Chapter 6
I already thought that man had an unnervingly good intuition even on ordinary days, but this was the kind of thing that made me feel like I should spread out a mat and sit down — it was that much.
I rubbed the gooseflesh rising on my arm and sent him a shuddering, chilled look.
Brother Michael seemed slightly put off by my stare, then let out a short sigh.
“And from the start I figured the Duke of Luhanes probably wouldn’t come to the matchmaking meeting. Even if he did show up, considering how you behaved at previous matchmakings, I figured he’d leave right away.”
After saying that, as if that explained everything, he lowered his eyes back to the papers he’d been checking and continued.
“If he’d flat-out said he didn’t like you, they wouldn’t bring the topic up again, so I thought it’d stop there.”
It annoyed me that he’d pushed me into a matchmaking meeting with Rixion Luhanes without a single explanation, as if passing his own karma off to me. It was unsettling, too, knowing relationships and stories unrelated to the original were building up in places I didn’t know about.
On top of that, I’d become directly entangled with the original novel’s male lead, Rixion Luhanes.
I had a nasty, nagging feeling at the back of my head for many reasons, but at least for now—
The question of why Rixion Luhanes had come to the matchmaking meeting so meekly and why he’d been so unnaturally kind to me was somewhat resolved, and I felt a lot calmer.
“He just came because his beloved sister begged him to.”
So that was it.
That explained everything. His unusually gentle manner, that disturbingly pretty smile, his out-of-place lines about wanting to see me again — it was all because of that.
Knowing that, my anxiety finally eased and I could breathe again.
If that was really the case, then Rixion Luhanes had simply reluctantly attended the matchmaking because his sister begged him, and he’d shown me temporary, excessive kindness simply because he’d seen his sister’s face.
Still, even if that were so, there were words and actions that seemed over the top — but I decided not to think about them deeply.
He’d said something about meeting again, but it would obviously be a one-off. I didn’t want to pay him any more attention than necessary.
Ah — I’m hungry.
Maybe I’d been thinking too much. The hunger I’d forgotten hit me all at once.
I’d planned to gorge myself again at the famous Zremian Restaurant today, but my plan had been ruined when Rixion Luhanes suddenly showed up.
It was too late for lunch and a bit early for dinner. I was debating whether to go back to the marquess house and have the cook make about twenty sandwiches when Brother Michael cut in.
“So?”
He said it, eyes fixed on the papers.
“Why are you acting like that?”
He asked without looking at me, with an offhand tone that gradually carried a cold edge.
“What did that bastard say to you?”
The title “Duke,” which he’d been using just a moment ago, had already changed to “that bastard.” He pretended to be reading the papers, but his gold eyes had hardened cold.
Brother Michael seemed to suspect some bad history between me and Rixion Luhanes because I’d behaved strangely earlier, thinking of the original.
He looked like he’d storm over and overturn everything — duke or whatever — if someone had said even one nasty thing to me. Maybe it was because that man was famous for being utterly rotten in character.
When I realized what Michael was worried about and why he was angry, I felt awkward and a bit embarrassed and scratched the back of my head.
“Nothing happened. We just had tea and went our separate ways.”
“Is that really all?”
“Yeah.”
When I nodded quickly, Brother Michael finally turned his gaze to me. He studied my face as if checking, then lowered his eyes back to the papers and said,
“Fine, then.”
There was a slightly different atmosphere than usual, so I awkwardly watched Brother Michael’s expression.
He noticed my attitude and shot me a sidelong look. The usual look of pity and annoyance I’d gotten from him landed.
“What now?”
“Is that all you’re curious about?”
“Uh? Yeah, well, for now—”
“Unlike someone idle, I’m busy, so if you don’t have anything else to say, I’d like you to leave.”
He dryly pointed out that I was an idle, housebound freeloader. I bristled at that insult and sprang up from the sofa I had just sat on.
“I was going to go anyway! I’m busy in my own way, you know?”
