Idel shrugged her shoulders lightly as the commotion died down.
‘Well, if he says to wait and see, I suppose I should.’
It seemed like he intended to portray them negatively, but for Idel, that was a sort of reward. It was an opportunity to accumulate misdeeds without any effort.
‘I hope he makes a big fuss and tarnishes my reputation.”
Since Ivan Ernest and Countess Vivian Bright knew the truth, it didn’t matter how things appeared on the surface.
Idel took a short breath, checked the time, and then nodded toward Sigmund.
“Let’s head back too. I don’t want to eat a cake looking like this.”
“Yeah, I agree.”
“Diane, can’t we do something about this?”
“Ah, um… Should I take you to the dressing room first?”
Idel didn’t respond to Diane’s question. Instead, she glanced at the café owner, who was handing a towel to Ivan, and said something else.
“Our table was reserved in advance, right?”
“Yes? Oh, yes! Of course!”
“Then pack up the cakes. One cheesecake… no, make it two, including the fruit cream cake.”
“One cheesecake and two fruit whipped cream cakes… Yes! I’ll get them ready right away!”
“I can’t believe I have to give up the cake for this. It’s a blow to my pride. Isn’t it?”
Diane instinctively nodded at Idel’s question but then made a subtle expression.
Despite Idel’s words about pride, her sidelong glance at the café owner seemed to indicate she was concerned about his situation.
‘And the fruit cake too.’
Not noticing the subtle change in Diane’s expression, Idel moved on without hesitation.
Just as she was about to pass the two people, Ivan, who was wiping his glasses with a towel, called out to Idel in a flustered voice.
“Excuse me, just a moment!”
Idel raised an eyebrow and turned her head at Ivan, who had grabbed the end of her sleeve instead of her wrist.
Worried that he might have offended her, he quickly withdrew his hand and expressed his gratitude to Idel with a sincere expression.
“I wanted to thank you for your help. And I’d also like to apologize for the insult from Farell. I’m sure you must have been very upset.”
Despite his kind yet seemingly timid appearance, his expression while apologizing looked quite resolute.
Idel responded with a nonchalant tone, as if he were dealing with a strange person.
“Why are you thanking me? I didn’t help you. Were you dreaming?”
“I wasn’t dreaming or mistaken. I’m not so oblivious that I wouldn’t understand why you sent a maid instead of resolving it through the owner.”
“That’s…”
Noticing that Idel was about to retort, Ivan quickly continued.
“Even if you didn’t help me directly, I’m grateful for the satisfaction I felt, so isn’t that worth thanking you for?”
“Yes, Ivan’s right. I should also express my gratitude. I’d like to show my appreciation… If you don’t mind, could you tell me which family you belong to?”
They say you become like the ones you love…
Seeing the Countess showing similar goodwill with the same expression as Ivan Ernest, Idel raised her eyebrows and looked back and forth between the two.
‘No need to thank me for anything.’
It was sincere. Helping Ivan Ernest was a subtle way to prepare for the future, not because she expected something in return.
‘Besides, if you contact the Duke’s family and spill everything…’
For a moment, she recalled the situation with the duke’s family and quickly erased the thought. It seemed that the disadvantages far outweighed the advantages.
Idel tilted her head slightly and muttered sulkily.
“Hmph, what’s the point of knowing the household name? What’s so important about that?”
With a tone that was typical of the “Idel from the rumors,” Idel slipped away and opened the door to leave. Coincidentally, Kyron was standing right outside.
After ensuring that the surroundings were safe, the man who was about to enter the shop suddenly halted upon encountering Idel.
Seeing his expression as if questioning why she was there, Idel casually flicked her fingers and spoke.
“Just turn around and leave.”
“Pardon?”
“We’re leaving, but do you want to stay here by yourself?”
“But didn’t you say you were going to have cake at Florent Café?”
“Even after seeing me and Sigmund like this… Ah, never mind! I’ll head to the carriage first. Diane, you handle the explanation.”
“Yes, got it!”
Idel waved her hand dismissively, as if she were truly annoyed, and slipped past Kyron.
