He didn’t particularly like the look of subtle discomfort on the face of that cold, incredibly haughty woman.
“I see you were expecting such an important guest. I greet Duke Remut. Good afternoon, Your Excellency.”
Ian, sharp enough to grasp the dynamic, looked at Askin and Charlize in turn and realized it was time to excuse himself.
It was a pity, but there was no helping it.
“I wish you a pleasant time. I do hope I shall have the pleasure of seeing you again, Duchess-To-Be.”
* * *
The silence was chilling, piercing her heart like a dagger.
“…….”
I secretly swallowed hard, careful not to show it. At the same time, I slid my gaze upward.
‘What should I say?’
For five minutes, Askin hadn’t uttered a single word. While watching such a statue-like, handsome man was a feast for the eyes, this was different. According to Susan, the attendant he’d brought along, he hadn’t come to see my grandfather; he had come to see me. What on earth possessed him to do that?
The problem was that every time our eyes met, he would frown, causing me to instinctively clamp my mouth shut. Since I was grateful he’d come in the first place, I wanted to be careful—I didn’t want to ruin the moment.
However, I would have liked for him to reveal the purpose of his visit by now.
To relieve the tension without being obvious, I leisurely touched my neck.
“You must be busy with the disaster relief, so what brings you here?”
Since he wasn’t speaking, what choice did I have? I had to lead the conversation. I smiled as innocently and prettily as I could, hoping to avoid his wrath.
But lo and behold, the man’s expression only soured further.
*What is it, what is it? I’m smiling, for heaven’s sake……!* I felt a bit aggrieved.
“You can come and go from my territory as you please, yet I must contact you in advance just to see you?”
……When did I ever say that?
I didn’t know why he was picking a fight. Fine, let’s bear it. Let’s just put up with it. In his eyes, I was Charlize, the enemy. It was a miracle he was even talking to me at all. I felt wronged, but I swallowed the bitterness.
Regardless, the fact that he came to see me meant my lovely coin! The path to ten billion was opening up. Thinking this, a happy smile blossomed on my face.
“If you had the time to come here, then the disaster relief must have been well handled. You’re quite competent in that regard.”
“…….”
……What is it? Why? Why was he frowning and glaring again?
I felt like I was looking at a large dog that didn’t know why it was angry. I wanted to soothe him, but we weren’t speaking the same language……. We’re the same kind of human; why couldn’t we communicate?
“Seeing you makes me reach a decision.”
“What decision?”
Instead of answering, Askin shifted the topic.
“Did you intend to gain my favor by even using the young children from my territory?”
The words were even harder to understand. Why is my fiancé like this? Why is it so difficult to understand him?
I mulled it over and finally understood. Oh, no way.
‘Is he talking about the children I sent back today?’
Does he think I brought the children here on purpose and treated them well just to orchestrate their return? From his perspective, I supposed that could be the case, but…….
“No.”
I wore an incredulous expression. This was genuinely unfair, even if my guards had been at fault.
“Your acting skills have truly become brazen.”
“Did you even hear the story from them?”
I didn’t back down.
“My guards may have acted on their own, but did you forget that I sent the children back with plenty of gifts? Truth be told, I was just clearing out things I intended to discard, so there was no particular need to be grateful. And surely this isn’t something you should be questioning me about, is it?”
“…….”
Having said it, I wondered if I was playing the villainess a bit too well, while simultaneously questioning if this was the right path to take.
If things continued like this, wouldn’t my fiancé and I just run on parallel lines forever? That would mean losing both my money and my way home—a realization that left me in a complex state of mind.
What was I supposed to do? An expression of bewilderment leaked out before I could stop it.
Askin, who had been watching my face, finally spoke.
“Congratulations. You could even become the best actor in the Empire now.”
“What?”
Askin mocked me for the first time, feigning a slow, dry round of applause.
“Now all you have to do is call off the engagement with me.”
“…….”
“It’s not like there isn’t another guy in the picture anyway, right?”
What on earth was he talking about? Another guy? How could he say such a thing when I had been rushing to the Remut Territory every single day?
I was so dumbfounded by his absurdity that I seriously considered setting aside my villainess pride and just begging him.
“I don’t think you quite realize it yet, but the one I’ve set my sights on is you. You, who are on a different level from those pathetic fools.”
The moment those words spilled from my lips—
I wanted to hear Askin’s reply, but the air was abruptly cut short.
“Hah, so here you are?”
I turned toward the sound to see none other than Grandfather striding toward us.
Grandfather watched my fiancé and me with a satisfied smile, looking thoroughly pleased.
“Oh dear, am I interrupting? You two make such a fine pair. Do visit each other often, Duke Remut.”
“No, you’ve arrived at a good time. Duke Alzbeit, this was a conversation I needed to have with you as well.”
For some reason, Askin stared at me for a brief second.
Was I imagining it? It felt as though his gaze had flickered, however slightly, for the very first time.
It vanished faster than it had appeared.
“No, that’s not right. This is a conversation that must be had, especially since it’s you who arranged this engagement.”
His voice was firm. It was cold, cutting, and absolute.
“Since you wouldn’t respond to my letters, I shall say it formally in person.”
I felt like I already knew what he was about to say.
A dull ache throbbed in my chest. Wait, just wait!
“Ask…….”
“I am formally requesting to break off the engagement with the House of Duke Alzbeit.”