“You’ll probably just go home and tell the cook to make twenty sandwiches, so don’t pretend you’re busy.”
…How does he know that?
I rubbed the goosebumps on my arm again and dashed toward the doorway.
“I’m leaving!”
“Close the door gently on your way out and don’t break anything again.”
Wow — you’d think I slammed doors so often I’d broken ten of them.
I haven’t broken ten, only about nine.
Bang!
Slightly annoyed, I purposely slammed the door so it would make a loud bang and left the main drawing room. I heard him shouting something from behind, but ignored it and ran.
“Since I’m in a bad mood, I’ll make them roast a whole turkey instead of sandwiches.”
Anyway, now that my worry was resolved, I left light-footed, climbed into the carriage, and hummed a tune, thinking I’d go back to the estate, roast a turkey, and leisurely review the original story.
Rixion’s line at the end about there being a “next time” between us bothered me a little, but I brushed it off as a casual farewell — like those Koreans who say at reunions, “Let’s eat together sometime,” and then never meet for at least a year.
Brother Michael hadn’t seemed thrilled about this match either, really.
I decided today’s incident was a small happening before the real story began.
I was in a good mood thinking about the turkey I’d get to eat, and I figured Michael would likely leave me alone for a while after what happened today, so I planned to enjoy the leisure.
I let my guard down again.
It was exactly two days after the unwanted matchmaking meeting with the original male lead, Rixion Luhanes.
“Do you want us to order anything else? Miss Christener eats a lot, so I brought a generous purse just in case.”
“Oh, haha… I’m not very hungry today.”
“Is that so? That’s a shame. I’d like to see you eat ten steaks in one sitting at least once.”
The night before, I’d dreamed that I sat at a restaurant with Rixion Luhanes and threw up.
I woke up that morning in a rotten mood from an unnecessarily detailed, unpleasant dream.
Just then, a large bouquet and a small message card arrived for the careless me.
On the palm-sized card was written:
“Would you like to go boating with me tomorrow?”
Underneath was the sender’s name: Rixion Luhanes, written plainly.
“What is this?”
I stared blankly at the message card Rixion Luhanes had sent, when a hand suddenly darted out and snatched the card away.
Startled out of my thoughts, I lifted my head to see Brother Michael staring at the large bouquet resting in my lap and the message card in his hand with a look of astonishment.
A short, stylish sentence — even the handwriting resembled him — asking if I’d go boating with him.
“He sent this now? To you?”
I didn’t even have the energy to answer, so I avoided his gaze.
“Wait, what’s going on here…?”
Brother Michael looked bewildered. Of course he did — I was feeling exactly the same.
What on earth was happening?
Why is that man doing this? Did Empress Serena make him do this?
No matter how much Empress Serena might have ordered it, why would Rixion Luhanes follow so obediently?
Did that bastard calmly pick up a pen with that temper and actually write this card himself? Seriously?
No. That didn’t make sense. It was far more convincing that someone had forced him to write it at swordpoint.
Right — he didn’t write the card himself. No. Someone else must’ve written it. Whoever it was, the handwriting was very pretty.
“Tell me honestly, brother.”
I pressed my forehead with my hand, slightly off balance, and looked at Brother Michael with a serious expression.
“You didn’t offer him a gold mine as a dowry if we married him, did you? That estate in Melzerg? Last time, you mentioned that.”
I asked desperately, half-wishing that would be the explanation.
“Or did you hand over our trading guild and all our wealth?”
No way that man would do that!
“Liz, you—”
Brother Michael, looking as dazed as I was, finally spoke. He stared at me for a moment with an expression that looked shocked and then surprised.
“Of course I knew this would happen, my sister! I told you! That’s right. You took after me — you’re not bad-looking, and your personality is tolerable — you’ll do fine!”
A hand fell out of nowhere and patted my back.
“You’re a bit lazy, eat too much, and are a little too strong, which bothers me, but you’re not someone who would be refused wherever you go! If anything, men should be lining up outside the city to court you!”
