Chapter 10. Of All People, You

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The heavy rain fiercely lashed at his heart. He bit down hard on his quivering lips. The taste of metallic water lingered on his tongue.

“You hid from me at the library earlier, didn’t you?”

“….”

“You did hide, behind the pillar. Am I wrong?”

Enoch Bayern moved closer as he asked. I flinched and took a step back. The fact that he had caught me eavesdropping on that conversation, and that he was confronting me in this rain—it was all so unbelievable that my mind felt like it was going to overload.

“Why aren’t you saying anything?”

“…….”

“Like a rabbit cowering in front of a gun.”

He slowly looked me up and down, clearly finding my pitiful state repulsive, and clicked his tongue. When he brushed back his rain-soaked black hair, his white, straight forehead was revealed.

I realized that his head was even more finely sculpted than I had thought. It was a realization I didn’t want to have.

“How did you hurt your ankle?”

It wasn’t particularly out of concern. It was closer to ‘What did you do to end up like that?’

What surprised me was that Enoch Bayern had come to find me just to ask such a thing. I had always thought he was too cold-hearted to even give negative attention to others.

“Are you not going to answer?”

“…….”

He grabbed my shoulder and flagged down a passing carriage. For a moment, I thought, ‘No way,’ but he opened the carriage door and pushed me inside.

“Wait, hold on…!”

“You’re finally speaking.”

With my strength, weaker than that of a fawn, it was nearly impossible to shake off the grip of a war hero. In my fluster, I found myself awkwardly seated inside the carriage, and he, sitting opposite me, opened the coachman’s window slightly and asked,

“Do you have a home?”

“……Of course, I do.”

“Where is it?”

“At 11 Hebrington Street.”

He didn’t seem to know that the address was the Lopez residence. Nodding briefly, he instructed the coachman and closed the wooden window. I clasped my hands tightly on my lap, trembling slightly. I couldn’t tell if it was from the cold or for another reason.

The carriage soon jolted forward, running through the rain-soaked streets, and the sound of the downpour echoed faintly beyond the glass.

Just that and silence.

In the cramped, silent space where even my breathing felt intrusive, I shrank like a guilty person. His gaze remained fixed on me. He no longer threw indifferent words at me; he simply watched in silence.

His golden eyes were like a calm lake without a ripple. Those eyes, that gaze. It was almost laughable how they reflected my miserable state.

If only I could melt away and disappear from this place…

Would it be pathological anxiety to feel that even trying to guess this man’s intentions in showing me such kindness was dangerous? But I believe he wouldn’t be doing this out of good intentions. It would be a reason that would only hurt me. Surely.

The unfair part is simply, why must it be you?

I like rainy weather. But rain also acts as a catalyst, bringing up old memories. Moments when I throw futile questions at the deceased, sinking into lonely thoughts.

It had to be today at the library, and it had to be you who found me.

At that moment, when I deeply realized I was alone…

Why does that fact make me feel so unfair?

Is it because you… even if you could show kindness like charity to someone, you would never offer genuine comfort?

“How did a maid get into the ball? Did you steal your master’s invitation?”

“……I…….”

I was wondering if he might think so, and indeed, he mistook me for a maid. ……Well, it’s somewhat true. Being a baron’s daughter is just an empty title.

“……I worked hard and got to go as a reward.”

It wasn’t a lie. Although my stepmother probably didn’t want to send me to the ball until the end.

I thought about clearing up his misunderstanding about me, but I decided against it, thinking nothing would change. Even if I wore the name Lopez, I was still Cinderella Ellenore.

“A reward like that seems too much for just a maid.”

“That’s true, but…… because it was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.”

“A once-in-a-lifetime opportunity… Was that ball really worth that much?”

He seemed to inwardly mock me for calling it a ‘once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.’ No, it wasn’t just inwardly; he was openly mocking me. A clear sneer appeared on his lips.

“…….”

Feeling choked up, I clamped my mouth shut and glared at my poor shoes.

Well, someone like you wouldn’t understand. What might be trivial to you was a significant wish for someone like me. Going to that ball was not just out of curiosity but also because I wanted to see you, whom I admired, at least once with my own eyes.

But I would never say that out loud. I didn’t want to reveal anything to him.

“Aren’t you curious why I helped you?”

“……Because you felt sorry for me.”

“Ah, you know your place well.”

He brought his hand to his lips and smiled. It could have been seen as a sweet smile, but it felt more like a trap laced with poison.

I realized anew that among the many elements that made up this man, there was a ‘demonic’ side. The reason he helped me, the reason he threw those fragmentary words at me while sitting opposite me. All of it was…

Just to torment me.

A fleeting amusement that would be forgotten after one night.

What I pay in return for this kindness… might be close to a fee.

Is this his hobby? Does the Grand Duke of Bayern have such a nasty hobby? Do others know? Even if they did, nothing would change…

It’s questionable whether it’s even possible to tarnish his reputation, and even if it were, he wouldn’t bat an eye.

So, as a plaything, I had no choice but to sit quietly.

“If you had any misconceptions, it would have caused troublesome problems.”

He leaned back and stared at me, starting to speak. His gaze was somehow persistent. As if he wanted to uncover what I was hiding.

“Don’t people usually have expectations? Even at the ball that night.”

“…….”

“Didn’t you have any expectations of me?”

Until then, I had been avoiding his gaze and pretending to be dead, but at that question, I couldn’t help but let out a small laugh.

Even though it was a faint sound, it must have reached his ears unmistakably. I wondered if I had offended him. I timidly raised my eyes to glance at him.

What came into view was his expression, frozen coldly in a terrifying manner.

Clunk!

At that moment, the carriage shook violently and came to a stop. We had arrived at our destination.

I bowed to him and stood up from my seat. From the moment I saw his expression, all I could think about was escaping. Thank you. I murmured those words and hurriedly moved to leave the space.

“……Ugh!”

Suddenly, a sharp pain pierced my ankle. Unable to endure the pain, I lost my balance and fell. Unfortunately, the direction I fell was…

“Ah…!”

A low, short scream escaped my lips, and soon a man’s arm reached out, grabbing my wrist and waist.

A powerful force exerted by a large hand.

A sensation, as if all the blood in my body was draining away, overwhelmed me.

My heart pounded loudly. Frozen and pale, I blankly slid my gaze to assess the situation.

My legs were entangled with his thighs, and one of my hands, which hadn’t been grabbed, was resting on his shoulder.

I felt dizzy for a moment.

This absurd posture alone was enough to make me faint, but the man’s face was so close. Close enough for our breaths to mingle.

His long black eyelashes, drawing a deep shadow, and the golden irises beneath them were excessively detailed.

“…….”

He, who had his eyes wide open in slight surprise, soon returned to his usual languid expression and smiled slightly with one corner of his mouth lifted.

It was a smile that was closer to a sneer in every way.

His lips parted slightly. The movement entering my vision was a visual stimulus sharp enough to feel almost violent.

Then, a whisper fell into my ear, subtly urging.

“You’re good at this.”