Sigmund looked back and forth between Kyron, who was hoping for an explanation, and the flustered Diane, and then shrugged lightly.
He briefly considered adding something, but…
‘Well, I guess this is enough.’
He doubted that the knight would take his words seriously anyway.
Quickly dismissing the thought, Sigmund, just like Idel, passed by Kyron and exited the café.
The rest was something they would have to handle for themselves.
☪︎ ִ ࣪𖤐 𐦍 ☾𖤓 ☪︎ ִ ࣪𖤐 𐦍 ☾𖤓
Meanwhile, a man watching Idel leave the café with interest rubbed his chin and spoke softly.
“Is she the daughter of the Clementine family…?”
The girl had not revealed her family name, but he recognized the face of the knight talking to the maid.
‘There’s probably someone among them who has noticed.’
Especially Ivan Ernest, the employee he had been keeping an eye on, must have recognized him immediately.
When he saw Ivan adjusting his glasses, Dominic Knightley, the owner of ‘Shellami’ and the head of Knightley Ducal House, had a strong intuition that his suspicions were correct.
‘Sharp observation is a virtue of a journalist.’
He was indeed someone for whom he had high hopes. However, he never expected to catch a glimpse of his vulnerabilities in a café he visited with his son.
‘I was ready to offer help if needed.’
But because of that kid, there was no longer a need for that.
Just as he was reflecting on the child’s striking appearance, the voice of a boy who hadn’t yet gone through puberty interrupted his thoughts.
It was his son, Dante Knightley, sitting opposite him.
“Are you saying that child is from the Clementine Ducal family?”
Seeing the slight tremor in the child’s green eyes, Dominic gently rested his chin on his hand and smiled.
“Yes. Why, does she not seem like the Duke’s daughter to you?”
“Oh, that’s not what I meant; I just…”
“Just?”
“I thought it was fascinating how he responded to rudeness like that.”
“It was an unexpected move, indeed.”
Nodding in agreement with his son’s remark, Dominic refocused on the place where the commotion had occurred. Although the girl had already left, his son still couldn’t tear his gaze away.
“…Why didn’t she reveal her name?”
“What do you think was the reason?”
“I think it’s because he didn’t want anything in return. It was probably just a gesture of goodwill. So the family name wasn’t important.”
Dominic chuckled softly at Dante’s serious expression while quietly swallowing the truth.
‘Well, she probably didn’t mean it that way.’
He knew that Gianna didn’t have red hair like the child he saw today, and although she was lively, she wasn’t someone who acted in such an unrefined manner.
‘So that child must be the one from the rumors.’
The daughter of the former Countess Lopez, Idel Clementine.
‘She’s quite different from the rumors, isn’t she?’
Of course, if one were to judge solely by the child’s actions, it couldn’t be said to be different from the rumors.
Her temperament, throwing the towel like a bull facing a red cloth and charging at Lord Farell, as well as her snide remarks, were exactly as the rumors described.
‘But as she said, it wasn’t for Ivan.’
If she had truly lost her temper and started a fight, she would have brought up her own issues even after Countess Bright appeared.
‘It seems not many have noticed due to her exaggerated behavior.’
Dominic, holding a coffee cup, overheard other guests murmuring.
“…If it’s Farell Underwood, then he must be that eldest son from the rumors, right? Really, he’s so pathetic, picking a fight with a child… The rumors aren’t wrong.”
“I know, right? But which household’s young lady was that child?”
“Well… Lord Farell did make a fool of himself, but that girl also seems to need some education. Regardless, a young noble lady should not behave shamelessly…”
From the guests’ murmurs came a mix of intrigue, shock, and slight disdain.
As he witnessed the emergence of new gossip, Dominic set his coffee cup down again. A strange sensation had been pricking at him for a while now.
‘And at times like this.’
Having made a judgment based on experience, he turned to speak to his son.
“Dante, how about learning swordsmanship from the Duke of Clementine for a while?”
“Really? Is that alright?”
“Yes, the Duke was an academy peer of your mother. I’ll talk to him.”
He smiled gently as he ruffled his son’s hair, which showed signs of excitement. One shouldn’t ignore intuition at times like this.
