Chapter 1.8

Having s*x once didn’t change anything.  

It was almost laughably hollow. For men who worshipped a woman’s virginity, it might have felt significant, but Leticia had never held such notions of chastity. She had never thought of saving herself for her husband or considered her first experience sacred. After all, she was the daughter of a mistress. Holding onto the ideals of a virtuous woman would have been absurd.  

Still… she couldn’t say that nothing had changed.  

From time to time, she would recall the moments when she and Karl Lavresion had touched. How could just one encounter linger so much in her mind?  

After leaving the hotel that day, Karl Lavresion never sought her out. She had even paced nervously by the door, hoping he might come. It was laughable. In the end, one night of s*x had been enough to erase her fifty thousand slems debt.  

At this point, she began to think Karl Lavresion was the foolish one. 

How wealthy must he be to forgive a debt for just one night? Foolish man. Bastard. Trash. 

She cursed him alone, blamed him, and then… realized her own feelings.  

For that single day, she had clung to the kindness and warmth he had shown her.  

To a man she had barely met. To a man who had said he was gentle with all women in bed.  

Starved for affection and tenderness…  

Every time she realized this about herself, it felt like being stabbed with a sharp needle. She felt pathetic for always ending up in the same place, no matter how many times she went through this. And at the same time, she felt resigned and deeply melancholic.  

Coming face-to-face with her own shortcomings inevitably brought sadness.  

There was no helping it. Lowering her eyes, she focused on cleaning cups. It was the only way to escape these thoughts.  

When the sound of the bell rang, she looked up toward the door. She was about to greet the customer when her words caught in her throat at the sight of the familiar face.  

It was Karl Lavresion.  

How did he know to come here?

That was her first thought. But she quickly dismissed it. It could have been a coincidence. Anne, the girl at the counter, greeted him cheerfully.  

“Welcome! Can I take your order?”  

Karl glanced briefly at Anne before turning his gaze directly to Leticia. She wasn’t working at the counter, so as soon as their eyes met, she turned her head away. Anne tilted her head, looking between Leticia and Karl Lavresion in confusion.  

“Leti.”  

He called her name. Her attempt to feign ignorance failed. She sighed softly and looked at him. When their eyes met, he began walking toward her.  

“How much longer is your shift?”  

“……”  

He knew she worked here. Leticia avoided his gaze as she replied.  

“About two and a half hours.”  

“I’ll wait.”  

Only then did he turn his attention to Anne and place his order. Leticia tried to focus on wiping the cups. Not long after, as expected, Anne finished taking his order and approached her with an excited expression.  

“Is he your boyfriend? Wow, he’s incredibly handsome! He’s not from the Chevrem Empire, is he? He looks like a foreigner.”  

“He’s not my boyfriend.”  

“Then is he someone who’s about to become your boyfriend? The way he looks at you is totally different.”  

What does she mean by that?  

Karl Lavresion had always looked at her with a playful smile since the first time they met. It was so natural for him that seeing him without a smile would have felt strange.  

“No, that’s just how he is. We’re just acquaintances.”  

Leticia shook her head firmly, denying it. Anne gave her a skeptical look, staring for a long time before eventually heading off to prepare the drinks.  

Karl Lavresion’s gaze, fixed on her from afar, made it impossible to focus on her work. Her hands kept slipping as she wiped the cups. It wasn’t a pleasant feeling. It was like having a pebble stuck in her shoe—irritating.  

As soon as she finished wiping the cups, she retreated into the storage room. She didn’t want to feel his gaze anymore. Even while organizing items in the storage room, her thoughts wouldn’t stop.  

Why did he come? How did he know? Why is he waiting for me?  

Unable to stop herself, she peeked out from the storage room. The moment she did, her eyes met Karl Lavresion’s, who was already looking in her direction.  

Startled, she quickly ducked back inside. Her heart pounded in her chest.  

“Leticia, what are you doing? Haven’t you finished organizing yet?”  

“I-I’m coming out now.”  

She hesitated before stepping out. Karl Lavresion’s gaze remained fixed on her. She tried to ignore it and focused on her work.  

As the end of her shift approached, her anxiety only grew stronger. Ten minutes before her shift ended, Anne spoke up.  

