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Chapter 16
“What’s this? Were you two secretly enjoying a tryst behind my back?”
The man who entered was Felix Terrelair, the Marquis of Terrelair.
El shook her head violently to make it clear there was nothing of that sort between them, but the twitching corner of Felix’s mouth already showed he was itching to tease them.
Caron turned away, looking as if he was used to Felix’s antics.
“What if you’d walked in on something worse?”
At Caron’s crooked remark, Felix let out a sharp, mocking laugh.
“You win, you win. Anyway, I have something very urgent to discuss with you… Would you excuse us, Miss El?”
The last words were directed not at Caron, but at El.
The moment Felix called her name so kindly, Caron’s expression stiffened ever so slightly—but no one noticed.
El gave a small nod in reply.
“So, I’ve got her permission, yes?”
Felix, having received her approval, pulled Caron outside even before El had a chance to leave.
Left alone in a daze, El sighed faintly and pulled out the document tucked into her dress.
It was the title deed she had yet to sign.
Felix only let go of Caron once they reached a deserted place, and he quickly looked around.
“There’s no way you actually have something urgent to say.”
Caron, who had followed Felix obediently, leaned against the wall, tilting his head with a crooked smile.
The reason for Felix’s sudden appearance was obvious. It was probably the same as why he had barged in and made a scene last night.
Caron found Felix’s behavior both absurd and irritating.
Even so, he endured it for one reason only—the very reason Felix relied on. Caron counted Felix as one of his very few true friends.
“There is something.”
“What is it?”
“First of all… why is her name El?”
“Just because.”
Caron widened his eyes as if he hadn’t expected that question, then quickly curved them into a sly smile.
The look made him seem like a devil who could see straight through Felix’s heart.
Perhaps because of that, Felix grew agitated and flailed his arms violently.
“Don’t spout nonsense! We both know there’s only one El!”
“Well, now there are two.”
“You seriously gave her that name without a second thought? …Though knowing you, I guess it’s possible.”
Felix exhaled deeply, calming his excitement. He was used to Caron’s unpredictability, but this felt a little extreme.
“Right. All I thought about was quickly giving her a name to put a leash on her.”
“And you chose to give her Asella’s nickname? That’s cruel, even for you.”
The reason Felix was so agitated was because El’s name happened to be none other than Asella’s pet name.
Caron had only two people he truly called friends: Felix and Asella.
And yet he had casually given Asella’s nickname to a woman he’d just met.
It was outrageous to Felix.
“What meaning does a name have anyway? If you’re just going to nitpick, you can leave.”
Caron shrugged, pushing off from the wall with a disappointed look.
It was about time to get to the point. Felix studied Caron’s face carefully before speaking slowly.
“What’s your purpose in bringing that woman here? It’s obviously not romantic.”
“And how do you know that?”
“Anyone from the Terrelair family should be skilled at reading people. Don’t insult me. What’s your aim?”
“Collaboration.”
“If you don’t tell me, I’ll put it in the paper.”
Felix pulled a notebook and pen from his pocket, mock-threatening him.
Caron let out a disdainful laugh, snatched them away, and smoothly wrote something before handing them back.
Felix read the words aloud.
“Bait, trap, and justification.”
“Do you understand a little now?”
Felix’s expression shifted from shock to sharp displeasure.
He was deeply disappointed in Caron. To use a person as bait?
The image of the woman trapped in her room, staring anxiously at the title deed, flashed in his mind and stoked his anger.
“You… you’re even more of a bastard than I thought.”
“You only realized that now? You’re a slow learner.”
Caron lifted his chin arrogantly, a smirk playing on his lips, as if daring Felix to say more.
“…So that’s why you’re keeping El confined?”
“I told you yesterday.”
“You said it wasn’t my concern, but you never explained.”
“More importantly—have you changed your mind?”
Caron’s taunting question hardened Felix’s expression.
“No. I’m even more resolved. I don’t want her imprisoned in this mansion. I’d rather take her with me.”
“I never imprisoned El.”
“What are you talking about? I clearly—!”
“I told you yesterday. She couldn’t leave because of you.”
“……”
It was true. Caron couldn’t let El be seen by outsiders yet.
She hadn’t agreed to participate in his plan, and introducing her to Felix could have triggered unpredictable complications.
And for Caron, any situation outside his control was a dangerous one. Such moments usually meant a brush with death.
“Unless you’re planning to hand me another sacrificial lamb, don’t go around saying you’ll take El away.”
“…Caron.”
“You know what I’m trying to achieve through her. You can’t just recklessly oppose my plan. Isn’t that right?”
Caron was right.
Felix, as his closest friend, had witnessed Caron’s pain more than anyone.
He fully understood that Caron intended to use El to expose the traitors of House Fayros.
Those people were always plotting his death, watching him like hawks—so for the stability of Fayros, it was indeed a necessary step.
But Felix had already met El. They had exchanged names and greetings.
He couldn’t see her merely as bait. He couldn’t see her merely as a trap.
Felix murmured, unable to hide his conflicted heart.
“Caron. What you really need are justification and proof.”
“Exactly. El can give me both—if she accepts my deal.”
“And you think she will?”
“She won’t have a choice.”
A luxurious mansion, servants at her beck and call, glittering gold coins, meals so lavish they burst the stomach—who in their right mind would choose to go back to the forest after tasting this?
In Caron’s world, not a single person ever had.
The sun was sinking low by the time El still hadn’t seen Caron. Even if she had, she doubted she could say anything.
Resting her chin on the terrace railing, she quietly gazed at the setting sun.
The life of luxury was unfamiliar to her. On the other hand, life in the dark forest had been excruciating—but it was what she knew.
“……”
“Young lady.”
“Sorry, Ena. I want to be alone.”
“The master must have been busy with urgent matters.”
“That’s not why. Don’t worry, I’m fine.”
At her insistence, Ena reluctantly forced her steps away and left the room.
Left alone, El began pulling out the cumbersome ornaments in her hair one by one, laying them on the railing.
Every single one was ornate.
The maids constantly praised how well lavish things suited her, but El felt they only emphasized her plainness, making her shrink with embarrassment.
“My head hurts…”
Pressing her aching scalp with her fingertips, El leaned her forehead against the cool railing. The chill soothed her slightly.
Her hair had been tightly bound all day, weighed down by countless decorations, pulling painfully at her scalp.
The dresses were all the same too—extravagant designs with endless layers of fabric.
She knew it was all excessive luxury.
And yet, sometimes she felt sudden waves of shame, as if she were standing naked before people.
How ridiculous must she look, dressed in clothes that didn’t suit her?
“…Hm?”
Suddenly, her eyes caught a flash of red below the terrace—hair redder than the evening sky.
“Mind if I come up?”
The man mouthing the words was none other than Marquis Felix Terrelair.
El quickly looked around, then gave a small nod.
Once again, Felix boldly climbed the wall up to her terrace.
“Honestly, I thought you’d refuse.”
“I… had something I wanted to ask.”
“Something you’re curious about? Go ahead.”
With a friendly smile, Felix strode into the room as if it were his own and plopped onto the sofa.
El cautiously sat across from him, awkwardly beginning,
“I… I was taught that it’s proper etiquette to serve tea to a guest…”
“Etiquette? Please. I climbed up your wall—does that sound proper to you? Let’s just say we’re both equally ill-mannered and call it even.”
“Uh… y-yes.”
Startled, El blinked her round eyes, then let out a small, timid smile.
At first, she thought his boldness meant he was looking down on her—but it seemed he was simply a man who lived by his own whims.
To be continued…
