BVWG 18

chapter 18

Inside the Knight Commander’s office, the only sound that pierced the air was the whistling of daggers, slicing through the silence as if cutting through the walls themselves.

Until now, the daggers Barrett had thrown had never missed the exact center of the target. Somehow, that made him even more threatening.

“It seems I’ve come at an inopportune time. I should have arranged an appointment before meeting someone as busy as the Knight Commander. My apologies for the intrusion.”

I decided to take a step back. Perhaps it was better to postpone this meeting for another time.

This time, however, his hand wavered slightly as he threw the dagger. For the first time, the blade missed the bullseye by a hair.

Barrett subtly observed me from the corner of his eye. The sunlight streaming in from behind him cast a shadow over his violet eyes.

I waited quietly for his reaction. Had my polite greeting had any effect?

But soon, Barrett resumed throwing daggers, each one piercing the center of the target with perfect precision.

I began to feel annoyed. His behavior—provoking me so subtly without violating etiquette—felt sly and irritating.

With people like him, the only solution was to confront them head-on.

“Shouldn’t one at least respond when someone speaks to them?”

At last, Barrett spoke, still keeping his gaze fixed on the target.

“How surprising. To see you behave with such courtesy and step back so politely.”

“Did you expect me to cause a scene here?”

“To be honest… yes.”

“Why would I act that way upon our first meeting?”

“Well, for one, you came here without an appointment… and I must admit, I had some preconceived notions about the princess based on what I had heard.”

So, my notorious reputation had reached Barrett’s ears as well. Not surprising.

Yet, when he pointed out my misstep, there was a subtle contempt in his tone. And still, he refused to look at me.

“And it seems you still haven’t shaken those preconceived notions.”

I sneered.

“…Are they really incorrect? Not the truth?”

Barrett threw another dagger at the target with a disdainful air. The blade sliced through the cold tension between us and pierced the bullseye with a chilling sound.

Ah, this man keeps pushing all my buttons. I silently forced myself not to shout, summoning every ounce of patience.

We were strangers. I had to endure. Endure. Endure.

“If you would look at me, I’ll answer you honestly.”

I was indirectly reminding him that eye contact was proper when conversing. Of course, I had been rude first, so technically, I was not following imperial etiquette either.

Yet Barrett, heir of the Judyjum Ducal family, valuing justice and manners, seemed extremely displeased at being corrected by a notorious villainess.

He clenched his fists, took a deep breath as though restraining himself, and finally met my gaze.

A sudden pang of regret hit me. His violet eyes looked so dangerous.

‘Is he imagining choking me with those hands?’

I swallowed nervously.

As a member of the Judyjum family, I had hoped Barrett would show some courtesy, but in reality, he resembled a wild animal barely tamed by etiquette lessons.

A spark of anger ignited in his violet eyes.

I fought the urge to step back. Wild animals instinctively chase prey when it attempts to flee, so I couldn’t afford to show weakness here.

Barrett strode toward me, each long step radiating anger.

I instinctively squeezed my eyes shut. A whiff of citrus reached me.

“If I inadvertently offended you, Princess, I apologize. Shall we resume our previous conversation?”

His tone was still polite, low, and firm. Had I not seen his eyes earlier, I might not have noticed his anger at all.

I opened my eyes, irritated at having closed them even briefly. There, before me, was his well-defined collarbone.

I gathered myself and lifted my head to see his handsome face.

‘Even his face distracts the argument.’

Even so, I silently assessed his features while steadying my posture.

“You’re finally looking at me. It seems we’ve misstepped in starting this meeting. Shall we try again?”

Even if I smiled prettily now, I knew he might see it as insane given the circumstances.

Still, I tried my best, smiling charmingly. A smiling face can disarm, after all.

Internally, I repeated a mantra:

‘This man is a candidate. A candidate. A candidate.’

Had he not been a candidate, I would not have endured my own treatment this patiently.

But the man before me seemed a formidable opponent. Flattery would likely not work.

