Chapter 18
I gazed at her quietly.
Her small frame looked even smaller as she crouched down, her pink hair swaying gently in the breeze. From the side, her high nose stood out even more, and her red lips contrasted against her pale face.
She was a flawless beauty—more beautiful than any flower.
I called out her name loudly.
“Rike!”
Rike, who had been looking down, lifted her head.
She looked straight at me. Her face seemed gloomy.
I hurried over and stopped right in front of her.
“Don’t run away this time! I worked really hard to get here!”
Perhaps because of my desperate shout, Rike didn’t run.
I crouched down across from her, meeting her gaze.
Mini, who had been supporting me, quietly walked away to give us space.
As expected, she was a perceptive child.
Rike’s green eyes were filled with moisture—she was on the verge of tears.
But she forced a frown, trying to hold them back.
It was a misunderstanding. What you thought didn’t happen. Ishar only patted my back…
There were so many things I wanted to say.
But my thoughts were too jumbled to come out properly.
I wasn’t good at comforting others.
Especially not someone precious to me.
I hesitated even more because I didn’t want to damage our relationship.
But I couldn’t just let the silence drag on.
So I spoke first.
“Why aren’t you crying?”
Rike answered slowly.
“…Because I’m sorry.”
I grabbed her arm tightly so she wouldn’t pull away.
It was so thin I could almost feel the bone.
“What are you sorry for?”
I hadn’t meant to interrogate her, but my tone came out a bit stiff.
I let out a dry breath, worried she might misunderstand again.
A single tear slid down from her emerald eyes and gathered at her chin.
This time, I tried to speak gently.
“I think a pretty girl looks even prettier when she cries.”
I brushed her cheek softly. She flinched at my touch.
With tears streaming down her delicate face, Rike asked seriously,
“…Do you hate me?”
“For what?”
“I misunderstood you so carelessly. Even though I should’ve known better than anyone that you’re not that kind of person…”
Ah. Thank goodness. She knew I wasn’t like that.
I began explaining everything that had happened.
“Alright, listen carefully, Rike.”
“…Okay.”
“Ishar came to visit even though I didn’t invite him.”
“Okay.”
“And right before you arrived, I choked on something. I was coughing so badly that he just patted my back, that’s all!”
Everyone in the duke’s household knew I often choked like that.
Rike didn’t doubt me.
“Then… why did Ishar come to see you?”
“Well…”
I knew the reason.
Ishar had misunderstood and came to ask about “abuse.”
“Don’t even get me started. He thought I was being abused in the duke’s house and came to ask about it.”
“…What? Not exaggeration, but abuse?”
“Yeah. He saw the bruises on my body and thought I was being abused.”
“He thought we were mistreating you?”
Rike asked in disbelief.
It was clearly absurd to her as well.
The tension left her face, and the trace of tears faded.
That was a relief.
“Yeah. That’s what he thought. I told him it wasn’t true, but he didn’t listen at all!”
“Hmm. That does sound like Ishar. He can be quite stubborn.”
It was a very Rike-like response, considering she had a crush on him.
“Let’s clear up his misunderstanding together later.”
“Yeah, let’s.”
I also told her about meeting Ishar at the imperial palace.
Rike listened quietly.
“I’m still sorry. He’s someone you like, and I was careless. I’ll make sure not to cause misunderstandings again. I promise.”
Rike nodded repeatedly.
“Rinzel, I’m sorry too. I like Lord Ishar so much… I guess jealousy got the better of me.”
This time, I nodded.
Jealousy could blind a person.
It could cloud rational judgment.
Having experienced unrequited love myself, I understood her feelings.
If anything, it made me realize just how much she liked Ishar.
It felt unfair that someone as lovely as Rike was hurt because of him.
She deserved to be loved by everyone.
“Then we’ve made up!”
I smiled brightly, and Rike, who had just stopped crying, burst into tears again.
She was probably crying because she felt sorry for me—and because she hated herself for being jealous and suspicious of someone she loved.
The tears flowing down her beautiful face looked like pearls.
I felt like gathering them in my hands and storing them in a secret box.
