Quite a lecture, coming from a woman who appeared to know nothing about love.
“So, you’re saying he’s handsome because he doesn’t say he is?”
“Sir Ryan is my fiancé. It is only natural that my eyes are drawn to him more than to you, Mr. Duran.”
· · ·
“Was my answer clear enough?”
It had not merely been clear; it had driven the point home like a nail into wood.
Did this woman simply lack tact?
To choose my brother while standing right in front of me…
I wondered how, with such cold detachment, she had managed to draw everyone’s attention and spark such interest in high society.
“Please do not dwell too much on my answer.”
I was already dwelling on it, and deeply at that.
“Ah, how quickly time has passed. I must finish reading my book later.”
Anasta stood first and left Duran behind, just as she always did.
“I shall take my leave now.”
And true to form, she had not even managed to read ten pages of her book today.
Ryan took to playing chess alone in an effort to sort through his thoughts.
As usual, it was a dull, tedious match.
Before Anasta arrived, he had never felt bored even if he spent the entire day lying in bed like a corpse, but now, every single second of silence felt suffocating.
Even so, the moment he closed his eyes, the memory of the kiss they shared rushed back, completely shattering his focus.
He let out a sigh and dragged a hand across his face.
‘I want to see her.’
“…Damn it.”
Ryan grew flustered the moment he realized what he had been thinking without even knowing it.
Want to see her? See who?
‘I’ve completely lost my mind,’ Ryan thought, yet his eyes refused to pull away from the door to Anasta’s room.
After a long hesitation, he approached her door under the pretext of inviting her to a game of chess.
“You.”
He called out in a rough voice.
“…You, Anasta.”
· · ·
No answer came from Anasta.
“Head Maid, where has Anasta gone?”
“It seems she went to the greenhouse for a short while, Sir.”
“The greenhouse?”
She had gone there last time as well; she truly seemed to have taken a liking to the place.
Ryan felt a surge of petty annoyance that Anasta was enjoying her time alone while he was practically dying of boredom.
“Would you like me to fetch the lady?”
“…I will go to the greenhouse myself.”
“Pardon?”
“I am asking politely for permission this time, and I won’t break a window like before. May I go?”
“Provided a maid accompanies you, and you do not stay long, that will be fine.”
Ryan threw on whatever coat was within reach and stepped outside.
The moment he descended the stairs, he ran into Anasta, who was just returning to the annex.
“Young Master?”
She held a theology book in one hand, and the chill wind seemed to have swept over her face during her walk, leaving strands of her golden hair clinging to her cheek and lips.
Her appearance was simple, yet she glowed as if the sunlight shone down on her alone.
Ryan stared at her figure as though spellbound, the memory of yesterday’s kiss brushing against his senses.
Damn it.
It seemed his mind had truly come unhinged after that kiss.
“Were you heading out somewhere?”
“Just for a walk.”
“Shall we walk together, then?”
Ryan glanced briefly at her thin clothes.
“I changed my mind about going out. Let’s play chess.”
Ryan turned around and pressed a hand over his heart.
The heart that had been still only moments ago was now pounding wildly, like a child who had just found a new toy.
‘Why does this keep happening to me?’
The racing pulse did not settle even after they entered the room and sat facing each other across the chessboard.
“…This game of chess may very well be our last.”
That was when she spoke those words.
“What?”
“I truly enjoyed the time I spent playing chess with you. With all my heart.”
Ryan stared silently at Anasta’s face.
Her clear, honest eyes quietly held his reflection.
‘Enjoyed it…’
If that were true, couldn’t he just keep her by his side?
He could always discard her whenever he grew bored.
There was no reason to throw away this amusement right now merely for the sake of his pride.
“…Stop with the pointless chatter and make your first move.”
Ryan motioned to Anasta with his hand. Her delicate fingers took hold of a chess piece.
Yes, right now, she was just like a chess piece.
She kept him entertained and brought him fun. And he could cast her aside whenever he wished.
Having reached a clear conclusion, Ryan felt a sense of relief.
Yes, she certainly was nothing more than that.
The Duke had returned.
After a long absence from the estate, he wished to dine with his family.
Though he said as much, his true priority was having a meal with Ryan.
Because the Duke insisted that he would eat in Ryan’s room if his son refused to come, Ryan decided to bring Anasta along with him.
“He could have just eaten alone and been done with it.”
Ryan grumbled under his breath after finishing his preparations first.
“Young Master, have you been waiting long?”
His grumbling, however, did not last, freezing the moment he saw Anasta emerge from her room.
While her banquet dress had been stunning beyond reason, in this blue gown, she was breathtakingly beautiful.
