Chapter 9

“You’re just the same as yesterday?”  

“What do you mean, same? I cut my hair yesterday.”  

Kaiden didn’t even look up as he replied.  

“You cut it? It looks the same.”  

“Yes. I used to tie it up in one, but you said it looked undignified and told me to trim it. Don’t you remember?”  

“I said that?”  

“Yes.”  

Philip grumbled about how Kaiden could be so indifferent to someone who had been working with him for three years like family, but Kaiden didn’t lift his eyes from the contract sent by the Cliang Kingdom.  

“But the pumpkin minerals from the Cliang Kingdom really are the same color as Lady Hazel’s eyes.”  

“Hazel Erban.”  

“Yes, I know. Hazel Erban. Lady Hazel.”  

“You should call her the Young Lady of Marquis Erban. You’re not that close to her.”  

“Oh… Yes. The Young Lady of Marquis Erban.”  

Kaiden finally seemed satisfied and gave a faint smile.  

Philip felt like shouting to the merchant staff right away, “Do you know who I met today? Hazel Erban herself!” If he said that, his colleagues would swarm around him.  

Hazel, the person Kaiden spoke about so naturally, as if breathing, while on the ship. Earlier, he had been so delighted that he almost waved at her out of the built-up sense of internal closeness.  

“When is the Young Lady of Marquis Erban’s birthday?”  

“July 17th.”  

“Wow, of course!”  

Philip’s exaggerated reaction made Kaiden frown and finally lift his head from the document. His focus seemed to have been disturbed as he raised his head toward Philip.  

“Philip.”  

“Yes, Your Grace. What is it?”  

“Is my body that good?”  

“Ah, it’s not just good—it’s amazing.”  

Kaiden had heard this reaction countless times before.  

“Then, what does it mean when someone suddenly approaches or touches because of that?”  

Kaiden wasn’t unaware that men usually admired it, while women harbored romantic feelings. But when it came to Hazel, normal logic didn’t seem to apply.  

Should he take Hazel’s words at face value, or should he interpret them as he would with others?  

“If a woman does that to a man, it’s 100% because she likes him.”  

“So, it’s romantic interest?”  

“Yes. It’s the kind of thing you do to someone you’re interested in or want to date. Or… someone you want to sleep with.”  

Philip teased Kaiden, saying that someone who had received so many advances couldn’t possibly be this naive.  

“Even if the person is like a sibling-level younger sister?”  

Kaiden tapped the table slowly with his fingers, and Philip began to suspect who he was talking about.  

“Yes. My younger sister could be the most attractive person in the world, but she wouldn’t lay a finger on me. If she ever did touch me, it would be like looking at a bug.”  

Philip shuddered dramatically.  

“She didn’t hate it—she liked it.”  

“Then she probably just likes you, Your Grace.”  

Philip added enthusiastically, 

“Why, didn’t the second princess of the Cliang Kingdom recently try so hard to drink with you? Of course, it fizzled out because she heard you were engaged to Princess Lily, but what do you think she meant by wanting to drink with you?”  

The second princess of the Cliang Kingdom had shown clear interest in him. But Hazel was Hazel.  

“I know that much. But isn’t wanting to touch someone’s body a bit different? Couldn’t it just be pure curiosity about the physique?”  

Pure curiosity.  

Before being a man and a woman, Hazel was Evan’s younger sister, and to Hazel, Kaiden was probably just her brother’s close friend. Romantic interest?  

Even if Hazel did feel that way, Kaiden didn’t experience the same discomfort he felt with the second princess. However, it was a conclusion he found hard to accept since he had never considered it before.  

“Or maybe… she just wanted to try it once. How can someone only touch and not want more?”  

Philip shrugged lightly.  

“Then, if she sleeps with me? What happens if we sleep together?”  

“Well, it’s obvious. You either date or become partners.”  

“That will never happen.”  

Even hypothetically, Kaiden firmly denied the possibility of Hazel doing such a thing.  

“Well, if you confessed your feelings, no one would reject you, so the latter doesn’t apply.”  

“That’s not the issue.”  

Kaiden stood up and opened the window in frustration, while Philip carefully observed his superior’s physique.  

Even from a glance, Kaiden was a man whose body could make anyone marvel. His broad shoulders, firm pectoral muscles, and biceps were just the right size—not too bulky—and they flexed noticeably whenever he wielded a sword.  

