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Chapter 11
“Iris, I’m sorry, but I think I’m too tired—I should head in.”
“I don’t think that’s a very good idea.”
“…I’d rather not.”
As if they had rehearsed it beforehand, all three voiced their opposition at the same time.
Maybe because not just one but all three rejected her, Iris looked a little surprised.
She froze as if she couldn’t believe it, then, reading the shared expression on everyone’s faces, lowered her head.
“Oh—s-sorry. You must all be tired… I didn’t think it through. People always say I’m a bit oblivious…”
Iris was well aware of the flaws in her personality. In a romance-fantasy genre dominated by bold, refreshing heroines, the reason someone like clueless Iris could still win readers’ support was precisely because of that.
Her struggling efforts to change herself evoked sympathy, so rather than finding her annoying, more people felt sorry for her.
But knowing your problem and fixing it are entirely different things. After several failed attempts, Iris eventually gave up on making friends.
She gradually improved while dating Duke Lucas, but at the beginning, she was honestly hopeless.
And right now, the Iris sitting next to Karin was that early-version Iris.
“That’s why I don’t have any friends… I read in a book about what friends do together, and it seemed fun, so I just…”
Her gentle violet eyes were on the verge of tears. She sniffled, then buried her face in her hands.
“…Actually, now that I think about it, I’m not that tired. I think I can stay a little longer.”
“…Trying it once wouldn’t be so bad.”
“….”
As Karin answered, Arken followed. He pressed his forehead lightly with his hand.
Duke Lucas said nothing. Resting his chin on one hand, he deliberately averted his gaze, but Iris took that as silent agreement.
“Are you really sure? But…”
“It’s fine. But just once. I’ll be ‘it.’ Hmm… got it. Go ahead and ask.”
Karin volunteered herself like a sacrificial lamb. If someone had lived this long without ever playing twenty questions with friends, what could she do?
Iris stopped crying almost instantly. Then she smiled brightly, like a lost child reunited with her parents.
“Thank you, Karin. Is it a person?”
“Yes.”
“Hmm, a man?”
“Yeah.”
“A famous person?”
“You could say that.”
“Hmm…”
Iris looked deep in thought.
“Your Grace, what do you think? What should I ask?”
Suddenly being dragged into it, the duke looked displeased, but faced with Iris’s wide, innocent eyes, he couldn’t ignore her and gave a short answer.
“Facial hair.”
“Wow, that’s a great idea! Karin, does he have a beard?”
“Did he…?”
“What, you don’t even know and you picked it?”
“No, wait. It’s someone I saw today.”
Did the king have a beard? Maybe he had a short one on his chin.
“…Yes. Definitely.”
“Who is it… I really don’t know. If he’s famous, then maybe—His Highness Baron?”
“Huh?”
Unexpectedly, Iris guessed the answer far too easily.
“That’s right.”
“Wow, I got it!”
Iris practically bounced with joy.
“What business would a young lady have meeting His Highness?”
There was one more unexpected thing. The duke showed interest in the fact that she had met the king today.
Well, I saw him at the meeting earlier. Karin recalled the morning’s events.
A few hours earlier.
When Karin arrived at the conference room, she quietly chose an empty seat and sat down.
She ignored all the sideways glances—those looks that seemed to ask, Why is Karin here?
She fixed her gaze on the door, eagerly waiting for Duke Lucas to arrive. If he came, it meant Arken would be nearby too.
But no matter how much she looked, the face she wanted to see never appeared.
Why isn’t he coming?
At that point, she just assumed the duke was running late.
“Now, let us begin today’s meeting. The first agenda item is…”
So boring. Karin crossed her arms and barely suppressed a yawn.
“…which leaves a budget surplus of five hundred gold. Does anyone have suggestions on how to use it?”
With nothing else to do, Karin slowly scanned the room. Most of the well-dressed nobles looked middle-aged, all wearing solemn and serious expressions.
And one important detail—there wasn’t a single participant her age.
And he sent his daughter here?
What kind of father would send his daughter to a place like this without preparation? And for something as trivial as “just going out”?
Karin grew increasingly annoyed with Duke Tricia. Forget doting father—he clearly valued his own safety more than his daughter. Like father, like daughter.
