For the past few days, the person who had been a headache for her was none other than Chase.
Chase, whom she thought would agree immediately when she mentioned breaking up, annoyingly clung to her contrary to her expectations.
After returning to the palace, he kept sending gifts and letters.
At first, the gifts came once a day, then twice a day, in the morning and afternoon on the second day, and from the third day, they started coming incessantly.
‘Is he trying to win by quantity?’
Elise didn’t bother, but she had a rough idea of what the content would be.
‘He must miss me.’
A significant portion of what Chase had was thanks to Elise.
‘Even if he doesn’t love me, he seems to see me as a subject he shouldn’t lose. But I didn’t expect him to cling to this extent.’
Even if Elise ignored his letters and returned his gifts, Chase’s courtship continued.
So, Elise pondered on how to break up with Chase while reading gossip magazines.
‘He won’t break up for a trivial reason.’
Elise knew Chase’s stubbornness well. He rarely broke the will he once set.
‘Even though he has nothing, I suffered a lot because of that stubbornness.’
Elise sighed as she recalled the past.
To turn the tables, she had to disappoint him enough to completely let her go.
It’s something he can’t hold onto even because of his pride.
‘Then it would be hard for me to set foot in this country and live.’
Because Chase would threaten her. And what about Viscount Worton?
Even though he looked good in the royal family, he might have tried to kill himself because he looked hateful.
Revenge would be ruined before it even started.
But that doesn’t mean there’s no way to survive.
She could make her engagement with Chase as if it never happened, and find a way to protect herself. And furthermore, she could repay her debt.
Elise’s eyes were blazing.
“Miss, congratulations. You’re now 20 years old.”
“Ah…”
The New Year had come while she was living in a whirlwind.
“What’s so special about the first day of the New Year.”
“But still. This year is special. You’ve become an adult.”
A close-knit family would celebrate the first day of the New Year or specially congratulate their child who became an adult, but the Worton family was not a close-knit family.
‘No, it’s just that I’m the only one left out of a close-knit family.’
She would have been upset in the past, but Elise was not upset at all. She smiled faintly and said,
“Regina, I’m going to bed early today.”
Regina, who was tidying up Elise’s room, looked back at her.
“Are you already sleepy? You slept in the afternoon until late.”
“Yeah, I’m strangely tired.”
“Are you not feeling well? Should I call a doctor?”
“No, Regina.”
It was just a feigned illness, and the attending physician wouldn’t come at this late hour just because Elise called.
In the Worton Mansion, the only one who listened to her and followed her was Regina.
“If I’m still tired tomorrow morning, I’ll see a doctor then. And I want to sleep in tomorrow morning, so don’t wake me up until I call you.”
Alice gently soothed the worried Regina.
“Absolutely.”
After making a promise, Regina prepared Elise’s bed.
She lit a fragrance that was said to improve the quality of sleep and warmed the bed with hot stones.
Her preparations were very meticulous.
Regina put more effort into preparing the bed than usual.
She was worried about Elise, who had been strangely different these days.
She was always a bright, cheerful, and positive lady, but the Elise these days seemed like a person wrapped in a thin fog.
On top of that, she said she would break up with Chase, whom she liked, and she kept wanting to be alone.
Regina hid her worried heart and left the room.
And a few hours later, when the moon showed its face, Elise’s door quietly opened.
To find someone who could free her from Chase, Elise secretly left the Worton Mansion.
****
Inside the noisy pub, a man was fiddling with his glass of alcohol, turning his head.
His large build and skin that seemed slightly tanned by the sun looked different from the people of Bedrokka.
Being different often becomes a target of attack.
“What’s this barbarian doing crawling all the way here? Get lost!”
“Don’t you know the taste of alcohol? Shouldn’t you be drinking monster blood instead of alcohol?”
When he didn’t respond to the quarrel, the mockery towards the man crossed the line.
The man raised his head. The people who were picking a fight flinched at the chilly gaze radiating from his deep eyes.
“This, this brat, where does he get off looking at me! Dirty brat!”
Fear should have been an instinct to protect oneself, but the man who started the quarrel ignored his instincts and raised his hand.
Alcohol calls for recklessness.
The corner of the man’s mouth twisted up. The men who started the quarrel were infuriated by his relaxed smile.
“Watch your eyes, brat!”
Finally, the drunken man swung his hand.
He should take a hit.
The man called a barbarian thought so. But the man missed the opportunity to get hit.
Thud.
Someone intervened and grabbed the drunken man’s wrist.
“What are you doing? Discrimination against Tetris is prohibited by continental law.”
The clear voice that followed was full of dignity.
“Where did this wench come from to interfere?”
The drunken man was annoyed that he was just held by a woman.
Despite the harsh swearing, the woman was calm.
“I am.”
The woman took off the hood she was wearing. Golden hair poured out and the woman’s white face was belatedly revealed.
A few people who saw the woman’s face flinched. The barbarian man who had been watching her was the same.
