🔊 TTS Settings
Chapter 13
That’s Not What I Meant by “Let’s Kiss”!
Disgust…?
His mind, always so sharp, abruptly went blank.
It felt as if lightning had struck him—his entire body was seized by shock.
“So… not only does she not have feelings for a man…”
“Feelings? Please! If she disliked you that much, of course she’d run off without even saying goodbye!”
“Run… away.”
There was only one reason Theo had called Vanessa.
Among those around him, she was the most experienced when it came to romance.
He learned everything quickly and handled people with ease, but when it came to matters of the heart, he was utterly ignorant.
He simply couldn’t reconcile yesterday’s time with Evelyn and the situation now.
That was why he had summoned Vanessa, and yet—
“I don’t understand.”
Theo furrowed his brow.
What’s with him?
Watching him closely, Vanessa suddenly let out an “Ah!”
She recalled how he had been searching for Evelyn since morning, how uncharacteristically flustered he’d looked upon hearing she had left.
Now it all made sense!
Vanessa’s lips spread into a wide grin.
“Evelyn—no, Lady Evelyn—rejected you?”
Just in case, she tactfully added the honorific.
At her blunt words, Theo turned to look at her.
The endlessly wavering violet eyes gave him away.
“So our lord has suffered heartbreak!”
Oh, this was too good!
Unable to hold it in, Vanessa burst out laughing.
To think her lord—who had always lacked for nothing—would look so lost!
In truth, she had always thought the duke a peculiar man.
It was impossible to tell what he was thinking, and he seemed relaxed with everyone.
Yet at the same time, he maintained a subtle distance, as though surrounded by an invisible boundary.
His ever-smiling face paired strangely well with an impenetrable shield.
It seemed so natural that he never even appeared lonely. She had simply considered him an unusual sort of person.
But now, her lord wanted a woman. He had even called his subordinate out of regret to seek advice.
So even he grew weak in the face of love.
Vanessa’s eyes sparkled with interest.
Raising her index finger, she spoke deliberately.
“There are two reasons a woman suddenly leaves a man!”
“Two?”
“One, like I said earlier—the man became tiresome. And two—she only wanted his body from the start!”
“……”
“But you’re not the type to just hand yourself over without warning, my lord, so…”
Huh?
Vanessa trailed off.
The duke was touching his lips with a flustered expression.
So it was the latter!
He had given everything—and then been dumped.
Vanessa burst into laughter once more.
She hadn’t expected it, but it seemed Evelyn was far more skilled than she looked.
The duke she knew wasn’t one to lose his temper easily.
Even when thoughtless subordinates made careless remarks, he would usually let it slide.
‘So will he quietly give up?’
Would he return to that indifferent state, unconcerned with everything?
Just as Vanessa was observing his reaction—
Theo’s lips curved into a gentle arc.
“Then that means she finds my body pleasing?”
“…Pardon?”
“If even one part appeals to her, that’s a relief.”
Theo had no intention of letting her go.
If it meant catching Evelyn’s eye, he would use whatever he could.
Watching his darkening gaze, Vanessa’s expression grew serious.
She had forgotten.
Theo possessed two sides.
A vivid memory flashed before her eyes.
The image of him smiling eerily amidst flames resurfaced.
Vanessa shuddered.
She needed to revise her assessment of her lord.
He might seem indifferent and uninterested in everything…
‘But once he sets his sights on something, he never lets it go.’
The duke’s tenacity made her shiver.
She almost felt sorry for Evelyn, who had returned to the capital.
Throughout the carriage ride back to the capital, Catherine observed her junior, Evelyn.
Inside the rattling carriage, the two remained quiet.
Evelyn stared blankly, clearly lost in thought.
‘It’s certain. Something happened between her and the duke.’
Still, prying into someone’s private life wasn’t proper behavior for a superior.
But perhaps it would be better to offer a word of caution.
Evelyn, who had come up from a rural estate, was gentle and got along well with everyone. She carried out her assigned duties accurately.
That didn’t mean she was perfect.
She was inexperienced with the capital’s etiquette and with dealing with high-ranking nobles—things she had never encountered before.
Right now, as a newcomer, others overlooked it.
But their workplace was the imperial palace.
They never knew whom they might meet or what might happen.
In the end, Catherine spoke.
“About Duke Ashford.”
“Y-Yes?”
As expected, Evelyn looked startled.
“I told you he likes to joke, didn’t I?”
“Oh, you mean the luncheon abroad?”
“Yes. But some say it wasn’t a joke—it was killing intent.”
Because Theo had repeatedly insisted it was just a joke, strange rumors began to circulate.
That the continent’s greatest magic swordsman had directed killing intent at the king.
So subtly that no one else noticed.
Only the king sensed it and softened his attitude in response.
“That’s ridiculous. How could something like that…?”
“It’s just a rumor. But the important thing is—it isn’t impossible.”
“……”
“Oh, and one more thing! Don’t touch him when he’s asleep.”
Like telling a child a ghost story, Catherine lowered her voice.
“There was once chaos because of a mutant monster. Someone had been experimenting with fusing animals and monsters, and a large number escaped.”
The Ashford Knights received an imperial order and headed deep into the mountains, capturing the runaway monsters.
The subjugation lasted for days.
When it was finally over, the duke leaned against a tree to rest.
But apparently not all of them had been caught.
A monkey-like mutant monster appeared.
Quick and mischievous, it poked the sleeping Theo before scampering away, excited.
Perhaps it simply wanted to play a prank.
Uncharacteristically, the duke chased after it like a madman—radiating terrifying cold killing intent.
Frightened by that aura, the monster ran into an empty house and breathed fire from its mouth.
The small house was soon engulfed in flames.
Yet the duke did not hesitate.
Though everyone tried to stop him, he strode straight into the blaze and thoroughly searched through the fire.
Moments later, he emerged from the ashes.
In his hand was the monster.
Dangling by its tail, it cried in terror.
“Ukkikki…”
It seemed the duke was more frightening than the fire.
After going to such lengths to capture it, he left its disposal to the knights.
When asked why, the duke merely smiled and said:
“Hide-and-seek.”
The more one learned about him, the harder he was to understand. Evelyn stared blankly, mouth slightly open.
“After that, rumors spread that once he sets his sights on something, he’ll follow it even into hell.”
Catherine cleared her throat.
“Anyway, high-ranking nobles are people far beyond our reach. Even if they seem gentle, you never know when they might turn. And we’re the ones who would have to deal with the consequences.”
She gently patted Evelyn’s head.
“It’s not just Duke Ashford. In the imperial palace, you must be more cautious.”
“Yes, I’ll keep that in mind.”
The duke’s story was only an example.
But it lingered vividly in Evelyn’s mind.
The Theo she knew had been sweet and kind.
What, then, was his true self?
“Senior.”
“Yes?”
Evelyn asked without thinking.
She didn’t even know why she was curious, or why the duke came to mind.
“…What is Duke Ashford’s given name?”
“Theo. His Grace Duke Theo Ashford.”
It means ‘gift of God.’
The homework he had given her was resolved almost absurdly easily.
Theo…
Evelyn softly formed his name on her lips.
After repeating it several times, she tried to steady her heart.
There would be no more reason to think about the duke—
Wait.
What had Senior just said?
Her face turned pale.
