Chapter 09
From the moment I woke up, I had to shoot a full-on spy movie with my personal maid, Maria.
Because today was the day — the day I was meeting Argan.
I absolutely had to meet him safely and come back in one piece. For my adoptive father’s sake, if nothing else.
Having both Argan and Chodorn in the same place?
That would be catastrophic.
It was already hard enough because Chodorn refused to leave my side for even a second, but if I watched my timing carefully, I’d surely find a way to slip out.
Seeing my former boss — my mortal enemy from my previous life — every single day in this one, honestly, how is that fair?
After breakfast with Chodorn, I told him I’d be taking a nap in my room.
Then, with Maria’s help, I snuck out through the servants’ back door of the mansion.
The coachman, as planned, was waiting there and, the moment Maria and I climbed aboard, he whipped the reins and the carriage rolled out.
“Do I look all right?”
I raised both arms and checked myself. Maria clasped her hands together and nodded eagerly.
“You look absolutely enchanting, my lady.”
The dress had an open neckline meant to accentuate the shoulders, but I’d been moving too much, and now the neckline had crept up. Embarrassing.
Maria adjusted the fabric for me, smoothing the crumpled mameluke sleeves.
“White really suits you, my lady. You look like a fairy from another world.”
Well, she wasn’t wrong about that part.
Feeling awkward from her over-the-top compliment, I shut my mouth.
That was exactly why my adoptive father had assigned Maria as my personal maid.
She was kind-hearted — and most importantly, free of prejudice.
While others treated me like a foreigner, she cared for me like a younger sister. Even though, technically, I was the older one.
The carriage stopped in front of the café where Argan was waiting.
“We’ve arrived.”
When Maria and I entered, Argan was already there.
The tall, broad-shouldered man with jet-black hair rose to his feet as soon as he saw me.
Argan was a close friend of Rioel’s — they were both knights of the Imperial Order.
No wonder he was just as big and imposing.
He just stared at me blankly, expression unreadable.
So I stared right back at him.
Only then did he give a reluctant greeting.
“It’s been a while, Lady Rubiche.”
He brushed his lips against the back of my hand and gestured for me to sit.
Even the way he sat — perfectly upright, impeccably proper — made me feel suffocated.
Even a priest wouldn’t look this stiff.
I studied his neatly trimmed black hair, then his sharp blue eyes.
You could never tell what this man was thinking.
Even after sitting down, neither of us spoke.
If the waiter hadn’t arrived to hand us menus, I might’ve actually suffocated to death from the tension.
“Please call me when you’re ready to order.”
The waiter smiled politely and left.
I quietly read the menu.
It had been ages since I’d studied the Empire’s common script, but I could still read it just fine.
I wanted a Vienna coffee, though I doubted they had that here.
If I was already at a café, I’d rather have a latte or something sweet instead of plain coffee.
“Have you decided?”
“Not yet.”
At Argan’s question, I pretended to think deeply and kept looking at the menu.
Maybe a latte… or something close to it?
After watching me deliberate for a while, Argan called to his servant.
“Two cups of hot coffee.”
I blinked, startled, and lowered the menu.
“Why are you ordering my drink, Lord Rodvalt?”
He looked a little taken aback. Odd reaction.
“You seemed unfamiliar with the coffee selections…”
I was speechless.
So what — he thought I couldn’t read?
Or maybe he assumed I’d never set foot in a café before because I wasn’t born a noble?
What did he think I did when we exchanged letters — had someone write for me?
I couldn’t get mad at every little thing like this. I’d be facing situations like this all the time anyway.
Still, it was annoying enough that I couldn’t help snapping a little.
“I was just deciding between a few options because I wanted Vienna coffee. They don’t seem to have it here. Do you know what Vienna coffee is? Of course you don’t — it’s not something this place would have. Anyway, I was looking for something similar. I don’t feel like having plain coffee.”
I called over to Maria, who was anxiously fidgeting nearby.
“Maria, order me a latte instead. You can have the coffee Lord Rodvalt ordered.”
Maria, a known coffee lover, nodded brightly.
I gave Argan a polite smile.
“Thank you for your consideration, Lord Rodvalt.”
He didn’t apologize or explain — just kept his mouth shut.
Typical.
A few minutes later, our drinks arrived.
I looked down at the steaming cup in front of me, suppressing a sigh. Everything just felt… tiresome.
“So, why did you want to meet?”
