Chapter 2.11

She had already received an absurdly large diamond necklace through a servant in Grand Town. To Lisael, it seemed like a diamond only a queen of a nation would wear, and she couldn’t understand why Miguel had given it to her. 

She hadn’t even managed to thank him for the necklace that found the wrong owner. She wasn’t genuinely grateful, nor did she feel that the necklace belonged to her.

And now, another jewel. What on earth was Miguel Dante thinking? 

Whether he knew how tumultuous Lisael’s heart had become, like a fierce wave crashing, Miguel opened the clasp of the jewelry box and turned it towards her to reveal its contents. 

It was another necklace.

‘…A sun-shaped pendant.’

However, this time, perhaps because he gave it to her personally or because it wasn’t as overwhelmingly large as a gift, it was much easier to look at than the diamond necklace neatly stored somewhere in her room.

“I already received a necklace before.”

“There was no mention of it, so I thought it went to the wrong receiver.”

Despite having been together on the way here, it seemed he was secretly disappointed by the lack of any acknowledgment. It was slightly evident in Miguel’s tone as he responded as if he’d been waiting for this.

“I don’t know what you were thinking when you gave it, but it was too much. The more precious the jewel, the more it should find its rightful owner.”

“You’re right. A jewel should find an owner who matches its caliber for its value to truly shine.”

After a brief pause, Miguel’s gaze settled on the white, exposed neck of Lisael.

“And I think I found the place where that diamond can shine the brightest. My discernment isn’t too bad, you know.”

He was sincere in his words. The fair skin that seemed to swallow the diamond, the straight shoulder line, and the sensual collarbone that jutted out in a straight line. Lisael was a perfect owner that any jewel would covet.

‘How can he say such things without batting an eye? And to me, no less.’

Lisael agreed that Miguel’s aesthetic sense, which looked down on her arrogantly, wasn’t bad. Unlike her, he must have seen countless precious and expensive treasures and valuables for a long time. 

But even if his words were sincere, he should have swallowed them instead of speaking them. They were not in a relationship to exchange pleasant words openly.

“…I have no reason to receive such an expensive necklace from you.”

“A reason has emerged within a month. The same reason we’re facing each other now.”

The strange gaze between the man and woman, with the jewelry box between them, lingered in the air for a long time. Lisael seemed to be quietly pondering the meaning of Miguel’s words.

Could his attitude change like this just because we became a couple? 

Miguel’s oddly embracing attitude towards Lisael was both natural and sudden, as if he’d been waiting for it.

‘Yes, as if he’d been waiting…’

“You’re part of the Dante family now. All the women in our family have more than ten of such diamonds.”

It seemed she was ready to return the necklace to Miguel if she couldn’t be convinced. While Lisael glared at him suspiciously, Miguel eventually attached a reason she couldn’t help but accept.

“Does this necklace need a reason too?”

“……”

Miguel pushed the jewelry box forward, but Lisael didn’t move.

“I think it would suit you well.”

Finally, with Miguel’s deep sigh, a simple reason emerged, and her indifferent gaze returned to the necklace. Inside the golden frame, an amber perfectly crafted into a circle was set beautifully.

The sun pendant on the gold chain was not the blazing midday sun but a comfortable sunset light that was easy on the eyes.

“Lisa, don’t you think we suit each other well?”

“Your eyes and my hair color too. When combined, they look just like the sunset.”

Suddenly, words she had long forgotten, or rather, never needed to recall, began to pass through Lisael’s mind one by one. It was so distant that she realized she had heard such words before.

The time she spent resenting him along with his family was much longer than their time as friends, making those memories unfamiliar and awkward. Lisael hoped Miguel hadn’t bought the necklace with those memories in mind.

“Alright, I’ll accept it.”

Lisael’s fingertips gently touched the lid of the open jewelry box.

‘I don’t want to get closer to you.’

You’re just a member of the Lord’s castle whom I should continue to resent and blame. 

Now, her resentment towards Miguel had reached a point where the emotion itself overshadowed the reason. Lisael feared that her old feelings for him and their relationship might change.

It was a fear she hadn’t considered until just before deciding to marry Miguel. She never dreamed that her thoughts and feelings towards him would waver.

But Miguel was treating her differently now. He didn’t harbor hostility towards her anymore. It was something he was showing clearly enough for anyone who wasn’t a fool to notice.

No, is there even a memory to compare his changed behavior with?

For the past seven years, she could confidently say their relationship was filled with hostility. But in those seven years, without a proper conversation, how was Miguel’s attitude towards her…

‘I don’t know.’

We surely hated each other, so why, in the memories I’m recalling now, do you not show as much hatred and contempt as I do?

Wanting to escape this situation quickly, Lisael’s hand moved to close the lid and hide the necklace, but Miguel’s hand stopped hers.

‘Miguel, weren’t you, of course, feeling the same as me?’

Lisael’s eyes revealed an unfiltered, anxious tremor.

“It seems to go well with the dress you’re wearing now.”

Whether he knew her anxiety or not, Miguel reopened the box lid and shifted his gaze back to her neck.

Coincidentally, Lisael was wearing a white off-shoulder dress, which, as he said, fully exposed her attractive neck and shoulder line. As if waiting for a beautiful necklace to fill that emptiness.

“May I put it on you?”

Miguel’s voice seemed to tremble slightly. His hand was already holding the necklace from the box.

‘Put the necklace on me?’

Lisael felt like running out of the room. But outside the door was still the Lord’s castle, their den, and nothing would change. Ted, watching them from the side, seemed fascinated and didn’t take his eyes off them, holding his breath.

Miguel’s offer was a question that didn’t wait for an answer. Lisael’s mouth hadn’t decided what to say yet, but Miguel, already holding the necklace, had moved behind her.

Even though she couldn’t see behind her, she could tell Miguel was very close. Soon, her long brown hair was carefully moved from her shoulder to the front. Lisael’s shoulder flinched slightly at the unfamiliar touch.

But Miguel, seemingly unbothered, fastened the necklace. Through his hands, a warm body heat was transmitted to Lisael’s nape.

It was a trivial contact, yet Lisael’s body stiffened as if turned to stone. Her heart began to pound. The vibration was so intense it felt like it was shaking her whole torso.

Whether he was unfamiliar with putting on necklaces, his hands lingered behind her neck for quite some time. The longer his touch lasted, the more chaotic Lisael’s mind became.

Discomfort. Displeasure? No. It was clearly her emotion, yet she couldn’t decipher what this pulse that was unsettling her was. How could she categorize this unfamiliar yet subtle fluttering?

While Lisael was struggling in her tangled emotions, a small sun dropped below her slender neck.

“……”

Miguel, who had returned to face her, gazed steadily between her collarbones. He replaced the words “It suits you well” with a soft curve of his lips.

“The necklace suits you very well.”

“…Thank you.”

When Ted followed up with a compliment, Lisael finally, awkwardly smiled, having been in a daze. The discomfort, which wasn’t unpleasant, hadn’t subsided yet. Even after the tour of the castle ended, Lisael found it uncomfortable to look directly at Miguel and didn’t meet his eyes once.