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chapter 23
“Too bad. Then I wish you… no, good luck.”
Hearing the other person’s words, Cian bit his lip, and his fists clenched tightly in anger, trembling. Between his fists, clenched so hard it looked like his bones might protrude, crumpled pieces of paper could be glimpsed.
“This is definitely a conspiracy. Do it again.”
“Heh, I never imagined that the great Sir Theodor would be such a troublemaker. But this was a method you agreed to.”
“But this is unfair. To suddenly tell us to draw lots, and then immediately pick those who will be sent to the border?”
When the imperial palace issued the call-up order, Cian couldn’t go home despite finishing his night shift. He had originally planned to go home quickly, rest for a while, and then go to Ikkeulim, drawn by Linette’s pull.
Drinking the coffee Linette made always made his day so much better. But after the effect of Linette’s coffee wore off, Cian gritted his teeth in frustration at the unexpected lottery suddenly handed by Lord Blackwolf, without understanding why.
“You’re young, so maybe you don’t realize it, but the world works like this. As long as it’s not me, it’s fine.”
“That’s all you have to say as an elder?”
“Heh, you’re still unmarried, right? Lucky you won’t have your wife nagging when you go to the border. Well then, take care.”
Cian ripped up the paper with the X mark into pieces, glaring. He then looked at the other knights in a similar situation. The Red and Black Knights of the Imperial Palace were all drawing lots with the emperor’s permission.
“Luckily, I wasn’t picked. Heaven must be on my side.”
“Ha ha, even if they doubled my salary, I wouldn’t want to go!”
Those not chosen breathed sighs of relief and encouraged each other. In contrast, those struck by the arrow of fate either laughed as if insane or shook their heads in resignation.
Cian, selected in such a primitive way, gritted his teeth and moved forward.
“How about you?”
“I wasn’t picked. What about you?”
“Me neither.”
Edgar and Casper, moving together as a group, both exhaled in relief. Seeing them on the way, Cian felt a twinge of envy.
“But why doesn’t our Linette come to our house?”
“If she doesn’t come to our house, do you think she’d go to yours?”
Hearing that name alone made Cian stop in his tracks. Edgar and Casper bowed their heads when they saw Cian.
“Sir Fruina and Sir Florence don’t seem to have been conscripted.”
“Yes, luckily they drew well…”
Cian faintly smiled as he looked at Edgar, who resembled Linette, and then turned his gaze to Casper. With red hair and green eyes, Casper looked quite charming. Seeing him, Cian furrowed his brow and asked:
“Are you two classmates?”
“Yes, classmates and cousins.”
“Ah! I see. So you two are cousins. What a matching pair. Stay close and take good care of your younger sibling.”
Since Casper was Edgar’s cousin, he was naturally Linette’s cousin as well. So Cian held their hands, said a few words, and moved on.
Edgar and Casper, watching him leave, tilted their heads.
“Does the Red Commander know our sister?”
“I don’t know. But no matter how much the Red Commander tries, she’ll never let go of our Linette.”
“Hey, someone might think you’re her real older brother. I’m her real older brother, so cousin, step aside.”
“Don’t be ridiculous. Linette obeys me so well. I even changed her messy diapers when she crawled around. What’s with this?”
While the two argued over different reasons, Cian left the imperial palace immediately. Even after going home, his heart was unsettled. Nothing was confirmed yet.
Without the emperor’s final order, Cian took a short rest, changed his clothes, and headed to Ikkeulim.
It was the first time he had coffee there since learning that Linette had opened the shop. He soon became completely addicted to her coffee.
“Is something wrong today? You seem different from usual.”
“How do I look?”
Linette, who had made a sweet cappuccino, shrugged.
“You look quite uneasy. It’s like you’ve found your first love but have to leave them behind.”
Linette’s reading was precise. Unaware that she herself was that first love, she immediately went to serve another customer.
“That scarf suits you so well today. Bright and cheerful.”
“Right? Hoho, I thought it would give that feeling, and you have such sharp eyes, boss.”
While chatting with regular customers, she didn’t pay much attention to him. But that was her business style—if she clung to one person, others might feel neglected.
“Boss, you’re still single, right? I know a good man. How about I introduce you?”
“Uh? Thank you, but I’m not ready to meet anyone yet.”
Exactly! That’s the right answer. Our Linette is doing very well.
Occasionally, visitors would suggest men to her, or men would propose dating directly. She always shook her head.
“Oh, come on. Just meet him once. You’ll like him. Good family, capable…”
Linette smiled wryly, looking at the guest who was describing the man.
“With such a good family and capable, why is he still single? Young ladies wouldn’t let such a man go. He must already be taken.”
