4. The Man of the Starry Night
“Did you say… Orphe?”
“That’s right! And a direct descendant too!”
Even though there was no one else around, Roma lowered her voice like she was sharing a secret.
“He’s the Duke’s son.”
Ansi sucked in a quiet breath. Her whole body tingled as if she had jumped into flames. Her heart began to pound rapidly.
The Duke’s son. It couldn’t be Kardian de Orphe. That man was already married. Then… could it be his younger brother? She’d heard he had been discharged a few months ago and was now in the capital.
“What do you think? Interested?”
Roma quickly picked up on Ansi’s reaction and asked again. Ansi swallowed hard and parted her lips.
“…I’ll do it.”
“Really? Good choice!”
Why had she changed her mind so suddenly? Roma decided to set the question aside for now.
This girl knew her place frighteningly well. Whatever the reason, she wasn’t the type to recklessly throw herself at the young master of Orphe and ruin everything just for a chance at climbing the social ladder.
If anything, maybe the young master would be the one to want her… and that, in its own way, would be entertaining.
“Today, you’re Lady Larwil. Here, change into this.”
For now, handling this situation came first. Roma handed her a soft sky-blue silk dress.
Ansi, having finished her hesitation, changed with swift, no-nonsense movements. Roma began to apply makeup to her face with skilled hands. Light tones were layered over her pale skin, which now glowed even more brightly.
“See? I told you. You look noble.”
Roma smiled with satisfaction. Ansi, catching her own reflection in the mirror, lifted the corners of her lips to hide her nervousness.
Then, she headed to the meeting place.
It was a high-end restaurant located in the city center square. Ansi arrived on time and took a seat at the reserved terrace table.
Though the tables were widely spaced, it wasn’t entirely empty. Most of the guests were upper-class. Ansi unconsciously tilted her head slightly to avoid showing her face clearly.
“Shall we prepare the food once your guest arrives?”
“Yes, please.”
Sitting alone, Ansi stared at the square to calm herself. Macenda Larwil—that was the name of the woman who had given her this opportunity. Repeating that name helped steady her nerves.
She only realized much later that she didn’t need to rush to relax.
Ansi checked the time again. It was already 1:40—forty minutes past the scheduled meeting time. On the table were only a glass of water and an empty plate.
Though the server hadn’t said anything, his face showed growing unease as the minutes passed without an order.
Ansi, too, was beginning to feel anxious.
‘Is he not coming?’
Thinking back, it was a sudden and awkward setup for a meeting. There was no guarantee the man would simply comply and show up.
Ansi bit the inside of her cheek. Why did God keep giving her false hope, only to snatch it away again and again?
It seemed pointless to stay any longer. She called the server over to excuse herself.
“I’m sorry. You don’t have to prepare the food…”
“Please prepare it.”
A man’s voice interrupted her. Ansi turned her head toward it. Guided by a server, a figure approached the terrace. A man in a well-tailored suit was walking toward her.
“…!”
Ansi’s eyes trembled.
His stride was unhurried, but with his long legs, he moved swiftly.
Neatly combed blond hair. Unreadable purple eyes. A faint smirk tugging at his lips.
He looked like that strange man she had met recently.
The man from that starry night.
〈Your mother arranged this meeting for you. You must attend.〉
The one who had ordered him to attend this matchmaking meeting was the Duke of Orphe. He’d framed it as an opportunity for his son, but the true intention was obvious.
The daughter of the Larwil family, a wealthy gentry house that had built their fortune through textile manufacturing.
If he married her, the Duke could tap into her wealth. But among the proud and noble, she wouldn’t carry any real influence.
Lately, the Duchess had developed a hobby of cozying up to the gentry. And now, she was using him as a tool.
This sudden arrangement must’ve come out of last week’s charity ball. Imagining the Duchess, offering him to Madam Larwil as a gesture of goodwill, made Damion find the whole situation absurd.
He’d play along for appearances, but had no intention of being a puppet.
