KMPEG 13

Chapter  13

I took a deep breath and answered with all the patience I had.

“It’s not because of her.”

“Yes, it is.”

“No, it’s not. I broke up with Leo because he kept talking about his ex. It wasn’t because of Charlier.”

“Are you playing with words now?”

Frederick looked annoyed.

Well, I’m even more annoyed. But at least it didn’t seem like he was doing all this just to avoid paying me.

‘Wait… is he worried about me? About my feelings? Aww, that’s kind of cute. Should I tease him more?’

Frederick looked all sulky sitting there. He was kind of adorable in a grumpy puppy way. I leaned in teasingly.

“Wait, are you worried I’ll feel bad hearing about Charlier? What’s this? Are you worried about me? That’s surprising!”

Frederick’s face turned red. I couldn’t tell if it was from anger or embarrassment.

“Worried? Don’t say weird stuff.”

“Anyway, forget it. Don’t worry about that story. I’m just here to help and get paid. Money’s more important.”

Frederick looked at me like he was completely exhausted.

“Incredible.”

I shrugged.

“That stuff with Leo is between him and me. I have no problem with Charlier or you. So I’ll help. You just need to pay me.”

“Fine. Do what you want.”

Frederick gave up, stood up from the sofa, and walked to the desk.

—Clack.

He opened a drawer and pulled out the letter from Charlier. I recognized the wax seal right away.

“Here.”

Frederick handed me Charlier’s letter.

“Let’s see here…”

This was my 1,000 Luke job. My heart was pounding with excitement.

If happiness had a smell, it would smell like money!

I carefully opened the letter and started reading slowly.

Hello, Frederick.

I’ll be returning to Shairo soon.

I had fun playing with you when we were kids.

Oh, right. That gift you mentioned.

If you still have it, could you give it to me next time?

I’ll wait for your reply.

“…?”

I read Charlier’s letter again and again. I couldn’t believe it.

‘It’s definitely her handwriting…’

That damn Leo had shown me her whole letter collection, so I basically became a Charlier handwriting expert.

The handwriting was real, but the content was strange.

‘This is nothing like the letters she wrote to Leo!’

To Leo, she was polite and even seemed a little distant. But to Frederick… this letter was—

‘She’s treating him like a pushover!’

I was getting angry.

Yes, Frederick was kind of a pushover, but still—he’s my pushover! If someone else treats him like that, it annoys me. It felt like someone was trying to steal my personal fool.

And the more I thought about it, the more I felt like Charlier was going to milk him for money later.

‘No way. Frederick is my pushover, not hers.’

And above all, I realized something when I read the letter:

‘Charlier is a master manipulator.’

I’d always gotten a bad vibe when Leo talked about her, and that gut feeling was right.

I’d never met Charlier, but I had a bad image of her in my head. The type who used people as she pleased, kept multiple guys hanging on, and always gave them false hope.

Sure, it was Leo’s fault for rambling about his ex in front of his current girlfriend. But Charlier did keep giving Leo hope.

‘Now she’s playing Frederick like a total fool. Maybe it’s because Leo is the son of a Duke, and Frederick is just a Baron.’

Ugh. My head hurt. What was I supposed to do with this poor soul?

I glanced at Frederick.

He looked at me with a clueless face and blinked his eyes.

Seriously, it felt like tossing a sweet puppy into a jungle full of wild beasts.

‘Still, since I’m getting paid, I’ll do my job properly.’

I calmed myself down and asked him,

“Let me see the reply you wrote.”

Blushing, Frederick pulled some papers from the drawer.

I snatched the letter from his hands.

“…”

And wow. The letter was something else.

Hello, Charlier. I waited for your letter like waiting for the first flower of spring after a long, cold winter.

Receiving your letter feels like that moment of bloom.

That gift has always been waiting for you. I’m preparing for the day you arrive.

When are you coming? I’ve cleared my schedule just for you.

‘Wow… he’s a total pushover. Maybe too much of one?’

Is this what love does to people? Turns them into complete saps?

