IYSPF 08

 Chapter 08 — A Trivial Thing Called Love

After receiving an enormous quantity of gemstones from Duke Valoran, I couldn’t sleep all night.

Just looking at the gemstone crates piled high in the hall made my heart race and my hands tremble. There was no way I could simply lie still. I decided that as soon as morning came, I would go see the Duke.

“His Grace asked that you accept them without feeling burdened.”

“Wait a moment, Sir Spen. I’m asking the Duke to supply gemstones in advance, not to give them to me for free. If I can’t sell all of these, they’ll become my debt.”

“Well…”

“Please tell His Grace that I’ll come see him tomorrow. Have a safe journey.”

Maybe I had been too cold toward Sir Spen.

He hadn’t done anything wrong.

He was simply carrying out his master’s orders.

As soon as dawn broke, I put on the neatest outfit in my wardrobe and climbed into the carriage.

After traveling far beyond the capital, we passed through the forest where I’d first met the Duke in his wolf form, and before long, the gray Valoran Ducal Estate came into view.

But…

Who were all those people?

In front of the estate stood rows of royal guards dressed in white uniforms, each carrying a sword adorned with gold decorations.

I didn’t even need to search Serna’s memories.

Those had to be the Imperial Royal Guards.

What business did they have visiting Duke Valoran so early in the morning?

A bad feeling settled in my chest.

I had the carriage stop far enough away that they wouldn’t notice us.

After telling the coachman to wait, I quietly slipped into the bushes and hid myself.

“What is all this…?”

A long red carpet had been laid across the Duke’s otherwise gloomy garden.

Had the Emperor himself come?

Considering the number of royal guards…

And those extravagant carriages…

I had picked the absolute worst time to visit.

I quietly crept closer to the line of guards.

From the soldiers standing near the back, I could vaguely hear them whispering among themselves.

“Why’s His Majesty here today?”

“He probably wants to set a wedding date. They say His Majesty is unusually obsessed with Duke Valoran getting married.”

“You don’t know?”

“Know what?”

“This is something only those close to the Imperial Family know…”

“Come on, tell me.”

The conversation was so interesting that I unconsciously leaned in even farther.

The Duke… getting married?

He was someone who never even appeared in high society.

Could he really marry?

Besides…

I almost felt sorry for whichever woman ended up becoming the Duchess.

Completely absorbed in the conversation, I failed to notice that half my body was sticking out from behind the bushes.

“They say House Valoran can only awaken its true power after marriage.”

“Why?”

“No idea.”

The guard shrugged.

“That’s just the rumor.”

“Oh, come on.”

The other guard laughed.

“What kind of nonsense is that? If they’re supposed to be powerful, they should’ve been powerful from the start.”

“No, really.”

“Just look at how much His Majesty favors Duke Valoran.”

“They say it’s all because of that power.”

“What a load of nonsense.”

“I’m serious.”

“The previous Duke of Valoran also gained that power after marrying…”

“…and then suddenly…”

“…that’s why he died…”

They have to marry for their true power to awaken?

Why can’t I hear the rest?

What kind of power?

What happened to the previous Duke?

I found myself lost in thought over the fragmented conversation.

Then suddenly—

My body, which had been leaning too far forward, tipped off balance.

“Aah!”

At my scream, the guards immediately drew their weapons and looked around.

No!

Don’t look this way!

If they found me, what excuse could I possibly make?

Would they drag me off to the Imperial Palace for questioning?

Just as their eyes were about to reach my hiding place—

A large hand suddenly covered my mouth and pulled me deeper into the bushes.

“Mmph! Mmgh!”

The grip was so strong that I could barely breathe.

Who in the world—

“Shh.”

The hand slowly loosened, allowing me to inhale again.

As I desperately sucked in air, a rich, cool fragrance drifted into my nose.

That scent…

“You’ve been well?”

Turning around, I found Duke Valoran smiling down at me with those beautiful, icy blue eyes.