“Young Master?”
Ryan only regained his senses when Anasta called his name.
‘I must have gone completely mad after that kiss.’
How could his face flush like this just from seeing her in a pretty dress?
“It’s nothing. Let’s hurry along.”
Ryan walked briskly ahead without glancing back.
As he strode out of the annex, he felt a strange emptiness beside him.
When he turned, his gaze fell upon Anasta, who was walking far slower than usual, as if the gown were hindering her steps.
Irritated, Ryan held out his arm.
“Take my hand.”
“Ah… thank you.”
It was merely their hands brushing together.
Yet Ryan’s body felt as though it were melting, warmth spreading all through him.
A tickling sensation flared in his chest, making it hard to breathe.
The moment they entered the main manor, devoid of any genuine human warmth, his mood soured at once.
To make matters worse, Duran was descending the carpeted central staircase with a mocking smirk.
“It has been a while, Brother. Have you been well all this time?”
Ryan ignored him as if he had heard nothing.
“You are rather harsh to a brother you haven’t seen in so long.”
“Brother?”
Ryan sneered at him.
“I have only one brother, and that is Eric Soltaire at the cathedral.”
“I don’t believe our father sees it that way.”
“That doesn’t matter.”
After that brief exchange, the two traded nothing but guarded, watchful glares.
“Ryan.”
Another voice rang out. The moment Ryan saw the Duke emerging from the dining hall, his expression darkened, as though he had run into yet another headache.
“I am glad to see you. How is your health? Are you in pain anywhere?”
“I am fine.”
“If you are feeling unwell, it is quite all right to dine in the annex.”
“I am not so frail that I cannot make it to the main manor.”
“I see. However…”
The Duke scrutinized Anasta and Duran as if they were burdensome guests.
“Never mind. Come, let us go inside.”
With the Duke placing a hand on Ryan’s back to guide him forward, Anasta found herself walking alongside Duran.
That simple arrangement annoyed Ryan to no end.
“I am glad we are all dining together after such a long time,”
the Duke said.
Though the eldest son, Eric, was absent, the Duke had long ceased acknowledging him as his son ever since he took the path of the priesthood; so, by his measure, the whole family had gathered.
“And I have just heard from the personal physician, Ryan, that your health has improved considerably.”
“Yes.”
After that, the Duke took charge of the conversation at the table.
Most of the talk revolved around dull business matters or politics, yet thanks to the Duchess’s attentive responses, the conversation never stalled.
“Dear. Duran has graduated from school and returned to the estate. Is it not time for him to begin his succession lessons?”
“Perhaps.”
“I believe involving him directly in the company’s affairs would serve him better than succession lessons here at the estate.”
“Ah, speaking of which, Ryan began his succession lessons at the company when he was sixteen.”
The Duke brought up old stories once again—stories the Duchess had no desire to hear.
“I still remember the first time you handled administrative affairs as a boy. You were so bright and learned so quickly. You exceeded my expectations by far.”
Unlike the Duke, who reminisced on those days with fond nostalgia, the Duchess and Duran wore grim expressions as they listened in silence.
“Had you not fallen ill, you would be a splendid heir by now. Even so, I have not lost hope. Grave though the illness may be, recoveries have happened, so bear with it a while longer.”
“I will manage my own affairs.”
“You have always managed your affairs well. You have never once let me down.”
“Dear, Duran works hard as well.”
When the Duchess interjected, the Duke hesitated slightly.
“Working hard is not enough. The work must be done well.”
The Duchess signaled with her eyes for Duran to say something, anything at all.
Yet he remained still as a corpse.
Consequently, the Duke’s attention remained fixed on Ryan without interruption.
“At any rate, Ryan, I heard there will be a Military Academy parade in the Capital in four days.”
Ryan’s knife froze midair.
“Really?”
“It is to be held on a grand scale. They say Lord Gregory, whom you hold in such high esteem, will be observing the parade as well. His Majesty and many distinguished figures will also attend.”
Anasta had heard of the Military Academy parade before.
It was a day when the cadets of the Military Academy marched through the streets of the Capital.
What made it remarkable was that the procession began with an address from His Majesty the Emperor.
Festivals were reportedly held and flower petals strewn along every path the cadets traversed.
A grand reception would also be held at the Imperial Palace, where nobles and officers deepened their ties.
“Three years ago, you were the class representative and the standard-bearer, Ryan. How proud of you I was back then. It seems the parade will be even larger this time in honor of the fiftieth anniversary. Would you not like to go?”
“May I go?”
Anasta, who had remained quiet, was astonished.
It was the very first time she had heard an outright desire to do something slip from Ryan’s lips.
END
