~Chapter 05~
After giving a brief reply, I took my seat as the staff began setting out tea and desserts.
Louis had finished sorting through the papers he was reviewing and handed them to his attendants.
“I heard you like the tarts here, so I had them brought. I hope they’re to your liking,” he said.
“Thank you for your thoughtfulness,” I replied. His memory was remarkable—he hadn’t heard it directly from me, but through his brother.
“Have you made a decision?”
Louis smiled gently, urging me to answer. I toyed with my teacup, thinking of his proposal and what my reply should be.
“I will accept your proposal. But I have one condition.”
I handed him the letter he had sent me. At the bottom was a short poem:
“The cold winter fades, and a dazzling morning comes.
In the blooming spring, we will be there.”
Only two lines, yet anyone who understood the reference would be shocked.
‘It was written by someone preparing a revolution against the dictator of the ancient empire,’ I thought. This was Louis’s subtle hint—why he was proposing to me.
“If your intent is for me to help you get revenge against His Majesty…” I said.
“…Yes?”
“Please grant me a divorce once the revenge is complete. That is my condition.”
“A divorce?” Louis asked, staring at me intently. Like before with Diego, I had a prepared explanation ready.
“I already have someone in my heart,” I said.
“And…?”
He seemed confused, as if he didn’t understand why that mattered.
“I have feelings for someone else. Continuing this marriage would be improper.”
“I don’t mind,” Louis said casually.
“But I do,” I replied firmly.
He was silent for a moment. I picked up a fork and took a bite of the strawberry cake in front of me. I was too tired; I needed something to eat to think straight.
“I thought you liked lemon tarts and never touched strawberry cake,” Louis remarked, sliding it toward me.
“People change,” I said lightly.
He smiled softly. “Yes, people change—their tastes, their thoughts, their hearts.”
He leaned slightly, speaking gently: “Then if you happen to fall in love with me before the revenge is complete, you forfeit the divorce.”
“….”
“That’s my condition,” he said, leaving me to consider it.
It seemed I could lose nothing. Even if I were to fall for him, I could outwardly act indifferent and still demand a divorce later. The proposal was strange, but not harmful.
‘I have no other choice,’ I thought, nodding in agreement.
“Very well. But it would be better to put it in writing,” I said.
“Of course,” Louis replied, summoning an attendant to draft a contract.
“Anything you want added? Rules you want me to follow?” he asked.
“Nothing,” I shook my head after reviewing the document carefully. The contract was flawless.
As I checked it one last time, Louis’s calm voice interrupted:
“I have one addition.”
He picked up a pen and added a line:
“Be faithful to each other as husband and wife.”
“….”
“Meaning, don’t involve a third party.”
I knew he was teasing—he was obsessive. I explained, “I won’t harm your reputation, and I dislike affairs as well.”
“Ah, I see,” Louis said with a knowing smile, probably remembering Diego.
I tried to respond, but my stomach churned. ‘Maybe it’s the lemon tart,’ I thought. I had forced myself to eat it while pretending to be Alice, and now I felt unwell.
“Excuse me for a moment,” I said abruptly. Louis nodded and sent an attendant to accompany me. I ran to the restroom and managed to relieve myself, feeling a bit better.
‘Pretending to be my sister is going to be harder than I thought,’ I realized.
“How are you now?” Louis asked the moment I returned. I assured him I was fine, grateful for the care he had shown.
His hands caught my attention—gloved as always. I asked hesitantly, “Do those gloves have a special meaning? It’s warm, yet you keep them on.”
“No,” he said simply. “I just don’t like touching others.”
I understood the unspoken words. To Louis, others were not human—they were insects. Handling them was unpleasant to him.
Thinking of his past cruelty, I decided to be cautious: “I will not allow anyone to touch me without your consent. We could add this to the contract if you like.”
“No need,” he said elegantly, resting his chin on his hand and smiling. “Leonia, you will be my wife.”
“Even close relationships require caution,” I replied.
I was not truly close to him, and believing his words literally could be dangerous. When I suggested adding it, he nodded as if to allow it.
“Then this clause will be added at the end of the contract…”
At that moment, a shadow fell over us. I looked up, expecting an attendant, but it wasn’t.
“Leonia?”
“…Sister?”
Alice was there—the real woman Louis had been seeking.
“…What are you doing here?”
I felt as if cold water had been poured over me. I had assumed Louis had rented the entire third floor. Had I been mistaken?
I quickly glanced at Louis’s expression. Had he recognized Alice?
Fortunately, he glanced at her briefly when I acknowledged her, then returned to the contract with a neutral expression.
‘Lucky, he doesn’t seem to have noticed,’ I thought.
Alice explained awkwardly, “I heard you were here, so I wandered the second floor and saw your back…”
She seemed embarrassed at barging in without warning.
Still, a question lingered—how had she made it upstairs? Louis’s knights guarded the stairs to the third floor.
“I didn’t tell her to come up. Strange,” Louis muttered while reviewing the contract.
“I… I’m not sure,” I added.
“Ser Rowan, bring the knights who were guarding the stairs,” Alice said.
Louis summoned them, and the situation was clarified:
“…Apologies. It seems we mistook you for someone else because your hair colors were similar.”
It felt strange. I hadn’t expected another mix-up like the first day I met Louis.
Alice’s pink hair and deep blue eyes clearly marked her as the heroine of this story, yet no one dared meet her gaze—except Louis.
“An honest mistake… it happens,” he said, lifting his teacup elegantly. “I won’t hold it against you this time. You may leave.”
“Th-thank you, my lord!”
The knights visibly relaxed, but they missed one point—Louis said he wouldn’t punish them immediately, not that he would never hold them accountable.
‘I guess they’ll soon be dismissed from the order,’ I thought. Louis considered incompetence a sin.
“I acted hastily, Duke! Seeing my sister made me reckless…” Alice quickly apologized.
Sensing her sincerity, Louis finally looked up.
“Better late than never, allow me to properly introduce myself. I am Alice Bellasy of the Bellasy family,” she said.
