HEHW 20

Chapter 20

“…You…”

Giselle’s face turned red in an instant. She had just been about to come down the stairs, but I didn’t wait for her — I climbed straight into the carriage.

It was rare for Giselle to lose her composure. She had always been several steps ahead of me, but something about her seemed different now.

Maybe it was because I’d finally decided not to like Kirill anymore.
The only reason Giselle could stay ahead of me before was that my feelings for Kirill had made me the “villain” in our story.
But now, by giving up on Kirill, I had stepped off the path the book had written for me.

“Go ahead.”

At my command, the coachman nodded. Just as Giselle reached the bottom of the stairs, the wheels began to turn.
The thought of her standing there with that hollow look on her face made me feel oddly satisfied.

* * *

The Charbon estate I’d looked at the other day had been to my liking, and today I was on my way to finalize the contract.

“After we remodel the annex, we can move your little brother and grandmother in first,” I said.

“…Are you really going to do that for us?”

Jessie still seemed to think she didn’t deserve that kind of help.

“I told you I would.”

My words made her cheeks flush in a way unusual for her.

“Thank you, my lady.”

“Save your thanks for after I actually buy the place. What if something like last time happens again?”

“Still—thank you!”

Her firm, bright voice made me laugh out loud in spite of myself.

Even in broad daylight, the suburban village had a quiet, peaceful air — nothing like the bustling capital.

By now I knew the way well enough that, as soon as I got out of the carriage, I walked straight to the estate.

It was just as perfect as I remembered. The annex was old, yes, but I was planning to renovate anyway.

The main and annex buildings were separate, the yard was spacious, and the real gem was the garden out back — nearly twice the size of the front yard.
For that much land at that price, it was practically a bargain.

“It’s just that the annex seems really old…” Jessie said cautiously, watching my expression.
I squinted at it as if agreeing with her.

“You’re right. If it weren’t for the annex…”

Our murmuring was loud enough for the agent to overhear.

“Well, that’s actually an advantage!” the realtor said quickly. “For newcomers, it’s perfect for remodeling. Since the annex is separate, you can stay in the main building comfortably during renovations.”

Of course, Jessie and I already knew that.
I gave her a quick wink, and she subtly nodded in return.

“It seems the annex is making the lady hesitate,” Jessie said, slipping effortlessly into her role as my overly fastidious maid.

“In that case,” the agent offered, “how about this? Considering the remodeling costs, we can lower the price to this range…”

“One moment. I’ll have to ask my lady,” Jessie said with a slight frown and turned to me.

I opened the carriage window, pretending to look outside, as she leaned close and whispered in my ear,

“My lady, now’s the time.”

Her voice was solemnly serious. I glanced between the agent and Jessie, then gave a reluctant nod.

After completing the perfect deal, we were in excellent spirits. We strolled around the village where we’d soon live and found a charming little restaurant to stop in for lunch.

“Huh?”

Jessie, looking over the menu, suddenly looked past me and waved at someone. I followed her gaze.

A young boy stood there, looking startled to see us.

Jessie, on the other hand, waved with the enthusiasm of someone greeting an old friend from home — so much so that people at other tables began to turn and look.

He really does look like Kirill.

Kirill’s childhood wasn’t so different from mine. We’d met when we were thirteen, but if I imagined him younger than that… he’d probably look just like this boy.

“Come here! Over here!” Jessie called.

Unable to resist her energy, the boy came over with a rather grumpy look — not at all the way a child his age should have looked.

“Nice to see you again!” Jessie said cheerfully, reaching out as if to pinch his cheek like she would her own brother’s.

“Don’t touch me,” he snapped, swatting her hand away.

“Oh? Still speaking informally to your elders?”

“……”

It was only our second meeting, but the boy already looked utterly fed up with her, and I couldn’t help but laugh.
The moment I did, his eyes turned toward me — sharp, steady, and strangely focused.

“Do you live around here?” I asked.

He nodded. I was sure I’d heard one of his friends call his name the last time we met, but I couldn’t remember.

“Your name was…”

“Ross, my lady! Ross!” Jessie quickly supplied.

