Chapter 58
Kain let out a small snort and turned his body away. Marion’s mouth slowly fell open at his attitude — as if he didn’t care whether the other person was in a relationship or not.
“Th-that crazy….”
She was so stunned she couldn’t get the words out properly. Marion just pointed her finger at the direction Kain was walking away in.
“What the hell did he eat?”
Why all of a sudden like this? Am I the first woman who insulted him like that? And now he wants to break me and—what kind of nonsense is that? Is that something you should say?
“I knew he wasn’t right in the head… but—what?”
Because of the earring he hid and the necklace he’d thrown in a fit of temper, Marion and Didi had suffered terribly. The dust she inhaled back then still seemed to cling to her lungs. Every rainy day from now on might make her bones ache.
After what he did to me, he can’t just show up now and say he wants me.
“Male lead in the original who falls for the possessed heroine while she’s left alone? Those exist everywhere. But you have to be different. Why? Because my life’s at stake.”
It was fine for Odette to sort Kain out. But the order couldn’t be reversed. If the one who was supposed to keep the alliance obedient—Kain—told Odette he had found a woman, what then?
“No matter how stupid you are, I hope you don’t go that far.”
Marion swallowed her anger and started packing her bag again. She was going to see a lover who was kind and gentle, someone whose mere look could heal her — only Vaileon could calm this boiling rage.
One step. Two steps. Three steps.
“Wait…. But the more I think about it the more ridiculous it is.”
So he liked me even though he knew I insulted him so blatantly? Or not. Did he like me because he insulted me?
Hey, North. Is that your type?
I’ll concede the taste itself — fine, I’ll respect his preferences — but don’t pin it on me.
“Seriously…. You’re completely hopeless. If you want to make me yield, shouldn’t you first figure out what kind of person I like?”
What did he do again? He snickered when I said I was dating Vaileon and left, as if he could easily destroy that relationship.
I can’t take it.
Marion shouted toward the fading dot that was Kain’s back.
“I wouldn’t even want someone like you carried around in a wagon!”
The moving dot stopped.
How dare you reject someone like the heavenly Duke of Blackwood? After I’ve already declared war? Tremble from anger and have your blood pressure shoot up until you faint.
Marion silently cursed him with all her might, then started walking in the opposite direction of Kain.
She wanted to hit her past self for being impressed by his violin playing for that brief moment at the contest.
“You really are insane!”
◇ ◆ ◇
Vaileon also attended the ceremony where the Empire’s flowers presented themselves to the Emperor. He watched the first, second, and third place winners with a faint smile on his lips.
‘Did Marion like that kind of type?’
There were four judges. Even if three agreed, if one opposed a candidate until the end, that candidate couldn’t be placed in the ranking. In other words, the three handsome men present here had secured high marks from Marion as well.
‘The first place has black hair.’
But he didn’t have the same cold impression as Kain Blackwood. First place’s downturned eye corners didn’t spare a smile. His friendly eye-smile contrasted nicely with his triangular, well-built figure.
Vaileon examined the first-place winner as if he’d dissect him piece by piece. Determined to find some resemblance to himself, he moved his gaze to the second-place winner.
He didn’t care what conversations the flowers had with the Emperor.
In Vaileon’s head, they had already transformed into “the handsome men chosen by Marion.” A strange wariness and competitive streak crept over him.
He scrutinized even the third-place winner’s fingertips, then offered a perfunctory congratulation to the victors.
“Congratulations from the bottom of my heart. I hope you enjoy the banquet prepared later without any burden.”
“Thank you, Chancellor.”
They all bowed their heads. Three words of thanks were returned. His gentle appearance was useful at times like this. Even if he smiled without conviction, they were easily fooled. Added to his usual image of diligence, it made an impregnable shield.
‘If I had participated, these gentlemen wouldn’t have gone through so much trouble to get here.’
He hid that thorny thought. Vaileon calmed his prickly feelings and went home.
But Marion, who he thought would already have returned, was nowhere to be seen — only his excited younger sisters were present.
“Oppa, Didi’s aide is a genius. She’s like a ray of light for our Empire’s women.” Chloe, holding a notebook, recited her vivid observations. The second sister had already made a list of the participants’ traits, true to her matchmaking mania. Now all that remained was to use various connections to cozy up to them.
Chloe, happy to have secured quality candidates in droves, kept chuckling softly.
“Didi’s aide is the best. My taste never fails, right?”
“…So where is Marion now?” Vaileon asked.
“Didn’t she wait until it ended and come with you?” Chloe replied.
“I waited. I waited a little in the carriage.”
“A little?”
“About twenty minutes. Then I sent a servant to check and they said the aide was talking to some man. They didn’t want to interrupt, so they waited a bit away. But when the conversation ended and they thought it was okay to approach, the aide shouted and went the other way.”
