Chapter 1.3

And the second thing. Go with him? Since that day 7 years ago, Miguel had been the damned enemy of the Cherlin family and couldn’t even cast a shadow there.

‘Does he really not know? If he knew how our families fell out….’

Still, he might be pretending not to know and making this sly proposal. Benjamin, who was already inscrutable, became even more mysterious after 10 years. It’s not normal to exchange letters with a childhood friend for 10 years.

Awkwardness or whatever is just an excuse. There must be some other lousy reason hidden to make a fool of him.

‘I knew from the start that you came here to see Lisael Cherlin.’

Of course, the thought of these two meeting after so long made his insides twist, but Miguel had no way to interfere with that meeting. More than anything, facing Lisael was more distressing for him than dealing with this pale-faced fellow.

Every time he met her, even in those fleeting moments, he would inevitably hurt and be hurt.

“Young Master, you may not know, but I have circumstances that make it difficult to visit the Cherlin family.”

“……”

Benjamin’s large eyes widened even more at Miguel’s answer. Seeing him stroke his chin, it seemed he really didn’t know. Well, if Miguel knew Lisael, she wouldn’t have bothered to write down their enmity on paper for Benjamin to know.

“Hmm, actually, the village chief of Cherlin… no, I heard the position of village chief has been abolished. Sir Cherlin said it was okay for you to come with me….”

‘Sir Cherlin…?’

Ah.

Even if the sky might fall, that couldn’t be true, Miguel, who was suspicious, recalled the recent marriage proposal and quickly understood. Apparently, the village chief had accepted it reluctantly, wanting to solve the village’s unemployment issues. 

Indeed, the legal bond of marriage was powerful. He’d allowed a man he despised into his home after seven years simply because he was now an intended son-in-law.

But what of his daughter? Had Lisael, who resented and despised the Dante family just as much, accepted her fate as a bride? A bitter taste filled Miguel’s mouth. He could picture young Lisael’s face, her teary eyes in his mind.

‘Don’t worry. What you fear will never happen….’

And Miguel offered the maximum comfort he could to the imaginary young girl.

He still didn’t understand Benjamin’s full motives, but he thought playing along with him might be worth it if it meant he could reassure her directly.

“…In that case, I have no reason to refuse. A reunion after 10 years, I can’t fathom your overwhelming feelings, Young Master, but if my company can offer even a little reassurance, I would be delighted.”

Miguel placed one hand on his opposite chest as he answered, forcing a smile onto his face.

*   *   *

The village chief’s house, which he entered without bloodshed for the first time in 7 years, was like traveling back in time; everything was the same. For Miguel, who had lived his whole life in the Dante family’s castle, where replacing perfectly good furniture and items every day was considered a virtue, it was a refreshing shock.

To begin with, the fact that a small mansion or house… somewhere in between was neighboring a massive castle was shocking to outsiders.

However, Miguel couldn’t indulge in nostalgic reflection because the people at the Cherlin family were so different from before. Both in appearance and in the way they treated him….

First of all, it was too obvious that the village chief barely acknowledged Miguel with a nod and gave Benjamin a characteristically warm and kind smile, welcoming him with favoritism. Miguel struggled to hide his stinging heart in the face of such natural coldness.

A future son-in-law, but a current enemy. The contrasting and irreconcilable roles were more overwhelming for Miguel than he had expected. The storm of trials had no intention of leaving him alone after entering the village chief’s house without bloodshed.

As Benjamin and Miguel waited alone in the drawing room, guided by Cherlin, the awaited lady soon appeared.

…Could there be a more enchanting trial than this?

‘One year… no, was it a year and a half?’

Miguel quietly tried to gauge how long it had been since he last saw her, but it was so distant that he gave up counting. And as always, he forgot his dignity and relentlessly took in everything about her.

Her lush hair, darker than night. Her eyes, shaped like cherry blossom petals, containing sparkling golden pupils. And the deep dimples on her cheeks, unforgettable from the first moment he saw them.

Lisael, who entered the drawing room, didn’t spare a glance for Miguel, as if he didn’t exist in that place, and instead showed Benjamin the dimples that were etched in Miguel’s memories with a bright smile.

“Benjamin! Or should I call you Young Master now?”

“Don’t suddenly distance yourself. You were comfortable in your letters.”

They said they only exchanged letters, yet the man and woman greeting each other with a hug seemed exceptionally close. Or perhaps, seeing each other after several years made them so affectionate.

Miguel was the same. He could confidently say that he had seen Lisael less than 10 times in 7 years. All he could do was watch their reunion from a distance and mock his own situation.

Even after they sat down, Miguel’s erased presence showed no sign of returning. He was rather glad. He could now enjoy the reunion with Lisael, who had become a proper lady, alone to his heart’s content.

Miguel’s gaze, which never lingered on anything, occasionally showed obsession only with the sole subject of his attention.

Indeed, she was very different from the young girl who occupied a place in Miguel’s imagination. The familiar youthful look had disappeared, and her delicate lines sculpted a mature beauty on her face. Now a complete woman, Lisael only revealed the young girl from his memories in the smiles she occasionally showed.

Miguel engraved her appearance in his eyes and memory, without even having time to think her attention solely on Benjamin was cruel. Even if he obsessively stared at her like this, she would eventually blur like sand under the waves as time passed.

The extremely infrequent meetings were the reason. It was a cycle of forgetting her until he saw her again, and that was why Lisael in Miguel’s memory was always a young girl. This was also why Miguel developed a habit of his gaze obsessively lingering on her.

His persistent gaze of admiration reached from her slender neck to her shoulders, dropping straight down. And as he was casually lowering his eyes, Miguel hurriedly turned his gaze to the side.

The gaze that naturally went below her shoulders suddenly began to trace an unfamiliar form that drew a gentle curve near her chest, startling him. Startled, Miguel turned his eyes to the side, his cheeks flushing to the color of peaches. At this moment, he was no different from the young ladies who would blush like radishes when they saw him.

Lisael was wearing a neat green dress that covered down to her collarbone. Even when he saw countless dresses with deep necklines at balls, Miguel felt no such emotion, and he was suddenly disgusted by his selective purity.

“Lisael, I need to speak with the village chief for a moment, so I’ll have to leave.”

Benjamin, who had been happily catching up with the one he missed so much, suddenly stood up. Both Miguel and Lisael’s pupils visibly shook at the sudden announcement by the one who had served as a buffer in the uncomfortable situation.

However, neither could find a suitable reason to hold him back. After all, they couldn’t utter the laughable and disgraceful plea that they had become arch-enemies while he was away in the south, and to please not leave them alone in one space.

In the end, Benjamin left heartlessly, and the atmosphere in the drawing room, now only with Miguel and Lisael, quickly turned heavy and fierce. Miguel, leaning back in his chair with his legs crossed, glanced at Lisael.

She sat upright, staring into empty space. Surely she didn’t think counting the patterns on the wall was better than looking at Miguel’s face. That would be an insulting act, akin to denigrating Miguel’s peerless appearance.

Lisael’s face was as serene as a calm lake, devoid of any expression. Yet, if it was a talent, it was her ability to show a displeased air on that expressionless face.

“You’ve heard about…the marriage proposal, haven’t you?”