IHTN 07

Chapter: 07

After quickly washing up, Yulia got dressed in the blink of an eye, picking up all the clothes that had been scattered on the floor.

She moved over and sat curled up on the chair placed near the doorway of the guest room.

This chair was at least the farthest from the bed, so it seemed suitable for having a rational conversation with him.

‘Why were the clothes thrown off in such a hurry like that…’

Filled with self-loathing, Yulia lowered her face into the space between her drawn-up knees.

Listening to the sound of water coming from the bathroom, she just sat there, her mind becoming increasingly complicated.

‘When did Cassian and I even come into this room together…? I don’t remember anything… I’m doomed… I’ve gone crazy! Of all people, why did it have to be Cassian!’

Soon, the sound of water stopped, followed by the click of the door, and Cassian stepped out of the bathroom, water still clinging to him.

Tiny droplets hung at the ends of his black hair.

Cassian walked toward the mirror by the bed and towel-dried his hair.

His brows rose in confusion as he looked at Yulia reflected in the mirror.

“Why are you sitting so far away? Come closer.”

He gestured toward the spacious bed behind him.

“N-no! I’ll talk from here! Here!”

Yulia quickly waved her hands in refusal.

From a distance, she carefully studied Cassian.

The defenseless look of Cassian just after waking up felt strangely unfamiliar.

The version of him she was used to seeing at school was always neat and composed—wearing a uniform with his shirt buttoned all the way up to the neck, black bangs neatly swept back without a strand out of place.

But the Cassian standing before her now was completely disheveled.

Especially his neck and upper body, covered in scattered, reddish marks that did not suit him at all.

‘Don’t tell me… I didn’t do all of that… right?’

Feeling an inexplicable sense of guilt, Yulia shut her eyes tightly again.

It seemed like she had let herself go after drinking for the first time in a while and ended up doing something she shouldn’t have.

Even though the damage was already done, she still felt a certain sense of responsibility for what she had done to him.

‘But…’

In the end, it had only been a night she barely even remembered.

For both him and herself, maintaining any kind of relationship didn’t seem like a good idea.

‘Besides… Cassian doesn’t have feelings for me anyway…’

Yulia decided to think in a more convenient way.

“Cassian, let’s forget what happened today.”

“What?”

Yulia shouted confidently.

In the mirror, she could see Cassian’s expression stiffen.

But she didn’t back down and continued firmly.

“I drank too much mixed liquor yesterday, so I don’t really remember anything. When I opened my eyes, I was already like this. I don’t want things to get awkward, so let’s just forget what happened.”

She declared it rather coolly.

After all, it would be better for Cassian too, rather than getting unnecessarily entangled in something like this…

Cassian, who had been standing quietly with a towel in hand, turned around and looked at her with a cold expression.

“…You don’t remember?”

“Yeah, not at all… I don’t remember anything. This has never happened before…”

Yulia nodded up and down like a broken doll.

It really was strange.

Even if she had been drunk, how could all her memories just disappear like that?

“Hah… I thought so. Your expression this morning was strange.”

Cassian ran a hand through his disheveled hair and frowned deeply.

Yulia held her breath, watching his reaction.

She didn’t understand why he seemed displeased with the situation.

For him, it should be far more convenient and easy not to be entangled with her at all…

“What if I don’t want to forget?”

Cassian lifted his head again and met her gaze.

His smooth face had already returned to its usual calm, unreadable expression.

“Huh?”

“What if I don’t want to forget?”

He strode toward where Yulia was sitting.

Creeeeak!

Startled, Yulia reflexively pushed her feet back, causing the chair legs to scrape against the floor with an unpleasant sound.

She had expected Cassian to approach her directly, but instead he walked a few more steps, bent down, and picked up a white shirt that had fallen under the bed.

“Oh… I see. I guess you don’t want to!”

Jeez, that scared me…

Yulia, flustered and visibly startled, quickly continued speaking.

It was an unexpected reaction.

“Still… wouldn’t it be better for both of us to forget? It was a mistake on both sides…”

“A mistake?”

“Yeah, a mistake.”

