HBTF 21

Chapter: 21

Is It Wrong to Have a Short-Lived Crush?

Why is he staring like that? Classie, upon meeting the cold gaze of Kishin, was taken aback and thought to herself.

It wasn’t just a coincidence that their eyes met. It wasn’t a friendly glance at someone familiar. Kishin was blatantly staring at Classie.

The unknown intensity and directness of the gaze was so heavy that Classie, feeling uncomfortable, quickly averted her eyes.

No, he rejected my date proposal, didn’t he? He even told me not to ask him out again. So why is he staring like that… like someone who’s been dumped?

As Classie hurriedly looked down and awkwardly adjusted her hair, the young man turned around.

“What’s wrong?”

The young man sighed briefly after looking at the same spot Classie had been staring at.

“Looks like palace guards. The Emperor’s dogs.”

Classie, still fiddling with her hair, was startled and looked up. The sound coming from the young man’s mouth, which had always seemed innocent, was unexpectedly harsh.

Moreover, this is the royal capital. Is it really okay to openly call the Emperor’s trusted men like that?

“I’ve heard that there are surprisingly many nobles here in the royal capital who hold animosity toward the Emperor and the late Empress. I guess it’s true.”

Classie recalled the stories her friends, who used to frequently travel between her hometown and the capital, had told her.

When the young man saw Classie’s surprised expression, he awkwardly smiled.

“I’m sorry. A few months ago, those guys and the inspection team barged into my relatives’ house. They said they were looking for traces of dark magic and rummaged through the whole house.”

“I see.”

“Traces of dark magic? That excuse is ridiculous, isn’t it?”

“Hmm…”

As she finished the rest of her drink, Classie thought to herself that she needed to get away from this young man as soon as possible.

The reason Classie was in such a hurry to get married was to inherit her family’s wealth. Once she became the heir, she wanted to live freely and comfortably, enjoying her vast inheritance without any worries. She hated getting tangled up in complicated affairs.

“You said you moved here recently, didn’t you, milady?”

The young man, having finally calmed down, asked. But Classie had already made up her mind.

“Excuse me. I see someone I know over there.”

Muttering that, Classie pointed to a completely random direction and quickly left before the young man could stop her.

As she hurried down the stairs, far away from where she had been sitting, it hit her again—how close the royal capital was to the Emperor’s power.

When she got to the first-floor drink stand, there was already a long line of people. The line was so long that even if she stood there throughout the entire break, she probably wouldn’t be able to buy a drink.

‘The play isn’t even that visible anyway… Maybe I should just go back.’

Classie stared down at her empty drink bottle, feeling disheartened.

‘But I can’t go home. Merran must still be with Dernick. Then should I go take a walk alone at the plaza? It’s not snowing today either…’

“Miss Classie.”

At that moment, a low voice called out to her from behind.

‘Kishin!’

Classie turned around with a start. Sure enough. Kishin was standing right behind her like a frightening statue. She had no idea when he had followed her. His cold gaze from earlier was still the same.

That icy stare made Classie feel wronged. Why? Why is he looking at me like that? Like I made plans with him and then broke them for no reason? He was the one who rejected my date proposal!

But not wanting to get into anything complicated, Classie simply forced a smile and greeted him casually.

“What a coincidence, running into you here. Are you here for work?”

Kishin, without even a polite smile, asked back,

“Miss Classie, did you come here for a date with that man?”

Classie wanted to shout, “Yes!” Kishin had rejected her just a few hours ago, hadn’t he? She wanted to make it clear that she had no trouble finding someone else to go on a date with.

But then she remembered the ominous hostility the young man had shown toward the Imperial family, and her answer changed in an instant.

“No. I just met him for the first time today.”

“For a first meeting, you two seemed to be talking quite comfortably.”

“He said it was love at first sight.”

“……”

“I was curious about what kind of person he was, so we talked.”

Classie clutched the empty bottle tightly, shifting her gaze around. Talking with Kishin like this made her uncomfortable.

She had only stated the facts, but somehow it felt like it would be misunderstood by him—and that bothered her.

“Well, I’ll be going now.”

Eventually, Classie took the initiative to say goodbye and turned to leave.

‘Let’s go to the plaza.’

But Kishin followed her.

At first, Classie thought they just happened to be heading in the same direction. There was no reason for him to follow her, after all.

