Ruelia stopped by the herb shop before returning to the ducal house.
“Welcome back.”
The moment she opened the door to the office, she froze at the voice.
A voice she always heard.
A cold, dry tone that felt like it could summon a cold snap—but it carried a warmth deeper than spring breeze.
Normally, she would have replied brightly…
“……”
But her mouth refused to open due to her chaotic thoughts.
Seeing her silence, the owner of the voice lifted his gaze from a pile of documents.
His long, sharp eyes and blue irises were unchanged. His seemingly stern mouth was also exactly as Ruelia remembered.
Unlike what the world believed, he was neither picky nor cruel to people. Rather, he was someone she had decided to offer her true loyalty to.
But what if all of that was an illusion?
Ruelia crushed the diary tightly in her hand.
‘No wonder it felt off back then.’
Her first meeting with the duke flashed in her mind.
She had tried to eliminate some trash and ended up spilling hot tea on the duke.
A serious offense against a high noble.
If he had ordered her execution on the spot, she would have had nothing to say.
‘And back then, he immediately offered me the position of vice aide, as if he had been waiting for it?’
He already knew her identity before she revealed it.
Was it a calculated approach?
At the time, she had been blinded by the 1,000 gold weekly salary and accepted without thinking. She didn’t even consider anything suspicious.
‘You idiot, Ruelia!’
Her instincts had always been sharp—when something felt off, there was always a reason.
No. It wasn’t instinct.
It was the remnants of her past-life memories that had helped her rise so far. She had mistaken it for luck and talent.
All because she had been too busy and overwhelmed.
“Is something wrong? Did something happen outside?”
At that moment, Kailles spoke to the troubled Ruelia.
“No. It’s nothing you need to worry about.”
She forced an awkward smile, her nose slightly wrinkled.
Kailles’s blue eyes narrowed further as he observed her.
Her mind grew more tangled under his gaze. The man in the diary and the man in front of her didn’t feel like the same person at all.
For one thing, Kailles had no interest in women.
Even at banquets, he attended alone without a partner.
With his handsome face, his physique worthy of being called the Empire’s greatest swordsman, immense wealth, and position at the center of noble power…
He was more the type to be pursued than to pursue.
Despite likely having many admirers, there wasn’t even a single scandal about him.
‘I thought maybe he just had unusual tastes since he was so indifferent at his age.’
Moreover, he was close friends and political partners with the Crown Prince. Thanks to that, the ducal house and the imperial family—normally at odds—were closer than ever.
‘A man who falls into rebellion and ruin because of a woman he loves… that kind of ending is just impossible.’
It must be a coincidence. Probably just a childish imagination from when she was seven that overlapped strangely with reality.
Ruelia forced her stiff expression into something calmer.
The duke was still staring at her intently.
“By the way, you came back early. I thought you would stay for the banquet.”
Was it because she was distracted? She tried to change the subject, but Kailles’s gaze sharpened.
“Nothing happened? Where did you go?”
“To my old home. It’s nothing you need to concern yourself with, Duke. Really, I’m fine. I just felt nostalgic seeing the girls living there.”
Ruelia explained everything about the family she met and the blackmail incident.
He would hear it from the knights anyway. It was better to say it herself.
Everything except what was written in the diary.
“I also used to go hungry sometimes when I was younger.”
Kailles set down his quill.
Then he rested his chin on his interlocked hands and stared at Ruelia for a long time. He remained silent.
According to senior knights who had served him for years, that expression meant danger—it was the look he made when he was carefully observing someone to detect lies.
Feeling strangely guilty, Ruelia quietly placed the crumpled diary and the medicine she had bought on her desk.
She accidentally met Kailles’s eyes.
“Th-this is the truth!”
This made her look even more guilty, didn’t it?
“I didn’t know you had such a past.”
“I… didn’t tell you.”
“You must have made your father proud. You grew up to help those more unfortunate than yourself.”
He spoke blunt praise in his usual blunt tone.
As always, his words were indifferent.
And that was why Ruelia had trusted him so much until now.
Compared to the hollow compliments of people in the trading company who only cared about favors, his words always carried weight.
That was the kind of man he was.
Above all, he was not a man that suited the word “Ice.” To his people, he was always as warm as the sun.
“Right. But Ruelia.”
However, there was something that bothered her.
It was related to why previous vice aides had resigned.
That same persistence. When he focused on something, he could become frighteningly obsessive.
And now it was happening again.
“You don’t even know which trading company that craftsman belonged to?”
Whether good or bad, he always dug until he was satisfied. That was why people ran away from him.
If you applied that behavior to a woman he loved…
It would be considerate attention at best—but terrifying obsession if crossed. Thankfully, he had no interest in women at all.
Ruelia swallowed and answered.
“I didn’t ask that far.”
“Next time, make sure you check.”
“Ah, yes… that makes sense. I could’ve helped them more properly in other ways. Thank you for pointing it out, Duke!”
Kailles raised his eyebrows slightly and relaxed his fingers. Ruelia quietly watched him.
He really was a good person.
She couldn’t decide.
Between the record left by her past self and the duke standing before her—who was right?
Or maybe she had already decided.
She would not be foolish enough to treat a respected superior as a villain just because of an old sentence in a diary. Judging him based on what she had seen and felt over the past two years was the right choice.
And the future might have already changed anyway.
“Oh, Duke. Do you perhaps have someone you favor?”
Still, it was better to confirm.
“Why are you asking that all of a sudden?”
“On my way back, I happened to meet His Highness the Crown Prince. He mentioned that His Majesty is concerned about your marriage.”
“The Emperor said that?”
“Yes. He said if you don’t find a duchess within this year, His Majesty may intervene.”
Kailles’s eyes cooled sharply.
His lips remained tightly closed.
Normally, he would immediately answer yes or no. Why wasn’t he answering now?
A sense of unease crept into Ruelia’s chest.
“You don’t… have anyone in mind as a duchess candidate, right?”
“Well, I didn’t… but…”
Why was that in past tense? Ruelia anxiously waited for him to continue.
“Now that I think about it, I might. No, it seems I’ve found someone today.”
Ruelia’s heart dropped.
Today? Where had the duke gone during the day? Was there even an opportunity to meet a woman?
‘It was the knight family meeting at Count Emil’s house…’
I’m doomed.
She had glanced at that family name in the diary earlier. Maybe the woman destined to become the duke’s love interest was there.
“Then should I prepare a proposal…?”
“…No. It doesn’t seem the other party is interested at all. Let’s not proceed yet.”
For some reason, he sounded faintly like he was talking about a crush.
“Is there really anyone in the Empire who would refuse you, Duke? There’s no need to worry.”
“Who knows? She might run away. Just like all my previous vice aides except you. That would be troublesome.”
Kailles spoke indifferently.
He was a man who understood himself very well.
“What’s wrong with you, Duke?”
“Thank you.”
Kailles slightly lifted the corners of his lips for the first time in a while.
And that small expression struck Ruelia’s heart hard.
Until now, no matter how much she praised him, he would ignore it. He wasn’t someone who reacted to compliments.
But now… he was smiling like that.
‘He must already be deeply in love with her.’
What is she supposed to do now?
