Chapter 31: The People Who Witnessed a Romance
Classie stepped in close—so close that her face nearly touched Kishin’s—before she belatedly asked,
“Just the two of us?”
Dernick, watching her move faster than she spoke, twisted his lips in annoyance. On top of that, her tone was clearly different when she spoke to Kishin compared to how she spoke to him.
Annoyed for no real reason, Dernick cut in.
“Kishin, are you trying to abandon me?”
Still looking at Classie, Kishin replied,
“His Grace is looking for you.”
“You’re using my father as an excuse to ditch me?”
“It’s about Princess Saze.”
“!”
What could that possibly mean? At the mention of her name, Dernick’s expression instantly hardened, and without a word of farewell, he turned and walked off.
His face had been so cold and intense that even Classie, whose attention had been entirely on Kishin, snapped to her senses.
She found herself watching Dernick’s retreating figure, feeling oddly concerned, and asked,
“Is he okay? Sir Dernick didn’t look well.”
“There are complicated circumstances.”
“Is it about the princess?”
Classie was startled.
Princess Saze was a figure entangled in complicated matters. She wasn’t someone to bring up lightly in casual conversation.
She wasn’t all that interested in Dernick anyway, and asking more would only make things harder for Kishin, so Classie quickly changed the subject.
“Why did you want to talk alone earlier?”
Thankfully, Kishin didn’t seem eager to discuss Princess Saze or Dernick either. He smoothly followed her lead.
“The more people involved in our conversations, the more misunderstandings happen. I just thought we should speak directly.”
Classie pouted slightly and muttered,
“Most of those misunderstandings were from you, though.”
“I can’t deny that.”
Though he said he wouldn’t deny it, Kishin didn’t look the least bit apologetic.
Classie suddenly got angry, turning her back as she spoke coldly,
“If someone else acted like you, I’d be so mad I wouldn’t even want to see their face.”
“Do you still want to see mine?”
“You’re handsome. I’m giving you special treatment.”
Whatever it was about that comment, Kishin chuckled softly.
“I’m not sure whether I should thank my parents or thank you, Miss Classie.”
His joking tone quickly softened the mood.
Classie, momentarily angry, burst out laughing with him and turned to face him again.
Dernick’s grim expression was already wiped clean from her mind, leaving no trace.
And then—Classie felt a strange gaze. As if someone were staring intently at her.
She quickly turned her head toward the source of that gaze.
* * *
“Where’s Dernick? Don’t tell me he snuck off again today.”
The Grand Duchess Siwil, surrounded by people and laughing, suddenly muttered this as she glanced around.
Those gathered around her in admiration joined in, looking left and right to help search for the young lord. But as the Grand Duchess had said, not even a glimpse of Dernick’s cloak could be seen.
The Marchioness of Gosville sighed and murmured,
“Kishin isn’t around either. I wonder if the two of them went off somewhere again.”
The Grand Duchess tapped the Marchioness’s skirts with a dismissive air and replied with a scoff,
“What’s wrong with that? It’s a good thing if they went off together. With a steady and dependable friend like Kishin at his side, Dernick gets into far less trouble. I’m not worried because he’s with Kishin.”
The Marchioness silently agreed. It wasn’t motherly favoritism—Kishin really was incomparably more composed than Dernick.
Though only a year older, Kishin acted like he was a century ahead in maturity. Even that troublemaker Dernick noticeably calmed down when Kishin was around.
But who would dare say such things aloud? The Marchioness gave a response that didn’t match her true thoughts.
“Kishin isn’t steady—he’s dull and too quiet. Young men their age should be outgoing and sociable like Dernick.”
The Grand Duchess laughed cheerfully, knowing full well the Marchioness didn’t mean a word of it.
Just as the two continued chatting about their sons, another noblewoman who’d been quietly listening smoothly joined in.
“Now that you mention it, I saw Sir Dernick heading off somewhere with an incredibly beautiful young lady earlier. They seemed quite close.”
The smile froze on the Grand Duchess’s lips.
The noblewoman turned to her friend beside her and asked,
“Right? That elegant and refined girl.”
“Oh yes, I remember! The one who made that odd little slip of the tongue? She was quite cute. Never seen her before, though. I wonder which family she’s from.”
As the two women giggled together, the Grand Duchess’s expression grew even darker.
The Marchioness of Gosville immediately noticed the shift and quietly sipped her tea.
The two oblivious noblewomen only realized something was wrong after the Grand Duchess’s face turned visibly grim. They fell silent at once.
Outside of royal court functions, the Grand Duchess was almost always the center of attention. Her silence alone was enough to hush every noble nearby.