But as they continued walking in the same direction, she got suspicious and deliberately started walking in odd, random directions.

Kishin still followed.

It wasn’t just a matter of overlapping paths. He was genuinely following Classie. The moment she was sure, Classie stopped, turned around, and protested to him.

“Why are you following me?”

“I’ve been calling you from behind the whole time.”

“I didn’t hear you. But so what? If I don’t answer and keep walking, you should’ve just let me go. Why did you keep following me like that?”

“I thought you didn’t hear me.”

“..…”

“And is that really something to get this mad about?”

“Yes. You’re following me in your guard uniform, so people are giving us weird looks. Especially me! They’re looking at me strangely!”

Classie felt a spark of irritation when Kishin, who’d been acting cold all along, suddenly twitched the corners of his lips.

“Are you enjoying seeing me mistaken for a petty thief or something?”

“They probably thought you were of a higher class than that.”

“What?”

“Royal guards don’t usually chase after pickpockets.”

That made Classie even more annoyed.

“That’s not a compliment, is it? I hope it’s not.”

Kishin cleared his throat and changed the subject.

“I followed you because I was curious about something.”

Classie turned her head away coolly and asked,

“What is it?”

The faint smile that had been on Kishin’s lips disappeared.

“It’s not a big question. But seeing you made me wonder.”

“Wonder what.”

“Did you really like me?”

Classie almost choked. She had been bracing herself, expecting some serious question after being followed this far.

Good thing she had finished her drink. If she’d still been sipping, she might’ve spat it out.

“What?”

She blinked, flabbergasted.

Kishin, with his usual unreadable expression, explained again.

“You said you liked me, hugged a terrible bouquet, and came all the way to the guardhouse at night. Then, you said you liked someone else. Then, you asked me out on a date. And now, I see you having a nice time with another man.”

Classie stared at him, dumbfounded. Her busy days of getting rejected here and there, when narrated like this from his mouth, made her sound like a complete flirt.

Kishin sighed briefly and asked for confirmation.

“So, did you actually like me?”

“Yes. I had a crush on you.”

“Then why—”

“Is there a problem if a crush doesn’t last long? Just because I liked you once, do I have to never like anyone else again for the rest of my life?”

“!”

Whatever it was about her calm answer, it seemed to shock Kishin deeply. He looked at her as if he had been struck in the face.

After a long pause, he asked again, his voice lower this time.

“But still… isn’t it too fast to switch targets within just a few hours?”

“You said you weren’t interested in me. Then I need to move on quickly. What difference does it make if I mope over someone for a day, a month, or a year when I know it’s not going to work out?”

Kishin now looked like he had been struck twice.

Classie couldn’t understand why he was so flustered.

‘It’s not like we dated and broke up. I liked him one-sidedly, asked him out one-sidedly, and it ended. Why’s he so shocked?’

“…I see. Understood.”

At last, Kishin answered with a face that showed he didn’t understand at all, then turned and walked away without asking any more questions.

Watching his retreating figure, Classie felt an odd discomfort. Why did he leave with that kind of expression?

She replayed Kishin’s question in her head, along with her own response. It all seemed perfectly reasonable.

But it was only when she returned to the carriage that a bothersome thought hit her.

‘Wait… did he say something like I liked another guy? Did he? No… maybe not?’

But she couldn’t go back and replay what had already been said. Feeling uneasy, Classie pressed her forehead against the carriage pillar and furrowed her brows.

While Classie and Kishin were both thinking the other person was strange, Dernick and Merran were enjoying a cheerful meeting of their own.

Dernick had prepared two baskets of candy to bring to Classie’s house—one for Lady Mary’s younger sister and one for her daughter.

“These are gifts for the two young ladies of this house.”

He handed both baskets to Anna with a friendly smile. Anna accepted only one.

“I’ll give this to Lady Classie when she returns. I’m sure she’ll love it! You can give the other one to Lady Merran yourself, Lord Dernick. She’ll be down soon.”

Dernick, hooking Merran’s basket onto his arm, asked,

“Oh? Lady Classie isn’t here?”

He had assumed both women would be home together. He had even specially included cookies shaped like umbrellas, perfume bottles, and knives in Classie’s basket.

Anna asked back, puzzled,

“Did you make plans to meet with Lady Classie too?”

She recalled how Merran had been adamant that Classie should be out of the house while Dernick was visiting.