Chapter 6. Negotiation Table

“He never sent a letter before, and his first one is about some cream? What’s wrong with the Blanche family?”

In an instant, Serri’s stance changed from encouraging marriage to opposing it, all because of my lie.

I decided to continue the lie and agreed with her.

“Yeah, right! Such a thoughtless gift!”

“Yet he wants to have the engagement ceremony. What’s he thinking?”

“That’s Blanche for you!”

Sorry, Aster Blanche!

I silently mourned for turning Aster into a heartless fiancé with no gift sense who only cared about the engagement ceremony.

Because he was from Blanche, Serri interpreted his actions as hostile. As I fiddled with the muscle pain cream, she reached out.

“Give it to me. I’ll throw it away.”

“No, no. Even so, it’s a gift….”

I didn’t like the Blanche family, but I wanted to keep the cream as it was a sincere gift.

But Serri was adamant.

“How do you know it’s not muscle pain-inducing cream instead?”

“Surely not.”

“Indeed, you were right, Miss. There’s definitely no normal person in the Blanche family.”

Serri waved her hand as if asking me to give it to her quickly. Afraid she might really take it away, I hurriedly put the cream back in the box and hid it in my arms.

“No. If we throw it away and the Blanche family finds out, that would be more troublesome.”

“Well… now that you mention it, that’s true. Anyway! You can’t let your guard down with the Blanche people!”

Serri sighed heavily, as if she had no choice. But she didn’t stop there. Suddenly, she seemed to recall a past incident where she had a confrontation with a Blanche family servant, and she gritted her teeth.

“I should have broken that servant’s leg back then.”

As enemies, even the servants would pick fights whenever they met on the streets. And as such incidents became more frequent, the emperor forced the engagement between the two families.

The problem was that I didn’t have a fiancé at the time. And Catherine was too young to be engaged.

At first, the emperor tried to pair me with Paris, which I vehemently refused. I said I’d rather marry the young lord I’d never met than Paris, and the emperor agreed.

Just as the emperor was about to call Aster back from studying abroad, his participation in the war was decided. So, to placate the emperor’s anger, we carried out a nominal engagement.

It was a calculated move to annul the engagement once the emperor’s interest waned. I hadn’t expected it to last this long.

Recalling that time, I warned Serri sternly.

“If another bloody incident occurs, I won’t be able to call off the marriage. Unlike before, Aster Blanche is now in the capital.”

“That can’t happen. We can’t send our Miss to such a wretched family, no way!”

Serri, frustrated, mimicked punching the air before finishing her tasks and leaving. Only after she left could I write a reply to Aster Blanche.

Unintentionally, I had turned Aster into a complete scoundrel in Serri’s eyes. She had somewhat defended him since he was to be my husband, but now her attitude had turned to anger.

I dipped my quill in ink and began writing the letter. I started by thanking him for the cream but felt awkward and scratched it out to start anew.

[Alright.
Let’s meet tomorrow without delay.
I also want to settle that matter with you.
Since both the Francis Castle and Blanche Castle would be uncomfortable, let’s meet outside.
I’ll write the address below.]

* * *

The next day.

I headed to the meeting place fully prepared, like a soldier going into battle.

Last time, I was too shocked to have a proper conversation upon realizing he was Aster Blanche, but this time, I intended to make it clear. I had no intention of marrying him and would ask him to break off the engagement at an appropriate time.

The meeting place was a popular dessert café in the social circles.

It sold various teas and cookies suitable for the season, and with the debutante ball approaching, many people were there to rest after shopping.

‘Come to think of it, the debutante ball is not far off.’

In the Ahivith Empire, all noble ladies had their debutante ball the year they turned twenty. May, the month when the goddess’s blessing was most abundant, was the month of coming of age.

A banquet was held to recognize them as full-fledged members of society and adults, and it was customary to be escorted by one’s fiancé.

Honestly, I hadn’t expected Aster Blanche to return to the empire. He had gone straight back to studying abroad after the war, and there had been no interaction between us.

