“Daniel!”
Kisa hurriedly moved away from the man who had been standing close to her.
“Why are you here?”
Daniel shrugged at her guarded question.
“What else would I be doing at a handkerchief shop except buying handkerchiefs?”
This arrogant man came to buy such a modest gift like a handkerchief in person without sending a servant?
While it might be understandable for his beloved Hazel, it was hard to accept that he just happened to be here at the same time as Kisa.
“You’re lying. You followed me, didn’t you?”
“What? My lady seems quite self-conscious.”
Though Daniel mocked her, this was a bustling district full of high-end shops that he frequently visited. He must have spotted Kisa by chance and followed her.
“Go about your business. Don’t bother people unnecessarily.”
“I told you, I came to buy handkerchiefs. And while I’m at it, I can give you some advice on choosing my gift.”
“Your gift?”
Kisa blinked a couple of times before fully understanding Daniel’s meaning. A sound of exasperation escaped her lips as it was so absurd.
“What nonsense are you talking about? There’s no way I would give you a gift in the first place.”
However, her words had no effect on the man full of arrogance.
“Stop denying it. From what I can see, it’s a men’s handkerchief, and who else would you be giving it to except me? Especially coming all the way here to choose it personally.”
“It could be a gift for my father.”
“Isn’t the Count’s birthday still far away?”
“Is there a rule that says I can only give gifts on birthdays?”
“Ah, I see. Has your father-daughter relationship improved dramatically without my knowledge?”
His smooth mockery showed he clearly didn’t believe it.
Daniel quickly snatched up the handkerchief he had pointed to earlier from the display and held it out to Kisa.
“I told you this one suits me? Come on, pay for it.”
“If you want it so badly, buy it with your own money.”
“It’s strange for me to buy my own gift.”
“As I said before, it’s not your gift.”
“Then who is it for? Actually, when you first came in, I heard you asking the clerk to recommend a handkerchief suitable for a young man.”
“You have quite the nasty habit of eavesdropping.”
Though Kisa’s response was thoroughly sarcastic, Daniel just continued with his own agenda.
“Stop putting on airs. Don’t I know you? Besides me, what other young man are you close enough with to give such an intimate gift?”
“There is someone.”
“Who? Your brother who lives in another region and is distant from his sister? Or relatives you haven’t seen in years?”
Damn, Daniel knew her circumstances too well to keep denying it. In fact, until recently, his words would have been true.
Although she frequently attended social events, she had maintained an almost excessive distance from men.
The conservative Count had taught that this was the duty of an engaged woman, and Kisa had faithfully followed her father’s teachings.
No… Even if the Count hadn’t taught her so, she probably would have behaved the same way. For that cursed man’s sake.
Looking back now, it made her furious. While she had maintained her fidelity alone, her fiancé had made eternal vows to another woman. She must have been crazy, completely crazy. What kind of wealth and glory was she expecting?
“Tell me. Who is it?”
Looking at his irritating, smug face, her mouth itched to speak. She wanted to burst out saying that she would soon break off their engagement, that the handkerchief’s owner wasn’t someone like him.
Of course, that was out of the question. Patience was needed to achieve a more favorable breakup. They couldn’t let the Lowens side notice and respond.
“Oh, are you ignoring me?”
When Kisa turned away, deciding that ignoring him was the best response, Daniel whistled.
“Still such a proud lady. Even though you came here to choose a reconciliation gift for me.”
Ah, this was unbearable. Kisa finally turned to glare at Daniel and asked.
“Reconciliation? Us?”
“Yes, isn’t that right?”
“Are you really crazy? It’s beyond my comprehension. Why would I give you a reconciliation gift?”
“Since I extended my hand first, you probably thought you’d accept it graciously.”
“When did you extend your hand?”
That genuinely curious question received an unexpected answer.
“You received the dress I sent. The dress for the charity gathering.”
Only then did she recall the dress with its bluish tint. Daniel drooped his thick eyebrows in an obviously playful pout.
“Actually, I didn’t feel good about parting ways with you like that. I didn’t mean to say such things, but you kept bringing up Hazel.”
“…And?”
“So I thought. That I should extend the olive branch first.”
His voice became somehow intimate as he bent down to whisper near her ear.
