Chapter 2. The Second Meeting

“Who came?”

Her father was at the House of Nobles, and her mother was attending a ladies’ breakfast meeting. Her brother had gone to work, so she had just finished a late breakfast after sleeping in lazily alone in the mansion and was heading up to her room.

Karina slightly furrowed her brow. She heard it, but the meaning hadn’t properly registered in her head.

“Brigadier General Winchester has come to see you, Miss. Though there was no appointment, he said he had something urgent to discuss… How should I respond?”

The maid asked while watching Karina’s reaction. The maid was equally surprised.

‘Were Miss and Lord Dominic acquainted?’

No matter how much she tried to remember, there was no connection between the two. They were two people with personalities too different to be close. Even with Lucas being a strong common denominator, they only knew each other’s names and faces, and the reason they hadn’t built a separate friendship was precisely because of that.

“Should I tell him to leave?”

Though he was a Naval Brigadier General and the second son of the Winchester family, to the maid, her Miss was more important. While Dominic, who suddenly came without an appointment, wasn’t someone she’d see every day, Karina was someone she had to spend almost all day with in the same house. If she had to take sides, it would naturally be the latter.

However, an answer as awkward as Dominic’s visit reached the maid’s ears.

“No.”

“Pardon?”

Dominic Winchester had come to see her.

And voluntarily at that.

The fact that he chose a time when her brother wasn’t present clearly meant he had realized that most of the harsh words he had thrown at her that day were misunderstandings and mistakes stemming from his own misconceptions.

‘How kind of him.’

If it were her, she would have just pretended not to know and moved on.

Karina let out a hollow laugh at his behavior that clearly showed his diligent and moral character.

Trampling on such goodwill is what third-rate people do. Due to her striking appearance and personality, Karina had learned one of life’s truths just as she was coming of age.

More important than making friends is not making enemies. A beautiful farewell, a warm goodbye. Becoming someone you can greet happily whenever you meet again.

Ending relationships that way with all the men she had met so far was Karina’s long-standing habit and life philosophy. There was no reason for Dominic Winchester to be an exception.

“Show the guest to the reception room. I’ll be down soon.”

Karina said while tossing her flowing platinum blonde hair over her shoulder. Her demeanor was so dignified that the maid felt moved.

“As expected, Miss never gets nervous.”

“Me? Why would I?”

“Well, because it’s Lord Dominic.”

At the maid’s careful words, Serena replied as if it were absurd.

“He’s the one who should be nervous. After all, he’s facing Karina Crawford.”

At her tone suggesting this was obvious, the maid’s spirit deflated and she nodded.

“Yes. Of course.”

Guided by the maid, Dominic paced in front of the window in the Crawford Count’s reception room.

‘Did I make a mistake?’

Dominic’s handsome face was full of confusion. He too was bewildered by the situation he had finally brought about.

What was he thinking coming here?

A few days ago, after learning that Lucas would be deploying to nearby waters for the First Fleet operation, he had finally acted on the impulse that had been spinning in his head.

Visiting the Count’s mansion when no one — more precisely, when only Karina Crawford was present — was quite ungentlemanly behavior. And for Dominic, it was extremely uncomfortable, like wearing ill-fitting clothes.

Should he leave now?

If he opened the door and left right now, he could still salvage the situation.

‘What am I going to say when I meet her?’

Though he had come here to apologize, while he had a purpose, he hadn’t thought about how to approach the conversation.

That day. Karina’s obliquely smiling face remained stuck in his mind, refusing to fade. Though it seemed unlikely, what should he do if she received his apology with the same sneering smile as then? He couldn’t find an answer.

As Dominic was pacing for a while like that, there came a knock at the door, and the maid’s voice filtered through the gap.

“Miss Karina has arrived.”

Dominic, who had been looking out the window, hurriedly turned around. The door opened, and through it appeared Karina, wearing a neat white blouse with a black satin ribbon, entering his field of vision.

Karina, sitting on the sofa, glanced at the clock. Ten minutes had already passed since she arrived in the reception room.

‘What’s this about?’

She thought the meeting with Dominic would be concluded very quickly.

After all, what they had to exchange was very clear.

An apology and forgiveness.

They had no other business with each other.

He would sincerely apologize for that day’s mistake. That was the attitude that best matched Dominic’s proper character as Karina saw it.

Of course, she had thought, just a little, that in the worst case he might come at her self-righteously like that day when he had lost his reason and gone berserk.

However, since he came to see her himself, and now that they were meeting, he couldn’t properly say a single word. Watching Dominic fumbling and unable to speak, Karina let out a slight sigh.

‘This is troublesome.’

It was unlike any of the scenarios Karina had imagined. As if her words to the maid had come true, he clearly looked nervous.

If this was how it would be, why did he come looking for me in the first place?

While she was fine, the longer they spent in this enclosed space alone, the worse it would be for Dominic.

People point fingers at those who live properly and make one transgression, but if someone consistently acts crazy, they tend to understand whatever they do. While it might be everyday life for her, it could become a fatal scandal for Dominic.

‘I should probably send him away early.’

Besides, Karina herself felt a tiny bit of conscience-stricken about that day’s events.

Men with such serious personalities usually treat their first love like their life. If he hadn’t been Dominic Winchester, Karina wouldn’t have felt so concerned.

But of all people, wasn’t he the character who had single-mindedly loved only his childhood friend since youth?

If he had broken something or hit her instead, she wouldn’t have felt this troubled.

Because broken items could be compensated for, and wounds from being hit would heal someday.

But a first kiss…

Karina put her hand to her head.

First kiss. First lover. First s*x.

These are things that mortgage a corner of your mind for life just because they’re firsts.

Of all things to touch, she had messed with that, so even though it was done in anger, she couldn’t say anything in her defense.

An apology and forgiveness.

While what needed to be exchanged was clear, who should give and who should receive was somewhat ambiguous.

‘Right.’

Well, whatever. What’s important is properly tying up loose ends regarding that incident.

“Excuse me.”

Having finished her thoughts, Karina immediately opened her mouth. Wasting such a long time didn’t match her personality.

Dominic’s pupils shook severely as he started in surprise.

‘He’s really nervous.’

Born as the son of the Chief of Naval Operations and destined for a life as a soldier. How many times in his life had he been this nervous and fumbling?

“Didn’t you come because you had something to say?”

“Ah, well…”

“Since it’s hard to wait, I’ll go first. I’m sorry about that day.”

Karina cut off Dominic’s dragging words.

“I’ll consider your apology for that day’s mistake accepted, Brigadier General. I didn’t do anything right either. So let’s just pretend that day never happened and move on.”

Karina quickly averted her eyes from Dominic, who could only manage a small nod in response.

I must be crazy.

When she was a reader of the novel in her previous life, he was a character she had quite liked, so perhaps her arm was naturally bending inward even without intending to.