Chapter 4
Chapter 004.
Not long after I started waiting in the plaza, I saw a familiar figure walking towards me from afar.
The person, with a gray hood pulled low, walked while minimizing contact with the people around them.
With each step they took towards me, irritation and annoyance were evident.
'I can practically see the expression under that hood...'
I waved my hand lightly at them, and as they approached, they lowered their head towards me.
A brusque voice scolded me.
"I told you not to contact me when I'm sleeping."
"I had no choice. I wanted to eat something delicious since I was out for once, but I thought I wouldn't want to come out if I went back home."
They sighed and flicked my forehead.
I reached out and gently pulled off the deeply pressed hood.
Jet-black hair, like the night sky, was revealed.
Their eyes, half-covered by their bangs, shone with an annoyed light.
Their green eyes were slightly darker and more vivid on the left.
You might not notice in the dark, but under such bright light, the difference between the two was clear.
When I reached out to tousle their messy hair, they pulled my hand away and quickly put the hood back on.
"I told you not to do that."
"Because you're pretty."
It wasn't easy to get a good look at their face in the bright daylight.
The moment they took off their tightly pressed hood was always after dark, or in a dark room with the light blocked from the window.
I turned halfway towards them and said sincerely.
"I mean it. You're so pretty."
"Whatever."
They sighed and pulled down my hand, which was still fiddling with their hood.
I was disappointed that their face was quickly hidden again, but there was nothing I could do.
I had already dragged them out when they didn't want to come, so if I bothered them any more, they might run away.
"What have you been doing without eating?"
"Well, I had a meal, but I didn't have much of an appetite."
"A meal?"
They paused.
Only then did they look at me carefully and fall silent, as if realizing something.
I took their hand as they were about to open their mouth, seemingly guessing something, and headed to my usual restaurant.
"Welcome."
A staff member, busy inside the restaurant, called out without looking at us.
I ordered a plate of skewers as usual and headed to a seat inside the narrow restaurant.
The smell of meat grilling over the fire stimulated my appetite.
"Should we order something to drink?"
"Just drink water. There's water there."
"What are you saving all that money for?"
"None of your business."
At their firm reply, I finally gave up on the tempting-looking drinks in the cooler.
They were the one paying, so I couldn't really ask for more.
Soon after, a plate of deliciously grilled skewers was placed in front of me, and my thirst was temporarily forgotten.
They pushed the plate towards me.
"Aren't you going to eat?"
"Am I you? I can't even eat a proper meal when it's served, so I have to eat again. That's something only you would do."
"Wow..."
Since I went out of my way to buy them something delicious, would it hurt them to say something nice?
As I took a bite of a skewer covered in sweet sauce, a cup of cold water was naturally placed next to me.
As soon as I took a bite, the hunger I had been holding back rushed in.
They stared at me as I ate ravenously, which was rare, and asked, resting their chin on their hand.
"So, what did that woman call you for?"
"There you go again."
"What was it about?"
It was quite rude to refer to my Mom's friend like that.
I gave up on correcting their habit and answered the question.
"Mom's getting remarried."
"Ha."
They didn't look surprised.
I caught a glimpse of the negative emotion that flashed across their eyes, but I pretended not to notice.
"Who's the guy this time?"
'It's the Duke of the Empire.'
Even if they were arrogant and disrespectful, they would be surprised to learn the identity of Mom's remarriage partner.
It was true that Mom was an 'oddball' who stirred up society.
It was also true that she was gaining fame by attracting attention regardless of status.
However, dealing with high-ranking nobles was another matter.
Especially the Miller Dukedom, one of only three Dukedoms in the Empire.
The Miller Dukedom had less presence in society compared to the other families.
They didn't have much interaction with other nobles because they claimed to be neutral, and they rarely held social gatherings.
As they rarely appeared in official events, they were the least known of the three Dukedoms.
They glanced at me, who was silent, and guessed.
"An artist? A musician?"
Instead of revealing the other person's status, I told them about my first impression.
"He's a nice person. I was a little surprised."
"It seems like Mom has an even wider range of people she meets than I thought."
She was someone who could find something to love in anyone.
She never cared about reputation, no matter who she passionately loved.
When I thought about it, Mom's 'loves,' whether I was introduced to them or met them by chance, didn't have much in common.
"Oh, and he has a child who's a little older than me."
"Really? What does he do?"
"Well..."
I hesitated.
Of course, I was introduced to him because they were going to get married, but it was difficult to bring it up casually because of who he was.
Of course, it was rare, but just because you were engaged didn't mean you would definitely have a wedding.