“Are you well under the protection of the White Dragon, Knight Commander? I am Asha Esperanza. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

I tilted my lips in a subtle, charming smile. Barrett’s violet eyes flickered slightly, as if surprised by my approach.

“What exactly are you trying to do now?”

He asked politely, with a faint blush. The content of his words wasn’t polite at all, yet somehow the delivery made it seem so—a skill of his, it seemed.

“I’m just trying to fix the first impression between us. Did you receive the letter I sent you?”

Ignoring his incredulous expression, I spoke.

“Yes, I received it. You mean the letter disguised as a friendly note, I suppose?”

This time, it was my turn to be stunned.

“A letter disguised as a friendly note?”

“Previously, you agreed to be honest if I spoke to you directly. So, are all the rumors about you false?”

“No, there may be some exaggeration, but they are largely true.”

I calmly admitted to being a villainess.

The Princess of Esperanza routinely crushed people’s spirits, vented on subordinates, and indulged in every luxury under her family’s influence.

That was my reputation. Even if I was trying to change now, the past could not be denied. There was no reason to feel wronged by such reports.

‘Well, maybe the part about luxury is slightly unfair…’

In this life, I had developed a fondness for jewels. I had used my allowance from the Duke of Esperanza to collect famous jewels, gradually leading to rumors of my extravagance.

Until now, I hadn’t cared about my reputation. That was, until I needed to establish a connection with this man.

I needed to clarify Barrett’s absurd assumptions.

“I sent a friendly note to the Knight Commander for the sake of camaraderie. Which part made you think it was a love letter?”

Barrett frowned, then twisted into a crooked smile.

“Since you value honesty, Princess, I will briefly cast aside formality—my apologies in advance.”

The mask of his courtesy cracked immediately.

“You are showing interest in me, aren’t you?”

His contemptuous smile deepened.

“Now that you are of marriageable age, and our families are roughly equal in status, you’ve likely singled me out as a potential husband.”

His deduction, close to the truth, caught me off guard.

“But as you can see, I have no intention of pursuing a relationship with you. So cease your efforts and withdraw your attention from me.”

‘Harsh… but astute.’

He had instantly discerned my attempt to extract a proposal, though for slightly different reasons than he assumed.

Even if his conclusion was correct, I had to deny it. He clearly wouldn’t favor a woman approaching him in that manner.

“You’re mistaken. I do have interest in you, Knight Commander—but your reasoning is wrong.”

Barrett seemed eager to see how far my nonsense would go.

“I’ve heard many rumors of your sense of justice, Knight Commander.”

I returned his crooked smile with the friendliest one I could muster.

“I wished to reflect on my past and, in doing so, befriend someone as admirable as you and emulate them.”

“So all of it was a misunderstanding?”

Barrett stepped back, waiting for my response.

“Yes. That letter I sent you was simply a friendly note, nothing more.”

Barrett returned to his desk.

“Then I have been at fault. I apologize for my impertinence at our first meeting. I hope the Judyjum and Esperanza families can maintain friendly relations in the future.”

He resumed polite formality, though his tone suggested he didn’t believe me at all. Perhaps, the truth of my words didn’t matter to him.

“Then your visit has been resolved. Travel safely, and may the White Dragon protect you.”

Barrett saluted me from a distance, like a true knight, and returned to his dagger throwing.

His ruthlessness, despite impeccable manners, was infuriating. I had no reason to stay any longer.

Yet my mood wouldn’t allow me to leave.

“You haven’t gone yet, have you?”

Even as he threw daggers, he urged me to leave.

That comment irritated me further, so I stopped in my tracks. His infuriating remark had hit my nerve.

Then, my eyes caught a glass vase on the table by the door.

It sparkled transparently, reflecting the sunlight, fitting perfectly with the noble ambiance of the Knight Commander’s office.

I decided to vent my twisted mood here. Since Barrett had treated me as a villainess, it was only fitting to display a bit of my villainous self.

“Then may the Knight Commander of Judyjum also remain under the protection of the White Dragon.”

I pretended to turn and leave, deliberately stepping slightly off balance.