“It’s just not meant to be, so we’d part ways right after meeting. But he seems… decent.”
“Linette! Excuse me, could I get another Sepiano, please?”
Interrupting the guest trying to matchmake her, Cian ordered another coffee.
“Ah, boss. Don’t just ignore me. If you want, tell me anytime. I’ll introduce you immediately.”
“Thank you, just the offer means a lot. I’ll think about it.”
Cian wondered what would happen if she were not there to deal with these pushy people. Clutching the cup Linette had made, he thought deeply.
“This is the only way, isn’t it?”
He sighed quietly, determined. After finishing his coffee, he handed the empty cup back.
“Thank you, as always.”
“Thank you for saying that.”
How could she say it so prettily? Seeing Linette’s smile made Cian even more anxious. He immediately walked to his family home.
“Oh! Young master, welcome. We were waiting for you.”
Entering during a meal, Cian bowed slightly.
“I’m here, Father, Mother.”
After greeting, he sat down, and naturally, tableware was set and food placed.
“Where’s Grandmother?”
“She fell asleep earlier, so no need to greet her. But why have you come here?”
“Since the young ladies might feel uncomfortable at our house and live elsewhere, do you perhaps have a girlfriend?”
Cian faintly smiled at his parents’ question. It seemed he wasn’t completely without interest in a certain young lady.
After the meal, while drinking tea, his father spoke first.
“I hear there’s trouble at the border. They decided to pick people by lottery.”
“Yes, so I was chosen today.”
Despite the grim news, the couple was calm.
“Do you need anything? We’ll prepare it.”
“No preparations are necessary.”
“Then why did you come here?”
Hearing his mother’s slightly formal tone, Cian said while sipping tea:
“I wanted to introduce you to a special teahouse. It’s where I go every day now.”
“Tea is tea, isn’t it all the same?”
His mother, who had visited all the teahouses in Indigo, shook her head. Cian then handed something to her.
“This is the name and address of the teahouse I go to. It’s not herbal tea or fruit tea—they sell coffee.”
“Coffee? Not Sepiano? There’s a coffee shop here? Why didn’t we know before? We should’ve gone earlier.”
He hadn’t forgotten the coffee he had in Sepiano—the rich aroma, the bitter taste, the blend of flavors. It was both a memory and a symbol of love for the couple.
Though the beans were imported and brewed in-house, it couldn’t replicate that exact taste.
“It’s not just coffee—it’s brewed by a cute coffee master, really stylish and refined.”
Cian shrugged at his father’s skeptical look.
“Should we bring Ria too? She grew up so well in 20 years, forced a marriage five years ago, and now wants to go out.”
“Yes, take your sister with you.”
“Then before bringing Ria, we’ll do a preliminary visit ourselves. Honey, let’s go out for a bit too.”
Her husband, usually stoic, nodded slightly. He too hadn’t forgotten the taste of Sepiano coffee. Even if it wasn’t the same, he wanted to taste the coffee at the Indigo shop.
“You’ve made a good decision. The place is really warm and welcoming.”
Listening to Cian’s description of Ikkeulim, his father sighed softly.
“You must really like it.”
“Yes, the owner isn’t just business-minded. She’s kind, beautiful, cute, and genuinely warm. You can understand her character by visiting.”
From his words, it was clear that their usually indifferent son was completely captivated.
The parents decided they must visit the place their son was fond of. Seeing their knowing smiles, Cian added one final note:
“It’s fine to visit, but don’t fall for the owner. And please watch over Ikkeulim while I’m away.”
In a way, the enemies around Ikkeulim seemed more dangerous than those at the border.
❅
On a rainy day, a notice was posted. It announced that people would be selected to go to the Sepiano border conflict. Everyone shook their heads. If it were a simple dispute, the city wouldn’t call for citizen soldiers with tax exemptions and rewards.
In an instant, the Indigo market froze. No one wanted to go outside. The quiet, lifeless market resembled a ghost town at night.
Even Ikkeulim fell into a sudden slump. With few customers, Linette told Angela not to come to work but assured her salary would be paid. It would have been dangerous for a child to wander around in such unrest.
Going to Ikkeulim alone, Cian noticed a familiar figure at the door and hurried over. Wary of the recent tense atmosphere, Linette cautiously asked:
“Cian? Why are you here at this hour?”
“I… came to tell you something. Linette, I won’t be able to be a regular customer for a while.”
Hearing such shocking words, Linette swallowed dryly, staring at him in disbelief.
“I’ve been suddenly assigned to another location.”
“Oh, for how long? A week? A month?”
Cian shook his head.
“I don’t know the duration. So… would you wait for me?”
