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Chapter: 7
Sebtina headed straight for another reception room where Klazen was waiting.
“You arrived earlier than expected, so he’s waiting in his room. We served some light refreshments, and it seems they helped stave off his boredom. I’ll bring yours shortly as well.”
He’s probably drinking tea.
He wouldn’t have been bored. Klazen had always been fond of tea.
His ever-smiling face made people think of him as easygoing, but in truth, his tastes were rather exacting. Among them, what he loved most was brewing and drinking tea.
Some mocked him, saying it was a pastime suited to young noble ladies, but Klazen never hid the fact that he enjoyed it.
Tea was also one of the best-selling items of the merchant guild he led. The tea he imported from overseas—combining trade with long-distance shipping—had a flavor distinctly different from that of the Empire.
She clearly remembered the sweet-and-tart tea she’d drunk during a few visits to his guild.
After knocking to confirm Klazen’s presence, the servant opened the door.
Just as Sebtina was about to step inside, she flinched at the sight of Klazen standing right in front of her.
“Ah, I’m sorry if I startled you.”
Klazen smiled brightly at her.
Golden hair as radiant as sunlight. Clear blue eyes like the open sea.
If Dante was winter, then Klazen was spring.
“I should have waited farther inside.”
Klazen was a handsome man with soft features.
This was the second familiar face she’d seen since Dante. Despite the passage of a year—time she herself hadn’t even felt—Klazen looked exactly the same as the day she’d last seen him.
The commercial, practiced smile he wore every hour of every day was obvious to her.
He smiled just like that when we parted… even during our last farewell.
Sebtina sank into thought.
What was she supposed to say at moments like this?
No, it’s fine. It’s okay. As she searched for the right words, she realized—
Ah. There’s no need to tiptoe around him.
“…Sebtina?”
Klazen asked again.
She had been staring at him blankly without replying, so it was only natural.
Sebtina nodded, as if in agreement.
“I don’t understand why you didn’t say anything when you already knew.”
She caught the corner of Klazen’s mouth twitch.
He was clearly flustered.
While Klazen stood there frozen, Sebtina took a seat on the sofa.
She gazed at the teacup, still warm with lingering heat, then turned her head toward him.
Klazen hurriedly followed and sat across from her, a cheerful smile blooming back onto his face.
“It seems you don’t like me.”
“I don’t see a reason to discuss my feelings with someone I don’t know.”
A servant entered the room carrying a tray with tea.
“Is there a tea you prefer?”
“I don’t drink tea.”
Once again, his lips curved upward.
Watching him, Sebtina realized something.
Smiling seemed to be an unconscious habit he used to conceal his true emotions.
She’d never noticed before because she’d never crossed him, but now it was obvious.
“Then I’ll excuse myself for a moment.”
Klazen took out tea leaves he liked from his bag and placed them into the teapot along with warm water. After closing the lid to let it steep, his gaze returned to Sebtina.
“The reason I came here is to introduce you to a teacher suited to you, Lady Sebtina. You’ve only recently awakened from a coma, so it’s unavoidable that you lack knowledge and proper etiquette.”
“I see.”
“Do you have a teacher in mind? Or perhaps preferences I should consider?”
She wanted to learn diligently.
But she also knew she could never surpass Yulia in a short time. Yulia had been a noble to her very core. Their starting lines had always been different.
“What about me?”
Lost in thought, Sebtina blinked, failing to understand his words right away.
What did he just say…?
Klazen remained silent, waiting for her response. An awkward pause settled between them.
“Believe it or not, I’ve served as a private tutor for many noble ladies in high society—teaching etiquette, dance, and basic knowledge.”
“…Personally?”
Sebtina was surprised to hear that Klazen had personally tutored noble daughters. The Klazen Julai had known was merely the head of a merchant guild—but that seemed to be only one facet of him.
What Julai had failed to learn despite years together, Sebtina had discovered within a single minute of meeting him.
That was the difference between Julai Rive and Sebtina.
“I’m not sure what kind of image you have of me, Lady Sebtina. It’s a bit hurtful to judge everything based on first impressions.”
