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Chapter 66
But Noah caught a glimpse of hope in her words. That was why he swallowed dryly and asked seriously,
“Do you know that method?”
“No.”
Karia shook her head without a second thought. From the start, human magic and elf magic were of different natures. Since she was not an elf, she could not generate mana in her body, and so she could not use elf magic. She had never even bothered to research it.
“—Ah, I see.”
“But I can introduce you to someone who does know.”
“Please, I beg of you!”
When Noah’s face sank with disappointment, she slipped out another thread of hope. With every word she spoke, Noah’s heart swung between heaven and hell. Karia leisurely enjoyed watching it.
‘Look at him fidgeting. How cute.’
She had wasted the whole week thinking about Noah. At the very least, he deserved this much light revenge, didn’t he? Honestly, she had wanted to let him suffer a week of unease as she had, but when she saw his face, her heart softened. Still, it was something that he had come back at all.
“But I have conditions.”
“—Conditions?”
“What, did you think you could accept help without giving anything in return?”
Noah lowered his eyes under her sharp gaze, as if ashamed of himself. It was a pitiful sight, but Karia knew that this, too, was calculated. Confident in his looks, he knew exactly how to use his face effectively.
When she kept staring without yielding or changing expression, Noah sighed quietly. There was no room for negotiation. At this moment, she was his only hope.
“First, return to your duty as the mansion guard.”
“Of course… No, yes, I will do so.”
“Second, don’t pry into me. I will do the same for you.”
“—Understood.”
“Third, move into the townhouse and live there.”
At her final condition, Noah’s head snapped up. His face flushed with bewilderment, and Karia arched her brow in disapproval.
“Do you remember the day you confessed to me?”
“—Ah.”
“‘Ah?’”
It was true. On the day they had tumbled down the stairs together and his identity had been revealed, he had confessed his feelings to her. Karia had even given him a somewhat favorable response, but he had been so shocked at being found out that he had fled, forgetting it entirely.
Now, as everything came back to him, Noah’s face reddened furiously, as if it might explode. He could not forgive himself for his own actions.
‘How could I boldly confess and then run away like that?!’
Unable to look at her calmly anymore, Noah turned his back and tried to compose his messy face. Why was it that in front of her, all composure vanished and only clumsiness remained?
‘—Wait, but did she just say to move into her house?’
After rubbing his face until it felt raw, he suddenly came to his senses.
A townhouse was a single three-story building, unlike other sprawling noble estates. So “move into the townhouse” meant living under the same roof.
Of course, some members of the Black Night guards did live in the mansion, but this wasn’t about making work convenient.
No—this was an invitation to share dinner together. Every day. Just as he had wished when he confessed.
“My lady, do you… love me—no, do you feel the same as I do?”
“We’ll see.”
Karia quietly studied Noah, who kept sneaking glances at her. The truth was, she didn’t feel the same way. But she herself could not figure out what this strange feeling toward him was.
At first, she had kept him close because he reminded her of Guilford. The face resembling the husband she had loved to death naturally stirred her affection. But that was only the beginning.
“I want to find out. What kind of feelings I really have for you.”
During the week of waiting for him, her irritation had grown—and with it, a contradictory impulse.
She had called Guilford her husband, but they had never been mere comfortable friends. They had always been man and woman. Yet with Noah, she felt mischievous. She didn’t dislike teasing him.
Guilford had always been the perfect gentleman. From the moment they met, he had been a mature man—never someone she had to look after. Noah, on the other hand, was nervous and made mistakes before her. And she didn’t dislike that.
The fact that her heart was shaken unsettled her deeply.
‘What I want is simply to return to that time—the happiest time of my life.’
So she had to confirm it.
Was Noah lovable only because she thought of him as Guilford, or had she truly been bewitched by Noah himself, who only resembled Guilford?
And most importantly—was he truly Guilford reincarnated?
If she watched long enough, she would know for sure. She knew Guilford’s tastes, habits, even his smallest quirks.
“Until then, you’re my gentleman alone. Stay by my side.”
She held out her hand to him. She didn’t force his hand—he had to take hers himself.
“As my lady desires.”
Grasping her hand, Noah smiled brightly and kissed it. He had no idea—there was no “Noah” in the relationship Karia was beginning.
Splat! A handkerchief, riding the wind, smacked Karia square in the face.
“Ah, dear! My handkerchief has a mind of its own!”
“—Hmm.”
“Thank you for catching my handkerchief. Ah—what a coincidence! Could it be the Duchess of Pandeon herself?”
Karia’s face hardened grimly at the theatrical tone. Today she had already suffered more than her share of “accidental” handkerchief encounters.
Once, a flying handkerchief had struck her face. Three times, she had stepped on handkerchiefs neatly dropped on the ground. Four times, strange men had chased after her, insisting she had dropped them.
“Do you remember me? I am Elaine, the second son of Count Gazef. We met at the wedding.”
“……”
“Ah, how foolish of me. I heard the news—you recently divorced, didn’t you? I heard there were many troubles with the Duke of Pandeon.”
Karia glared in silence at the ferret-faced man who had accosted her in the middle of the street. He prattled on, spitting as he talked, carrying on a conversation she had never agreed to.
Wordlessly, she turned her head toward Aquil, who stood behind her. Soon, Count Gazef’s second son, Elaine, was hoisted like baggage and tossed far away.
“These days, is a handkerchief the essential prop for scheming?”
It was late autumn, cold enough that the wind made one clutch their cloak tight, yet the street was crowded. Oddly, there were many nobles dressed in their finest.
The narrow road, too tight for carriages, was lined with the shops of artisans. Normally, nobles had no reason to stroll here, but the reason it bustled today was entirely because of her.
“Since you refuse to accept visits, they’ve changed their tactics. Likely, they followed your carriage here.”
Karia clicked her tongue sharply, full of distaste. Indeed, her carriage was among the most splendid in the capital. They must have stationed people near her townhouse to tail her when she went out.
It was peak social season, and gossip was the perfect treat for noble teatimes. Moreover, she had just been granted the high rank of Marquis of Balta. Not only were they curious about her story, but they also wanted to secure connections. Competing nobles eagerly pushed forward their “eligible sons,” and Karia’s expression grew darker and darker.
“Well, well, who do we have here? What a coincidence!”
And just as she reached her destination, another unwelcome greeting made her mood plummet even further.
“—I greet His Highness, the Crown Prince.”
“Raise your head. What need for such formality between siblings?”
The Crown Prince, Robert, dismounted from his fine black horse with a dismissive wave. He wore an air of regret, as though she had wronged him. Karia could not recall when she and he had become “siblings.”
Alcard, standing behind him, looked equally displeased.
The Emperor cherished his younger brother, the Grand Duke, and treated his children like his own. But Robert was not the same. He lent tacit support to nobles arguing that the definition of “imperial family” should be narrowed from within four degrees of kinship to within two.
He pretended otherwise in front of the Emperor, but to him, not only Karia, but also the Grand Duke’s sons—Grenberik and Alcard—were closer to vassals than family.
And now, such a blatant show of false affection? Whatever his scheme, there was certainly something behind it.
“I nearly didn’t recognize you, passing by so carelessly. Your attire has changed completely. Your simple look suited you, but dressed up like this, at last you bear the dignity of royalty. You must have been unhappy all this while, unable to adorn yourself as you wished.”
“……”
Robert’s words sounded like praise on the surface, but on reflection, they were far from kind. In truth, he was mocking her—for in plain dress, she had not looked royal at all, which was to say, she had lived without even enough allowance for dignity while in Pandeon.
