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Chapter 4
Twitch.
The corners of Miti’s eyes trembled, and the corners of her lips twitched.
“What did this man just say?”
At the obvious provocation, the instinct hidden deep inside her tried to bare its fangs.
Miti clenched her teeth tightly to stop herself from swearing.
“No. Minachelti is a timid fool who can’t even speak up when she’s treated unfairly.”
“Oh, so you mean the rumor that I’m an easy woman?”
But clenching her teeth was not enough to suppress her true personality.
Even though Miti’s tone had become sharp, Count Kirchhoff still wore a calm smile.
“If I had known you were such a proud lady, I would have prepared myself better before approaching you.”
“It seems you judged me too easily just from rumors. Unlike what I heard, you’re pretty quick to believe gossip.”
The Count turned slightly toward her.
The sound of his perfectly pressed suit shifting brushed against her ears.
Their eyes met.
Count Kirchhoff trapped people with emotionless eyes while smiling lazily.
“I’m the type of person who believes there’s no smoke without fire.”
“In that case, you should first check who started the fire.”
At Miti’s reply, Count Kirchhoff laughed softly. His smooth smile was extremely annoying.
“Do you perhaps dislike me?”
The Count whispered quietly.
Miti clenched her fists. Her heart tried to beat faster as if it were a natural instinct engraved into her body.
Miti resisted her body’s reaction.
Even if she played along with him, she refused to foolishly fall for that smile like Minachelti would have.
“The one who likes that face is Minachelti, not me.”
She barely regained her composure.
“I’m not sure why you would think that.”
Miti smiled lightly and gave an unclear answer.
As if responding to her, the Count’s smile deepened.
“Then that is a relief. Because I quite like you.”
“You probably like something other than me.”
“I hope there is something in my estate that can win your favor.”
The Count naturally ignored Miti’s comment and began walking again.
“Do you like jewels?”
“Do I look like a vain woman to you?”
“Then what do you like?”
“Try guessing.”
Miti deliberately acted coldly, trying to put the Count in a difficult position.
But the Count was not an easy opponent.
“How about this?”
Without showing even the slightest panic, he smiled calmly and escaped the situation smoothly like a snake.
“This is an eastern weapon called a guandao. Do you like things like this?”
The Count tested her teasingly.
On the wall hung a long weapon that looked similar to a spear.
“A guandao?”
“My.”
The Count slightly raised his brows in surprise.
“I let my guard down.”
Miti immediately admitted her mistake to herself.
But even if she tried not to care, the weapon hanging on the wall looked too unique.
The elegant curved blade, the knot tied at the end of the shaft, and the red tassel were unlike anything she had ever seen before.
“This is the first time I’ve met a lady interested in weapons.”
“Have countless women visited this place?”
Miti sharply answered his teasing.
“Are you jealous?”
“No?”
“That’s a little disappointing.”
The Count shrugged while avoiding a clear answer again.
Miti narrowed her eyes, feeling like she was constantly being led around by him.
“Take a closer look.”
Just as she was about to snap back at him, the Count stepped slightly aside.
Because of that, she missed the timing to attack him verbally.
Miti glanced briefly at his side profile before quietly stepping into the place where he had been standing.
“I-I’m only looking because you told me to.”
Between the crossed guandaos hung a short dagger horizontally.
“This shining decoration is called mother-of-pearl.”
The Count immediately noticed where her eyes had landed and explained.
It hurt her pride a little that he noticed her interest so easily, but the decoration really was beautiful.
“Do you like it?”
“Hm?”
“If you like it, I can get one for you the next time a ship arrives.”
The Count lowered his eyes seductively.
Miti stared at him as if enchanted by a demon before suddenly frowning.
“If I want one, I’ll get it myself.”
“It would simply be a gift without hidden intentions.”
“I don’t believe in gifts without hidden intentions.”
Miti answered coldly on purpose, then quickly looked back at the things hanging on the wall as if escaping.
“The patterns are incredibly detailed.”
Her hand naturally reached toward the blade.
