IYWHM Chapter 19

When Kisa heard from her nanny that Daniel had visited the mansion, she was reading letters sent by people in her room.

“I don’t know why, but he seemed very displeased. I’ve never seen Young Master Daniel so angry before!”

The nanny, who had encountered Daniel on her way, asked with a terrified expression.

“Could it be that he found out about Miss throwing away that dress? There’s no other reason for him to be angry. Oh my, I tried so hard to stop you! I really didn’t want to throw it away!”

The nanny, who had to dispose of the dress sent by Daniel under Kisa’s orders, complained miserably.

Since the information that Count Vansfelt had sent a letter breaking off the engagement to the Lowens was known only to a few people in the Count’s mansion, it was understandable for her to make such a mistake.

“So where is Daniel now?”

“He went to the Count’s study with a frightening expression, so they must be talking right now.”

“Is that so?”

“More importantly, Miss, hurry and apologize to the young master. If he confronts you, even the Count will regret letting you have your way back then. We can get a similar dress made, after all.”

Kisa fell into thought for a moment, then calmly said to the nanny who was afraid the blame might fall on her.

“Why should I go?”

“Pardon?”

“Didn’t you say Daniel is talking with Father? Then doesn’t that mean he has business with Father?”

“Well, that’s true… but Miss, you always used to run to him whenever Daniel came to visit.”

That’s because I liked him. Because I wanted to spend as much time as possible with my fiancé who had many friends, many gatherings, many interests, and sometimes needed time alone. Looking back, her love had been quite one-sided.

“I did. But I’m not going to do that anymore.”

Kisa turned back to the letter she was holding and said firmly.

“I’m going to do my own things. Why should I care if he barges in unannounced? We didn’t even have an appointment.”

“Why are you suddenly acting like this? He’s Daniel, whom you care for so much. Are you really not going to see him?”

The nanny, who had watched over Kisa since she was an infant, couldn’t hide her confusion at this unexpected behavior.

Perhaps until now, she had interpreted all of Kisa’s negative reactions toward Daniel as mere sulking toward an unaffectionate fiancé.

“If he wants to see me, he can come himself.”

After tilting her head while watching Kisa for a while, the nanny said she would go check on the situation and left the room. Even Kisa’s statement that Daniel’s visit wasn’t about the dress couldn’t stop her.

About half an hour passed after that. Just as Kisa, who had finished skimming through the letters’ contents, was looking for stationery to write replies, the nanny returned.

“The Count and Young Master Daniel seem to be fighting!”

The pale-faced nanny said she heard the two men arguing with raised voices inside the Count’s study. To be more precise, the one raising his voice was only Daniel.

“The young master was demanding how could you do this to him, what your intentions were, and such. Given that the Lowens were mentioned, it must be a very serious matter!”

“What did Father say in response?”

“I couldn’t hear clearly, but he seemed to be speaking rather coldly. It wasn’t the tone he usually uses to soothe the young master.”

He was doing well according to plan. She could clearly picture him sitting like a statue, not even blinking, no matter how much Daniel pressed him.

Kisa, who had encountered her father’s such demeanor countless times, could imagine it all too well. Daniel must be dying of frustration right now.

“Anyway, Miss. This isn’t the time to be stubborn about not wanting to attend charity gatherings. I don’t know what you fought with Young Master Daniel about, but if you provoke him now, it’ll really-”

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Before the nanny could finish speaking, someone roughly knocked on the door. There was only one person in this mansion who would knock so rudely.

“Kisa, it’s me! We need to talk!”

Sure enough, Daniel Lowens’ angry voice came from behind the door.

“Yes, Young Master. Right now–”

“Wait.”

Kisa stopped the nanny who was reflexively about to open the door, approached it herself, and spoke calmly.

“Daniel? What brings you here?”

From beyond the door, Daniel replied in an incredulous tone.

“You’re asking because you don’t know? Don’t try to play innocent. I heard from your father. You know about it too.”

“Well, I’m not sure what you’re talking about.”

As she deliberately played innocent, his returning voice became sharper than before.

“The father and daughter are intentionally provoking my temper. Anyway, come out. I need a proper explanation.”

As the doorknob began to turn, Kisa firmly gripped it.

“Hey, what are you doing?”

