Chapter 33
Two sunrises had passed.
“My lady! I have gathered intelligence regarding Lord Dernick and Lord Kishin!”
Merran was currently occupied by the view outside her window.
As Karen hurried toward her, she spotted a different guard positioned at the gate, clutching a bouquet. There was little doubt that Kishin had once again sent a floral tribute to Classie.
“Lord Kishin is so uninspired, only ever delivering notes and blossoms. He truly lacks any romantic creativity.”
Karen huffed with feigned indignation, clearly taking Merran’s side in the matter.
“One would think the man owns his own greenhouse and a private press at the rate he produces them!”
With a sharp snap, Merran pulled the drapes shut and spun around to face her.
“Hardly. Their reputations are so widespread that uncovering the truth was a simple task, Miss.”
Merran’s interest was piqued; she moved swiftly to settle onto the settee.
Karen lowered her market basket, still looped over her elbow, and sat across from her, eager to spill her findings.
“Lord Kishin is considered a marvel. He was granted his personal title by the Emperor himself at an age younger than anyone in history.”
“That is true. His father governs a marquisate as well. Eventually, Lord Kishin will be the master of two distinct titles. His future is exceptionally bright.”
“If he is such a catch, why does he lack a betrothed? Is there some hidden flaw we are unaware of?”
Merran thought back to the chilling, vacant stare Kishin had leveled at her. She gave a firm nod.
“He struck me as quite unpleasant. My aunt has truly bizarre taste in men.”
“He is remarkably handsome, though.”
“And what of Lord Dernick?” Merran pressed. “What did you learn of him?”
“Well, that is obvious. He is the Empire’s most coveted bachelor. As the sole heir to the Grand Duke of Siwil, he remains the only unwed male within the sovereign’s bloodline.
The Emperor has apparently doted on him ever since the loss of one of his other nephews. Furthermore, should Duke Grail pass without a successor, Lord Dernick stands to inherit that massive estate as well. The wealth is staggering!”
Merran wore a look of smug satisfaction, as if the praise were directed at her own person.
“However, when it comes to temperament, the public seems to favor Lord Kishin, Miss. It isn’t that they call him kind, necessarily, but the whispers surrounding Lord Dernick are far more scandalous…”
Merran signaled for her to stop immediately.
“Public opinion is irrelevant. The Lord Dernick I encountered was a gentleman. That is the only fact that matters. Why should I care about the gossip of strangers who have never shared a conversation with him?”
Seeing Merran’s staunch defense of the man, Karen decided to keep the darker rumors to herself.
Still, she found it difficult to completely dismiss Kishin, casting a lingering glance toward the closed curtains.
“It would be quite grand if you could secure both of them, Miss.”
The written correspondence between Classie and Kishin wasn’t just bothering the residents of the Kalashi household.
“Ugh… this is sickening.”
Dernick felt a wave of irritation as he stepped into Kishin’s study, only to find his friend wearing a faint smile while poring over another missive.
He rubbed his arms as if trying to ward off a chill and demanded,
“How many times a day do you and the Weapons Mistress write to one another? It seems every time I set foot in here, you are mesmerized by a letter from Lady Classie.”
Kishin offered no verbal acknowledgment. He simply shifted his gaze to Dernick for a split second before returning to the parchment.
“What is the contents? Let me have a look.”
Dernick made a sudden, aggressive move toward him, prompting Kishin to quickly fold the paper and hide it within his tunic.
“This is truly revolting to witness!”
Dernick grumbled, perching himself on the corner of the mahogany desk.
Kishin scowled, giving his friend a firm shove to move him away.
“If you weren’t so preoccupied with my business, it wouldn’t matter to you whose letters I am reading.”
Dernick gestured wildly, his face full of incredulity.
“I don’t go looking for it, it simply grates on my nerves! The paper she picks is always a ridiculous shade of bubblegum or bright canary!”
“If it weren’t for Lady Classie’s letters, you wouldn’t be strolling around with pastel pink and vibrant yellow stationery peeking out of your breast pocket!”
Bereft of a retort this time, Kishin merely toyed with his lukewarm coffee.
Dernick folded his arms and looked away, his posture radiating petulance.
“If those notes are so sacred, the least you could do is share one with me.”
“They are of great value to me.”
“Don’t be absurd. You send them back and forth all day long. They must be as common as pebbles!”
“We only write once per day,” Kishin corrected him evenly.
This calm admission only served to make Dernick’s face contort further.
“So you simply carry the same single letter around from dawn till dusk, reading it repeatedly?”
Kishin took a silent sip of his drink, leaving Dernick looking genuinely wounded.
“This is the tragedy of friendship. As soon as a man finds a romantic interest, he discards his companions like old rags.”
“Discarded? I am your senior by a year. Besides, Lady Classie and I are not involved in that way. Not at this stage.”