Below his well-defined waist, his toned thighs rippled with every step, making even Philip, a fellow man, feel the urge to touch them. 

Combined with his chiseled physique, Kaiden’s face transcended borders and was far beyond what the word “handsome” could describe.  

In summary, there was no one who would feel mere physical attraction toward Kaiden.  

So, wasn’t it simple?  

“Why? Is it because you don’t like her?”  

“It’s not that I don’t like her. But…”  

It’s Hazel.  

“Then, just do what you always do—use Princess Lily as an excuse to reject her.”  

“I can’t do that.”  

“Then, how about taking her to a nice place and having a serious conversation? Or maybe a light drink?”  

“Drinking is out of the question.”  

Kaiden shook his head vigorously, recalling the night Hazel made her mistake while drunk.  

Although he had warned her firmly, the thought that Hazel might drink with other men and let her curiosity ignite made him uneasy.  

He cared deeply for Hazel and could endure her actions, but could he trust other men to do the same?  

‘Duke… Then, what about you? If I’m curious, can I touch your body?’  

The thought of Hazel touching another man filled him with inexplicable anger, and his grip on his pen tightened.  

Snap.  

The glass pen shattered, and blood beaded on Kaiden’s fingers.  

“Your Grace! Your hand is bleeding!”  

“It’s fine. It’s nothing.”  

Kaiden pulled a handkerchief from the drawer and roughly wiped away the blood. Other men weren’t an option. If she was curious about a man’s body, then it should be his…  

“Recommend me a quiet place where we can talk.”  

“Does the lady like sweet cakes?”  

When Kaiden nodded, Philip grinned knowingly and eagerly offered advice.  

“Then you should visit the new dessert café nearby. It’s called Obir Dessert Boutique, and it’s very popular among young ladies. Their chocolate cake is especially a hit!”  

“Thank you.”  

“But, Your Grace, do you know what to talk about on a date?”  

“It’s not a date. If you’re going to spout nonsense, get back to organizing the accounts properly. Unless you want to be fired for another calculation mistake.”  

Despite Kaiden’s warning, Philip looked at him with pity, thinking his superior’s situation was far more pressing than his own work.  

Anyone could see that Kaiden was unknowingly experiencing a fervent crush, akin to a teenager’s first love.  

Philip had immediately figured out that Kaiden’s crush was Hazel.  

Anyone who spent even a month at sea with Kaiden would realize it. No, three days would be enough.  

Whenever Kaiden’s otherwise dry and emotionless demeanor showed a spark of life, it was always accompanied by the name “Hazel.”  

‘Hazel liked cheese in her omelets.’  

‘Have you ever won an academic excellence award, Philip? Our Hazel is not only beautiful but also brilliant.’  

‘Today, Hazel had chocolate cake. I should ask Dillizard about it.’  

‘I think I need to return home. Hazel is already graduating.’  

Thus, all the staff on the ship gathered to discuss a graduation gift for Miss Hazel, whom they had never even met. They even postponed their trade schedule to have the finest tunic tailored on the nearby land, as Kaiden mentioned he didn’t have suitable attire to wear.

“Your Grace, if you’re thinking of making jewelry with the minerals from the Cliang Kingdom, let me know. I know a very skilled artisan.”

“How did you know that?”

Kaiden was startled by Philip’s comment and looked him up and down. Philip shrugged his shoulders and raised his eyebrows with a mischievous smile, as if to say, “Who wouldn’t know?”

***

The next day.

“Hm hm~.”

Having confessed her mistake to Kaiden and learned the enormous secret that Kaiden wasn’t engaged to the Princess, many of her worries were resolved at once, allowing her to sleep well for the first time in a while.

Hearing that there was nothing between him and the Princess, she wondered if she might actually have a chance at romance. This fanciful dream brought a silly grin to her face, and she was curious about the rest of what she couldn’t do that night. It wasn’t just any score; it was 98.9, so it would be strange not to be curious.

“Miss, is there something good happening today?”

“No. It’s just… the weather is nice.”

“At this time, you’d usually be fast asleep, so what’s going on?”

Sophie brushed Hazel’s hair as she sat at the dressing table.

“Indeed.”

“The Duke said there’s a place he wants to take you today, so he asked you not to eat breakfast and come to his room.”

“Really?”

‘If I ask nicely, will he let me touch him? Could it be that we might even end up… having s*x?’

Hazel checked her reflection in the mirror with an excited voice full of anticipation.