Nominally, on paper, my fiancé was Aster Blanche.

‘I planned to submit the breakup letter right after the debutante ball.’

The reason would be neglect of duty. I would claim that I couldn’t maintain an engagement with a fiancé who made me attend the debutante ball alone.

I had remained silent despite not holding an engagement ceremony to save this opportunity.

‘I didn’t expect this news to reach Aster Blanche’s ears.’

No, even if it did, I thought he would welcome it. If he had wanted to marry so badly, he would have come and held the engagement ceremony long ago.

I was deep in thought about how to break off the engagement.

Jingle―.

With a cheerful sound, everyone in the café turned towards the door. Then, I heard faint gasps and saw a young lady at the next table blush and turn around.

I was sitting with my back to the door, so I could see everyone’s reactions.

‘Who came in to cause such a stir?’

I was about to turn my head out of curiosity―

“I’m a bit late.”

An all-too-familiar voice spoke right in front of me. Raising my head in disbelief, I saw Aster Blanche smiling at me.

“Oh.”

It was clear that Aster Blanche was the one who drew everyone’s attention. Today, he was dressed in a neat uniform.

A deep navy jacket with silver decorations. His sturdy thighs, which couldn’t be hidden even by the pants, came into view. Having seen those thighs bare, I involuntarily swallowed.

On his chest were several badges and medals indicating his affiliation with the Red Knight Order. He had earned many medals for his achievements in the war.

Seeing him always in a new light made me tense. But as the noble ladies’ gazes grew more intense, an unintended cold tone slipped out first.

“You must have been to the imperial palace?”

Aster lightly kissed the back of my hand and sat down across from me.

“Yes. I had to enter the palace this morning for the vice commander appointment. I tried to come early, but did you wait long?”

Honestly, I hadn’t waited long. I came early because I prepared quickly.

But I didn’t want to admit that, so I responded curtly.

“As you can see.”

I lifted the cold teacup, and Aster looked troubled.

“I apologize.”

I tried to pick a fight, but seeing him look dejected took the wind out of my sails. It felt like I was the only one whining.

“Well, I’ll accept your apology.”

Feeling awkward, I fidgeted with the teacup. Just then, a staff member brought a new tea, and Aster asked.

“How is your body?”

“Anyone would think you’re my doctor. You always ask about my health first.”

“I’m very interested in you. Does it make you uncomfortable?”

“If I say it does, will you stop?”

“No. I’ll just try to show my interest in a way that doesn’t make you uncomfortable.”

Aster propped his chin on his hand and met my gaze, responding to everything I said. His way of dodging and weaving with words was impressive.

Yet, his considerate tone didn’t feel unpleasant, making me feel like I was being drawn in.

After a moment, he tilted his head slightly and smiled. His red eyes were fixated on me intently. Wherever his gaze landed, it felt like it was heating up.

‘Damn, he’s too handsome.’

Facing that face made me waver.

Then he reached out and touched my hair, murmuring softly.

“I thought of your hair all night. It’s like cotton candy.”

His low voice, like ripples on a calm lake, made me dizzy.

Whether he spoke formally or informally, I wished he’d stick to one. His sudden, unannounced comments hit my heart without warning.

“I slept very well without thinking about anything.”

“Really?”

Aster chuckled and withdrew his hand. Then he said something outrageous.

“Then when did you think about me?”

“……Why do you assume I thought about you?”

“Because you said my face was your type. You kept looking at my face that night.”

“…….”

“You looked like you really wanted it, so I assumed you thought about me.”

It’s not a face you can easily forget.

He mumbled the last part, but I heard it clearly. However, I had no chance to refute his confident attitude.

At that moment, my reckless words from that night flashed through my mind.

‘Have you ever heard the saying that just looking at a face can make you full?’

‘You’re beautiful. I want to bite you. Can I bite you?’

Die. Just die, Camilla Francis.

My face turned red with shame as I fanned myself repeatedly.