She slowly looked around as if to show her face, and then finished introducing herself.
“I am Alice Worton.”
Alice let go of the man’s wrist and looked down at the man who had been ignoring her until now.
‘As expected, you were here, Karan.’
The barbarian man, Karan, looked at her curiously.
Karan Lisandro Tetris.
The prince of Tetris who came to find dying Elise.
He was the one who would save Elise from the current situation.
She found out he was here by recalling memories of the past.
At Elise’s 20th birthday, Bedrokka invited the royal family of Tetris to a party celebrating the start of spring.
Tetris sent Prince Karan.
It was unusual for Bedrokka to invite Tetris, and for Tetris to respond to that invitation.
And a month before the party, Karan, who had arrived, beat up a Bedrokkan in a bar.
The capital was in turmoil due to the violent incident caused by a foreign prince.
Elise remembered it vividly because Chase, who was in charge of protocol while Karan was staying in Bedrokka, had a headache.
Elise looked at the drunkards sternly.
‘You guys should be thankful to me.’
As Elise proudly blocked Karan’s way, Karan’s eyebrows twitched. His gaze was fixed on Elise.
“Worton? Viscount Worton?”
The drunkards belatedly grasped the situation and were flustered.
Even if they were laborers wandering around a shabby bar, they knew the Viscount Worton.
The owner of the Worton Mansion was rumored to have a nasty personality.
Viscount Worton, who ran a few small businesses, often had to face commoners and laborers.
He treated commoners and laborers like pebbles rolling on the road.
Roll them until they break, and discard them when they do.
Also, he was famous for having no mercy when the lower ones made mistakes.
So people avoided him. Out of fear? No, because he was dirty.
“Yes. Viscount Worton. That’s my father’s title.”
“Wor, Wor, Viscount Worton!”
People’s faces turned pale.
“Oh, we were rude. But why are you here…”
It was a completely different attitude from when they were picking a fight. Elise looked at him indifferently as he raised his shoulders and rubbed his hands like a fly.
That indifference made the men shrink.
“I’m sorry, Miss.”
“The apology should be to him, not me.”
Elise slightly turned her head and pointed at Karan.
He just watched the situation, neither stepping forward nor backing away, as if he was not flustered.
“Excuse me? Apologize to that guy, no, that person?”
Elise nodded once.
The men’s faces contorted. Even if they were living day by day, they had pride.
It was impossible to bow to a barbarian who would eat people if there was no food.
“Wouldn’t you?”
Elise asked. The men just glanced around.
Pfft. Suddenly Alice let out a light laugh.
“I thought so. Then I should apologize.”
Elise turned her body.
Elise bowed her head towards the man sitting down. Very politely.
A big wave occurred in Karan’s eyes.
“Please forgive the rudeness committed by a Bedrokkan.”
The bustling pub quieted down as if cold water had been poured on it.
Her appearance itself was a shock, in addition, she was a daughter of a nobleman bowing her head to a barbarian man.
A situation that would turn the social world and the council of elders upside down had occurred.
Several people rubbed their eyes, wondering if they had seen wrong.
The man frowned for a long time, unable to believe the situation, and then opened his mouth.
“It’s not your fault, Miss. But I can’t let your precious apology go to waste, so I’ll accept it.”
He bowed his head politely, with a docile look different from when he was looking at the city’s riffraff.
‘Did he recognize me?’
Elise hesitated. His tone was overly familiar. It was nostalgic, like meeting a friend after a long time.
‘That can’t be. The first time I met Karan was at the party that will be held this time. Maybe he heard about the Viscount Worton.’
That doesn’t make sense either. What would Karan have to do with finding out about Viscount Worton?
Anyway, his polite demeanor was not like a Tetris.
Old grudges had created an unspoken code of conduct between them, one of which was that Tetris nobles do not bow to Bedrokka nobles.
“The seat next to you is empty. May I sit?”
Those who were hovering around them quickly moved their seats. As the surroundings quieted down, Elise put her hand on the back of the empty chair.
“This is not a good place for you to stay, Miss. If you’re lost, I’ll take you to your destination.”
“No, I’m supposed to be here.”
Elise gently covered Karan’s hand, which was taking off her coat.
Karan was surprised and pulled his hand out. Elise was also surprised by his overly large reaction.
‘Does he dislike touching me? Well, he didn’t like me much in the past either.’
Was the first impression not good? Her confidence plummeted.
‘I can’t back down like this. Even if he doesn’t like me, we can still trade.’
Karan watched her in a hesitant posture until Elise finished thinking.
He didn’t look like a barbarian among barbarians, a wolf of Tetris.
Rather, his appearance of lacking vigor looked like a big puppy.
As Elise thought about her plan, she suddenly felt like a bad person leading an innocent person down a bad path.
“Would you like to have a drink with me?”
Elise plucked up her courage. Karan’s long slit eyes narrowed.
It wasn’t a very friendly look. Elise became very tense.
