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Chapter 05
The inside of the carriage was endlessly quiet. Even the steady rattling of the wheels felt welcome.
In the silence, Emil sat stiffly, silently staring through the glass of the closed window.
“She seems useful.”
The duke was the first to break the silence. Removing his glasses, he wiped the lenses with soft velvet.
“If you stay close to her, she’ll be useful in the future.”
“Useful….”
“Do you dislike that?”
“……”
Unable to even meet the duke’s eyes, Emil lowered his gaze, his expression growing dry.
Did Father like that child? Anxiety slowly spread through him.
He wanted to grow closer to her. But now that Father himself had instructed him to befriend her, he felt uneasy, unable to understand his intentions.
‘Should I tell her?’
She was the first person in his life to approach him first and hold his hand.
He had always been confined to a corner of the estate, receiving nothing but neglect and contempt from everyone. Yet she had reached out warmly, acting as though his birth meant nothing at all.
‘She said she liked me because I’m handsome…. So I’m handsome.’
She had also said she liked that he was smart. Emil had never imagined his knowledge was exceptional compared to children his age. The same applied to his appearance.
If he became more handsome, if he became smarter, would she like him even more?
Because of people’s whispers, he had always believed himself to be some kind of demon spawn.
No matter how desperately he longed for affection or warmth, all he ever received in return was scorn and suspicion for being the villainess’s son.
The only person he could even call conversational company was his father, Duke Callicst.
But his father was never affectionate. He was always cold, and standing before him made it hard to breathe.
‘I want to get close to her, but Father told me to….’
A sudden fear struck him. Was he doing something terrible to her?
“Emil Callicst.”
“…Yes.”
The duke regarded Emil as though he were nothing more than an object.
“Make Belsia Lancaster fall for you.”
For a brief moment, Emil couldn’t understand what he had just heard.
“What… do you mean…?”
“I mean gain her favor.”
“How could I possibly…?”
“Does it seem difficult?”
“……”
“She already seems rather interested in you. Strange child.”
Emil couldn’t lift his head. Then he heard the duke laugh softly.
A mocking laugh.
The image of that girl crossed his mind.
Her pale, ivory-colored short hair and autumn-leaf-red eyes appeared for a moment before fading away.
‘She doesn’t know anything.’
About what kind of person the duke truly was.
Slowly, Emil raised his eyes.
He had already suspected that she had some sort of motive.
Most people avoided him, and the few who approached him usually had hidden intentions disguised as kindness.
She probably wasn’t much different.
‘…But even if she has another motive, does it really matter?’
He didn’t want to lose the kindness directed solely at him.
In his silent, cold life, it felt unbearably warm.
A week passed after her tenth birthday before an invitation finally arrived.
It was from the Callicst ducal house.
“Dad, do you not want me to visit the ducal estate?”
Mother had hesitated, but she allowed the visit easily enough. Father, however, did not.
“It’s not that I dislike it.”
“Then what is it?”
Father looked at Mother with eyes that clearly said, I don’t know how to explain this.
Pretending not to notice, she waited for him to answer.
Belsia already knew why he disapproved.
“It’s because I dislike Duke Callicst.”
Mother grinned mischievously, clearly enjoying Father’s discomfort.
“He’s a scheming bastard.”
Privately, Belsia agreed. Scheming. It suited Duke Callicst perfectly.
Even in her previous life, she had felt uncomfortable around him.
Now things were reversed, but in her past life, he had openly disliked seeing her around Emil.
She still didn’t know what had changed to make him invite her first.
But for now, it wasn’t a bad development.
“I’ll come back before sunset.”
Thankfully, Mother was on her side.
“Genuwart, remember what I told you? That child has been growing up neglected.”
Mother always remembered her promise to Robelline.
Even at Belsia’s birthday banquet, she had intentionally made a grand event so she could invite Emil, who rarely left the estate.
“It’s not as though I can casually visit the duke’s residence myself.”
Father still worried about her safety, but eventually agreed with Mother.
“Then let’s do this. I’ll come pick you up when the sun sets.”
“If Dad comes, I’d love that!”
The moment permission was granted, she hurried back to her room and wrote a reply.
She had just sealed the letter and was about to call for a maid.
“My lady, I brought snacks.”
Isana entered carrying a neatly made apple pie tart and a glass of milk.
“Isana, I want to send a reply to this invitation.”
“Oh my, I’ll have Elena take care of it. It’s for Duke Callicst’s estate, right?”
“Yeah. If possible, I want it delivered before lunch.”
“I’ll send it immediately.”
After handing over the letter, Belsia took a bite of the pie. Sweet fruit filled her mouth.
As expected, sweets made stress melt away. The warm cinnamon flavor calmed her nerves too.
Ever since returning, she had felt like she’d been walking a dangerous tightrope alone. It felt strangely bittersweet to find comfort in something so small.
‘Ah, wait.’
She had almost finished the tiny pie.
‘I can’t go empty-handed.’
Remembering suddenly, she went straight to the head chef.
“You said it’s in two days, correct?”
“I’m planning to go right after lunch.”
