AOL 32

Chapter 32

At Laahan’s words, Isel’s eyes widened.

Leo and Count Blisha also looked back and forth between Isel and Laahan with faces that said they couldn’t believe what they were hearing.

Their gazes demanding an explanation were intense, but Isel was busy retracing every word she had said.

When did I ever make a promise with His Grace the Duke?

No matter how much she thought about it, she had no memory of saying anything like that.

All she had said when they met last time was…

Could he have interpreted “please help me” that way?

Isel inhaled sharply, suddenly realizing that it might indeed be possible.

A proposal from the Duke of Kanos would certainly be helpful in this situation.

No matter how reckless Cezar Resian was, he could not simply ignore a ducal house.

But Isel had never once considered such a thing, nor had she intended her words as a request for something like that.

Her face slowly filled with distress.

Watching her, Laahan smiled faintly, while Leo and Count Blisha looked as if they had just been struck on the back of the head.

“Isel, is what His Grace the Duke said true?”

Isel almost immediately shook her head—but then her eyes met Laahan’s.

How do I even clear up this misunderstanding…?

Feeling flustered, her eyes darted around.

“I, well, that is…”

“You seem quite embarrassed in front of the Count and Sir Leo.”

Laahan’s tone made it sound like a conclusion, and both the Count and Leo looked shocked.

Before Isel could explain, Laahan continued speaking.

“If it is not too much trouble, may I speak with the young lady alone?”

Still dazed, Leo and Count Blisha replied blankly.

“Pardon…?”

“I noticed the garden earlier. Would you mind showing it to me?”

The Count couldn’t say either “yes” or “no” and just stared at the Duke of Kanos. But Isel thought it might actually be better this way and nodded.

“Yes. All right.”

First, she would clear up the Duke’s misunderstanding, and then explain everything to her brother and father later.

Laahan smiled gently at her acceptance and stood up.

Leaving the stunned Count Blisha and Leo behind, the two walked side by side out of the manor toward the garden.

Bright sunlight poured down over the silent garden. There was no sign of servants or knights anywhere.

In the quiet afternoon stillness, only the sound of their footsteps brushing against the stone path echoed softly.

The flowers blooming among low shrubs were all well maintained.

It was the garden of the late Countess Blisha, whose tastes had long remained unchanged.

Rather than flashy or extravagant flowers, it was composed of modest, pure-colored blooms arranged beautifully.

Laahan looked around leisurely, matching his pace with Isel.

Watching him, Isel carefully spoke.

“Um… Your Grace.”

“Yes, Isel.”

“I think there’s been a misunderstanding.”

At her words, Laahan stopped walking and turned toward her.

“What I said that day was, I mean…”

Not knowing how to continue, Isel hesitated.

While she struggled, Laahan called her name in a low voice.

“Isel.”

“Yes?”

“Do you… dislike the idea of marrying me?”

“W-what?”

Caught off guard, Isel stammered.

“If you dislike me that much…”

Laahan trailed off, his eyes lowering faintly. His clear eyes shimmered with sadness.

He looked like a puppy that had been scolded by its owner.

Isel shook her head quickly.

“No! That’s not it!”

At her hurried denial, Laahan lifted his gaze.

“I’ve just… never really thought about marriage before, so it was all too sudden.”

It wasn’t a lie she said to soften things—it was the truth.

Marriage, let alone romance or friendship, was something like a distant foreign story to her.

Isel’s world had been like a secluded island. The only people she had ever met outside her family and manor staff were Seres and Laahan.

And Laahan had been an unexpected presence who entered that narrow world.

At her calm explanation, warmth returned to Laahan’s face.

“So you don’t dislike me, then.”

He leaned forward slightly, meeting her eyes. His golden gaze held her completely.

Isel’s cheeks turned red.

She didn’t dislike him. To Isel, the Duke of Kanos was unusually kind and gentle. He was also someone who had saved her life more than once.

“…No,” she answered softly.

At her answer, Laahan’s eyes curved gently.

“That is enough for now.”

A cool breeze passed between them. The sound of leaves brushing together drifted in the distance.

Isel stared blankly at Laahan. She didn’t know why, but she couldn’t take her eyes off him.

Laahan spoke again.

“I will work hard so that you come to like me.”

Isel tilted her head slightly.

Work hard…? What did that mean?

Even as she looked at his face trying to understand, he only smiled mysteriously.

She would understand the meaning of his “effort” not long after.

From the very next day, the Duke of Kanos began visiting the Blisha household every single day.

***

“What did you say?”

“I said I know nothing.”

At Seres’ firm denial, the priest’s face stiffened like stone. Seres pretended not to see it and looked away.

He looked calm on the surface, but sweat was already running down his back.

As always, he was preparing to open his workshop, engraving a newly made carving knife set.

He had brewed his favorite herbal tea, and a cool autumn breeze drifted in from outside—everything was peaceful.

But that peace had been shattered by the priest and holy knights who had stormed into his workshop.

It was the first time a priest had ever come to his place, so Seres couldn’t help but widen his eyes.

What business would a priest have in a workshop like this?

The group, who identified themselves as being from the temple, immediately began questioning him about the sculptor “El.”

They said they had come after hearing Seres had been supplying El’s sculptures to auction houses.

Though his neck had gone cold with fear, Seres immediately denied everything.

“How could I possibly know anything? I don’t even know his face or where he lives.”

The priest, clearly frustrated, pressed him further.

“I am simply the person who delivers works to the auction house. I have no personal connection with him.”

“When was the last time you saw him?”

The priest asked desperately, as if grasping at straws.

It seemed they had no intention of giving up easily. Seres swallowed nervously and pretended to think.

“Well… I don’t really remember.”

It pricked his conscience a bit to lie to a servant of the gods, but he couldn’t reveal Isel’s identity.

“What? You’re saying you don’t remember? You only recently delivered his sculptures!”

“That was something requested a long time ago…”

“So he will come to this workshop again, correct? He should be due by now.”

At the priest’s relentless questioning, Seres felt panic rising.

“He always wears a hood and I’ve never even seen his face.”

“Then what about his height, build, and voice?”

“His build is like a mountain, and his voice is as rough as if he plowed fields.”

The absurd answer made the priest and knights frown in unison.

“Hey.”

One of the knights stepped forward, drawing his sword.

The scraping sound of steel leaving its sheath felt unreal.

Seres’ eyes widened.

The sharp blade was pointed directly at him. The knight had placed it at Seres’ throat.

“What… is the meaning of this?”

“If you do not answer truthfully, understand that this is not a joke. This is a serious matter.”

The knight’s voice was cold as steel.

The workshop was filled with suffocating tension.

At that moment—

Jingle.

The door opened.

All heads turned at once.

Two visitors stood at the entrance: a man in plain clothes and a woman wearing a hood.

Seres recognized them immediately and barely stopped himself from shouting.

It was Laahan and Isel.

He had no idea why the two of them were together, but right now, he needed to get out of this situation first.

Please, just act like customers!

But unfortunately, Isel could not read minds.

From beneath her hood, her clear voice rang out.

“Master?”