“That’s what I should be asking, Daniel Lowens. Does the Lowens family teach that it’s acceptable to open someone else’s door without permission?”

“What?”

“If you want to meet me, wait in the reception room.”

“…Kisa, are you joking with me right now?”

“This isn’t a joke, it’s a matter of manners. You’ve not only barged into someone’s house without notice but are also trying to disrupt my scheduled activities.”

Daniel remained silent for a moment, apparently too dumbfounded to speak.

“I’ll make time for you out of consideration for our past relationship, so wait in the reception room. I can meet you after I finish what I’m doing now.”

“What? Miss, couldn’t you write the letters later?”

The nanny’s tactless interjection was welcome at this moment. It gave her the opportunity to say this in front of Daniel.

“Nanny, replying to those who wrote letters worrying about me is a very important matter. It should take priority over most other things.”

The man who belonged to those “other things” growled lowly.

“Kisa Vansfelt, you.”

“If you don’t want to wait in the reception room, you can leave. Nobody will stop you.”

“Don’t push it. Since when did we become the type to stand on ceremony?”

“Indeed, why didn’t you maintain boundaries when we weren’t standing on ceremony? Because you were too casual, I’m going to start being formal from now on.”

“So you want me to go to the reception room and wait quietly until you come?”

“Finally, you understand. You’re not as smart as I thought.”

“And you’re better at getting under people’s skin than I thought.”

“I told you, I learned from you.”

He let out an irritated sigh. Eventually, the sound of Daniel taking deep breaths could be heard, as if trying to calm his rising temper.

Considering the possibility that Daniel might lose his temper and open the door at will, Kisa stepped back from the doorway. She hadn’t locked it, so he could enter if he tried.

However, even as time passed, no such thing happened. It seems he at least had enough manners not to intrude into a lady’s room uninvited.

“Fine, I get it. Manners? Alright, I’ll observe them.”

Suddenly Daniel laughed, “Ha ha.” It was a laugh that didn’t sound amused at all.

“I’ll be waiting in the reception room, so make sure you come.”

Then came the sound of deliberately heavy footsteps. When they could no longer be heard, the nanny exclaimed.

“What are you really trying to do!”

“…What else? As I said before, I’m going to write my replies.”

Kisa answered while sitting at her desk. But her hand holding the pen trembled. It wasn’t from the tension of dealing with an angry Daniel, but from satisfaction.

‘To think he would lose control of his anger like that!’

Moreover, Kisa had managed to throw Daniel off balance during their conversation, leaving him at a loss for words. It was worth staying up all night thinking about how to respond when he would come rushing to confront her after confirming the letter breaking off their engagement.

It felt like she had somewhat avenged the humiliation of being called stupid in front of another woman that day.

But this isn’t enough. That mountain-like pride of his needs more wounds.

Kisa hummed while writing her replies. To be honest, most of the letter writers weren’t genuinely worried about Kisa but rather wanted to confirm if the article in the latest gossip magazine was true.

Letters that would have normally displeased her seemed lovely this time. Even the letter from Melissa, with whom she had fallen out.

Therefore, Kisa wrote her replies carefully. When her hand hurt from writing, she took leisurely breaks, asked a maid to bring her tea, and even fiddled with her violin out of boredom.

Only the nanny watching from the side couldn’t stay still. After glancing at the wall clock several times, she asked.

“Shouldn’t you be going now?”

“Yes, I’ll go in a little while.”

“Oh my, you’ve been saying that all this time! It’s already been two hours since Young Master Daniel went to the reception room.”

“What? Only two hours?”

“……”

“Time sure moves slowly, unexpectedly.”

After pondering something deeply for a moment, Kisa spoke.

“I wonder if Daniel is still in the reception room?”

“I’ll go check right away!”

Before Kisa could say anything, the nanny’s face brightened as she left the room. She returned in the blink of an eye after going to the reception room.

“He’s still there, though a bit angry! I told him you’d be coming soon!”

“Oh? But I can’t go for a while.”

“Pardon?”

In front of the wide-eyed nanny, she opened today’s newspaper.

“No matter how busy one is, one should keep up with how the world is turning.”

“…Good heavens.”

“It’s fine. Since he came barging in without an appointment, Daniel should understand this much.”

With those words, Kisa began reading the newspaper word by word.