Chapter 31
‘Damn it, I lost him.’
Kallima sighed.
She’d told Edel she was just going to look around, but she knew Edel’s sharp instincts wouldn’t be fooled. There had been that faint, prickling sense—like a small cat prowling nearby.
It was Roar.
‘I could’ve sworn I sensed him on the street earlier. So why is he here?’
Something felt off. As if he’d followed Edel all the way here.
After that thought crossed her mind, Kallima shook her head.
‘Roar following someone? Impossible.’
But it was true—Roar had followed Edel Azian. All the way to her house.
A moment later, Cerulean appeared behind her, his voice cold.
“Roar?”
“I lost him.”
Kallima’s face flushed red in embarrassment even as she answered. Cerulean nodded slightly.
“He ran because you were there.”
“That’s not like Roar.”
“I told you something was strange from the start.”
Cerulean lifted his head. The dim night street reflected coldly in his blue eyes.
Ever since Edel got involved, all previous logic had ceased to matter.
Cerulean left behind just one sentence before departing.
“I’ve gotten my answer. That’s enough.”
But I—left alone—couldn’t sleep at all that night. No matter how much I thought about it, I couldn’t figure out what he’d meant.
The next morning, despite the curtains filtering out the sunlight, I tossed and turned, unable to rest. Irritated, I ran my fingers through my messy hair.
‘What’s that supposed to mean—he got his answer? What about me?’
I tied my hair up roughly and stepped outside my room. Just as I did, Kallima emerged from the washroom, tilting her head.
“You seem rather angry today.”
“I’m not angry! Absolutely not angry.”
“Your footsteps are practically boiling.”
So it was that obvious. I sighed.
“Well, actually…”
But before I could even begin, Kallima stopped me.
“Wait a sec. For love consultations, I need to snack on something first.”
She started rummaging through my kitchen cabinets. I slapped the table with both palms.
“This is not a love consultation! It’s about Cerulean!”
Kallima blinked and tilted her head as if she didn’t understand.
“Isn’t that the same thing?”
“It’s not!”
Why did everything have to be about romance with her? I puffed my cheeks in frustration. Kallima chuckled and nodded lightly.
“Fine, fine. Let’s say it’s not. So what’s this about Cerulean?”
“I just… don’t really understand what he’s feeling.”
I had barely finished saying that when Kallima’s expression turned dead serious.
“You sure this isn’t a love consultation?”
“Kallima!”
That did it. I was done talking to her.
I turned away with a huff, but Kallima only laughed harder and patted my shoulder.
“Haha, you’re just too cute. Don’t be mad.”
“I’m not talking to you anymore.”
“Come on, tell me. It’s honestly getting so entertaining I might forget who’s protecting whom.”
“Stop finding this entertaining! This is serious!”
“…”
Even with my sulky expression, I couldn’t blame her—if I were her, I’d probably find this whole situation amusing too. After staring at her a moment, I stood up and threw a shawl over my shoulders.
“I’m in a foul mood. Let’s go eat breakfast outside.”
“What? But yesterday we already had a mountain of scones with cream tea!”
“I’m going to spend money extravagantly—just so I can put the bill on Cerulean.”
Since he’s the reason I feel like eating out, he can pay for it, too.
Kallima quickly tossed aside her apron—she hadn’t given up on cooking, but clearly had no interest in it this morning—and followed me eagerly.
“Excellent idea! How about a place that costs about six gold a meal? Would that feel sufficiently cathartic?”
“Wait, six gold? You’re giving me palpitations with that specificity.”
Six gold… for breakfast? The peasant blood running in my veins rebelled violently.
With a defeated tone, I said,
“…Let’s just go to the place we went yesterday.”
“Fine by me.”
Kallima bounced along cheerfully behind me, completely unfazed. Watching her skip along, I asked,
“Kallima, have you ever been in love?”
I’d been thinking of something innocent—like the bittersweet memory of a first crush—but her answer was bright and shocking.
“Of course! I’m in the middle of a hopeless crush right now. Honestly, the reason I took this position as your bodyguard is because of it.”
What? Her bodyguard duties were related to a crush? I turned to her, hands trembling.
“You don’t mean…”
But she quickly cut off my suspicion with a sharp wave.