“What man?” Vaileon’s tone unintentionally sharpened.
“Um, tall, brown hair… anyway, they said he was handsome.”
“Chloe.”
Vaileon tried to gather the remainder of his patience. His sister’s description wasn’t helpful at all, but the part about the man being handsome stuck in his throat.
“You didn’t leave Marion in a dangerous situation, did you?”
“What are you talking about?”
“If he’s tall and handsome, he’s likely a contest participant. The winners would be preparing for the parade, so that man wouldn’t be a winner. Why would a non-winning participant not go home but seek out the judges after the contest?”
Chloe glanced towards the living room as she spoke.
“Oppa, that’s the thing where you look like Lavinia Fonte Beers’ son, you can’t help it. You just fit the logic and make everything sound scary in an instant.”
Chloe defended the servant. Even if the servant missed the timing and couldn’t follow Marion, they did confirm clearly that the brown-haired man had disappeared in the opposite direction.
“It’s still bright daylight. Being the summer festival, the sun stays up long….”
Despite her words, Chloe’s face grew darker.
“The aide is too much like a baby rabbit… Could that man be underestimating her and planning to harm her? Following her around on purpose?”
“That’s exactly what I meant.”
Vaileon exhaled sharply. Suddenly Garrett’s parrot squawked loudly.
“Danger! Danger!”
The warning echoed through the living room and made him increasingly uneasy. Even if it was just a parrot’s cry.
“The household’s doing fine!”
At that, the parrot flapped its wings noisily and, with a thin whistle, returned to its owner.
“Garrett Beers. What on earth are you teaching that kid?” Chloe clicked her tongue. Vaileon, ignoring his sister’s remark, checked his watch anxiously.
‘As I thought, she’s late.’
The contest hall and the Beers mansion were a bit distant. Marion wouldn’t walk that whole way just for exercise. She’d have walked a bit, then surely taken a hired carriage.
‘Now that I think about it, the steward hinted about something earlier…’
He’d said the contestant who had originally been second place had announced his withdrawal right before preparing for the parade. It was something that had never happened before. It had occurred so suddenly.
People on site reported that they couldn’t stop the fierce-faced second-place finisher from leaving, so they hurriedly fetched the fourth-place candidate and somehow completed the parade.
Vaileon suspected that the brown-haired man Marion had gone to find was the same person who had withdrawn from second place.
‘Could he be planning revenge on Marion for not getting first place?’
It might be worse. If the withdrawn participant had been ordered by the Crown Prince or the Second Prince, it could be more sinister.
Vaileon turned to leave the mansion. His mind already raced toward the Capital Guard. He just wanted to secure witnesses before sunset.
“Why are you all standing around?” someone asked.
“Marion.”
At that moment Marion entered the house. In a summer dress with frills fluttering, she looked less like a person and more like a dandelion seed fairy.
Vaileon, worried she might actually fly away, grabbed her shoulders with both hands.
His gaze, scanning Marion’s body, betrayed the lingering anxiety he couldn’t shake.
“Are you okay? Are you hurt anywhere?”
“Huh?”
Marion replied with a puzzled look.
“Why would you think I’d be hurt?”
“Oppa.”
Chloe, suddenly close behind, whispered, “Don’t tell him. It’ll make you look like nothing’s wrong and make him seem overprotective.”
Chloe desperately mouthed “Don’t tell, don’t tell” from behind. But Vaileon wasn’t the type to let things slide that easily.
“You said you talked to a tall brown-haired man after the contest.”
“Ah…. So you finally said it.”
Chloe hid her face with a fan and hurried to the far end of the living room. Vaileon, however, paid no heed to his sister’s sighs.
“Do you know who he was? You weren’t in any danger, right?”
“Tall brown-haired…. Ugh.”
Marion grimaced as if she remembered.
“That guy.”
“Do you know him?”
“Participant number three. That annoying Kain Blackwood.”
Marion admitted she’d been so frustrated she’d gone on a shopping spree as stress relief, which explained why she’d taken a while. Indeed, she carried several bags from sweet shops.
Vaileon was momentarily baffled. Why would Kain appear here?
“Ah, well…. You might not believe it, but the Duke disguised himself and entered the contest. The judges chose him as second place.”
“Why would the Duke of Blackwood do that?”
“I’m curious about that too.”
Marion knew the reason, but she seemed to be debating whether to tell Vaileon.
“Rule No. 1 of romance fantasy….”
She muttered something incomprehensible and glanced at him. Vaileon kept his gaze and waited for his lover’s answer.
“So, to cut to the chase, the northern—no, the Duke of Blackwood.”
Marion scrunched her nose.
“He’s mad because he’s affronted and wants to make me yield.”
She sounded thoroughly disgusted.
“He said he’d force a confession out of me that I liked him.”