Ah, right — Ross.

“Well, since we’ve met again, why don’t you join us for lunch? Would that be alright, my lady?” Jessie asked.

She tried to act casual, but she had a terrible case of brother complex.
She adored her own younger brother — and any boy around his age, for that matter.

I didn’t mind, as long as the boy didn’t…

“Sure,” Ross said before I could finish the thought.

Without hesitation, he plopped himself down right next to Jessie — bold and confident, as if the frown from earlier had never existed.

When I stared at him in surprise, he avoided my gaze.

Is he shy?

“Here, pick what you’d like,” Jessie said.

Ross pointed at something random on the menu without much interest.

I kept catching glimpses of Kirill’s younger self in him — even though I knew it was ridiculous.
Kirill, even at thirteen, had already carried the air of a grown man. He would never have acted so childishly.

Jessie tried to make conversation, but Ross only gave short, clipped answers.

All we learned was that he was thirteen and lived in this village.
He didn’t respond to anything else.

Eventually, Jessie gave up on questioning him — maybe thinking it was better not to pry. We started talking among ourselves instead.
Ross just kept eating with a bored look on his face.

“Oh, right! Speaking of which,” Jessie said suddenly, “how’s the search for your childhood friend going?”

Jessie knew about my search for Chedi, too.

I glanced at Ross, but he didn’t seem to be paying attention — just stabbing his food repeatedly with his fork.

Should I say I’d found her or not?
We hadn’t met yet, so I supposed it was more accurate to say I was still looking.

“I think I’ve found her,” I said finally, “but… it feels like she doesn’t want to see me.”

“Oh my, why not?” Jessie asked, delighted at first but quickly frowning at my next words.
Ross’s fork also stilled mid-motion.

“Well, maybe because I hurt her,” I murmured.

That would explain why she’d only agree to meet me under certain conditions. The thought left a bitter taste in my mouth.

Just thinking about Chedi made my heart sink.
I’d hurt her, then shamelessly said I wanted to see her again — no wonder she didn’t want to face me.

“But I’ll see her someday,” I added with a faint smile.

“Someday,” I told myself.

Jessie’s face crumpled with sympathy.
“…That’s too bad,” she murmured.

“……”

Ross had already set his fork down and was staring at me.
As if there was something he wanted to say.

“Why aren’t you eating anymore?” I asked.

“…I’m done.”

Still speaking so casually — he really was a stubborn kid.

I didn’t press him and instead stabbed a piece of meat from my own plate.

“Do you… have a childhood friend?” Ross asked suddenly.

The question came out of nowhere. Jessie laughed and answered for me.

“Why? Don’t you? What about those friends we saw you with last time?”

“They’re not,” he said flatly.

His tone was so firm that Jessie blinked, raising her eyebrows in surprise. But his eyes never left me.

“Yes,” I said softly. “I do. A very precious one.”

The more I thought of Chedi, the more I longed to see her.

“…Is it a man?” Ross asked.

Jessie and I exchanged puzzled looks.

“Why are you asking that?” I replied gently.

“So… it’s not a man?”

He sounded genuinely surprised — as if that somehow mattered.

“…Since when were you two friends?” he pressed on.

He ignored my question completely, stubborn in that very childlike way.

“I’m not telling,” I said with a teasing smile.

Ross frowned deeply, his expression scrunching in irritation. It was so boyish that I couldn’t help but laugh again.

Yes, he did resemble Kirill — but of course, he wasn’t him.
Kirill had always been unreadable, his emotions hidden beneath that calm mask.

“I’m leaving,” Ross said abruptly.

“Oh, okay. See you next time,” Jessie replied, startled by his bluntness.

She watched him go, then chuckled. “If only my brother were half as confident as him.”

Her younger brother, I’d heard, was kind but timid.

“If that boy lives here, maybe he’ll become friends with Ray too,” I said.

“I hope so,” Jessie replied, smiling as she finished her meal.

I did the same, though my thoughts kept drifting back to the boy named Ross.

For some reason, I couldn’t get him out of my mind.