“It’s not the Captain, if that’s what you’re thinking. Who’d fall for someone as high-maintenance as him? I prefer unique people like you, Madam.”
“Wha—!”
Like him? High-maintenance?
The word like echoed in my head. My face turned bright red as I slapped my hands over her mouth, hopping up and down.
Kallima just giggled.
“You like him, don’t you? It’s obvious from the way you look at him.”
“Don’t say it! Especially not to Cerulean!”
“See? A high-maintenance couple if I ever saw one.”
My face burned scarlet as I pouted.
After that, we sat in a coffee house for breakfast. I practically inhaled my food, terrified that Kallima might start talking about Cerulean again.
While ordering the final round of café au lait, Kallima said,
“Let’s go to that park and feed the pigeons, like before.”
Her words warmed something deep inside me. She’d remembered I once told her how, when my mother was alive, we’d have breakfast together and feed crumbs to pigeons.
‘After she passed away, I never had the heart to do that again…’
Living out a morning like that again, it felt strangely comforting. I was grateful to Kallima for suggesting it, even if she hadn’t meant it sentimentally.
So, with a cup of café au lait in one hand and a piece of toast in the other, I headed to the nearby park.
But then—
“Huh?”
The closer I got, the clearer it became that someone who absolutely shouldn’t be there was standing in the middle of the park.
“Wha—what?”
Tall, broad-shouldered, with coppery-red curls that glimmered gold under the sunlight, and stormy navy-blue eyes like a rainy night sky.
The Duke of Luke.
‘Why on earth is he here?’
I blinked, wondering if I was seeing things. I turned to check with Kallima—
But she was gone.
‘Wait—where did she go?!’
Wasn’t she supposed to be my shadow, my bodyguard? Now, when I needed her most, she’d vanished.
‘Don’t tell me this was her chance to run off?’
Just as my face went pale, the Duke’s cool gaze settled on me.
“Miss Edel Azian?”
“Haha… ah, hello.”
I waved awkwardly, realizing too late I’d lost my chance to flee. Shuffling forward stiffly, I bowed politely.
“I didn’t expect to see you here, Your Grace. Do you often walk around this area?”
Not that he needed to—his estate’s garden was probably twice the size of this park.
‘Why would he come all the way here? And dressed so simply?’
If I didn’t know who he was, I’d have mistaken him for a commoner.
I thought it was a harmless enough question, but his reply was chilling.
“Why do you ask?”
“Ah… just because it’s nice to see you here.”
“When you’re happy to see someone, do you always interrogate their movements?”
“I’m sorry. That was rude of me.”
And that’s when I realized exactly how to handle this man—
Don’t say anything first.
It was suddenly clear why the Duke of Luke household was known for its suffocating silence.
His quietness was like Cerulean’s, but heavier. More difficult. He was older, more authoritative—and, of course, my future father-in-law.
‘He feels lonelier somehow. Cerulean’s like a lone wolf by choice, but this man… feels like a wolf who was cast out from his pack.’
Whatever he was, he was intimidating. Best case scenario: never meet him unexpectedly like this.
And yet—here we were.
“…”
As the silence stretched, another problem arose—the unbearable awkwardness.
‘Come on, if you have nothing to say, just dismiss me already!’
I couldn’t say that aloud, of course, not to someone staring at me like that. Finally, I broke my own rule and spoke first, hesitantly.
“Um… have you eaten yet?”
His somber eyes fixed on me.
‘Stop looking at me like that and just answer!’
Maybe I shouldn’t have said anything at all.
As I wrestled with regret, his long index finger pointed to the slice of bread in my hand.
“Is that your breakfast?”
“Huh?”
“Then sit and eat.”
I had only said “huh?” out of confusion, but he took it as agreement and nodded toward a nearby bench before sitting down.
I moved toward him stiffly, like a rusty hinge creaking with every step.
‘Wait—does he mean I should sit? Until I finish this bread?’
Why though?!
I wanted to ask but couldn’t. So I sat gingerly on the far edge of the bench, sipping my lukewarm café au lait and nibbling the corner of the toast.
But the moment I bit down, I nearly choked. The Duke was staring right at me.
‘W-what? Is he expecting me to say something?’
Can’t I at least finish chewing first?!
