Chapter 5
The promised day had arrived.
The carriage carrying Clen arrived at the gates of House Elder precisely on time. The grand, antique gate that spoke of a long history opened, and the majestic carriage crossed the garden path to reach the front entrance.
“It’s bigger than I expected,”
Amelia, who was riding with him, commented in awe.
“Take a good look around the estate while I’m inside. It doesn’t hurt to know whether the land is useful or not.”
“Yes, sir. Take care.”
With a brief exchange, Clen stepped out of the carriage. His long legs touched the ground first, and he stood tall under the overcast sky that hinted at more rain.
At his arrival, Count Elder approached quickly and greeted him first.
“Welcome, Baron.”
“Thank you for the invitation.”
“No, I’m the one who’s grateful you accepted it. First, let me introduce you to my family. This is my wife, Lilian.”
“Pleased to meet you. I’m Clen von Lechelle.”
“Delighted to have you. Please, come in.”
Clen introduced himself with gentlemanly grace, bowing politely. Celeno, slightly surprised by how composed and well-mannered Clen was, continued the introductions.
“This is my daughter, Lavian.”
Lavian was startled to be greeted by a young man.
The deep, pleasant tone of his voice made her blink and look up at him.
‘Ah…’
She couldn’t breathe. Was the day always this bright?
The world seemed faded, and only he appeared vividly in focus.
Lavian blinked several times, thinking her eyes had deceived her, but kept staring. She knew it was rude, but she couldn’t tear her gaze away.
‘No wrinkles. Why is he so young? And even handsome… Is this a dream? Why would someone like him be paired with someone like me?’
Completely thrown off by someone so different from what she’d expected, her mind went blank and kept looping the same foolish thoughts.
“Pleasure to meet you, my lady.”
“Ah, it’s nice to meet you. I’m Lavian Adelaide von Elder. It’s an honor.”
Noticing her fixed gaze, Clen suppressed a laugh and greeted her. Lavian finally came to her senses at the sound of his voice again and lifted her dress slightly to return the greeting properly.
As if she’d never been dazed at all, her courtesy was graceful and precise.
“You must be hungry. Let’s start with a meal,”
Count Elder said once Clen and Lavian had exchanged greetings.
He skipped over introducing his second daughter, Rena, and motioned for everyone to head inside. Though displeased, Rena only wrinkled her nose—this kind of treatment wasn’t new to her.
Clen, too, had no interest in anyone besides Lavian. If someone wasn’t introduced, there was likely a reason.
He didn’t spare Rena a single glance and followed the Count inside.
“You must be hungry. Let’s eat first,”
Celeno said smoothly as he guided Clen and the family toward the dining room. Lavian, walking beside her father, was still in a daze.
“Sis, was that really Baron Lechelle?”
Rena slipped up beside Lavian and whispered urgently. Her voice was soft, barely brushing her ear, but the excitement was unmistakable.
She clenched and unclenched her fists, clearly unsure what to do with herself.
“Clen von Lechelle.”
“Is he picky?”
“…”
“Ah, even on a cloudy day, he looks dazzling. What will he be like in the sunlight? Don’t you think so, sister?”
“What?”
Lavian, who had been quiet up until now, flinched and looked up at the sky.
‘I thought it was because the sunlight was shining… but was it cloudy?’
“It’s been cloudy the whole time. What are you spacing out about, sister? Anyway, if our father plays his cards right, it looks like we might secure a huge source of income.”
Leaving Lavian confused, Rena kept chatting away.
But she had to stop soon enough. Even though her voice was small, Rena’s arrogant tone caught the attention of Lilian’s ears. As she walked right behind her husband, Lilian shot a fierce glare at Rena.
“Apologies.”
Rena lowered her head submissively, wondering, ‘Why is she acting like this today? She usually treats me like I don’t exist.’
After that, no one except for the two men spoke.
Soon, everyone reached the dining room, took their seats, and the meal began.
‘This isn’t a dream. He’s still young.’
Despite sitting across the table from him, Lavian’s thoughts were still preoccupied with the same foolish question.
Why was he so young?
In a typical marriage, one would expect someone of a similar age, but for Lavian, the idea of a normal or ordinary life seemed far-fetched.
‘This is strange.’
His face, without a single wrinkle, was unfamiliar to her, making it hard to look at him. But it wasn’t just that.
She couldn’t even imagine someone of his age. Her throat felt dry, and she kept swallowing. Then, her cobalt blue eyes met his.
‘Too…’
Persistent.
Lavian let out a faint smile and quickly diverted her gaze.
However, Clen kept staring at her, unwavering.
‘Why does he feel so familiar…? Have I been reading too many newspapers?’
Despite the artist’s lack of skill, Clen couldn’t tear his gaze away from Lavian, feeling an odd sense of déjà vu the moment he saw her. He moved his hands leisurely, behaving like a predator eyeing its prey.
Lavian, unable to decipher his intentions, felt her face flush with embarrassment. The shame she had buried for a moment resurfaced, all because he was young.
