Chapter 2
Cayenne Clue. The eldest son of House Clue. Beyond the rumors, Julia knew him personally. Not just casually—there had been a time when they met almost daily.
“We should stick together—fellow descendants of the Grand Duchy of Esacudia, no?”
The claim of shared heritage was tenuous at best. The Rupers had settled in the Reskand Empire generations ago, their barony granted by imperial decree, unlike the Clues, whose title came from Esacudia. Yet the late Count Clue had stubbornly emphasized their “shared roots.”
After their fathers bonded at a salon, the families grew close. When crop failures strained the Rupers’ finances, the Clues lent money without interest. Naturally, Julia and Cayenne—Kai to her—became constant companions.
“Kai Oppa! You’re back?”
Eight years had passed since the Clues returned to Esacudia to expand their business, cutting off contact. Yet the childhood nickname slipped out effortlessly, a testament to their past closeness.
—Hello.
She still remembered nine-year-old Cayenne’s first greeting, those same violet-tinted gray eyes fixed on her.
And there had been one other—the only man besides her father and brother she’d ever locked eyes with for more than a polite moment.
“How have you been? When did you return? I heard things went well in Esacudia. You remember me, right? It’s Yuri—Julia Ruper.”
She was delighted by those familiar, enigmatic eyes. And though he’d always been handsome, the added maturity made her pulse flutter. Unspoken but undeniable: Cayenne had been her first love.
Questions piled up—Why was he here? How had he been? Was his family well?—but her joy at their reunion overshadowed them all.
“Kai Oppa… it is you, right…?”
And yet.
The man who’d called her name and pulled her away now stared at her like she was a stranger.
“It’s been a while.”
The greeting was glacial. So cold that Julia wondered if she’d mistaken his identity—until his sharp features and those unmistakable eyes confirmed it. But the warmth she remembered was gone, replaced by a wintry detachment.
“I hadn’t planned to meet like this. Seems you didn’t understand me properly.”
After a brief, unreadable pause, Cayenne sighed, his ashen eyes devoid of emotion. Julia didn’t comprehend his words—they didn’t even seem directed at her.
“Why are you here?”
No context, just abrupt interrogation. His unblinking stare made her shoulders tense. She’d never realized emotionless eyes could feel so heavy.
“What do you mean, why—”
Her faltering reply displeased him. His grip on her arm tightened, and though she averted her gaze, she didn’t pull away. Part of her was still glad to see him—and he seemed to have more to say.
“You shouldn’t be here, enduring this. What happened? Did that man propose?”
“Propose?”
“I’m asking what transpired between you.”
“Nothing. We only danced twice.”
She omitted the near-assault. The Cayenne before her, so unlike the one in her memories, seemed more likely to scold her for carelessness than offer comfort.
At her terse answer, Cayenne exhaled—a sigh that wasn’t quite relief.
“My carriage is still at the entrance. Take it home.”
“Your carriage?”
“Don’t dawdle. Leave. Now.”
First asking about proposals, then suddenly ordering her home—Julia blinked, bewildered. Before she could process it, Viscount Mulhern approached.
“Leaving? Our discussion isn’t—”
“Step back.”
Cayenne yanked Julia behind him, shielding her. He said nothing more, but Mulhern’s face darkened as if insulted—Cayenne’s gaze alone conveyed utter disdain.
“You seem to forget this is the Reskand Empire, not Esacudia.”
“I haven’t forgotten. I’m not so busy I’d lose track of where I am.”
Mulhern’s veiled warning went unheeded. When Julia hesitated—Should he really treat a viscount like this?—Cayenne simply took her hand, led her to his carriage, and helped her in.
“To Baron Ruper’s residence.”
“Yes, my lord.”
“Huh? Wait… Oppa?”
What… just happened?
“We didn’t even greet each other properly.”
Only as the marquis’s estate faded into the distance did Julia realize how abruptly it had all unfolded. Had it not been for the memory of his whisper at her ear, she might’ve thought it a dream.
This wasn’t how she’d imagined their reunion. But turning back now would be absurd.
“We’ll meet again.”
She’d find a way. Then she’d ask what all this meant. His words suggested he’d returned for good.
Running her fingers over the plush carriage seat, Julia flushed. The boy she’d admired had grown even more striking. And though his actions were cold, he’d saved her from Mulhern.
He’d always done that.
In her memories, Cayenne stepped forward whenever strangers overstepped with her. He’d worried if even a touch carried ill intent. He’d cherished her.
We’ll meet again.
They would. Next time, she’d greet him warmly and ask about the years apart.
“Since I’m back early, I should practice the cello.”
Smiling, she gazed out the window—unaware their next meeting would come the very next day.
2 Million Gold.
That sum—equivalent to 20 years of the Ruper estate’s potato harvests under ideal conditions—could buy multiple mansions in the capital’s elite districts. It was enough to settle Baron Ruper’s failed business debts and then some.
It was also Julia’s bride price.
“How did you…?”
At dawn, when Cayenne knocked, Julia alone seemed startled. Her mother and younger brother, Ian, welcomed him like an expected guest. Even her father, though grim-faced, simply sighed and invited him in after Cayenne’s servant placed a heavy chest in the foyer.
“Verify it. Exactly 2 million gold, Mark.”
“Yes, my lord.”
In the parlor, the opened chest revealed 200 gold ingots, each worth 10,000 coins.
“Satisfied?”
“I am.”
Julia initially thought Cayenne had come to aid their struggling family.
“I heard Julia seeks a marriage to secure this sum. Well? Will you accept it and give her to me?”
Then he proposed.
Give me to him? What—
As Julia gaped, her father stifled a groan but asked no questions.
Why isn’t he saying anything?
“I need a woman to bear my children. Not a bad offer, is it? What’s your decision?”