She was probably just a shallow young woman, so if he acted unpleasant enough, she’d back off on her own.
First step: be late.
Late enough to test her patience.
At forty minutes past the scheduled time, Damion leisurely entered the restaurant. If the woman got angry, that would be a partial success. If not, he’d move on to the next provocation.
But then—what was this?
Damion’s eyes narrowed as he looked toward the woman seated on the terrace.
“I’m sorry. You don’t have to prepare the food…”
He heard her voice—small, but clear. And he smirked.
The dress she wore resembled today’s sky. A soft spring blue, lighter and gentler than winter. Unlike that night, today she was dressed like a proper noblewoman.
“Please prepare it.”
Damion took a seat across from her.
This meeting might turn out to be more interesting than he had expected.
That man is an Orphe?
Damion de Orphe. The younger brother of Kardian Orphe—the man she hated with all her being. A man with the same filthy Orphe blood running through his veins.
And… the man she’d met under the name Rain at the Zeden Viscounty estate.
What would he think of a servant from the southern estate sitting at this table now?
Her mouth felt parched.
Staring at the man with a stiff expression, her whole body froze. Beneath the table, her hand clenched tightly around her skirt.
The man sat across from her.
“Sorry I’m late, Lady Macenda.”
He said the name naturally, without a trace of suspicion.
But Ansi felt like she was being strangled.
Was he pretending not to know? Or did he really not recognize her?
Could he have known? That she had tried to kill Kardian that night? Was that why he watched her in that deserted garden? And now, even here…?
“…I thought you weren’t coming.”
Ansi spoke to stop her mind from spiraling. Once the words were out, her head cleared a bit.
“Of course I would come.”
The man looked at her as if nothing was wrong.
And when the food arrived, he began to eat calmly.
‘Right. There’s no way he knows.’
The horrors her brother had committed. That she had tried to kill him. That they had met under a starry night.
To him, it must’ve been nothing of note.
Even being late to this meeting hadn’t seemed to bother him. How kind and generous the world must have been to this precious Orphe heir. She didn’t need to see it to know what kind of past he had.
Yes… The man sitting in front of her now was an Orphe. She was face-to-face with her enemy’s brother.
Where the anxiety had been, a thick and pure hatred took root. And a sliver of delight curled alongside it.
The fork and knife in her hands felt like weapons. What if she stabbed him with them? Would her enemy mourn him? Would he suffer?
Those thoughts spread like ink on paper.
“Is it not to your taste?”
The man asked as he ate with perfect etiquette.
“…No, it’s fine.”
“I understand it’s overwhelming. This meeting must’ve come out of nowhere.”
“That’s not true.”
He chuckled softly. Ansi pursed her lips and stared at him. He raised his brow slightly and said:
“You’re not a very good liar.”
“Maybe I’m just good at hiding it.”
“That dress suits you.”
“….”
The unexpected compliment left Ansi speechless. Should she deny it? Thank him? She just sat there, slightly slack-jawed, unsure how to respond. Damion spoke again.
“Would you care to walk? The weather’s lovely.”
The hem of her dress swayed lightly with each step.
Wildflowers and white blossoms bloomed along the riverside. Sunlight shimmered on the water’s surface. It looked peaceful—but beneath, the water was surely deep and cold.
What if she pushed him in?
Madam Roma had told her to ruin the meeting anyway. Would murder count as “ruining”?
As she was thinking this, a breeze blew.
Amid the falling flower petals, the man reached out. He seemed to catch something, then held out his hand to her.
A white flower petal.
“They say if you catch one, the person you’re with is your destined one.”
He smiled beautifully as he said the meaningless superstition. Whispering sweet, ticklish words—though he didn’t even know her real name.
“I don’t know. In the Larwil family, we prefer practical gain over fate.”
“That’s a shame. Then…”
He raised one corner of his mouth.
“What about you, Ansi?”
Ansi stopped walking.
Her heart dropped like a stone.
