Chapter 21
After that day, Kiern moved up the engagement ceremony. It was to be held at Rose Hall, newly built on the grounds of the old royal palace, for his engagement with Abigail.
Elizabeth had wanted to leave before the ceremony, but with the date suddenly brought forward, that was no longer possible.
Kiern remained cruel to the end. It seemed he was determined to make her witness the engagement no matter what.
The fact that he had advanced the date just because she said she would leave in a month made that clear enough.
Elizabeth had no right to refuse his notice. Someone burdened with guilt had no such privilege. She could only assume that this was his answer to her confession.
And from that day on, Elizabeth deliberately avoided Kiern. He, too, never sought her out first.
Naturally, an unspoken rule formed between them:
They would not seek each other out.
Though they lived in the same castle, they would not cross paths, as if they lived in entirely different places.
Surprisingly, it wasn’t that difficult. Agapel Castle was large enough that, if they wished, their paths would never overlap.
However, they couldn’t avoid the Ingrid gatherings. Doing so would openly acknowledge discord between them.
When the day of the regular meeting came, Elizabeth let out a deep sigh. It wasn’t Abigail she dreaded seeing—it was Kiern.
That day’s gathering was at Prairie Castle. Just as Elizabeth finished preparing to leave—
Kiern was waiting by the carriage. Without hesitation, he extended his hand.
Uncomfortable with the idea of riding alone with him, Elizabeth shook her head.
“I’ll take another carriage. You go ahead.”
“It’d be stranger if we left separately.”
As if telling her not to be stubborn, Kiern grabbed her hand.
Reluctantly, she stepped into the carriage. She found herself resenting how well-dressed and gentlemanly he appeared.
As soon as she entered, she squeezed herself into the farthest corner, putting as much distance between them as possible.
Being alone with him in such an enclosed space made her tense and uneasy. She even wanted to stab her own eyes for constantly drifting toward him.
Meanwhile, Kiern sat comfortably, watching the stiffened Elizabeth.
With a lazy smile, he said,
“Do you know that the more you act guarded like that, the more it makes me want to provoke you?”
“…You wouldn’t do that.”
“Who knows. I’m not as gentlemanly or kind as you think.”
“Don’t do anything… please.”
At her wary plea, Kiern let out a short laugh.
The way he looked at her felt almost indecent. Elizabeth licked her lower lip unconsciously, her throat suddenly dry.
Watching her, Kiern said,
“You’re telling me to do nothing, but looking at me like you want me to do anything. What am I supposed to make of that?”
“I never did that.”
“Really? Then maybe you can’t even control yourself. Is that why you’ve been hiding?”
At his sharp words, Elizabeth lowered her head and muttered softly.
“I just thought… it might be painful for you to look at my face.”
“It’s you who finds it painful to look at me. Because I remind you of your mother’s disgrace.”
“That’s not it.”
“No? Can you really be sure it’s not?”
With a mocking tone, Kiern stretched his legs, brushing against hers. In the cramped carriage, even the slightest movement made their knees bump.
When Elizabeth quickly pulled her legs back, he frowned as if displeased.
Then, before she could avoid him, he leaned forward, closing the distance.
As their faces drew close enough to kiss, Elizabeth instinctively shut her eyes tight—then immediately regretted it.
She could have just avoided him, but closing her eyes first made it seem exactly as he said—as if she wanted something from him.
With a faint smirk, Kiern spoke again.
“Why are you closing your eyes?”
“This is…”
“You said it wasn’t. Then open them and look at me. Let’s see.”
Each time he spoke, his breath brushed against the tip of her nose. His tone was half playful, half mocking.
Though it wasn’t a command she was forced to obey, she couldn’t refuse.
Slowly, Elizabeth opened her eyes.
Blue eyes stared at her as if they would devour her. One of his hands gripped the window frame, the other braced against the wall beside her.
They were far too close. The creaking of the carriage and the sound of hooves filled her ears.
With a stiff body, Elizabeth asked sharply,
“Is that enough now?”
“….”
“Stop doing this. You don’t even mean anything by it anyway.”
At her reproach, Kiern let out a quiet laugh.
“It’s not something you need feelings for. If I feel like doing it, I will—anytime.”
It sounded like something he could just as easily say to Abigail.
