Chapter 10
“That’s not what I meant—if I were going to treat you properly, I should have taken you somewhere nicer. This place is a restaurant I frequent, but it’s cheap.”
But it’s only been two months since I possessed this body.
And I only started earning real money a month ago!
It was only natural that I didn’t know any decent restaurants, but to say I’d treat Karcel and then only serve him soup…
‘That was a misjudgment.’
It’s not a date… so it should be fine.
I’d been living so breathlessly without any time to even try dating, and I was finally thinking about giving romance a shot after getting a job—but then I died.
“I’ve never been to a restaurant with anyone else before. …I’m sorry.”
When I awkwardly apologized for my mistake, the gaze fixed on me grew a shade deeper.
Instead of saying anything else, he gave a faint smile.
“So you’re saying you’ve never been on a date like this with anyone else before?”
“A d-date?”
“A man and woman who were briefly husband and wife just moments ago arrive together by carriage, share a meal, and then he escorts her home. Isn’t that a date?”
Well, no, it’s not. But when you put it that way, I feel like I’m the jerk for not thinking of it as a date.
When I hesitated, Karcel put on a sad expression this time.
“I’ve never dined with anyone else at a restaurant either. I was happy that my first time was with Asha… but I thought this was a date.”
“Fine! Let’s call it a date!”
At my surrender, Karcel finally let out a deep, rumbling laugh.
“Asha really is a good person. You accept all my unreasonable demands.”
“If you know they’re unreasonable, please restrain yourself.”
“If I didn’t do this, I feel like Asha would never give me a chance. So I’m forced to be pushy.”
Saying that, Karcel walked ahead, holding my hand—which was clutching his sleeve—in his.
He clearly knew that I was keeping my distance from him.
And he confessed that he was deliberately making bold moves to close that gap.
The reason it didn’t seem hateful was probably…
‘Is it honestly just because he’s handsome and doesn’t cross the line?’
If he’d openly tried to make a move on me or acted all handsy, I’d have ended things long ago.
Karcel never crossed the line I had set.
That’s probably why his sudden touches and words didn’t make me uncomfortable.
Karcel pulled out the chair for me and tilted his head.
“Ladies first.”
“Thank you.”
He truly carried himself with grace in every single action. His movements were efficient and restrained.
‘He feels almost like a soldier—disciplined and sharp.’
Karcel lifted his head and asked me.
“What’s the best dish here? I’d like to have that.”
“The chef’s special soup, freshly baked bread, and the seasoned charcoal-grilled whole chicken are the best.”
Having been here many times, the menu rolled off my tongue effortlessly.
“Then I’ll have that.”
Karcel answered while looking at me as if I were cute, and for some reason, I felt embarrassed.
‘No matter how dense I am, that’s definitely the look of someone who likes me.’
It’s not that I’ve never had relationships—just that circumstances prevented me from dating.
“R-right.”
I ordered the food from the approaching waiter.
“Please wait about 20 minutes.”
“Okay.”
Now there was a 20-minute gap of time.
‘What should I talk about?’
This situation, which had turned into something like a blind date, felt painfully awkward.
It’s always hardest to find common ground with a stranger and slowly build a connection.
Fortunately, Karcel asked me a question first.
“Asha, are you planning to leave the Count’s household?”
“Ah, yes. You already saw everything, so you know.”
“Honestly, I was impressed. I truly admire your drive to run toward your goals without hesitation.”
“Well… actually, I’m not good at just sitting still at home. It’s become a habit. If I have even an hour of free time, I get anxious.”
I’ve always lived like I was being chased.
Because for me, there was never a “next chance.”
Ironically, Asha Delmore’s life was the same.
Her family didn’t have the means to take her back, and even if she returned, they’d likely just sell her off to another marriage prospect.
Her future was painfully predictable.
‘Even if Asha Delmore hadn’t died at the hands of the Duke of Racan, the fate of a poor, homeless noblewoman wouldn’t have been pretty.’
She could enter a monastery and spend her life serving others.
Or she could drift from house to house as a governess until she got too old.
Either way, she wouldn’t have escaped poverty.
“I was the same. Well, actually, that’s not something I should say to you. After all, I grew up wealthy and inherited a lot of property.”
“That stings a bit, you know. Especially when I think about those 32 bank accounts and 5 houses.”
When I teased him, Karcel laughed.
“Truthfully… I don’t know how to treat a lady, so I thought mentioning my wealth might make me seem more attractive.”
He covered his mouth with the back of his hand, looking embarrassed, and his eyes reddened subtly.
Seeing that, my guard lowered a little, and I felt I could be more honest.
“I’m sorry, but I thought you were a strange person. Can I be completely honest with you?”
“Just to be clear, I’m not a serial killer.”
“It’s not that—I thought you were a con artist.”
“…Me?”
He probably expected to be mistaken for a serial killer, but apparently not a con artist.
I folded my fingers and calmly listed the reasons.
“First, you keep bringing up your wealth without being asked, and you keep trying to buy me things for no reason. Isn’t that suspicious?”
“That’s just—”
Karcel’s expression turned deflated.
I continued since I’d already started.
“Con artists usually dazzle people with flashy things, then suddenly act like they’re in trouble to get money, or tell you to invest because they’ll double your money.”
“Now that you mention it, that does make sense.”
What do you mean “now that you mention it”!
As if he’d never even realized it, he murmured quietly. I let out a small laugh.
“Don’t ever do that again. Especially not to women.”
“…Can I be honest too?”
I nodded toward him.
Karcel’s lips twitched a few times before he curled them into a smile and declared firmly:
“If it’s not Asha, I have no intention of doing any of that.”
“Oh… okay.”
At his serious tone, I averted my eyes and thought:
‘Why on earth is he interested in me? Just because of that one confession?’
Sensing my awkwardness, Karcel continued playfully.
“And if Asha wants, I’m willing to hand over those 32 bank accounts and 5 houses.”
At that, I mischievously held out both hands to him.
“Give them to me.”
“…Only if you marry me.”
“Excuse me. We’re only just starting to have conversations, and now we’re already talking about marriage?”
“Isn’t it lucky to at least have a conversation before walking into the wedding hall?”
Karcel asked me as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
‘Ah, right—this is a romance fantasy world.’
It’s not the Middle Ages—it’s transitioning into a modern era—but it’s still a world where male-female relationships are conservative.
Just like with Asha Delmore, if the parents agreed, people who’d barely exchanged words could be at the altar the very next day.
“I’ve already done that once. And honestly, I doubt the Marquis’s family would want me anyway.”
I subtly probed to see if he wanted something beyond mere emotion.
To my surprise, Karcel readily mentioned his own situation.
“My mother wants me to marry, but… I’ve been refusing.”
“May I ask how old you are?”
“Twenty-four.”
He was in the prime of his youth, but here, that was considered practically a confirmed bachelor.
After all, even at twenty, I was told I wasn’t marrying too young.
“You must be in a hurry to marry.”
“But there’s one thing I promised myself a long time ago.”
He spoke as if sharing a secret with me.
“None of my ancestors ever married for love.”
“Not even once?”
“Yes. Oddly enough, not a single one of my ancestors had affection between spouses.”
“Even so, living under the same roof—how could that be…?”
As I muttered, Karcel smiled.
“So I decided to break that curse. I decided that I would meet a woman I truly love and marry her.”
“Ah…”
…Wait a minute. This man just asked me to marry him!
Realizing that, I looked up at him, and Karcel nodded as if confirming my thought.
“That’s why I want to marry Asha.”
And just like that, he’d thrown down his declaration of war!