“Listen, Kisa. Let’s go back to having a decent relationship like before. What good would it do us to keep being hostile to each other?”
He naturally wrapped his arm around her shoulder.
“After all, you and I will become husband and wife, right?”
Her neck prickled with goosebumps. Because his embrace was horrifying, and because it wasn’t entirely horrifying.
The moment she recognized this fact, she hurriedly broke free from his grip.
“Don’t touch me. It’s disgusting.”
For the first time, Daniel’s relaxed smile disappeared.
“Your way of speaking has become quite rough?”
“Yes, I learned it from someone who said his fiancée was too stupid and beneath his level. It feels good to stop using only polite words, to the point where I regret being so courteous all this time.”
“Are you going to bring up things I already apologized for?”
She hadn’t thought she’d received an apology from Daniel, but thinking about it again, maybe she had. Very carelessly, in passing.
Daniel’s expression became serious as if he was getting annoyed.
“Isn’t it enough that I apologized and extended my hand first? What more do you want from me?”
“To never appear before me again.”
“You still haven’t given up? We’re engaged whether you refuse it or not.”
That engagement would be broken soon. Completely unaware of this fact, the man was under the delusion that he would always maintain the upper hand.
“It seems you’re angry because you’re embarrassed about being caught choosing my gift, but be smart about this. Think about what attitude would truly benefit you.”
There’s no point in talking to someone who won’t listen. Kisa let Daniel ramble on his own and continued looking at handkerchiefs.
She could quickly decide what to give as a gift. Looking at it again, the plain navy handkerchief that Daniel had liked wasn’t particularly pretty.
Kisa called the clerk and paid for a black handkerchief with sophisticated patterns instead.
“I’ll take this one too.”
But as soon as the payment was finished, Daniel, who had been quiet until then, called the clerk. In his hand were two women’s handkerchiefs with red ribbons on white fabric.
Without even properly listening to the price, he tossed a gold coin to the clerk – far too much for handkerchiefs – and approached her.
Then he arbitrarily placed one of the handkerchiefs he bought in Kisa’s hand.
“Here, a gift.”
“…What?”
Daniel raised the corner of his mouth as he watched her slow reaction due to confusion.
“A reconciliation gift. The dress wasn’t enough, apparently, so I’ll give you that.”
He put the other handkerchief in his pocket and headed toward the exit.
“See you next time. Ah, don’t forget to come to the charity gathering. And make sure to wear that dress.”
Kisa quickly realized why Daniel had bought two women’s handkerchiefs. She also knew who the other one was for.
That person had a personality that couldn’t stand to let anything slide; if his feelings were hurt, he couldn’t help but retaliate in full.
Angered by this attempt to provoke her, Kisa shouted at his retreating figure.
“I already threw away the dress you gave me!”
“Sure, sure. I’ll pick you up that day.”
Believing it to be mere bravado, Daniel just waved his hand without looking back.
“Who says I’m going with you?”
“Well, we’ll see about that when the time comes.”
His voice was full of confidence, not doubting for a moment that everything would go according to his will.
****
They say life alternates between good and bad events. The day after Kisa returned home in a low mood after encountering Daniel while shopping for Seyard’s handkerchief…
Count Vansfelt called his daughter to his office as usual and showed her a magazine.
It was a magazine that specialized in low-quality gossip about celebrities, something Kisa normally wouldn’t even glance at.
“This is…”
Kisa’s eyes flashed as she scanned the open page.
{A noble young master’s bold affair despite having a fiancée? The shocking identity of the woman who captured him!}
The article, clearly referring to Daniel, took up considerable space. For reference, there was even an illustration below that appeared to depict Daniel and Hazel.
“Although it’s a third-rate magazine, there’s a clear difference between mere rumors and something appearing in print. Besides, many nobles secretly read this magazine.”
His face was completely businesslike.
“I plan to send the formal engagement dissolution notice in exactly two days.”
It was extremely welcome news. Kisa waited eagerly for time to pass, her heart pounding.
Two days later, the Count sent the engagement dissolution notice to the Lowens’ townhouse as he had said.
And less than half a day later, Daniel came to visit. It was the first time she had seen him lose his composure like this.