“’Not at this stage’? So you intend to be!”
Fuming, Dernick scanned the desk one last time. When his energy for arguing finally dissipated, he stood up to depart.
“I came here to bid you farewell, but my mood is ruined. I’m going. Enjoy your precious reading material!”
The mention of a goodbye finally drew Kishin’s full attention.
While they parted ways often, Dernick rarely made a formal trip to his office just to announce a departure.
“Where are you headed?”
“I have business in Greengall City concerning Princess Saze. I will be gone for quite some time. Perhaps months.”
Still appearing genuinely slighted, Dernick offered no more details and marched out, leaving the door swinging wide behind him.
‘Greengall City?’
Kishin retrieved the hidden letter and spread it out once more.
Sure enough, the name of that very city was penned at the bottom of the page.
A shadow crossed Kishin’s face.
Dernick and Classie were both journeying to Greengall City—and their schedules overlapped perfectly.
He also recalled that Dernick had once attempted to win Classie’s hand.
He knew it wasn’t a matter of the heart; it had been a cold, calculated move for a political alliance—yet the fact remained that he had pursued her.
‘…This is deeply unsettling.’
Anna was carrying a tray of steaming, fresh pumpkin bread when she spotted Classie at the dinner table.
The lady was slumped over, looking as though her very spirit had evaporated.
“My lady? Whatever is the matter?”
Anna was genuinely bewildered.
For the last forty-eight hours, Merran had been the one acting like a ghost, while Classie had been radiating joy.
She had spent every waking moment praising Kishin, to the point where Anna was seeing the man in her sleep.
Only this morning, after dispatching a letter to him, Classie had been glowing.
Merran had been so disgusted by the display that she refused to leave her chambers for lunch.
To find Classie so hollowed out after only a few hours in the kitchen was baffling.
“It is Lord Kishin…” Classie murmured, her voice thin.
“What has he done? You were walking on air when you wrote to him earlier! Surely you haven’t quarreled already?”
Classie watched the steam curl off the golden cake and sighed.
“The problem is that things are going far too perfectly with Lord Kishin. It is making me restless.”
“I don’t follow. Why is that bad?”
“I have never experienced a relationship this devoid of obstacles before.”
Anna knew the lady was referring to the malicious gossip and Merran’s constant interference. She shook her head with a mix of pity and amusement.
“That is a foolish thought. If things are going well, you should simply be grateful.”
“Is there not always a catch? I have spent my life alone, and now, out of nowhere, I am finding success with a man as remarkable as Lord Kishin. It feels unnatural.”
Anna made a clicking sound with her tongue. Classie was usually so confident, yet the topic of matrimony always seemed to drain her of her self-worth. It was a shame for such a brilliant woman.
“He is interested because of who you are, my lady. You are a perfect match for him.”
Classie could tell that Anna was missing the point. Her anxiety didn’t stem from a feeling of inadequacy compared to Kishin.
Rather, a lifetime of rejection had become her baseline. Now that she had finally found what she wanted, she was terrified of the inevitable fall.
Recognizing that her perspective was likely too cynical for Anna to grasp, Classie chose to drop the subject.
“Perhaps. Thank you.”
She worried that her gloom was affecting Anna. She decided it was better to retreat to her bedroom to brood in private.
Classie pushed back her chair. As she reached the arched exit of the dining room, the butler met her with a hurried pace.
“My lady, a messenger has arrived with a response.”
“Already? But I only just sent my letter!”
Anna spoke up from behind her.
“Exactly! You two usually only write once a day.”
The two women shared a look of sudden dread.
Classie had just been ruminating on how perfection was a precursor to disaster. Now, Kishin was breaking their established routine by sending a second letter. It felt like an omen of bad news.
“My lady…”
Classie exhaled slowly and walked toward the entrance. Her mind raced with catastrophic scenarios.
Perhaps Lord Kishin was writing to say that while the rumors were cleared, he had lost interest in her.
Maybe he found the daily letters burdensome and wanted to end the arrangement.
Or perhaps he had finally heard the worst of the stories about her and decided she was beneath him.
As she spiraled through these dark possibilities, a strange sense of calm washed over her.
This feeling of impending rejection was a familiar weight. Even though she loathed it, it was comfortable in its predictability. She was prepared for the familiar sting of being discarded.
Drowning in her own pessimism, Classie stepped through the doorway—and nearly lost her footing.
“Lord Kishin!”
The man himself was standing right there.
She remained rooted to the spot in astonishment as he gave her a shy, slightly pained smile.
“I felt it was inappropriate to keep tasking my men with my private business… so I decided to deliver this myself.”
Classie tried to be helpful.
“You have servants at your estate for such things, surely.”
Kishin’s expression became even more strained.
Classie worried she had offended him and bit her lip.
After a long moment of silence, Kishin finally spoke.
“The truth is… I simply found myself wanting to see you.”
