Chapter 10
“…I’ll say it again. I wasn’t crying because of you.”
I couldn’t help but say it, seeing Zaka sulking like a puppy caught in the rain.
But his expression didn’t get any better.
He looked too shocked.
Well, I guess it made sense. With that face of his, maybe a few people had resisted him before—
but no one had ever cried because of him.
…Of course, I hadn’t cried because I disliked him.
When Zaka noticed my swollen eyes, he quickly turned his head away, as if he couldn’t bear to look any longer.
And there was Julie, staring at the two of us with sharp suspicion.
I poked Zaka in the ribs where she couldn’t see and whispered,
“You said no one would know. Are you really going to keep acting like this?”
He flinched at the poke but still muttered weakly,
“…Anyone who sees the Baroness’s face right now will think something happened.”
“Is it that bad?”
The timing couldn’t have been worse.
We were expecting a visitor today.
And in this quiet mansion, where hardly anyone came or went, there was only one person it could be.
The man ranked number one in gossip magazines’ “most handsome” polls—
Friane Izanar.
He was supposed to visit this afternoon.
Would he be startled when he saw my face?
Would he leave in shock?
…If he did, then I’d just let him go politely.
As I sighed, Zaka kept sneaking glances at me.
A headache started to throb.
Or maybe… that was just the hangover.
“So when exactly are you going to explain?”
Julie’s patience had finally run out.
I quickly answered.
I was terrified Zaka might blurt out everything without thinking.
“Last night, I was drinking.”
“That’s not unusual,” Julie said coolly.
“R-right. But then Zaka gave me a book.”
“A… book?”
“Yes. A novel.”
“….”
Julie stared at both of us, clearly torn between believing and doubting.
“It was a romance novel. And it was so… so sad… that I just cried and cried.”
“….”
“Really!”
Julie narrowed her eyes at Zaka.
My words sped up in panic.
“It’s true! Zaka tried to take it away from me, but I clung to it, crying and crying…”
“What was the story about?”
Just as I opened my mouth, Zaka cut in.
“I’ll bring it.”
He stood and turned away.
Out of Julie’s sight, he made a quick motion across his throat with his hand—like he was warning me I’d be dead if I messed this up.
What?!
Was he telling me to be ready to die?
Or was he about to abandon me and run?
Traitor!
But no.
To my shock, Zaka really did return with a thick romance novel in hand.
While he was gone, Julie had kept grilling me for details, and only then did I realize his intention.
“At the end, everyone dies. Really. Everyone.”
That was all I could say, repeating it again and again.
Julie took the book from Zaka and flipped through it quickly, suspicion still on her face.
And yes—at the end, the main characters all died.
“This book looks a little… wet.”
“I told you, I clutched it while crying. Some of the tears must’ve soaked in.”
Julie still looked doubtful, but unable to find a hole in the story, she finally let it go.
Relieved, I gave Zaka a big silent grin and exaggerated winks.
Only then did he let out a tiny smile.
Later, I asked him quietly,
“Where did you even get that book?”
“You probably didn’t know, but the only cleaner in this mansion is a bookworm.”
“You borrowed it?”
“If I had, Julie would’ve noticed immediately.”
“Then what?”
“I slipped it out for a bit.”
“….”
“And put it right back.”
“Well done.”
I praised him sincerely, and for a moment, his expression was complicated—like he didn’t know how to feel.
But soon he just shrugged, as if giving up.
“I’ll go back to work then.”
And off he went.
I too locked myself away in the library.
I went through paperwork for the orchard—the only source of income for this estate—while pressing ice against my swollen eyes.
Before long, Julie dragged me out, saying it was time to prepare for the guest.
While fixing my hair, she asked,
“Don’t you think you’re getting close to Zaka a little too fast?”
“Why? You still don’t like him?”
“I just worry about you, Baroness.”
I smiled and hugged her around the waist.
“You really are the only one who cares for me, Julie.”
“Even if you say that, it won’t change my mind.”
“…How could you say that? Of course you come first!”
“Really?”
“Of course! Meeting you has been the luckiest thing in my life.”
“…I also think it’s my fortune to have a mistress like you.”