At that moment, the Count grabbed her hand.
“You’ll get hurt.”
His low voice fell from above her head.
Startled, Miti quickly turned her head. The Count, who had been beside her only moments ago, was now standing behind her.
“It may look like decoration, but the blade has been sharpened. If someone wished, it could even cut off a person’s head.”
“……”
“It’s dangerous, so don’t touch it.”
Miti blinked slowly.
“He’s close.”
It took her a moment to realize that she was trapped inside his arms.
It would not have been strange to say she was practically being embraced by him.
“You’re daydreaming again.”
The Count noticed how busy her thoughts were, and one of his brows twisted slightly.
Miti’s face instantly turned bright red from seeing his face so closely.
Flustered, she hurriedly escaped from his arms.
“Why are you suddenly standing behind people like that?”
“Your face is red.”
“So what?”
“I’m just saying.”
The Count calmly answered her sharp reply.
“I thought you disliked me, but it seems that’s not completely true.”
Then he smiled crookedly and mocked her.
Miti glared at him before pointing past his shoulder.
She thought it would be better to change the topic completely.
“What’s that?”
“You’re very skilled at changing the subject.”
Still refusing to let the matter go, Count Kirchhoff followed the direction of her finger with his gaze.
“That is…”
For a moment, the Count’s smooth expression crumpled.
“So that woman even brought this out.”
He muttered quietly and quickly. If Miti’s hearing had not been good, she would not have heard it.
At the same time, the cold aura flowing from the Count made her chest turn cold for a moment.
“So that’s his true nature.”
But Count Kirchhoff quickly fixed his expression again.
He must have remembered she was standing beside him.
“Would you like to see it up close?”
This way.
The Count guided Miti forward.
Slightly nervous, she followed him closer to the opposite wall.
But the moment Miti saw what was hanging there, her mouth fell open. Her nervousness disappeared completely.
“Wow!”
Hanging on the wall stand was a sword.
The blade shone so clearly it almost looked white, and the carefully crafted jewels decorating the handle looked elegant.
“That’s an incredibly beautiful sword.”
Miti quietly muttered without taking her eyes off it.
She truly meant it.
“It is a treasured sword passed down through the family for generations.”
The curves of the metal flowing like waves along the dark blue sheath, worn beautifully by age, were mesmerizing.
“Normally it is not displayed outside and is kept separately in my room, but it seems Miss Erhael accidentally brought it out. I should have it returned shortly.”
After explaining quickly, the Count carefully removed the sword from the wall with both hands.
The way he returned the blade into its sheath was extremely careful.
“It feels a little wasteful for such an amazing sword to only be used as decoration.”
Miti watched him with regretful eyes while quietly speaking.
She still could not take her eyes off the sword.
“I want to swing it.”
It felt as if her instincts were screaming at her to hold the sword.
No.
It felt as though the sword itself was tempting her to touch it.
“Would you like to hold it?”
“Huh?”
Miti widened her eyes, thinking she had accidentally spoken her thoughts aloud again.
“You seem to like it very much.”
“But you said it was a treasured sword.”
“It’s fine if you only hold it briefly.”
Count Kirchhoff smiled softly.
Then he truly held the sword out toward her.
For the first time, Miti welcomed one of his tricks.
At his sweet offer, her heart trembled and her fingertips twitched.
“I-It would also be rude to refuse when someone kindly offers.”
Pretending to stay cold, Miti reached for the sword handle he offered.
The tightly wrapped leather fit softly into her palm.
As if it had originally belonged to her.
“Wow……”
Miti held the handle tightly with both hands, completely enchanted.
Despite how heavy it looked, it barely felt heavy at all. It felt like she could swing this sword thousands of times.
“It’s seriously amazing…”
Still admiring it endlessly, she took a stance and lightly drew an arc through the air with the blade.
The sword sliced through the air without resistance.
“It truly is a fine sword. This sword—”
At that moment—
The jewel in the sword’s handle suddenly flashed brightly.
At the same time, a violent wind exploded outward.
[Break apart.]
