Chapter 05
“Didn’t you say you’d pay?”
Zerden looked at Rubelia with a slightly bewildered expression.
“Yes, I’m paying. It’s just that the owner of this money happens to be Your Grace.”
This time, even Rubelia felt a little embarrassed and pretended to look away, rolling her eyes as a small excuse—after all, I placed the order, didn’t I?
“Surely the marquis wouldn’t deny his beloved daughter an allowance.”
“Of course not. It’s just that I lost the money pouch yesterday… You see, I threw it to save someone—a dangerous little kid, and that pouch happened to be the one with the money.”
Zerden fell silent at that.
“Exactly!”
Rubelia gave him a confident look, as if to say, I’m in control here.
“How much do you need?”
“Do you have everything you own right now?”
Zerden paused, unsure how to react. He had never experienced this before—being asked for money by a noble lady in a way that left him unsure whether he was lending it or being extorted.
Rubelia flinched slightly at his silence.
“Well… I don’t really know how much I need, so…”
She tried to laugh awkwardly, watching Zerden’s reaction.
“How much?”
Zerden, observing her fidgety, squirrel-like demeanor—as if she wanted to sneak away acorns—asked the tea shop attendant.
I never thought squirrels were particularly cute, he mused briefly. Perhaps it was the novelty of her, or the strange intimacy he felt from her presence.
“Two silver coins,” said the attendant.
Zerden raised his eyebrows in mild surprise. Not because the amount was large—his house had more money than it could spend, and two silver coins were trivial there—but because at an ordinary tea shop, two silver coins was no small sum.
Typically, 100 donghwa made one silver coin. A cup of tea cost 10–15 donghwa, and desserts were 20–30 donghwa each.
“What could she have ordered to cost this much?”
Hearing Zerden’s quiet mutter, the attendant timidly showed him the order list.
Zerden was impressed. She planned to eat all of that? There were just two cups of tea, but the desserts alone were enormous. No wonder it came to two silver coins.
“Can she really eat all of this?”
Looking at Rubelia’s petite frame, Zerden frowned.
“With Your Grace, of course I can,” Rubelia replied confidently. Surely she hadn’t ordered this for herself alone.
Still skeptical, Zerden pulled out the coins and paid.
Soon, they found a suitable spot by the window, and the attendant brought over the tea and desserts. Seeing the actual amount made it seem even more overwhelming than the list had suggested.
“I promise I’ll pay back the money I borrowed today,” Rubelia said, gazing lovingly at the desserts.
“No need.”
“No, I will. One should always settle debts properly,” she insisted. Especially since she and Zerden were about to become friends. Money matters had to be clear. She’d seen friendships ruined by money before, and she didn’t want that.
“It’s nothing; the grand duke’s house has more money than it can spend,” Zerden said.
“That’s not the point. This is about trust,” Rubelia said firmly, her expression serious.
“Trust?”
“Yes. Even if the amount is small, not repaying it would betray the trust of the person who lent it.”
Zerden was taken aback. He didn’t expect such a reasoned answer from her, since she usually said the most unpredictable things.
“…I didn’t lend it because I trust you,” he thought. He trusted no one.
Rubelia nodded slightly, as if understanding.
“But surely you don’t lend to just anyone?”
“Of course not,” Zerden replied, astonished. He wasn’t a philanthropist, and no one ever directly asked him for money—they knew how he’d react.
“So if you lent to me in your way, that means you trusted me in some sense. Not to just anyone.”
Zerden stared at her quietly. Despite meeting her only yesterday, they were already discussing trust. It was unusual and awkward, but not unpleasant.
“I will repay it, no matter what,” Rubelia said resolutely.
“I don’t trust people,” Zerden thought. The only person he trusted was his uncle, and even that trust was limited.
Looking back, Zerden had always had to protect himself from hyenas circling him, even as a child grand duke. A single slip could be deadly. Anyone approaching him had motives, and even someone he trusted first eventually betrayed him.
“That’s fine. I’m Rubelia,” she said cheerfully, confidently. Her assurance wasn’t based on any particular reason—she wouldn’t use him or harm him, so there was no reason for him not to trust her.
“Don’t be overconfident,” Zerden said in a slightly cold voice.
“I’m genuinely a good person. Really good. You’ll see if we meet often,” Rubelia said with an exaggerated smile.
“Curious confidence,” Zerden muttered.
“Confidence is how people succeed, and I’m truly confident in my honesty and trustworthiness,” she added. She had never used or deceived anyone, not even in her harsh life.
Though befriending Zerden was a necessity of circumstance, she had no intention of being a fake friend.
Unlike the fearsome image of the grand duke in the original tale, Zerden was ordinary and calm, not as imposing as rumors suggested.
“…I see,” he said, feeling he could trust her, at least a little. Her gaze was genuine and couldn’t be faked. But he still tried to act nonchalant.
“Alright. Then I’m paying, so enjoy.”
Rubelia quickly turned her sparkling attention to the desserts, realizing they had talked too much before eating.
“…I think I paid for this.”
“I borrowed the money. I’ll pay it back with interest, just watch,” she said, glaring playfully. Zerden chuckled quietly.
“Then I’ll enjoy it.”
The sweet aroma made Rubelia smile as she eagerly picked up a dessert.
‘Ah, happiness,’ she thought. Eating this, she felt, could even reform the worst villain. She admired her own decision.
But seeing Zerden’s expression made her pause.
“Your Grace, are you unwell?”
“…This is…”
He had taken a bite, thinking she was paying, and the intense sweetness nearly made him dizzy. He hated sweets, and this was the sweetest he had ever experienced.
“Ah, is it just that it’s so delicious?” Rubelia asked innocently, unable to imagine he could dislike it.
“Is it… tasty?”
“Unparalleled in this world!”
“Agreed,” Zerden admitted, his expression almost grimacing from the extreme sweetness.
“Here, try this one too.”
Although she wanted to eat it all herself, Rubelia offered some to Zerden, willing to compromise for the sake of friendship.
“…You want me to eat this?” Zerden asked skeptically. It looked even sweeter than the one he had just tried.
“…I’ll let you have it,” he said, implying he absolutely could not eat it.
“Really?”
“Yes.”
“Shall I eat it all?”
“If you do, I’d truly appreciate it.”
He regarded the dessert as if it were poison. Rubelia, however, looked moved. This precious, delicious offering… Perhaps Zerden had also wanted to be her friend from the start, just as she wanted to be his.
She clasped her hands together, sparkling-eyed, staring at Zerden like a zealot worshipping a deity.
Zerden flinched. But then Rubelia’s expression stiffened—the last person she wanted to see, Hasedian, appeared outside the window.
‘Why now?!’
She had planned to just pick up stones, yet here was Hasedian! Rubelia instantly ducked under the table, hiding without hesitation.
