YWUSB~04

Chapter 4

In the blink of an eye, my body lost its balance and pitched forward.

Just as my heart seemed to plummet, a strong arm wrapped around my waist.

In an instant, I was standing firmly on the ground again.

Only after I had regained my balance did Den release my hand and waist.

“Were you startled?”

“I was… but I’m okay.”

It wasn’t the kind of unpleasant shock that frightened me.

If anything, it felt closer to excitement—like fluttering nerves.

Still, not wanting Den to misunderstand, I looked up at him and smiled.

“Thank you for helping me.”

Den looked down at me and blinked slowly.

After a brief pause, he turned his head away and gave a small cough.

“I should help you back up before we’re late.”

When I nodded, Den extended his hand toward me.

It was a proper escort, perfectly in line with etiquette.

With one hand, I took his.

With the other, I held onto the jacket draped over my shoulders.

I could feel the uneven texture of the buttons beneath my fingers, likely engraved with his family’s crest.

For a moment, it occurred to me that now I could probably discover which family he belonged to.

The terrace above us was illuminated, and even the garden paths we planned to stroll through were lined here and there with glass lanterns.

But my own Rowen brooch was hidden beneath his jacket.

If only I learned his identity while mine remained concealed, it would be unfair.

Besides, I already knew the faces of everyone I truly needed to avoid.

I hadn’t met the new Duke of Laslet yet—

but there was no chance Den could be him.

So in the end, instead of checking his brooch, I simply gripped his coat a little tighter.

For now…

I wanted to enjoy the romance of this moment, while I still knew nothing.

After that, we walked through the garden using the quietest paths possible, avoiding people whenever we could.

To keep our stroll from becoming dull, we exchanged small conversations.

We talked about what we liked and disliked.

We asked each other questions while carefully avoiding anything that might reveal the identities we were both hiding.

Den was one year older than me.

Though the age gap was small, he seemed far more mature.

The way he accepted things he disliked without complaint.

The way he valued principles.

And yet—

he wasn’t boring.

Then again, if he had been boring, he never would have considered jumping from a terrace in the first place.

That thought made what had just happened feel even more special.

“I still can’t believe I jumped from the terrace railing.”

Normally, with Father, Iswen, and Demian looming over me, I never would have even dreamed of doing something like that.

But when Den had looked up at me from below the terrace and smiled—

all my fear had melted away like snow.

When I took his hand, it felt as though nothing bad could happen.

There was no logical reason for me to believe that.

But my heart was beating so happily that I couldn’t help thinking it.

It was strange.

So strange that I wondered if this was what magic in old folktales felt like.

Instead of answering, Den turned his head and looked down at me.

Now that I could clearly see the color of his eyes, I could also clearly see the goodwill in them.

That affection made my heart pound.

It had been so long since someone had looked at me—not as a Rowen, not as someone’s daughter, not as a pawn—

but simply as myself.

And because of that, my feelings kept slipping beyond my control.

At this point, I wondered if Den had already realized just how much I treasured this moment.

But I had no idea how to hide it.

All I could do was honestly confess.

“That was really my first time doing something like that.”

“How was it?”

I thought for a moment before answering.

“It feels like I’ve become a bad person.”

“…”

“Because I broke the rules… and yet I’m having this much fun.”

If we hadn’t been in a situation where we absolutely couldn’t be seen, I might even have laughed out loud.

And it wasn’t just my mood that felt wonderful.

The night breeze was refreshing.

The sky looked like a beautiful velvet cloth studded with jewels.

Den’s hand in mine was warm.

And his soft, considerate voice felt so unfamiliar that every time I heard it, my heart skipped.

Looking up at Den, who was still gazing down at me with smiling eyes, I confessed,

“Maybe… I was never really such a polite or exemplary person after all.”

At that, Den laughed softly.

“I dislike following rules too.”

“How much?”

“Very much.”

It was the strongest expression of dislike he had used all evening.

Until now, even things he disliked had only earned responses like, “I don’t particularly care for them.”

Turning to him, I asked,

“But you said rules are important to you.”

“They are,” he replied. “Because even though I dislike them, I still have to follow them.”

Then he added,

“If I can’t like them… then I must at least consider them important, so that I can obey them.”

It was such a model answer that it hardly suited the rebellious honesty beneath it.

Once he finished speaking, Den lifted the corners of his mouth again.

It was the smile of someone hoping the atmosphere wouldn’t become awkward.

That was when a sharp sting flared in my heel.

I faltered without thinking, and Den immediately stopped walking.

His brow furrowed slightly.

“Does your foot hurt?”

“Ah… it’s just… I’m wearing new shoes today…”

“I’ll call a servant.”

Before he could finish, I quickly grabbed him.