“It wasn’t on my side.”

“…Ah.”

Cassian said it casually while putting on the shirt he had picked up and buttoning it.

The white fabric clung tightly to his body.

“Why? Do you usually end up spending nights with men by mistake?”

His tone, uncharacteristically sharp, was clearly sarcastic.

Yulia felt momentarily irritated, but she had no excuse to defend herself.

She had once thoroughly cursed a man who slept with someone and then pretended nothing happened afterward…

‘Ugh… that’s literally me right now…’

She felt like she had become useless trash beyond recycling.

‘And I’ve never seen Cassian show emotions like this before…’

Everything she had seen of Cassian until now had been expressionless, indifferent, cold, or detached.

Seeing this unfamiliar side of him made a small sense of guilt quietly rise inside her.

“Uh… well, then I’ll apologize first. I’m sorry… I really don’t remember anything.”

Yulia spoke carefully, watching him closely.

“…But think about it. You can’t seriously start dating me from now on, right?”

Cassian Duke would never seriously date or marry a woman he had spent just one night with.

Nobles were people who entered emotionless political marriages for the sake of their families and openly kept several lovers anyway.

Unless he simply used her and then discarded her when the heroine of the original novel appeared…

“Serious relationship…”

Cassian murmured in a low voice after hearing her words.

His previously sharp aura seemed to soften slightly.

Yulia, mistaking that reaction as agreement, quickly continued.

“I don’t want to start something where I can already see the end.”

“What end are you talking about?”

“I mean… you’re not going to marry me anyway, right? I don’t plan to become someone’s mistress, even if they’re a high-ranking noble.”

“A mistress?”

His face, which had just calmed down, twisted again in disbelief.

“Who said anything about making you a mistress…!”

Knock, knock.

At that moment, a light knock came from the guest room door behind her.

“Yuu… li… a…!”

Jerome was standing outside room 207, knocking.

Startled by Jerome’s voice, Yulia jolted up from the chair.

“H-how late is it already?”

She checked the watch on her wrist and grabbed her bag from the floor.

If she delayed any longer, Jerome might open the door and come face to face with Cassian.

“Then… I’ll assume we’re done talking and I’ll be going now! See you if we ever meet again!”

‘We definitely won’t!’

She shouted the last part only in her mind and quickly turned around.

She didn’t want to have any more uncomfortable conversations with him.

Now that she had graduated from the academy, there was no reason left for her to be involved with Cassian Isheid anymore.

Well… maybe if she got a job at a company related to imperial affairs, she might occasionally see his face in passing?

Just before leaving, Yulia glanced back into the room at Cassian.

“……”

Cassian was still staring at her without moving.

His expression looked like he was deep in thought.

Sorry, but it can’t be helped… we really shouldn’t be involved anymore.

When you meet the heroine of the original story later, you’ll be healed from today’s wound! I’m sure you’ll even thank me then.

Yulia forced herself to look away and carefully opened the door.

Through the narrow gap, she saw Jerome standing there smiling.

If she opened it fully, he might look inside and notice Cassian.

So she slipped out quickly through the narrow opening and shut the door firmly behind her.

“Jerome! You’re up early? Let’s go!”

Jerome, who had been waiting outside, quickly grabbed her arms to steady her as she stumbled out.

Her hair was still slightly damp at the ends, as if she had rushed out without drying it properly.

In Jerome’s view, a pearl earring was hanging precariously through her thick hair.

It looked like she had put it on in a hurry without checking in a mirror, as the clasp at the back wasn’t properly secured.

“Yu… Yulia… wai… a mo…”

Jerome stopped her.

“Jerome, I’m hungry! Let’s go quickly!”

Yulia anxiously alternated her gaze between Jerome’s face and room 207 behind her.

But Jerome ignored her and firmly held both her arms.

“What’s wrong? Let’s go already. We need to call a carriage before it gets too late!”

Yulia stomped her foot impatiently.

If she didn’t leave right now, she had no idea when Cassian might open that door.

Watching her quietly, Jerome gently tucked her hair behind her ear.

Then he fiddled with the pearl earring hanging beneath it.