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Chapter 45
“Be honest, Damia. Do you truly like him?”
“Arsen, are you asking that just because you’re jealous? Stop wasting time and just give me the cards.”
Damia’s indifferent response slowly chipped away at Cassian’s firm conviction.
‘Why won’t she boldly declare that she likes me in front of that brat?’
A mixture of resentment and disappointment welled up to his throat.
“Young Viscount, until a moment ago, Romi was here as well.”
“You don’t need to explain.”
“The door was left open, so there was nothing that could compromise Miss Damia’s honor.”
The butler fidgeted nervously, perhaps noticing the unusual expression on Cassian’s face, and tried to explain.
But Cassian didn’t care. He wasn’t angry about his fiancée’s somewhat free-spirited behavior.
It was just…
“Damia.”
Cassian finally managed to restrain the irrational anger he couldn’t explain and called to his fiancée in a low voice.
Without waiting for a reply, he stepped into the room.
He could no longer stand by and let those two continue their chatter.
“Young Viscount?”
Damia startled and rose from her seat.
The formal tone in her address twisted Cassian’s perfectly sculpted brows.
‘She calls that black-hearted brat by his name, yet insists on “Young Viscount” for me.’
Cassian had already given her permission to call him more casually. But the girl insisted on the formal title.
He had always been bothered by it, but now it felt utterly intolerable.
Every other young lady, without exception, was desperate to address him as “Lord Cassian.” Even today, Vivian Rosen had tried.
Why was Damia the only one acting so unpredictably?
She had confessed her love for him and, to the public, was even his fiancée.
“What’s the matter? Didn’t you say you had something urgent today?”
Damia’s room was a space he had personally overseen renovations for.
Yet aside from inspecting it once after the work was finished, he hadn’t been inside.
It was considered her private space.
‘And yet… he let that sly brat in?’
The boy who claimed to be her childhood friend, the one who sent her audacious letters suggesting they live together in the Kingdom of Rodion…
“Young Viscount?”
Damia’s violet eyes narrowed. In her white hands, she held a set of cards, perhaps in the middle of a game.
“Who is that? I haven’t seen him before.”
Cassian forced a casual tone and indicated the boy with his chin.
Arsen Cadis.
He knew all too well who he was, but could not reveal it.
“Ah, hello, Young Viscount. Sorry for the late introduction.”
The boy had light brown hair and sky-blue eyes, a handsome appearance.
He placed the cards on the table and stood up slowly.
His friendly smile revealed no trace of selfishness.
“I am Arsen Cadis. I came from the Kingdom of Rodion and have been very close with Damia since childhood.”
“……”
“You’re the Young Viscount of Sarkis, correct? I’ve heard quite a bit about you… well, not too much, just enough.”
Even though he was ugly, that half-hearted praise made it even more irritating.
Cassian’s fiancée, with her extremely picky aesthetic tastes, wasn’t friendless; she simply kept only those who met her high standards close.
For a moment, that absurd thought felt surprisingly plausible—the boy was undeniably good-looking.
‘She was flirting with that guy?’
An unexplainable rage flared like wildfire in Cassian’s chest.
His hands trembled slightly from the intensity of the feeling, the first time he had ever felt such a strong emotion.
“I’ve heard you’ve helped Damia in many ways. Thank you very much.”
Why are you thanking me?
Damia Ponti is my fiancée!
Cassian’s crimson eyes flickered with uncontrollable agitation.
“My one and only close friend is Arsen.”
“Really? I don’t think I’d heard that before.”
“He came all the way from the Kingdom of Rodion to celebrate my birthday.”
“…Your birthday is still far away, Damia.”
At that, Arsen smiled faintly and spoke.
“I had planned to accompany my father on his trip to the Empire, but I came alone first because I wanted to see Damia.”
What? He came because he wanted to see her? He had the audacity to say that in front of his fiancée?
To prevent such a scandalous situation in the future, Cassian considered that legal measures might be necessary to prevent a minor from crossing the border alone.
“I was also curious to see what kind of person my longtime friend’s fiancée was.”
And what does being curious have to do with anything?
Cassian boiled inside, but Arsen smiled sweetly with his eyes closed.
“But what brings you here, Young Viscount? Didn’t you say you were busy today?”
“You said earlier that you missed her since you hadn’t seen her in a while, and now you have to leave already?”
Cassian’s tone was deliberately confrontational, and for a moment, Arsen’s cheeks stiffened.
“Oh, right. But you didn’t need to come all the way here. It must have been inconvenient.”
Then Arsen chuckled lightly—a smile that seemed slightly mocking, incongruous with his angelic appearance.
“Am I… in the way?”
Cassian immediately regretted speaking without thinking.
This makes me look jealous! Didn’t we agree not to interfere in each other’s private lives?
“In the way? Not at all… Ah, Young Viscount, would you like to join our card game?”
“What?”
“After this round, we can play together. I’m winning, so I need to finish this round first.”
This time, Arsen’s pretty face twisted into a grimace.
At the same moment, Cassian’s corner of the mouth twitched upward.
He didn’t particularly want to participate in a childish card game, but he couldn’t leave the two alone…
“Damia, the Young Viscount isn’t interested in these games. He’s far too mature, isn’t he?”
“Yeah, that’s right.”
“He’d probably find it childish. Better not ask him.”
“Well, I guess so.”
No! I could’ve asked him properly, and he might have agreed! He didn’t particularly want to play, but he would have, for your sake!
“The Young Viscount is here, so let’s stop the game.”
“But I was winning…”
“You’ll be staying at our house for a few days anyway. We can play later.”
That shocking statement tightened Cassian’s chest like a vice.
“…What did you just say?”
Damia tilted her head in surprise at his cold tone.
“Oh, I came before the rest of my family, so I don’t have a proper place to stay at the moment. I’ll be at the Fonti residence for a few days.”
Arsen Cadis replied calmly, unbothered.
“The Fonti Lord permitted it. After all, we are childhood friends.”
There was even a faint sense of superiority in the subtle smile on Arsen’s handsome face.
‘How long is he going to keep hiding behind the “childhood friend” excuse?’
Cassian’s crimson eyes blazed with rage. His muscles tensed and his teeth clenched so tightly that he tasted a hint of blood.
Even his heart, slowed by the dragon’s curse, suddenly felt like it was racing.
Whether it was mere illusion or his heart truly reacting to anger, he couldn’t tell.
He felt a jealousy so intense it was almost demonic.
Wait… jealousy?
Cassian was startled to realize he had unconsciously labeled his boiling anger as jealousy.
Ridiculous. This isn’t jealousy.
‘Then what is it?’
Cassian’s trembling gaze shifted to Damia.
His eyes landed on her rosy cheeks, her now shinier silver hair, and her still-slender shoulders.
Seeing her like that made a part of his heart ache. And reflexively, he felt a sense of relief.
‘Yes… this isn’t jealousy.’
He still felt pity for Damia.
That was why, like an older brother, he worried about her every move.
His concern had gone a little too far, turning into anger at that black-hearted brat.
With that simple realization, Cassian’s breathing evened out. He regained his composure.
“I never gave permission, you know?”
Instead of raising his voice awkwardly, Cassian asked arrogantly, as if he were truly Damia Ponti’s rightful fiancé.
