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Chapter 46
He really does look cool. It’s almost like watching a dance.
Frederic’s movements were precise and powerful. They weren’t just martial—there was beauty in them, almost like a performance. His long limbs made the lines of his body look especially graceful.
“Hey, why’d you stop? Keep going.”
“Ugh, fine!”
Whenever I stopped for even a moment to admire him, he immediately called me out.
Two hours of this… I’m dying. This is hell.
I flopped down on the sofa. Frederic, looking resigned, grabbed a book from within arm’s reach and sat on the edge of the sofa.
—Knock, knock.
Someone knocked on the study door.
“It’s Echor.”
“Come in.”
Frederic answered, and Echor stepped in holding two envelopes.
“Two letters have arrived—one for Miss Delphine, one for Young Master Frederic.”
He handed them over and left the room.
I examined my envelope. It had no seal or crest—just a letter “T” written at the bottom.
“T? Tiago?”
At Tiago’s name, Frederic glanced at me. I noticed the envelope in his hand.
“Oh, yours is from Charlier.”
He nodded and opened it. His smile faded slightly but didn’t disappear.
“What is it? I’ll help you read it.”
“Money grubber.”
I jumped up from the sofa and went over to him. He shook his head at me.
After reading it, he folded the letter slowly.
“What’s it say?”
“She wants to meet today.”
“Today? As in, right now?”
Seriously, did Charlier not know how to make plans ahead of time? I’d already decided I didn’t like her—everything she did rubbed me the wrong way.
“So, do I have to go too?”
He let out a long sigh.
“No. Absolutely not with you.”
“Then are you going to reply?”
“……”
He handed me the letter.
“You write the reply.”
He looked like he’d given up.
“Yes! 1,000 lukes for me!”
I jumped up, thrilled.
Hi, Frederic.
Can we meet today?
Let’s meet at Salon de Piec.
Ugh, her writing style… Whatever, I’ll just write the reply and earn my money.
I grabbed his sleeve and pulled him toward the desk.
“Come on, we need the desk to write the reply.”
He followed quietly, like an obedient dog.
I sat down, took up the quill, and wrote without hesitation:
Charlier, I’m busy today.
Next time, contact me in advance.
I waved the paper in the air. Frederic took it and read it.
“You’re seriously sending this?”
“You know how Charlier is. If you’re too polite, she’ll just look down on you.”
He frowned.
“She came to your birthday, you know.”
“Yeah. So what?”
Immediately, the memory of Charlier showing up in that ivory dress on my birthday soured my mood. Her arrogant air, her need to be the center of attention—it all annoyed me.
“She came to celebrate your birthday. She’s not a bad person.”
Huh? What kind of logic is that?
My face twisted. He didn’t seem to notice and kept going.
“She just comes off the wrong way sometimes. She can be blunt, but it’s just self-defense. She’s actually soft-hearted.”
“……”
He’s defending Charlier to me.
I didn’t even feel angry—it was more… disappointing.
Frederic, I would never defend Leo in front of you, knowing you don’t like him. Sure, I don’t like Leo the way you like Charlier, but still…
It stung.
When I finally spoke, my voice was calm—strangely unfamiliar to my own ears.
“Anyway, you’re on Charlier’s side. I knew that from the start. I never asked you to take my side.”
I bit back the words If you want to be her doormat, that’s your business.
“But who I’m friends with, and how I think of people—that’s my choice. Don’t interfere.”
“I think you and Charlier just have a misunderstanding.”
It felt like talking to a wall. My chest tightened with frustration.
Sure, she might not be bad—to him. But to me, she was the girl who dumped him when he had nothing, vanished for six years, and only came back when she needed something.
I wanted to say something sharp, but I also didn’t want to get dragged deeper into this mess.
“Forget it. Just give me my 1,000 lukes. Her personality doesn’t matter to me—you’re the one who likes her, not me.”
I tried to sound indifferent, but my tone was sharp.
He started to say something, but I ignored him and reached for the letter opener.
—Rip.
I opened Tiago’s letter.
“Oh!”
His handwriting was beautiful—nothing like Frederic’s or Leo’s. Every letter was perfectly balanced and elegantly formed, as if printed.
I turned slightly away from Frederic and read:
Hello, Delphine.
I’m writing this aboard the ship back to the Pinyon Empire.
By the time this arrives, I should almost be home.
May I come see you the day after you get this letter?
Wherever you are, I’ll come to you.
See you soon.
—Tiago
It was simple, polite, and somehow warm—like a ray of sunlight breaking through the gloom Charlier and Frederic had left me in.
I read it over and over. Not only was the letter aesthetically beautiful, but Tiago’s sincerity came through in every word.
“You’re grinning like your face will split.”
Frederic’s comment made me realize I was smiling broadly.
“Oh… am I?”
I suddenly felt embarrassed, like someone had caught me with a crush. My face burned, and I touched my cheeks.
Frederic asked flatly,
“What’s he say?”
“He’s coming to see me tomorrow.”
“Is that okay?”
“What do you mean?”
“You’ll have to meet him with me there.”
“I don’t mind. You know him too.”
“……”
“Unlike Charlier, Tiago doesn’t dislike you.”
The sarcasm slipped out before I could stop it. Sure, I could’ve kept my mouth shut, but I wasn’t going to sulk in silence.
If you make me feel bad, I’ll make you feel bad too.
Frederic pressed his lips together, as if closing himself off entirely.
“Whatever. I have to write Charlier back, so don’t talk to me.”
He pulled a chair to the side of the desk, and I slid the quill and inkwell toward him.
11. Tiago Returns
—Clip-clop. Clip-clop.
Tiago pulled on the reins. The Frederic estate loomed through the early morning mist, shrouded in an eerie stillness.
I’m too early.
He glanced up at the bright morning star. In his eagerness to see Delphine, he’d ridden hard and arrived at dawn.
“Whoa.”
His horse, Janet, slowed and backed away from the estate, snorting nervously.
“What’s wrong, Janet? Scared?”
He stroked her neck gently. Hearing his calm voice, Janet seemed to settle a bit, but still stomped her hooves in agitation.
Tiago recognized the sign immediately.
With one hand on the reins, he reached into his coat pocket with the other and took out the Mermaid’s Tear.
It was glowing red.
“…Hmm.”
He dismounted.
“Wait here, Janet.”
He patted her neck and whispered to her ear. She blinked as if she understood.
Step by step, Tiago approached the estate. The closer he got, the brighter the necklace glowed.
At the front gate, he looked up at the building.
“…Ha. I knew it.”
One corner of his mouth curled upward in excitement, like someone discovering a fun new game.
“This place is full of curses.”
His smile faded, replaced by a sharp expression. Delphine’s face flashed in his mind.
She’d better be wearing the necklace.
There was no time to lose. Courtesy and manners meant nothing to him now.
He bounded up the steps, three or four at a time, and pounded on the door.
“Is anyone there?!”
—Creak.
“What is this about?”
Echor stood in the doorway, a shawl around his shoulders. He looked freshly woken, but his eyes were sharp and alert.
“My name is Tiago. I’m here to see Delphine. Is she safe?”
Urgency was written all over his face.
—Creak.
“Come in and have some tea first.”