A couple of buttons on his white shirt had been left undone.

Judging by his appearance, he’d hurriedly escaped from those unwelcome guests.

His silver hair was still slightly damp, as though he’d just bathed.

Bathed in the morning sunlight, it shimmered brilliantly.

Is this man the god of beauty…?

He was so unbelievably handsome that I completely lost myself for a moment before finally coming back to my senses.

“Your Grace… why are you here?”

“As you heard…”

He smiled casually.

“I escaped from His Majesty.”

“Th-Then… the Emperor is really inside?”

The Duke merely shrugged.

His calm admission that he’d run away from the Emperor was shocking enough…

But realizing the Emperor himself was actually inside the estate astonished me even more.

Back in Korea, I’d never even seen the President in person.

As an ordinary citizen through and through, I couldn’t help wondering just who this man was—someone who could casually run away because he didn’t feel like seeing the Emperor.

“Careful.”

He extended a hand toward me after standing.

“Were you hurt?”

“N-No.”

The sunlight behind him made his entire figure glow.

Maybe it was because he was so handsome…

It honestly looked like he had a halo.

Just as I reached out to take his hand—

“T-There! Duke Valoran is over there!”

“Where?!”

“Over by those bushes—”

“H-He… he’s running!”

Apparently the royal guards had spotted him.

Without hesitation, the Duke grabbed my hand tightly.

“My apologies.”

He spoke quickly.

“We’ll have to run.”

The next thing I knew, he was sprinting away at incredible speed, dragging me along.

This wasn’t what I’d imagined noble lady life would be like.

I’d certainly never expected to run through a forest in high heels.

We continued racing deeper and deeper into the woods until the voices of the guards finally faded away.

Only then did we stop beneath a massive tree.

Serna’s frail body had been running nonstop.

My breathing refused to settle.

And with heels on…

My feet hurt so much.

The sharp pain in my heels finally made me collapse against the tree.

“Oww…”

It felt as though the entire bottoms of my feet had been scraped raw.

While I gently rubbed my aching feet, the Duke had already caught his breath.

He knelt on one knee in front of me.

“Are you injured?”

“My shoes…”

I smiled awkwardly.

“It’s fine. They’ll heal soon.”

“I’m sorry.”

His expression softened.

“We couldn’t let them find us.”

Apparently feeling genuinely guilty, he gently removed my shoes and carefully took hold of my foot.

Even when shopping for shoes, I hated having store employees help me try them on.

His sudden touch startled me so much that I instinctively pulled away.

“I’m fine! Please don’t touch them!”

“They’re dirty!”

“I’m only examining the wounds.”

Ignoring my protests, the Duke carefully inspected every scrape on my feet.

His touch was incredibly gentle.

But having him hold my feet like that felt unbearably ticklish.

And because he was far too handsome…

My heart simply refused to calm down.

Several angry red scratches covered my feet.

“It’ll take some time for these to heal.”

He sighed quietly.

“I’ll treat them once we’re back.”

Then he picked up both of my shoes and turned his back toward me.

“Please climb on.”

“…What?”

He meant exactly what he said.

He wanted me to ride on his back.

The frantic run.

My racing heartbeat.

The warmth flooding my face.

And…

That strange feeling quietly blooming inside me.

I didn’t want to be swept away by those emotions.

So instead of climbing onto his broad back, I stood barefoot.

“Please give me my shoes.”

The Duke rose to his feet as well.

“I can walk.”

He looked unconvinced.

“If you keep wearing these today…”

“…you won’t be able to wear shoes tomorrow.”

“It’s alright.”

I reached out my hand.

“And besides…”

“I came here today to complain about the gemstones.”

“So I’ll have to decline your kindness.”

“Why?”

The Duke looked genuinely confused.

Still holding my shoes, he stared only at my injured feet.

His face remained as cold as ever.

Yet his eyes…

He looked exactly like a worried puppy fussing over its owner.

I almost laughed.

“You gave me far more gemstones than I asked for.”