Shaking her head at the thought of him, the nobles began speaking one by one.
“Let us replace His Highness’s tableware with silver.”
“Rather than that, how about a new bed made of the finest walnut wood? Since a new annex is being built, new furniture will be needed.”
“The festival is approaching. Shall we commission new ceremonial robes for His Highness?”
Everyone was eager to curry favor with the king. Having read the original story, this scene didn’t surprise Karin at all.
“Enough, enough. I understand your intentions… I like them all, so decide among yourselves.”
The man seated at the center of the table spoke in a lifeless voice. Judging by the situation, he was the king of Esmeril.
He seemed just as uninterested in the meeting as Karin. Slumped over like someone sick, his eyes lacked any energy—like overboiled spinach.
The nobles argued among themselves, then eventually agreed to buy all three: the silverware, the bed, and the ceremonial robes.
The moderator looked troubled.
“That will exceed five hundred gold.”
“In that case, shall we reduce the number of knights? These are peaceful times.”
“No.”
It was the king. He shot a glance at the noble who suggested it and firmly objected.
“We cannot reduce the knights.”
All eyes turned to him. Feeling the pressure, the king coughed awkwardly and avoided their gazes.
“Keep the numbers the same. Perhaps reduce their maintenance costs instead.”
After speaking, he sank back into his seat, once again like lifeless spinach.
The more the king distanced himself from governance, the easier it became for the nobles to line their pockets. That was why they flattered him so much.
Even the earlier suggestions were likely schemes to siphon off half the budget.
But whether Esmeril’s treasury ran dry or not had nothing to do with Karin. Resting her chin on her hand, she kept glancing at the door, waiting for Duke Lucas.
…But he never showed up.
After the meeting ended, Karin lingered near the door, hoping he might appear late—but then she overheard someone.
“Is Duke Lucas busy today?”
“He went on a territorial inspection.”
And just like that, her wasted effort came to an end.
Back in the present, Karin deliberately pretended not to hear the duke’s question.
You ignored me before, and now you’re asking questions?
Instead of answering, she congratulated Iris.
“You’re amazing. You got it so fast.”
“That was fun! Let’s do it again sometime.”
Iris smiled brightly. It felt like Karin had suddenly gained a childish younger sister.
“If it was today’s schedule, the only possibility would be the state council meeting. Did you attend that?”
Persistent, isn’t he. Since the duke asked again, Karin reluctantly answered.
“Yes. I went to the meeting. Is there a problem?”
“I’m just surprised. I didn’t know you had any interest in state affairs.”
His tone was half-mocking. Think whatever you want. It wasn’t worth responding to.
Since the game was over, maybe she should get back to what she was doing earlier.
“Iris, I’ll show you somewhere you can rest.”
She hadn’t planned to go this far just for Iris, who liked the duke—but since Iris was unpredictable, it seemed better to separate her from Arken for his sake. Karin wanted him to rest comfortably.
“Your Grace, Arken, you should come too. I’ll arrange rooms for you.”
But… casually calling Arken by name turned out to be a mistake.
“Arken, not Arkenas?”
The duke’s words snapped her back to reality like biting into dry ice.
“I didn’t realize you two were so close.”
If it were anyone else, fine—but she absolutely shouldn’t have used Arken’s nickname in front of the duke.
At the duke’s jab, Arken immediately protested.
“That’s not the case. We only met once when she visited the estate. More importantly, I assumed you were the one who told her my name.”
Only once? Then why leave out the ball?!
Karin pouted deeply, feeling hurt.
“I have no reason to go around sharing your name.”
The duke replied curtly.
“Alright, that’s enough.”
Karin tried to end the conversation here. She had no intention whatsoever of explaining how she came to know Arken’s nickname.
But the duke ignored her.
“When exactly did the young lady visit your estate? This is the first I’m hearing of it.”
Wait… what?
This wasn’t about nicknames anymore. The duke was very interested—specifically in the fact that Karin had visited the estate.
No, no, no! What is happening?!
At this rate, everything that happened during her first meeting with Arken would be exposed—
By Arken himself.
In front of everyone.
Karin silently screamed, clutching her cheeks.