No—he was about to be engaged to her. Kissing would be natural. They could do far more than that.
But she didn’t want to hear it from his lips. And she definitely didn’t want to see it.
As Elizabeth trembled in humiliation, Kiern leaned back with a satisfied smile.
“How boring. Not even fun.”
“……”
“Don’t worry. I always keep in mind that you’re Stella’s daughter.”
With that, he turned his gaze out the window, as if he had lost all interest.
The way he deliberately called her Stella’s daughter hurt Elizabeth, even though it was something she already knew.
To him, she was nothing more than the daughter of an enemy. The fact that she had never even secured a place as a friend dragged her into despair.
The carriage quietly passed through the city toward Prairie Castle.
Elizabeth steadied herself—so she could smile as if nothing was wrong, so she could endure what awaited her.
A few days later, Theo Cavill came to visit Elizabeth, holding a bouquet. It was their first meeting since they had parted without a proper goodbye last time.
Given how cold she had been, she had assumed he would take the hint and stop. She thought that would be the end of it—so his visit left her flustered.
Theo handed her the bouquet and explained,
“I sincerely apologize for last time. I meant to contact you right away, but things were so chaotic that I could only come now.”
“I heard from your secretary. You encountered a kraken in the middle of the sea and suffered heavy losses.”
“Yes. It wasn’t even the season for krakens to appear, which made things difficult. Still, thanks to some emergency magic tools, we managed to save a few ships.”
Elizabeth had never seen a massive magical creature like a kraken. She had heard it resembled a giant octopus, and just imagining encountering one in the open sea made her shiver.
Since she had been planning to leave for the Kingdom of Brittany, she asked,
“Then… will sea travel be dangerous for a while? Trade routes and passenger routes might be different, right?”
“At the moment, all sea routes are dangerous. If a kraken attacks at night, a ship can be destroyed instantly. Once word spreads among captains, all sea travel will likely stop. No one will want to risk going out.”
Elizabeth found herself troubled by this unexpected obstacle. She had already paid for her passage.
The most common route to Brittany was by sea—but if what Theo said was true, those routes would soon be closed.
That meant travelers might flood the land routes, making it difficult to secure tickets.
I should buy a train ticket before prices go up. I can’t risk not being able to leave at all just to save money.
Since trains powered by refined mana stones had been invented, sea travel had been the cheapest option. Planning to live frugally after leaving Agapel Castle, she had chosen it—but it had nearly turned dangerous.
She felt grateful to Theo for the information.
“Thank you, Sir Theo. I like the bouquet as well.”
“I’m glad. To be honest, every time I see red roses, I think of you, Lady Lua.”
“Because of my hair color, I suppose.”
Elizabeth touched her hair and smiled bitterly, reminded of something the duchess used to say before she passed away.
The duchess had loved Elizabeth’s red hair—so much that she would braid it herself despite Elizabeth’s protests.
‘My lady, if you keep doing this, the head maid will scold me.’
‘I’m doing it because I want to. If she says anything, I’ll handle it.’
‘Still…’
‘I’ve never seen hair as red and beautiful as yours. It rivals roses. Especially with your golden eyes—you’re a rose through and through.’
When they were alone, she even called Elizabeth “Rose.”
That was the kind of person the duchess had been—the one Elizabeth remembered.
Lost in thought, Elizabeth continued speaking with Theo.
Just then, Kiern returned from his work and spotted them.
With the engagement preparations in full swing, he had been going out often—and it seemed pests had already begun to gather.
Through the open window, he saw Theo’s reddened ears and Elizabeth smiling brightly in front of him.
It irritated him.
Especially because Elizabeth hadn’t smiled like that in front of him for days.
Even knowing it would make her uncomfortable, Kiern stepped into the drawing room.
After all, he was the master of the house. There was no reason for him to accommodate Elizabeth’s discomfort.
“Ah.”
Theo noticed him first and stood to greet him politely. In contrast, Elizabeth flinched slightly but stubbornly refused to turn around.
Her shoulders trembled faintly—as if hoping he would simply leave.
Kiern approached them with graceful steps and gave a brief nod.
Only then did he notice the bouquet of roses beside Elizabeth.
His dry lips curled into a crooked smile of displeasure.
It seemed her suitor, unlike him, was quite the gentleman.
