The hallway was silent, devoid of any people. Choosing the perfect time to avoid others’ gazes, Kaon sought out Alessia’s room.
Even right before opening the door, Kaon was plagued with doubt, unable to shake the feeling that this might be a mistake.
With a grand dinner scheduled for tomorrow evening, the morning would be chaotic, leaving now as the only opportunity. He had to decide whether to give it now or not at all, but he was still undecided.
“What’s going on?”
With a click, the door opened, and Alessia’s voice reached him. Reflexively, Kaon looked up and froze. Her hair, still damp from a shower and wrapped in a towel, and her thin muslin nightgown, though not unfamiliar, seemed almost improper to gaze upon because they appeared damp.
“Ah, I’ll come back later….”
“Just come in. It’s not like I’m undressed. We share the room, after all.”
He turned to leave, but Alessia stopped him. Unlike Kaon, who was visibly flustered, she seemed unbothered.
“…Are you always this indifferent?”
“It seems you care a lot to have come at this hour.”
He had nothing to say in response. They had come home late from an outing, and he had waited for a time when they wouldn’t be noticed, but that wasn’t entirely untrue.
“The indifferent me is letting you in, so why don’t you just come in, shy Kaon Ferdinand?”
“Who says I’m shy? You always have to say…”
“Shut it.”
“I’m coming in.”
Kaon reluctantly stepped inside. Arguing seemed futile. Nor was it a time for physical altercations, something he absolutely did not want.
‘…If arguing is out, and fighting is not an option…’
It sounded like a recipe for perpetual defeat. Kaon quickly shook his head to dispel the ominous thought that had briefly crossed his mind. He really shouldn’t even entertain such ideas.
“Did you come to inspect the floor?”
Once inside, his continued hesitation had him fixated on the ground, prompting Alessia to question him. With no time left to delay, Kaon sighed and handed her a small pouch.
“Just take this.”
“What’s this…”
Narrowing her eyes, Alessia checked inside the pouch and then clamped her mouth shut.
“I bought yours along with mine.”
“…You’re lying. You only bought yours.”
“No, I got two of each.”
“Show me.”
“…Anyway, I bought them.”
Quick on the uptake. How nice it would be if she could also pretend not to notice.
“So, you keep them all.”
Kaon crossed his arms as if to prevent her from giving anything back. Alessia chuckled incredulously but seemed inclined not to refuse. She just quietly looked down at the pouch.
That was a relief, but it wasn’t over yet. Kaon casually uncrossed his arms and fiddled with the inside pocket of his jacket. He felt something hard.
To give or not to give. Even though he had prepared it, it seemed like a pointless endeavor. Yet, even in that moment, his mind was fiercely divided.
Kaon stole a glance at Alessia. She was still distracted by the contents of the pouch. Biting his lip firmly, Kaon made up his mind.
“Well…”
Kaon hesitated for a moment, then as Alessia looked up, he quickly pulled a box from inside his jacket and held it out to her.
“Here, take this too.”
This box was the reason he had come to Alessia’s room so late at night. It had been a constant topic of contemplation throughout his journey from Ferdinand to Bellum.
“Why are you making such a suspense?”
“It’s nothing big.”
Kaon replied awkwardly, embarrassed. The box clicked open, and as Alessia saw what was inside, her eyes widened.
“What is this…”
“I thought you might wear something like this.”
Resting on the black satin inside the box was a necklace. It featured a gold chain with a small, elongated almond-shaped diamond, and hanging below was a slightly larger teardrop-shaped ruby. The gleaming ruby was strikingly similar in color to Alessia’s eyes.
“If you want to wear it, go ahead.”
Kaon coughed awkwardly and avoided her gaze. That day he had spoken to Baroness Robert, he had thought a lot.
Her point wasn’t wrong. Since they were only engaged, it was proper for Ingelos to handle matters concerning Alessia.
However, the image of her nearly empty jewelry box haunted him. Even the only piece of jewelry she owned, a ring, hardly qualified as such; it was more akin to an inexplicable weapon.
Thus, before leaving the mansion, he had asked Deborah for a favor. He had instructed her to ensure this gift remained a secret and had arranged for a necklace that would suit Alessia. Now that he was here, he hesitated, wondering if giving it to her was the right choice.
“You don’t have to wear it if you don’t like it.”
Kaon added quietly. Now it was up to Alessia whether she used it or discarded it. He had sought Deborah’s help to ensure it matched her dresses, but if it wasn’t to Alessia’s taste, there was nothing he could do. Either way, he felt relieved to have gotten rid of the burdensome necklace.
“Then, I’ll be going now.”
“…Just this once.”
As Kaon got up briskly, Alessia, who hadn’t touched the necklace, murmured with a slightly restrained voice.
“What?”
“I won’t accept anything else from you.”
Her voice was clearer than before, though her words seemed to tremble slightly at the end.
“What do you mean? Who said I’d give you more?”
However, Kaon felt embarrassed and shy. Being born into a family of knights and growing up among men, Kaon had never dealt with such an intimate gift before. How hard it had been even to bring it up with Deborah, no one could know.
And with that, he didn’t see Alessia carefully cradling the box in her hands as he hurriedly left the room.
***
“She left already?”
“Yes. She entered with Lady Leonidas.”
The maid’s polite response made Kaon frown. He had assumed they would enter together, but Alessia had gone ahead alone.
‘There she goes again.’
Alessia often did this. Just when they seemed to be getting closer, she would suddenly distance herself as if some mechanism had reset her to her original position.
Even now, it was evident. Just yesterday, she was laughing and enjoying herself, and now today, she had suddenly fled, distancing herself from him.
‘Did she not like the necklace?’
Was it the design? The fact that it was a gift? Or both?
It was hard to believe that Alessia Ingelos would shy away after receiving a gift. That just didn’t seem like her.
‘…Was it too much for her?’
That seemed like a more accurate guess, though the gift wasn’t meant to carry such significant meaning.
Kaon simply hoped that the gift would remove some of the negative perceptions people might have when they looked at Alessia.
Alessia was often overly concerned with how people saw her. Attending the event in just a dress, without any proper accessories, would likely lead to gossip, which she would pretend not to care about but inevitably would.
He just disliked that. That unpredictable girl was too quick to notice things and cared too much about what she noticed. It always seemed like a struggle for her.
Memories of her wearing a ridiculous hat to cover her eyes and another day when she cried silently in his arms flashed through his mind.
Kaon just wished that the petite girl could feel a bit more comfortable, even if she was deceiving him and was a fraud.
***
The court ball did not allow one to enter at will. Outside the grand doors of the ballroom, everyone waited to be called by family name before they could enter. This ridiculous protocol was a creation of King Mahab II, designed solely to ensure that he would receive the most attention when he made his last entrance.
Therefore, unless the king was not attending or had already made his entrance, no further introductions would be made.
“It’s your turn to enter, Young Master.”
Unfortunately, today was neither of those exceptions. The servant promptly announced Kaon’s family and name with a solemn expression. The large doors of the ballroom split open, directing all eyes towards him.
Kaon barely suppressed his discomfort as he walked in. Ever since his first attendance at a court ball with his parents, he had felt out of place with such formalities.
The ball seemed even more crowded than usual, possibly due to the news that Princess Odelle had returned to the kingdom. It seemed that every notable family had attended.
Without hesitation, Kaon headed to a predetermined meeting spot. Such arrangements were necessary given the scale of the event. His strides caught the attention of many, but he paid no mind to any of them.
“Kaon!”
Just then, a familiar yet unfamiliar voice called out.
🍉🍉🍉
