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Chapter 22.
Lexian’s lips parted slightly.
“All noble ladies must have soft hair.”
No, it was your hair that felt mesmerizing — he almost said, then flinched.
What was this strange feeling?
“Do you have any other questions about my hair, Your Grace?”
Her voice held a hint of amusement, and Lexian accidentally let go of the strands he’d been holding. He wanted to touch them longer.
“More importantly, Duke, you haven’t answered my question — why did you ask me to be your partner?”
“You’re not interested in me romantically, are you?”
Lexian found this version of himself unfamiliar, unbearable even.
The name Rosia had slipped from his lips once — not because he intended to say it, but because ever since the day she collapsed in his mansion, her name had lingered on his tongue, escaping unbidden.
So he forced himself to sever his feelings with words.
Even though the tender voice that used to call him “Lex” still echoed faintly in his ears, he pretended not to hear it — deceiving himself.
Rosia’s crimson eyes met his without a trace of a smile.
“You’re very perceptive.”
“Not particularly. Rather, it’s I who have a question.”
Ah. As expected — this woman had not even the faintest feeling for him.
He was the one who had tried to cut off his own confusion first, yet it was her cold indifference that wounded him.
Startled by this foreign ache, Lexian changed the subject.
“I know His Highness the Crown Prince is a sensitive man, but around you he seems especially irritable.”
He made the remark casually, criticizing the prince’s rudeness — but even he was taken aback.
The Crown Prince was hot-tempered, yes, but not someone who disregarded propriety.
“Did something happen between you two?”
“No.”
Rosia shook her head, utterly calm.
“No matter what I do, that person will always find me disagreeable.”
It was a strange thing to say.
Did that mean the Crown Prince hated her for no reason at all?
But the mask on Rosia’s face was impenetrable, and Lexian didn’t have the courage to pry deeper.
Duke Lixianshus was indeed perceptive.
The Crown Prince wasn’t exactly a man of good temper, but he at least knew how to maintain decorum — and he wasn’t a fool.
And yet, whenever the so-called villainess, Rosia Levian, and the heroine, Merina Ikel, became entangled, he would flare up as if compelled by some unseen force.
No matter how kindly I treated the Crown Prince, no matter how warmly I treated Merina, one thing never changed.
Once I realized that, I even tried to kill him.
But of course, as the male lead, his life was absurdly resilient — he survived deadly poison, even a stab to the vital organs.
“Next time, when an appropriate occasion arises, I’d like to ask you to play the role of my partner. Or rather, I plan to host a small party soon — please attend.”
Even when I tried to push him away, this man persisted relentlessly. He always had.
If I couldn’t cut him off completely, it was better to bind him to me like family. That much, the previous rounds had proven.
Yes — as family, not as a man.
The word family sent a chill through my chest, but I ignored it.
“All right. And since you’re my brother now, may I give you a gift as your younger sister?”
“If it’s from you, I’ll gladly accept it.”
“You may look forward to it. I’ll make sure it suits you perfectly.”
Soon the carriage reached the Marquis’s estate, and Duke Lixianshus helped me down.
“Since you’re like family, may I call you by your name…?”
If you call my name, I don’t think I can endure it.
But that, too, was something I had to bear.
“Yes, go ahead.”
Do you know?
That just from the permission to call my name, I find myself smiling without realizing it.
“Then, have a safe trip, Your Grace.”
“Let’s not bother with such formalities between us. You can drop the title as well.”
“Then what should I call you?”
“…Lex. Or Lexis, if you prefer.”
The man who’d once looked so bothered when I merely asked for a dance — now he wanted me to call him by an affectionate nickname.
He didn’t even seem to understand why he was acting this way.
I thought I knew, but I had no intention of telling him.
“That’s too grand for me. May I just call you Lexian?”
“As you wish.”
The Duke kissed the tips of my fingers before departing. The spot where his lips brushed burned faintly.
“Lex…”
The pet name I’d called countless times melted sweetly on my tongue.
Ah, but I must never call him that again.
I smoothed out my expression and headed into the mansion.
The moment I returned, Ted — grinning ear to ear — followed at my heels.
“There are already dozens of gem inquiries.”
“Handle that yourself. Also, prepare a men’s accessory for me.”
“A gift for Duke Lixianshus? Or for the Crown Prince?”
“For the Duke. Make it the best… no, I’ll design it myself. Have it made as a top priority.”
“Understood.”
Ted, acting more like my personal secretary than ever, looked genuinely pleased — as though the family’s profits were his own.
“By the way, your meetings with the Duke seem rather frequent. Shall I investigate him for you?”
“That’s all right.”
Because I know him better than you ever could.
I murmured it inwardly and went to my room.
The Duke must have wanted to settle the “partner” matter quickly, because only a few days later, an invitation arrived.
Unfortunately, the accessory wasn’t ready yet, so I had to go empty-handed.
When I arrived at the Duke’s mansion — unlike before — it was unusually quiet.
“I suppose I came early.”
“Not at all.”
When I looked at him in question, Lexian gave me a cryptic look.
“You’re the only one I invited, Rosia.”
“Meaning it’s just the two of us?”
“You seemed uncomfortable meeting me in public, so I invited you to my home.”
If that were the case, he could’ve simply dropped the partner business altogether. But I had a guess as to why he was doing this, so I only smiled.
I was led to the back garden of House Lixianshus — the very place where I had once collapsed.
A tea table was set with all manner of dainty desserts a lady might like.
“You’re personally brewing the tea, I see.”
“You agreed to call me Lexian, didn’t you?”
“Ah, yes. Lexian.”
When I quickly corrected myself, a faint smile appeared on his lips — as if he didn’t even know he was smiling. The sight left me strangely unsettled.
In this life too, no matter how I tried to avoid you…
You kept approaching me, even though you remembered nothing.
Swallowing both bitterness and a faint sweetness, I glanced at the tea he poured.
He brewed it perfectly, as always.
“I didn’t know what you liked, so I had them prepare what’s popular these days.”
“Everything looks lovely.”
I placed a slice of strawberry cream cake on my plate.
“What kind of dessert do you like, Lexian? I should at least know my brother’s taste.”
Lexian preferred simple cookies.
You didn’t like sweets, but you’d always eat them with me anyway.
A memory flashed — me smearing chocolate cream on his cheek — and I almost smiled, but restrained myself.
“I like éclairs.”
Watching me closely, Lexian took a beautifully decorated éclair for himself and bit into it, as if proving his words true.
I wanted to tell him don’t do that, but I forced myself to stay calm.
“I’ll remember that.”
As I smiled my polite social smile and focused on the cake, an elderly butler approached and whispered something in Lexian’s ear. His expression turned grave, and he rose to his feet.
“Excuse me for a moment.”
“Take your time.”
Once he was gone, I felt oddly relieved. It gave me a moment to empty the ache that had been building in my chest.
The garden was just as I remembered — this time, filled with autumn blossoms. But sometimes, it had been covered in white lilies.
Lilies planted by Lexian Lixianshus himself.
“You don’t remember a thing… and I hope you never will.”
“Is this how you wanted it, Master?”
“Yes. Well done, Charles.”
There was no urgent matter. The butler, as Lexian had instructed beforehand, had simply pretended to whisper important news.
The elderly man bowed, and Lexian all but ran to his study.
He opened the safe and took out the treasure chest of House Lixianshus.
His hands trembled as he lifted the lid.
When it opened fully, Lexian stared blankly inside.
From twenty-five strands of black hair within, a faint white light was softly glowing.