'Considering Mom's personality, she could break off the engagement even after sending out the invitations.'
Especially with someone like Mom, you couldn't be sure she was really married until the ceremony was over and the family registry was updated.
If I rashly talked about the union with the Dukedom and they broke up, that would be a problem too.
'Let's just gloss over his status for now.'
Seeing me hesitate, they asked quietly.
"A carpenter who frequented the mansion?"
"No. Not at all."
I hurriedly replied to their completely off-track guess.
They narrowed their eyes and scanned me as if observing me, then guessed again.
"Like last time, a nouveau riche merchant or a jewelry auctioneer?"
"Not that either."
As their guesses repeatedly missed the mark, they finally stopped resting their chin on their hand.
Then, they pressed their temples and asked.
"Don't tell me he's a noble?"
"Marrying a noble when there are already so many issues with status every time?"
A chilling coldness settled in their voice.
Unlike when I was prepared for a string of curses, what came out of their mouth after a moment was a sigh.
"Fine. A lower-ranking noble might be better than a nouveau riche or an empty-headed actor from the theater."
He's a high-ranking noble, though.
"I think it's a good thing too. While she's enjoying her newlywed life, I won't have to be dragged around by Mom, so I'll be comfortable."
They silently gulped down the cold water in the cup and handed me the remaining skewer.
Then, they raised their hand and ordered another skewer.
"What kind of person is the son of your older remarriage partner?"
"Well..."
"Does he act all noble and mistreat you?"
"No. Not at all. More like..."
I hesitated for a moment, wondering how to describe him.
The 'new older brother' I met for the first time today seemed easy to figure out, but difficult to understand.
"A unique person?"
I remembered his blue eyes, sparkling like jewels.
Every time I looked up or turned, I kept meeting those eyes, which were filled with a strange sense of anticipation.
It was a gaze I had never encountered before.
It was a different feeling to have someone look at me with anticipation.
Perhaps my explanation was lacking, Jen changed the subject in an unexpected direction.
"Is he crazy again?"
"No, not like that..."
"You're saying he's such a strange person that you can't understand him."
"Unique, I said unique."
"You said that artist who wanted to live in that chicken coop last time was unique too."
'Well, I wanted to say something nice, but I had no choice but to beat around the bush.'
No matter what, I couldn't treat Vice Duke Miller the same as that person.
In the end, I changed my words and described him differently.
"His eyes are special."
Jen's face hardened at my words.
"He's a pervert."
That's not it.
I didn't know why the story always flowed in a negative direction whenever it came up.
I didn't think the polite Vice Duke was that bad, even though he was unpredictable.
Afraid that I would end up treating the real Vice Duke of the Empire as a potential pervert, I hurriedly changed the subject.
"Do you want to eat more? I can order more."
They glanced at me once, then turned their head as if saying, 'I'll let it go,' and replied grumpily.
"It's my money."
"That's, right..."
I nodded awkwardly, having forgotten that I had called them here because I didn't have any money.
I was starting to get full anyway, so I was thinking of stopping.
"Let's stop eating now."
Jo reached out and touched the corner of my mouth.
Apparently, there was some sauce left that I hadn't wiped off.
Unlike their indifferent and dry expression, their touch was careful.
"If something happens, don't suffer alone and contact me. Unless it's above a Count, I can handle most problems."
He's a Duke, though.
I lowered my gaze slightly.
Judging from what they were saying, I was sure I would be tormented for a while if they found out about the other person.
Experiencing Mom with disheveled hair and my friend having a fit of anger flying around the house was enough for one time.
I quietly called out to them as they got up to pay, habitually pulling down their hood.
"Jo."
"What."
"Thank you for coming."
I wanted to see their face as much as I was hungry.
Even if I didn't complain about how hard things were, it was enough to confirm that there was someone who would listen if I ever did.
After a moment of silence at my words, they came back and asked seriously.
"Tell me honestly."
"Huh?"
"What did that rich noble with the perverted eyes do to you?"
"No, and why do you keep adding modifiers? I told you he's not a pervert."
'He's rich, though. He must be rich since he's a Vice Duke.'
Jen stared at me, not letting go of their suspicion.
I denied it once again with all my sincerity.
"Absolutely not. It's just that he's not the kind of person I've ever met before, so I said he was unique."
Jen's eyes were telling me.
'Yeah, he's probably a pervert you've never met before.'
I decided that I would have to explain this misunderstanding after Mom's wedding was over.
However, I was so busy preparing for the exam and Mom's remarriage that I temporarily forgot that I had to clear things up.