I pulled her into a tight embrace and waited for her crying to subside.
But her sobbing didn’t stop easily.
In the end, I shed a tiny tear as well—but that remained a secret from Rike.
After reconciling with Rike, I returned to my room.
I immediately lay down on my bed.
I was completely drained. I didn’t even have the strength to move a finger.
As I lay there, Ishar’s words came back to me.
‘And what exactly is the misunderstanding? That you’re being abused and covered in bruises? Or that you’re marrying Hernan instead of Lady Rike?’
Seriously… what kind of thoughts led him to such conclusions?
Now that I’d cleared things up with Rike, I had to clear things up with Ishar too.
‘I’ll help you. I feel a strange sympathy for you.’
I didn’t know what he meant by helping, but there was a chance he might do something strange based on his misunderstanding.
Was there a way to fix things between Rike and Ishar while also clearing up his misunderstanding?
Rather than relaying messages between them…
“A face-to-face meeting.”
That seemed best.
I resolved to arrange a meeting between them in the near future.
The key to connecting them would be Hernan.
“Mini, good morning.”
Perhaps because I had rested so much yesterday, my body felt refreshed.
Even the bruises on my legs from falling at the palace had faded.
Mini brought breakfast over to my bedside.
Since I wasn’t in great health, I usually ate in bed.
“You look much better than yesterday, my lady.”
“Yeah. Yesterday, I thought I was going to turn into a corpse.”
“I hope you recover fully soon…”
“Maybe eating will help.”
At my joke, Mini giggled.
As I began eating my soup, Mini started reciting my schedule like a secretary.
There wasn’t anything particularly important planned.
After breakfast, a short walk, checking the dress I had ordered a few days ago…
And then the most important event of the day.
“At 3 p.m. this afternoon, we received word that His Highness Hernan will visit the duke’s residence.”
Hernan, who had been quiet yesterday, was coming today.
I was already looking forward to it.
My heart trembled with anticipation.
How handsome would he look today?
If he used the oil I gave him, his face would probably be glowing.
So much so that if he ever went to war, that glow might blind the enemy.
He’d become the man responsible for a battlefield of blinded foes…
Well, that was a ridiculous thought.
Today, I put more effort into my appearance than usual.
Since Hernan had been paying attention to his attire, I wanted to show the same consideration.
While choosing a dress with Mini, a thought crossed my mind.
What kind of style does Hernan like?
Most people would assume he preferred modest styles.
He was known as a stoic and reserved man.
But people like that were often more vulnerable to stimulation.
For some reason, I became curious about the wild side hidden beneath his calm exterior.
What would it be like if his emotionless eyes were filled with heat?
Alright. I’ll draw it out of him.
The dress I chose had a slit running up one side along my leg.
The highlight was how it revealed just a hint of my smooth leg.
I considered an off-shoulder dress that showed my collarbones, but I remembered Ishar mentioning the bruises on my shoulders, so I decided to reveal only my leg.
If Hernan saw the bruises, he might misunderstand too.
I didn’t want that.
Before leaving the dressing room, I placed one foot on a round stool in front of the vanity.
The slit in the dress slid down, revealing my calf.
Perfect.
With legs like these, I could probably captivate 99 out of 100 men.
I asked Mini for confirmation.
“Mini, how do my legs look? Amazing, right?”
Mini clasped her hands together, looking deeply moved.
“They’re absolutely perfect. The kind of legs that could conquer everyone’s hearts.”
Hmm. That wasn’t enough praise.
I tilted my head, signaling her to continue.
Her eyes sparkled as she spoke excitedly.
“My lady, if you ever see a puddle on the road, please greet it!”
“Why?”
“Because it’s me, melted after seeing your perfect legs!”
She twisted her body as if she were actually melting.
It was so funny and adorable that I burst out laughing.
“Hahaha! Mini, you’re so cute.”
I stepped down from the stool and walked over to her, then lightly kissed her forehead.
“Mini, I grant you permission to melt.”
I smiled like a villain.
Her face turned as red as a tomato.
“M-My lady… I’ve already melted away. Amen.”
Smiling happily, I prayed for her soul.
“Amen.”
