TCBCVF 09

~Chapter 9~

The lady, her face softening slightly, nodded quietly.

“A friendship contract… Does that mean we will define our mutual duties and rights in the contract when we become friends? Not a bad idea.”

“I tried to think of a way where both you and I could be satisfied.”

At my answer, the lady let out a soft chuckle.

“Quite confident, aren’t you? But it’s still uncertain whether I’ll make Lady Ansi my friend, don’t you think?”

“I am confident that I will be loyal to you.”

I smiled brightly, my face glowing with optimism.

“If you lose me, you’ll lose the person who could become your most loyal friend in the future.”

The lady’s piercing blue eyes stared at me intensely.

Her gaze was like a deep, unfathomable lake, and I couldn’t guess what was behind it.

So, all I could do was try my best to persuade her.

“So, if you reject me in the end… wouldn’t it be a loss for you too?”

Though my mouth was dry with nervousness, I tried to maintain a calm attitude.

“Of course, I’d also lose the chance to be friends with someone as amazing as you. It’d be a big loss for me too.”

I added a bit of flattery at the end.

The lady stayed silent for a while.

Then,

“Well, for once, you’re not being frustrating.”

“What?”

“Just now, you weren’t putting yourself down like before. You were annoying everyone with that attitude.”

Lady, you’re speaking the truth, but it hurts too much…

However, her factual timing was relentless.

“You had no opinion of your own, always trailing behind Lady Lopez, and she took it for granted that you’d serve her.”

She clicked her tongue, as if emphasizing the point.

“What kind of friendship is that? Even a maid wouldn’t be treated that way.”

I couldn’t say “no” to her sharp words.

‘If I hadn’t suddenly realized the original storyline… I would’ve been living like that even now.’

A sense of bitterness settled in my chest.

At that moment, the lady nodded.

“Anyway, fine.”

“What?”

“You want to become my temporary friend, right?”

She crossed her arms and added with a pout.

“Fine.”

“Really?!”

My eyes lit up.

“Thank you so much! I’ll do my best! I’ll make sure you’re not disappointed…!”

“Enough with the flattery.”

The lady turned her head, snorting.

But it was only for a moment.

She glanced at me sideways and opened her mouth again.

“So.”

Her cheeks had turned a lovely shade of pink.

“We’re friends now, right? Well, temporary friends, but still.”

She emphasized “temporary friends” several times.

With a coy voice, she asked,

“So… what are we supposed to do now?”

For a moment, I froze.

‘What is this person?’

It might be disrespectful to think like this about the most noble lady in the empire, but…

‘She’s so cute!’

It was like an exquisite purebred cat. Though she was aloof and haughty, she didn’t seem to dislike receiving attention.

“What’s wrong? Why are you so quiet?”

I snapped back to reality as the lady shot me a playful glare.

“You said you’d be my friend. Don’t you want to hang out with me?”

“Of course not!”

I quickly responded.

“Then, shall we start by getting to know each other better?”

“What do you mean?”

“Since we’re temporary friends, we don’t know anything about each other yet, right?”

Sure, I knew the basics, but that’s not the type of information friends usually share.

“Hobbies, favorite foods… anything, really.”

I flashed a bright smile.

“Could you tell me a bit more about yourself, Lady?”

A carriage with the emblem of swords and roses slid smoothly to a stop in front of the Duke’s townhouse.

The door opened with a click, and a handsome man stepped down from the carriage.

The butler, who had been waiting, quickly bowed his head.

“Welcome, my lord.”

With platinum blonde hair and strikingly blue eyes, his appearance was as if sculpted by the gods. He was none other than Dietrich von Claudius, the current head of the Claudius family and the empire’s sharpest sword.

“I didn’t expect you to return so early.”

“Sometimes, you need days like this. The state meeting ended early, after all…”

While chatting with the butler and crossing the garden, Dietrich suddenly stopped.

“Ah, really?”

He heard clear laughter coming from beyond the garden.

Dietrich turned with a surprised expression.

“Eva?”

Beneath the lavishly blooming rose arbour, his younger sister Evangeline was laughing joyfully.

There was also a lady with long black hair sitting across from her.

She was facing away, so her face was hard to see, but her posture was upright and graceful—clearly the result of good upbringing.

“Eva, socializing with another lady? That’s unexpected.”

Though Dietrich adored his younger sister, he looked at her objectively.

Evangeline was a sensitive person and found it difficult to socialize, which was partly due to her noble status.

No one could speak frankly to the only daughter of the Claudius family, and as a result, rumors about her arrogance had spread in high society.

“Who is that lady?”

“She’s Lady Ansi from the Ansi family. Her name is Larit Ansi.”

“…Larit Ansi. Quite impressive.”

The fact that this person had made his usually prickly sister laugh was noteworthy.

‘Larit Ansi.’

Dietrich repeated the name a few times, feeling a rare sense of amusement.

As the sun began to set, Lady Evangeline and I were parting ways at the townhouse entrance.

“It’s getting late, but would you like to stay for dinner? My brother just got back early.”

Though the lady offered the invitation with a slightly regretful expression, I quickly shook my head.

“It’s alright. Just the offer itself is enough. Thank you.”

I gently adjusted the roses I was holding.

The dinner with not only her but the Duke would definitely be too overwhelming for me.

“And thank you for the roses. I’ll treasure them.”

I quickly thanked her, now knowing her hobby was flower arranging and gardening.

“Ah, so that’s why the roses are so beautiful.”

I said this absentmindedly.

“You like them? Then, I’ll make sure to give you some on your way home.”

Thus, I ended up with a bouquet of the most exquisite roses, enjoyed only by high-ranking nobles and royalty.

“By the way, Lady Ansi.”

As she gave me a critical look, the lady suddenly dropped a thunderous comment.

“If things go like this, I’ll have to say you’re unqualified as my temporary friend.”