Julie whispered back softly.
I turned my head aside and grinned.
She was always weak to this kind of affection.
Soon enough, her spirits lifted and she chattered brightly again.
“It’s all thanks to me fighting with my father and leaving home. He never helped me once in my life, but at least that turned out well!”
“By the way, is your father doing alright back home?”
“Yes, of course. Even though it was near the war front, not a single person in the village was hurt—imagine that.”
“That’s a relief.”
“I keep telling him to come live in the capital just in case, but he insists even if he dies, it should be on his homeland’s soil. He’s always been like that…”
At that moment, there was a knock on the half-open door.
“A carriage just arrived in the yard.”
Zaka stood there, arms crossed, leaning against the doorframe.
Julie tended to talk endlessly when it came to her father, so his timing was perfect.
I gave Zaka a warmer look than usual before rising to my feet.
Julie finished my appearance with care, and I noticed Zaka’s eyes follow me as I moved.
“She looks very beautiful all dressed up, doesn’t she?”
Julie asked him proudly.
But Zaka only smirked and said,
“She’s prettier without the extra dressing.”
“….”
Julie shot him a glare, but he walked away without concern.
I also headed out to greet the guest.
“Go on down to the parlor. I’ll bring the tea.”
Walking beside him, I asked,
“So, do I really not look good dressed up?”
Zaka gave me a look full of exasperation.
“Do you honestly think that’s true?”
“Hm?”
“In my eyes, you’re always…”
But halfway through, he cut himself off, suddenly embarrassed.
Quickening his steps, he vanished.
I coughed awkwardly to myself and shook my head.
I shouldn’t have asked.
At the front entrance, I spotted the visitor already standing below the steps.
Ah, indeed.
He was beautiful—almost as if painted.
The wind caught the hem of his priest’s robe, and beneath it, I glimpsed the scabbard of a sword.
A holy knight carrying a blade hidden under priestly clothes.
And it wasn’t an ordinary sword. Even by sight, it was at least a hand longer than most.
It didn’t drag on the ground only because he was so tall.
The man gathered his long hair, tying it back loosely, then slowly turned.
It wasn’t that he sensed my presence—just a casual movement.
But when his eyes met mine, they trembled faintly.
A breeze swept between us.
“…Baroness. It’s been a long time.”
“Welcome. Please, come in.”
I led him personally to the parlor.
“What should I call you? You’re not actually a priest, are you?”
“That’s my fault for letting the misunderstanding linger. Usually… I allow people to believe that.”
It seemed personal, so I didn’t pry.
Whether he was priest or knight didn’t matter much to me.
I moved to sit naturally on the sofa, but noticed him hesitating by the door.
“Friane Izanar, wasn’t it? Then normally I should call you…”
“Sir Izanar?”
His shoulders flinched.
“Come, sit down comfortably.”
“…Yes.”
He sat slowly across from me.
“That wasn’t the wrong title, was it?” I asked, watching him.
“No. You were correct.”
“Then why…”
He hesitated strangely, then said quietly,
“I simply didn’t expect the Baroness to call me that. It surprised me.”
What did he mean? Did he dislike it?
Friane Izanar was full of mysteries.
He made me want to keep asking questions, yet every answer came too slowly.
Maybe it was my fault for expecting too much from a man who carried a sword under a priest’s robe.
“So, what should I call you?”
“However you wish.”
“Truly?”
“Truly.”
His calm, soft voice suited him perfectly.
Our eyes met.
At that moment, the door opened and Zaka entered with tea and simple refreshments.
Now that I thought about it, he had shown up like this last time too.
“This young man is the attendant I saw before, isn’t he?”
Recognizing him immediately, Friane looked at Zaka as he set down the teacup.
So he had noticed him that day. I thought he hadn’t, since he’d walked by without a glance.
“Yes. He’s staying here at the mansion for now.”
“I see… But shouldn’t you have been more careful about whom you allow inside?”
I froze.
Zaka was standing right there, and yet Friane spoke so bluntly.
Last time too—was he always dismissing him like this?
But… he didn’t seem like that kind of man.
Had I judged him wrongly?
