Chapter 44
‘What the hell, was there a person?’
I was so surprised that I felt my heart ache.
I gently pressed my hand to my heart and focused my gaze, who was slowly emerging from the shadows of the building. I was on high alert, ready to scream at any moment, when the gentle, handsome man appeared with his hands raised in surrender in a very cautious manner.
“Is everything okay? I must have scared the crap out of you.”
“I came out here thinking… There was no one else, I didn’t realize you had a passenger, I would have avoided you if I had known.”
I let an uncomfortable grimace slip out.
It’s one thing to have a man pop up out of nowhere, but to have it be a man was a disaster. The terrace was a place where anyone could come and relax, but it was also used as a place to meet people in secret. So on a day like this, when someone would catch me with a stranger, especially a man, it was obvious that I would get into trouble. So I was nervous.
I looked warily at the man’s face as he cautiously approached me, as if trying to reassure me, and was slightly surprised.
‘This is… Isn’t he the guy who danced with Ariadne earlier?’
It was the same mellow, brown-haired handsome man.
His face suddenly brightened, as if he was counting on my surprised reaction.
“I didn’t think you saw me, so I didn’t know what to do, so I lost track of time, and I was surprised to see you again.”
“What? When did we see each other again?”
If he had only seen me in the hall earlier, there was no way he would have mentioned that we had met again. I covered the corner of my mouth slightly with my fan, looking even more surprised.
“Oh…”
The man smiled, a little disappointed, a little wistful. It looked more like an embarrassed chuckle, but it was short-lived, and he quickly wiped it off his face with a smooth, wry smile.
“I saw you once before, in the Imperial Library. I surprised you then, and I’ve surprised you again.”
“The library? The, ah, the Imperial Library!”
“You remembered! Yes, you were reading the Imperial Records that day.”
That was the first and last time I went to the library to look for books, thanks to my early research. I was the only guy there, and I’m pretty sure I heard his name…
‘Ah! Ethan Liart!’
Yeah. I remembered later being puzzled that Ariadne had a brother, the Marquis of Liart.
“Yes, I remembered, and here we are again!”
I thought to leave the terrace immediately, but hesitated as one of the things I had been wondering about appeared in front of me. I glanced up at Ethan’s beaming face, shading my lower lip with my fan.
“Yeah, it was. In fact, I’ve been to the library a couple more times since then, and I’ve been disappointed that I didn’t get to see Princess because the timing was off, but it’s nice to see you in an unexpected place.”
Ethan looked genuinely pleased. His brown hair was disheveled in the cool breeze, and his long, slanted eyes looked so refreshing.
Unlike Thierry, who was like the intense sun on a hot summer day, Ethan had a mysterious power to calm the mind, like a calm lake on a spring day. Anyone else would have turned on their heels at the mention of another visit to the library, but the memory of him shyly blushing at the nape of his neck the day they first met made me smile slightly.
“I was a little embarrassed about the way I said goodbye.”
I nodded slightly as I lowered my fan, figuring he probably found me because that behavior bothered him.
“Oh… Yeah, it’s embarrassing.”
Ethan’s eyes widened slightly, then he smiled shyly. He was the color of spring, but if you looked hard enough, you could see an unusual color in his eyes.
‘I must have been too far away to notice. If you look at them like this, they must be siblings.’
It was hard to tell in the dim light, but on closer inspection, Ethan’s eyes were a bright pink, the same color as Ariadne’s, and the family’s signature rose pink.
‘This guy must have had a very small presence in the novel, because I don’t remember him at all.’
I flashed back to Ethan dancing with Ariadne earlier. Ariadne had looked so happy then, and you could tell she was loved by her brothers.
“By the way, your name is… Sir Ethan Liart, right?”
I was curious, if the affection was so tangible, why hadn’t it been mentioned?
“I am honored that you remember me. However, I would appreciate it if you would drop the honorific and call me by my first name.”
“Oops! I’m sorry, you told me that last time, but I slipped up again. I guess I’ve gotten used to the honorific because of the driver I’m traveling with.”
“Haha, that’s okay, nobles are getting knighted these days, so you’re used to being addressed with a title. But I’m…”
Ethan trailed off and smirked. He paused for a moment, looking down at the floor like an embarrassed man, and then locked eyes with me again.