How long did that silence last?
Eventually, the Grand Duchess set her coffee cup down and rose, pulling the Marchioness of Gosville to her feet with her.
“Shall we take a little walk?”
The Marchioness immediately understood what the Grand Duchess had in mind and obediently stood up.
She even signaled the noblewoman who had been gossiping earlier about Dernick’s whereabouts so that the Grand Duchess wouldn’t feel awkward.
Receiving the signal, the noblewoman discreetly gestured in the direction Dernick had disappeared with a noble lady.
The Marchioness approached the Grand Duchess and gently linked arms with her, naturally guiding her in the direction Dernick had gone.
“Let’s go this way, Your Grace.”
* * *
The Grand Duchess of Siwil kept her mouth tightly shut as they walked.
The Marchioness of Gosville wisely refrained from speaking to her.
She knew very well what kind of existence a troublemaker son could be to someone like the perfectly poised Grand Duchess of Siwil.
The Marchioness felt relieved that her own son was different from Dernick. Kishin had never once caused her distress with such matters.
Her relief was shattered when the Grand Duchess murmured, “Kishin?”
“Pardon?”
The Marchioness, lost in thought, belatedly came to her senses and asked again.
The Grand Duchess pointed with her chin toward the archway ahead.
“The man leaning against the corridor, talking with some young lady— isn’t that Kishin?”
“Pardon?”
The Marchioness looked in that direction and her eyes grew wide.
Kishin Hayward. Her proud son was indeed standing face to face with a woman she didn’t recognize.
He wore a gentle smile—something he hadn’t shown even to his family since he was seven years old.
The Marchioness rubbed her eyes, thinking she might be seeing things, but there was no mistaking it: that young man, shyly talking with the lovely lady, was indeed her son.
The very same son who had always drawn a clear line, declaring he had no interest in marriage, intended to devote his life to work, and insisted that any talk of marriage, heirs, or inheritance should be left to his sister, Janet.
The Grand Duchess glanced at the stunned expression on the Marchioness’s face, then smiled more comfortably and asked:
“It seems Sir Kishin is in love.”
“……”
“But I don’t recognize the lady at all. She’s not someone I invited. Still, since she must’ve shown an invitation to get in, it shouldn’t be too hard to find out who she is. Shall I look into it?”
* * *
While Classie was enjoying a fluttering moment after clearing the misunderstanding with Kishin, Merran was anxiously pacing through the house. She must have checked every clock in the house.
Karen, worried, had postponed all her tasks and followed Merran around like a shadow.
Almost three hours had passed since Classie had left. Finally, Karen couldn’t hold back and stopped Merran.
“Miss, it’s no use waiting like this. Someone came and told us that Sir Dernick wouldn’t be coming.”
“But that person might not have been sent by Sir Dernick. I asked what affiliation he had, but he wouldn’t say anything—just kept repeating that Sir Dernick wouldn’t come. He was suspicious.”
“Well, yes, that’s true.”
Karen agreed, but her voice was still sulky. After three hours of anxious waiting for one person, Merran was exhausted and waved her hand.
“Enough. I should sit down now. My legs are sore.”
“Yes, Miss. I’ll bring you some hot coffee.”
“I wonder when Aunt will come back. She’s been gone for quite a while.”
Merran headed to her room.
Karen went to the kitchen to prepare coffee and some refreshments for her. Along the way, she ran into Anna and tried to find out where Classie had gone on her own.
But she didn’t manage to learn the destination, and instead, ended up wasting 15 minutes swept along by Anna’s cheerful energy.
Only when the butler called for Anna did Karen finally manage to slip away with the tray of coffee and snacks.
As she climbed the stairs, a faint sound of a carriage from outside reached her ears.
‘Miss Classie must be back.’
Karen thought to herself and entered Merran’s room, planning to tell her the news—only to find Merran already standing by the window, brows furrowed, staring outside.
Karen set the tray down on a low table, handed the coffee to Merran, and spoke.
“It must be the carriage Miss Classie is in. I heard it too.”
Merran didn’t respond. She didn’t even take the coffee. She just kept staring straight ahead.
Karen noticed how serious Merran looked in profile.
“What’s wrong?”
“I found out where Aunt went alone.”
Karen went to the window and pulled back the curtain.
At that very moment, Classie was stepping down from the carriage, holding someone’s hand.
The man helping Classie out was a handsome gentleman, finely dressed. Despite his striking red hair, he gave off a cold air, exuding an unusual charm.
Karen’s eyes widened as she murmured,
“Did Miss Classie go on a date with that handsome man?”
* * *