“No. Please don’t.”

Den turned to me with one eyebrow slightly raised, his expression clearly asking why.

“If you call someone… we’ll be discovered.”

If others found out about this moment, Demian or Iswen would surely scold me.

Father would only watch me from a distance with those cold eyes.

And the moment I met that gaze, I would tremble in fear like I always did.

But more than any of that—

there was another reason.

“Because… right now is just too enjoyable…”

My already warm face became unbearably hot.

I didn’t need a mirror to know how red I must have been.

Unable to bear the embarrassment, I lowered my head deeply.

Den pointed toward a wooden bench placed in the garden for resting.

“Then shall I bring you some medicine? Please wait there for a moment.”

His suggestion made an involuntary laugh slip from me.

What am I supposed to do?

I must look completely ridiculous.

The thought bubbled uncontrollably in my mind.

Even after I sat on the bench—which somehow felt much farther away than it really was—I couldn’t bring myself to lift my face.

Den was standing in front of me.

I couldn’t stop imagining that he was smiling.

Then—

“There’s something I didn’t say earlier… when you asked whether I liked the capital.”

His words instantly sparked my curiosity, and I looked up.

Den wasn’t smiling.

There was still warmth in his gaze, but his face was nearly expressionless.

The change felt unfamiliar.

Looking at me steadily, he continued,

“I do not like the capital.”

“…”

“I never intended to pay attention to anything here.”

The words felt cold.

Almost too cold.

And in that moment, something sharp flashed in his eyes—

something honed like a blade.

Before I could understand what it was, Den’s eyes softened again.

“Not until Lady Ella allowed me onto that terrace.”

He gently drew my hand from my lap.

Then, carefully—

his lips brushed the back of my gloved hand.

I wasn’t foolish enough not to understand what that kiss meant.

It stood somewhere between courtesy… and rational affection.

My heart pounded so hard it felt ready to burst.

“Thank you for helping a stranger.”

His voice was soft.

Then Den reached toward my neck.

At first, I didn’t understand what he was doing.

Then I realized—

he was removing his brooch.

When he placed the jewel engraved with his family crest into my hand, I forgot to breathe.

If using a false name meant keeping this meeting a secret—

then revealing his real name meant the opposite.

It meant…

He wanted this connection, born tonight, to continue.

The realization that I wasn’t the only one cherishing this moment filled me with indescribable joy.

The instant I gave up trying to suppress my smile, Den’s lips curved too.

Then he said,

“My name is Shioden Laslet.”

In an instant—

my blood ran cold.

At this point in time, there was only one person who could bear the name Laslet.

The new Duke of Laslet.

“I will not ask your real name, my lady. If you wish for us to meet and part only as Ella and Den… then so be it.”

The young man whose father had been murdered by my father.

And as if that alone weren’t enough—

he had surely been humiliated by Father once again today.

A man who could never forgive Rowen, even in death.

“However… I would be grateful if, someday, you would allow me the chance to repay the kindness you showed me tonight.”

The sole direct heir of Laslet.

My body went rigid, as though I’d been bitten by a venomous snake.

My fingertips tingled.

My vision darkened.

Perhaps because he thought I was merely shocked, Den—

No, Shioden—

smiled.

That expression…

So bright.

So fresh.

And he wore it without knowing whose daughter stood before him.

I could barely breathe.

Shioden gently returned my hand to me.

“I’ve spoken too long. I’ll go fetch the medicine.”

As though to reassure me, he smiled once more—

then turned away.

I only came back to myself after he had completely disappeared from sight.

Only once I was utterly alone did I leap to my feet in panic.

My thoughts were a tangled mess.

Laslet?

The man I had just laughed with, spoken with, walked with—

was Shioden Laslet?

What am I supposed to do?

Until now, Shioden had been kind because he didn’t know my surname.

If he had known I was a Rowen—

he probably wouldn’t even have stepped onto that terrace.

Why did it have to be Laslet?

For the first time, I’d thought I’d met someone truly good.

Someone who could become my friend.

But from the very beginning—

we had been people who could never truly grow close.

Tears threatened to surge up, but I couldn’t cry.

I had to think of something.

First—

I needed to leave.

Even if I waited for Shioden to return, what could I possibly do?

If I accepted his kindness without telling him my real name, it would become deception.

But I couldn’t bear to imagine how completely his expression would change the moment I told him who I was.

Yes…

For now, I should go back and think.

I felt guilty for suddenly disappearing and leaving Shioden confused—

but I needed time to clear my head.

Ignoring the sting in my heel, I started walking.

Just as I was about to step back onto the path we had come from—

“What are you doing here?”

Demian appeared from between the hedges, wearing a deep scowl.