“I heard you’re not willing to go through with the engagement.”
My hand froze halfway to my lips.
I never told him that.
Sure, I’d grumbled about it to my adoptive father and Rioel, but never seriously — I’d accepted that a political marriage might be inevitable once I became a noble.
But I hadn’t expected my words to be twisted and passed along like this.
The culprit was obvious: Rioel. Only he could be that careless.
“I’m sorry, my lady,” Argan said firmly. “But I think it’s too soon to decide.”
“It’s a misunderstanding. My words must’ve been distorted somehow.”
He gazed at me silently, calm as still water. The silence was suffocating.
“I understand why you dislike me, my lady.”
That caught me off guard. He said he understood me?
“I know I lack charm and warmth. I probably seem cold and dull. It’s only natural you wouldn’t want to marry me.”
That wasn’t exactly the problem.
Argan rarely responded when I spoke to him — or he’d just cut me off.
I’d always thought he was the type who only cared about himself.
An awkward man. Hard to talk to.
So hearing him say something like that was… unexpected.
“But now that you’re a noble, you must understand — personal feelings can’t dissolve a pact between houses.”
That was ridiculous, since we weren’t even formally engaged yet.
Did he think I didn’t understand how aristocrats worked?
His argument held no weight. My adoptive father had already told me he wouldn’t force me into anything.
It wasn’t that I hated marriage itself — I just didn’t romanticize it.
If I had to marry someone without love, Argan wasn’t a terrible option.
I’d even tried to convince myself of that.
“When I’m with you, I feel at ease,” he said suddenly. “You’re… different from other women I’ve met.”
“…What?”
“So perhaps we should take some time and observe one another. If you still find me disagreeable, I’ll persuade my father and Marquis Rubiche myself.”
“No, I think there’s some misunder—”
Before I could finish, he cut me off.
“I don’t dislike you yet, my lady.”
“I dislike you.”
“—Ack!”
A low voice interrupted us, and I screamed in surprise as I jumped to my feet.
Silver hair — dazzling under the sunlight.
And before I knew it, Chodorn had slipped into the seat beside me.
I turned to Maria, who shook her head frantically — clearly, she had no idea how he’d gotten here.
“Prince Reynold?”
Argan looked just as shocked, momentarily forgetting to bow.
“It’s been a while, Argan.”
“I greet Your Highness the Crown Prince.”
Argan quickly stood, pressing a fist to his chest in salute.
“But, Your Highness… what brings you here?”
“This little thing bolted out of the mansion like she was fleeing for her life. I’ve been scouring every café in the area to find her.”
Chodorn wiped sweat from his brow as he looked at me.
And just like that, all the irritation and anxiety in my chest vanished.
Ignoring the formalities nobles loved so much, I snapped at him.
“Who’s calling it ‘running away’? You’re the one squatting in my house like it’s yours!”
Chodorn smiled sweetly, took my hand, and pressed a kiss to my wrist. His warm breath brushed against my skin, making it tingle.
“Sorry, little mouse. I just can’t let you go. After how hard it was to find you, how could I?”
My wrist burned.
What the hell was that? I scrubbed at the spot with my sleeve.
“Do you two know each other?” Argan asked quietly.
That reminded me — we’d been talking about our engagement before this circus started.
“Oh, um, a little.”
“A little? Don’t be modest. I know everything about you.”
Chodorn said it smoothly, turning to look right at Argan.
Why he chose that moment, I had no idea — but Argan’s face stiffened immediately.
“She doesn’t like boring men like you, you know.”
“Excuse me? Lord Rodvalt is quite the interesting-looking man.”
Argan blinked, startled, touching his own cheek as if to confirm something.
Ah. Not that kind of “interesting”…
“I’m better-looking than him.”
Chodorn, who clearly had understood what I meant, glared at Argan, his face darkening.
Then he leaned in and whispered by my ear:
“You said you like fun people. That’s why you joined the entertainment department instead of the culture bureau. You said you liked people with a sense of humor. Who’s more ‘sense’ than me?”
“Sense? You mean you showed the entire world the sensation of a complete lunatic!”
“…What?”
Chodorn looked like he’d been smacked upside the head.
I froze. Oops.
That last part came out of my mouth before I could stop it.
Argan looked utterly bewildered, while his servant and Maria had gone pale as sheets.
Apparently, I’d said my inside thoughts way too loudly again.