“I’m ashamed to say that I’ve been in poor health since birth, too weak to rise from my sickbed for very long, and I’d rather thank you for addressing me as Sir, for quenching my childhood wishes, when I could only dream of knighthood in the house, under the care of my family.”
“I see… That’s what happened to you, but you look very well now, and if you don’t mind my asking, have you recovered?”
“Sure, thankfully I’m in full recovery.”
“I see! Your family must be very happy for you.”
He talked about his illness in the past tense, and asked if he was looking good and strong now. I smiled in relief and clapped my hands together slightly.
“Mmm…”
He looked like he was hesitating to answer.
My mouth twitched awkwardly as he seemed to have a story to tell.
“Unfortunately, my health improved when my parents passed away in a sudden accident, and the shock of the event caused me to awaken my mana. If things hadn’t turned out that way and I had gotten healthy naturally, I’m sure I would have been very pleased, as you said.”
“Ah, that’s the kind of thing…”
Why is it that these sad premonitions are never wrong.
I’d added to the list because I wanted to think of him a bit, but I didn’t expect him to go into such detail. If I could turn back time, even for a few seconds, I would shut my mouth.
‘Oh my God… I’m an idiot. With everything else on my mind, why didn’t I think of the fact that the Marquis and Marchioness might not be there? Oh, I’m so sorry.’
I didn’t know what to do with myself and couldn’t say more. I looked at Ethan, who was looking at his with a look of apology on my face, and I was speechless.
As if he wasn’t comfortable with my pursed lips, Ethan threw up his hands and widened his eyes.
“It’s in the past, anyway. I didn’t mean to make you feel uncomfortable, and I hope you don’t take it personally.”
He thrusts his palm out in front of me, as if he’s about to blurt out something.
“Oh, well, I can’t say it’s thanks to you, but I’ve gained a tenuous grasp of magic since then, which isn’t bad.”
I flinched, jerking my chin back. My eyes flicked between his face and his hand with a confused look, and he smiled boyishly and lowered his gaze to my palm.
‘What are you doing… Huh?’
I followed his lead and looked at my palm again.
Hwaak…
A breeze blew in and I saw tiny lights dripping onto my palm.
“Woah…!”
The corners of my mouth turned up, mesmerized by the tiny green lights. I’m no stranger to magic, but it was hard to look away as I felt like I was witnessing something magical right in front of me.
As if that wasn’t enough, Ethan soon began scattering the lights into the air with the wind, illuminating the surroundings. The sky sparkled like fireflies lighting up the darkness.
“It’s so pretty!”
“…Yes, I think it’s dazzlingly beautiful.”
He whispered sweetly in agreement, as if in pure admiration. The stars in the sky and the lights floating all around us were spectacular.
I didn’t take my eyes off the view for long, only turning to him as the lights slowly lost their power. He looked up at me, and our gazes met in the void, as if our eyes had been waiting for each other.
“Ah, I’d show you more, but excessive use of magic is forbidden in the Palace.”
Ethan looked up at the sky, slightly embarrassed.
‘Why are you so surprised, did I look like I was disappointed?’
I smiled awkwardly and rubbed my cheeks together.
“It’s enough, I feel like I got a happy present!”
“I’m glad to hear it, then. By the way, are you okay with the cold? I think the wind was a bit much, even though it’s warmed up a lot, it’s still cold…”
Ethan’s gaze scanned my face. He was already unbuttoning his jacket, as if he wanted to take it off right then and there. I quickly held up my hands, palms up, as if to stop him.
“Oh, it’s okay, I’m going to go inside now.”
I smirked and nodded toward the door. I’d heard enough from him already, and I didn’t want to be misunderstood, so there was no reason to stay.
“Oh… I guess.”
“Yeah, because I can’t stay here forever.”
Ethan’s expression changed quickly, not being the type to hide his feelings. I couldn’t help but smile embarrassedly at the way his eyebrows lowered pitifully.
“Well, I’m going to head this way, because if I leave later, it could be misconstrued that we were in the same room.”
“… That’s the railing, isn’t it?”
“Oh, I’ll just have to climb down the wall.”
“A wall? Uh, uhm… Are you sure that’s okay?”
“Sure. Would it be better if I went down first? You never know who might see you if you open the door.”
I didn’t have time to stop him. Ethan said, and in one swift motion, he headed for the railing near the wall.