Klazen drooped his eyes like a puppy, wearing a sorrowful expression.
He looked pitiful, like a rain-soaked dog—enough to stir sympathy in most people.
Just not in Sebtina.
Klazen Whityon being pitiful? This was even more unpleasant than his smile.
Someone who knows exactly how attractive he is—and how to use it.
Klazen knew well that he was handsome, and that people were weak to his face.
Seeing this unexpected side of him made her want to end the conversation quickly.
“First impressions can tell you everything. And no, Klazen. I don’t want you.”
“Oh my. I understand. May I ask why?”
“Then let me ask you instead. Why do you want to become my private tutor?”
The Klazen Julai had known was kind—but never crossed boundaries.
He never tried to get this close.
Even when she visited his guild, he preferred meeting in public places like restaurants or parks. At first, she liked that. At least he wasn’t shut away in a study like Dante.
But that didn’t last long.
Julai began to feel uneasy when Klazen dragged her out to the park even on days she was ill.
Once she looked beyond his ‘kind’ image, the truth became clear.
What he wanted was an image.
The benevolent merchant guild master who even cared for the sickly daughter of House Rive. Klazen Whityon, who valued everyone equally regardless of status.
Her health or her thoughts had never mattered to him.
She had been so shocked that she began to hate the outings she’d once longed for.
Still, she believed he could change. Klazen was a gentle person.
She thought that if she got to know him better, he would open his heart.
Of course, that was nothing more than Julai’s futile hope.
Seeing the kindness Julai Rive never received now being given to Sebtina didn’t feel good.
It felt repulsive.
“I believe you and I could maintain a good relationship, Lady Sebtina. I’d like to help you in any way I can.”
Sebtina narrowed her eyes.
There is no such thing as kindness without reason—especially not from Klazen Whityon.
And Sebtina had been rude to him from the very beginning.
No matter how tolerant he was, he should have shown at least some displeasure. Instead, he showed her endless goodwill.
He was a merchant.
He never moved forward unless there was profit.
Which meant there was something to gain through her.
And it had to be something far greater than the discomfort of being insulted.
“It seems I have quite a lot to offer you.”
Klazen blinked. His pupils briefly widened in surprise.
That expression is new, too.
The Klazen Whityon she saw today felt like a completely different person from the one Julai had known.
One thing is clear now.
Meeting him as Sebtina—not Julai—made one thing unmistakable.
He was a vulgar man.
Once the shell changed, his boundaries disappeared.
He expressed his interest more openly and wanted to draw closer.
…Yet inside, he was the same person.
And he didn’t even realize it.
That realization made her even angrier.
Sebtina clenched her teeth, her voice turning sharp before she could stop herself.
“Successfully debuting someone who spent their entire life unconscious into high society would make a nice story, wouldn’t it?”
Klazen shrugged.
“I’m not sure what you mean.”
“It would strengthen your ties with House Xeros as well. As a merchant guild master, the benefits you’d gain through me seem rather significant.”
“….”
Klazen gave a short laugh. The smile slowly faded from his face.
Instead of replying, he lifted the teapot filled with steeped tea.
Pour.
A pleasant aroma filled the air as he spoke with his head lowered.
“I won’t deny it. For someone who’s only just awakened, you’re remarkably perceptive.”
“If there were nothing to gain, I didn’t think you’d show such excessive goodwill.”
“You don’t seem to have much trouble adapting to high society. With just a little guidance, even this blunt way of speaking could be refined.”
He wasn’t criticizing her—he was praising her.
But his message was clear: Nobles don’t speak like you.
“I’ll be honest as well. What you said earlier is half right and half wrong. Actually, half is a bit much—let’s say about a quarter. There’s a more important reason than that.”
Klazen lifted his teacup and took a sip.
After swallowing, he returned to the calm demeanor he’d had when she first entered the room.
“If I’m honest about that reason, perhaps your distrust of me will ease somewhat. Wanting to maintain a good relationship with you stems from it as well.”
A man more considerate than she thought?
…There was another reason for wanting to stay on good terms?
An odd sense of déjà vu washed over Sebtina.