“Your friend is waiting for you. You can leave early. We’ve already finished closing up. I’ll take care of the rest.”  

“Oh…”  

Anne smiled brightly. Leticia hesitated before bowing her head in gratitude.  

“Thank you. See you tomorrow.”  

“Have a great evening, Leticia.”  

Removing her apron, she prepared to leave. Karl Lavresion stood up from his seat, still smiling. As he approached her, he leaned down slightly and asked,  

“Was work hard?”  

“…It was fine.”  

The café wasn’t particularly busy. It had only been difficult at first when she was learning the recipes and getting used to the work. Now, it was manageable.  

“Let’s have dinner together.”  

Why?  

That was her immediate thought. She stared at him without answering.  

“I was surprised when you left so suddenly that day. I thought we could at least talk.”  

What could we possibly talk about?

She had paid off her fifty thousand slems debt, and that was the end of it. Since he hadn’t come looking for her right away, she assumed he felt the same.  

Had he discovered something strange in the investigation about my mother that he had ordered his aide to conduct?  

“What do you want to talk about?”  

“Let’s grab something to eat first. Aren’t you hungry?”  

Karl Lavresion’s behavior toward her felt unfamiliar. Having no friends her age, she couldn’t understand what he was thinking. Hadn’t he said he was only gentle with women in bed? This wasn’t the bedroom.  

“I’m not hungry yet…”  

When she said that, he smiled and took her hand.  

“Then let’s go for a walk.”  

Startled, she looked down at their joined hands. He seemed completely unbothered.  

Why is he holding my hand?  

Unlike his relaxed demeanor, she couldn’t hide her nervousness. Her steps faltered as they walked. She found herself trembling.  

“Are you cold?”  

Karl Lavresion turned to her and asked. She couldn’t answer, as if her voice had been stolen. He took off his jacket.  

“It’s a bit chilly in Chevrem, isn’t it?”  

He draped it over her shoulders, even buttoning it up for her.  

“Are you still cold?”  

“…No.”  

Strangely, her trembling stopped. He took her hand again. The tension that had burned so hot earlier began to subside, and she finally noticed the warmth of his hand. It was large and warm.  

It was the first time she had ever held hands with a man outside. Until now, the only people who had held her hand outside were her mother and her governess, Amy. Both were women.

She lowered her gaze and carefully observed his hand. His fingers were long. Those long fingers were wrapped around her hand. Her eyes followed the elegant lines leading to his wrist, then rested on the watch on his wrist, and finally moved to the cuff of his shirt. Her gaze continued upward until it landed on Karl Lavresion’s face. He seemed to have noticed her stare early on, as he looked directly into her eyes and smiled faintly.

“What’s got you so curious?”

“…Nothing.”

She shook her head and looked down at the ground.

“If you want to look, go ahead and look all you want. Why are you being so cautious? It’s not like I’m saying anything about it.”

That was true, but still…

The words she couldn’t bring herself to say lingered in her mouth before fading away. She kept her mouth shut and walked alongside Karl Lavresion.

He led her to a park located in the center of downtown. The park was already filled with families, couples, and groups of friends. Most of them were smiling happily. 

Would Karl Lavresion and I look like a couple to others as we held hands?

But she and Karl Lavresion were nothing to each other.

She didn’t know why he was holding her hand, why he was taking a walk with her, or why he had come to find her.

He bent down toward a flower bed scattered throughout the park and lightly brushed his fingers over the flowers.

“Chevrem and Arhadan differ in many ways. Even the flowers that bloom are different. Arhadan is quite hot. Maybe because they grow under the intense sunlight, the flowers there are generally larger.”

The flower he was touching was a forget-me-not. Compared to the flowers he mentioned, the small forget-me-not was undoubtedly tiny.

“I like anemones. Compared to those, these flowers are small and a bit delicate.”

He smiled faintly. It didn’t seem like he was expecting a response, so she just nodded. Meanwhile, she kept thinking about what this time together meant, why she was spending time like this with him.

The seemingly meaningless walk ended only when Karl Lavresion brought up the topic of having dinner. Once inside the restaurant, he naturally escorted her. He was skilled. From the way he gestured for the staff to how he spoke—it was all…