“Then you’ll already be eating there, which means desserts would be best if you’re bringing something. I’ll prepare everything properly.”
The chef rolled up his sleeves, promising perfection.
Two days later, the day of the invitation finally arrived.
By the time she climbed into the carriage, it was a little past noon.
“Not anymore, but once Korean, always Korean.”
Belsia looked proudly at the three or four picnic boxes stacked neatly nearby.
After all, she had once lived as a Korean.
Naturally, she had to feed the people around her well.
Especially children who still had a lot of growing to do.
The Callicst ducal estate was truly magnificent.
Her own house and the Lucretius estate were no less luxurious, but both were bright places where elegance and warmth coexisted thanks to excellent lighting.
The Callicst estate was the opposite.
Its architecture carried an oppressive solemnity that made even smiling carelessly feel inappropriate.
“They are waiting inside.”
The head butler who greeted her opened the double doors.
Emil was already seated on a large sofa.
“Emil, it’s only been a week, right?”
“…Yeah.”
Soon, a maid arrived.
The butler excused himself, saying she could relay anything she needed to the maid before leaving.
Now there were only three of them, counting the maid.
Quietly, Belsia turned to the maid standing behind the sofa.
“What happened to the things I brought?”
The maid brightened immediately.
“We’ve moved them to the kitchen. Everyone is paying special attention since Lady Belsia prepared them herself.”
They were only desserts that needed arranging on plates.
Still, Belsia kept quiet because she wanted to see Emil’s reaction.
“Thank you.”
“The pleasure is ours. Today….”
The maid’s eyes briefly flicked to Emil before shifting away.
Belsia smiled quietly.
In her previous life, she had seen enough to recognize the look.
“The whole household has been buzzing ever since they heard Lady Belsia was visiting.”
Grateful, perhaps, but not welcome.
Emil looked frozen in shock. Friendly servants must still feel unfamiliar to him.
“Honestly, if the young duke hadn’t invited me, I couldn’t have come.”
“The young duke…? I thought His Grace invited you….”
“It’s a little embarrassing, but I really wanted to get closer to him, so I kept pestering him. Right?”
Caught off guard, Emil looked startled.
His silver-gray hair was neatly arranged, and his pristine white shirt was perfectly pressed.
Belsia already knew that appearance was merely the estate’s façade.
Being the duke’s heir provided Emil with clean clothes and quality meals.
But that was all.
The servants treated him like an unpleasant obligation.
“……”
“I begged so much that you finally said I could come, didn’t you, Emil?”
“But permission was….”
“The duke gave permission, sure. But if you weren’t here, I wouldn’t have come.”
She silently asked him to back her up.
Avoiding her gaze, Emil eventually nodded.
“…I guess that’s true.”
The maid couldn’t hide her confusion.
She probably couldn’t understand why Belsia was trying so hard to get close to Emil.
Eventually, she’d accept the situation.
Then she’d probably conclude that the saintly lady’s daughter pitied the villainess’s son.
By the time Belsia left this estate, every servant would likely believe exactly that.
Which was why she intended to shatter those assumptions today.
She planned to take Emil back home with her.
‘Anyone would go mad living in a place like this.’
Pitying someone was easy.
Just like she had done in her past life.
At that moment, the sound of a serving cart rattling through the hallway approached.
The food she had been waiting for.
“Emil, do you like pie?”
“…Pie?”
“When this season comes around, I always end up eating apple pie at least once a week.”
“It’s really delicious.”
Clasping her hands excitedly, she watched curiosity slowly spread across Emil’s face.
The maid, still glancing at her nervously, opened the door.
Soon, an overwhelming spread of desserts was arranged before them.
Colorful macarons.
Soft cookies dusted lightly with sugar.
Chocolate cake layered with apricot jam.
And fragrant pies filled with slow-cooked fruit.
“Please serve this pie to Emil first.”
“Huh? Ah, yes….”
The maid, who had instinctively been about to serve Belsia first, stammered.
Emil awkwardly picked up his fork.
He carefully took a bite of flaky crust and cinnamon-scented apple filling.
Sipping her milk, Belsia watched him closely.
“…….”
Then she asked with a cheerful smile.
“It’s good, right?”
Nod. Nod.
He nodded repeatedly, unable to take his eyes off the pie.
She had chosen apple pie because he used to like it.
Good choice.
Picking up a cookie herself, she took a bite.
“I’ve only ever seen things like this in books.”
At Emil’s words, the maid looked anxiously at Belsia.
But Belsia had to act like an innocent ten-year-old who suspected nothing.
So she asked brightly,
“Does the duke not like desserts very much?”
Realizing what he had accidentally revealed, Emil froze.
“…He doesn’t.”
“What about you?”
“Me?”
“Yeah. Do you think you’ll like them?”
Unlike before, Emil answered without hesitation.
“I think… I already do.”
His quiet voice lingered strangely in her ears.
Relief settled over her.
Thank goodness.
Something she had meant to say later suddenly slipped out impulsively.
“Then… do you want to come to my house?”
She tried to sound as casual as possible.
“What do you think about living with us? We have lots of things like this.”