I couldn’t say anything for a moment. The short, vague letter from Charlier, and then this overly dramatic reply from Frederick… it just felt so pathetic.

“…”

I took a deep breath, choosing my words carefully. Frederick looked at me with worry in his eyes.

—Rip! Rip!

I tore the letter to shreds and tossed it into the fireplace.

“Hey! Are you crazy?!”

Frederick’s eyes were blazing. He looked like he might jump into the fireplace to rescue the ashes.

“This is your reply.”

I folded my arms and looked at him calmly. Frederick tilted his head, clearly confused.

“What are you talking about?”

“This. No reply. That is your reply. Don’t send anything.”

Frederick just stared at the ashes with a blank face. He looked completely lost, frozen in place like he didn’t know what to do.

“Don’t send a reply…?”

Frederick was such a strange person. At first, he seemed rude and selfish. But now, he looked just like a boy in love for the first time.

And sadly, his crush was on someone like Charlier—who clearly saw him as nothing more than an easy target.

‘Oh well. If that’s what he wants…’

I pushed aside my pity. In the end, he was the one chasing after her. I had no right to interfere.

Frederick looked at me, his eyes shaky and uncertain, waiting for me to explain.

“So… ahem.”

I cleared my throat and spoke slowly. You had to go slow in tough situations like this.

“Like I said, I know exactly what kind of guys Charlier likes. I know her type.”

Frederick’s eyes lit up. I could see hope sparkling in them. It made me feel kind of bad.

“She likes…?”

Frederick’s voice trembled. I nodded.

“Charlier likes bad boys.”

“…!”

Technically, it wasn’t a lie. Compared to Frederick, Leo was a bad boy. Arrogant, full of himself, the typical “elite noble.”

“…”

Frederick was speechless. The fire in his eyes from earlier faded, and now he just looked deep in thought.

‘Ugh, he’s making me feel bad again.’

I kind of wished he’d just yell like before. That way, I could ignore him. But seeing him so quiet and sad… it tugged at my heart.

“Look, just wait. Don’t reply yet.”

“You…”

Frederick’s voice was cold. His eyes trembled again, unsure of where to look.

“Do you know how long it’s been since I last got a letter from her?”

“Nope.”

“Six years. And now you’re telling me not to reply?”

Six years?! That made it even worse. After six years of silence, she sends a letter asking about some gift?

Now I was really questioning Charlier’s personality.

“Wow. That’s a long time. Then you definitely shouldn’t reply.”

Frederick dropped his head.

“…”

“One week.”

Frederick slowly looked up.

“If you don’t reply, she’ll send another letter in two weeks. You can wait that long, right?”

His eyes still showed doubt. But maybe he wanted to believe me. He nodded.

“What if she doesn’t reply?”

Honestly, if she didn’t, I’d be happy. That would mean Frederick was free.

But girls like Charlier don’t let go of pushovers like him. She’d definitely write again. Sadly.

“If she doesn’t…”

I had no good answer. I’d lose nothing if Charlier ghosted him.

Then, Frederick’s eyes sharpened.

“If she doesn’t reply… you have to leave this house.”

“…”

‘Wow, this guy. He seemed all soft and clueless, but he’s sharper than I thought.’

He’s a total pushover for Charlier, but with me, he’s all sharp edges.

It felt unfair, but there was nothing I could say.

“…”

I really didn’t want to leave this house. I had nowhere else to go, and there was no chance I’d ever land a job this good again.

‘Fine. If he’s betting something, I will too.’

“Okay.”

Even after I agreed, Frederick’s eyes stayed sharp. I met his gaze and nodded slowly.

Frederick quickly turned his head away to avoid my eyes.

“See you in two weeks. Let’s see if you’re still here.”

“Yeah, yeah.”

I waved it off.

‘If she doesn’t reply, that’s actually a good thing for you. You’ll be free from her. But love really does make people blind…’

That stubborn Frederick acting all lovesick was weird to see.

‘Charlier must really be something. First Leo, now Frederick. Well, I guess she’s the main character of this world. And I’m just… a side character who gets dragged along for the ride.’