‘Whether he’s young or old, what does age matter? The intentions and purpose of this marriage are obvious.’
Faced with the harsh reality, Lavian gritted her teeth. The flush in her cheeks quickly faded to a cold calm.
She set her water glass down and tried to continue eating when Rena’s elbow nudged her.
“Ah.”
A small gasp escaped her lips.
As the sound reached the person sitting in front of her, Lavian’s fork fell to the floor.
Feeling like it was done intentionally, she looked up. Rena, acting innocent, quickly deflected Lavian’s gaze and chuckled.
“Hahaha. You’re so uptight, but you always have this careless side. So clumsy, so clumsy. Even Seyan wouldn’t do something like that.”
Rena found even the smallest incident amusing, blowing it out of proportion.
No matter what her younger sister said, Lavian quietly placed her hands on her lap and lowered her head.
“Apologies. I’m sorry, Baron Lechelle.”
“Haha, it seems my daughter is a bit nervous.”
Usually, Celeno would have given Rena a sharp glare, but today he was unusually calm, even soft-spoken. The Count, in fact, seemed quite pleased and flashed Clen a playful smile.
Clen, with a detached expression, picked up his wine glass, brought it to his lips, and lowered his eyes.
“…It seems that both our families aren’t that different.”
“What do you mean…?”
“It seems there aren’t any strict rules about table manners in the Count’s house either.”
He continued eating, his face still indifferent as he set the glass down.
“Today, Lavian is nervous, but she is still a lady of the Count’s house—gracious and elegant. As for Rena, she’s still young and has been indulged, so she’s a bit of a handful.”
“Father…”
“Miss.”
Rena tried to interrupt, intending to argue, but she missed her chance as a maid brought a new fork.
Lavian gave the maid a grateful glance, picked up her fork, and then put it down again.
‘So that was the reason my father suddenly switched tactics after initially forbidding Rena from attending. I only just realized his intentions.’
Lavian, now understanding her father’s motives, found the meal she had already struggled to enjoy even more uncomfortable.
‘Already dealing with this situation again is maddening, and now my father is trying to elevate me by using Rena. Truly…’
Lavian felt nauseous at the awkwardness of the situation. She couldn’t bear to face anyone, but the other party had a purpose too.
However, it was not something she could show on her face in front of a complete stranger.
She forced herself to cut the meat into small pieces and pushed them into her mouth.
Clen observed her with a sharp gaze.
‘It seems he has no intention of rejecting this.’
Clen, who had been raised nobly and didn’t seem willing to make any changes in his attitude, found it difficult to understand.
For someone who had carved out his own path in life, it was incomprehensible.
‘I’d rather marry that woman who once begged me to kill her. At least that would be more interesting.’
Clen briefly thought of the veiled woman in his mind and slightly raised one side of his mouth while lifting his glass again.
“What do you like the most, Baron? And what do you dislike?”
Rena, who had been sulking, suddenly changed her expression and looked at Clen with bright, eager eyes, her voice cheerful.
Clen, slightly irritated by her sharp tone, raised an eyebrow, wiped his mouth with a napkin, and replied slowly.
“Not really.”
“But you must have some preferences, right?”
“Unlike the Count’s house, which is overflowing with rare ingredients, the place I lived wasn’t in a position to be picky about food.”
For the first time, Clen’s gaze shifted from Lavian to Rena.
More precisely, it landed on her plate, which showed clear signs of selective eating, but still.
“Ah…”
Rena nodded, her lips pressed together in a petty manner.
He had forgotten about his background until now, but it suddenly came to mind.
Rena didn’t know what to do, but Clen didn’t seem particularly interested. He was simply watching Lavian, who was neither good nor bad, with mild curiosity.
“Baron. About the trade with Ivtan…”
The Count, having seen enough of Rena’s childish behavior, began to steer the conversation toward the real purpose of the meeting.
He started with some flattering remarks to lift Clen’s mood before continuing.
Internally, however, he was thinking, ‘What a lowborn, vulgar fellow.’
“This is delicious.”
The meal was coming to an end.
Rena, still pouting, eagerly eyed Lavian’s dessert.
“Ah!”
Just as Rena reached for Lavian’s dessert, Lavian accidentally spilled the dessert wine.
The sweet wine not only stained the tablecloth but also dirtied Lavian’s dress.
Rena instinctively pulled back, worried she might get splashed too, causing an unpleasant screeching sound as her chair scraped against the floor.
“Sister, what’s going on today?! Do you have a problem with me?”
“Sorry. I must have been nervous as Father said. Excuse me for a moment.”
Lavian calmly lowered her head, placed her napkin on the chair, and exited the dining room.
Clen, who had been observing her without turning his gaze away, smirked as he sipped his wine.
‘A refined fox? More like a proud cat. And all she can do is this… even getting angry looks so elegant.’
“It seems this is what the esteemed Count’s family is like. It was worth the wait. Someone like me could never imitate it.”