“You probably heard from Sir Spen.”

“I never intended to receive them for free.”

I wasn’t sure whether he was even listening.

His attention never left my injured feet.

“I’ll pay for the gemstones every month.”

“I don’t know how long it’ll take me to sell everything, but next time, please only send what I request on my list—”

Before I could finish…

Both of my feet suddenly left the ground.

The Duke, who’d been staring silently at my feet the entire time…

Simply scooped me up into his arms.

Perhaps this was exactly what people meant when they said someone could be so shocked they couldn’t even scream.

Held securely against his chest, all I could do was stare at him with wide eyes.

A single bead of sweat slid down the Duke’s neck.

Even after that exhausting sprint…

He hadn’t breathed heavily even once.

Without looking down at me a single time…

He simply continued walking in silence.

It felt as though every blade of soft foxtail grass brushed gently from my feet all the way to my head.

With each of his footsteps—

Thump.

Thump.

Thump.

My heart beat along with them.

By the time we returned to the estate with me still in the Duke’s arms, the Imperial Royal Guards had already left.

As though he’d expected exactly this outcome, he calmly walked through the front gates and carried me all the way to his room.

The butler and Spen both stared in shock.

I desperately signaled to them with my eyes.

Please… save me.

They looked away.

Traitors.

The Duke sat me down on the sofa in his room before retrieving a small medicine box.

Then he knelt beside my feet once more.

I silently prayed for this painfully awkward moment to end.

“I-I’m really alright now.”

I forced a smile.

“I should be going.”

“I’ll escort you home.”

“No!”

The moment I practically shouted, the Duke looked up from finishing my treatment.

Haha…

I just wanted one peaceful trip home.

Being around him was unbearably awkward.

Desperate to change the subject, I grabbed the first topic that came to mind.

“Actually…”

“I overheard the royal guards earlier.”

“They said His Majesty came because of your marriage.”

“You can ignore that.”

“Why do you keep avoiding it?”

After closing the medicine box with a sharp snap, the Duke stood without answering.

“I was just curious.”

I smiled sheepishly.

“You’re rich.”

“Young.”

“And handsome.”

“…Am I?”

Did I say something wrong?

His expression, which had been cold the moment marriage came up, softened slightly.

I had no idea which part of what I’d said pleased him.

“If His Majesty is personally arranging the marriage…”

“The woman must be wonderful.”

“Someone worthy of you.”

His expression changed subtly again.

Warm one moment.

Cold the next.

“I’m not getting married.”

“…?”

His face returned to its usual expression.

Cold eyes.

A gentle smile.

A combination that somehow never suited each other.

“Because…”

His voice was calm.

“Nothing is more trivial than love.”

Somehow…

His words struck directly at my heart.

You’re right.

What could possibly be more trivial than love?

But then…

Why do your eyes look so sad?

As though…

You’d once been deeply wounded by love.

Night fell.

At the end of the long day, I gazed at the bright moon and remembered what the Duke had said.

“A trivial thing called love.”

Even while pretending to be cold…

Why had his eyes looked so full of pain?

Why had a man who seemed as though he’d never loved anyone worn such a sorrowful expression?

It kept bothering me.

Sigh…

Worry about yourself first, Serna.

Love had already pushed you to the edge of a cliff in your first life.

Who were you to worry about someone else?

You promised Serna you’d live this second life properly.

Even so…

Unlike most people who still held sweet fantasies about love…

I couldn’t help feeling sorry for the Duke, who seemed to think the same way I did.

The royal guards had definitely mentioned the previous Duke.

Did that mean it had something to do with his parents?

I’d gone there to talk about gemstones…

Yet somehow we’d never spoken about him at all.

Even after lying down to sleep, thoughts of him refused to leave my mind.

I lightly knocked myself on the head a few times.

“Stop thinking about him.”

I shouldn’t get any closer to that man.

Casting aside the questions that continued to grow deeper and deeper…

I finally brought the day to an end.