Chapter 20

“I sent one to His Majesty the King, so I couldn’t not send one to His Highness the Prince.”  

“So your party is for business purposes, right? To make new connections. Then why bother with me…?”  

“Half of it is.”  

Ashton’s voice was like a string instrument—soft, then deep. Sabina forgot for a moment that he’d arrogantly interrupted her. Before the silent question could reach him, Ashton plucked a rose from Mitchel’s arms and broke the stem with his nail. The stem, now the length of a finger, was tucked into Sabina’s hair.  

“The other half isn’t.”  

The blue Gracie Rose matched Sabina’s complexion perfectly. Even as summer approached, she looked cold. He thought blue would suit her better than red, and his prediction was spot on.  

Ashton slowly slid his hand under Sabina’s fingers. She stared at him with her hand resting on his. Ashton’s body lowered, and soon he was kneeling on one knee, looking up at her.  

“Miss D’Vialis. You keep doubting my motives, but wouldn’t it be better to follow your own feelings instead?”  

At his clear remark, Sabina curled her fingers. If not for her gloves, she would have scratched Ashton’s hand.  

“Do you really not want to come to the party? If you truly don’t, I won’t push.”  

The man who always seemed lighthearted now had quietly shining eyes. Sabina hesitated. Should she go along, or not… But to accept the advice to follow her instincts rather than her suspicions, Sabina knew men too well.  

“Tell me the other half of your purpose.”  

Ashton laughed heartily. Shaking his head, he gave in, though he could have held out longer.  

“If I make you happy that day, will you hire me?”  

“Hire you?”  

Wasn’t that already settled?  

While Sabina hesitated over ‘hiring’, Ashton had become the talk of noble society as her carnival partner. He owed some of his fame to the D’Vialis name, but Sabina had received help from Ashton at the carnival, so she considered them even.  

“You have no reason now. Neither of us believes you need a mere million riom a month.”  

Again, Sabina tried to read Ashton’s intentions. But the man was not so easy. Unlike Sabina’s clear eyes that revealed everything, Larima was an opaque gem that never showed its back.  

Sabina felt Ashton was always a puzzle at times like this.  

“Who knows.”  

Ashton laughed again. His laughter revealed many emotions—cheerfulness, bitterness, now awkwardness… But his eyes? Sabina looked at his lips, then consciously turned her gaze away.  

“You seem to think I move like an automaton built for business, but unfortunately, that’s not true.”  

“……”  

“Sometimes I act irrationally, and—ah. If I have a trait, it’s that I’m very bold and proud about those irrational actions.”  

With a grunt, the man stood up. His face looked peaceful, as if he’d dismissed what he’d just said as irrational. The nuance of his smile changed again. He gazed at Sabina with gentle affection.  

If the person standing there hadn’t been Sabina, who had banished the feeling of love, it would have been unbearably ticklish.  

“What would you do if I needed the title of your lover? For a personal reason?”  

Sabina was at a loss for words. Ashton continued.  

“So, not for business, but for a very personal… emotional reason? Out of a petty desire to keep other men away?”  

“You mean you like me.”  

“When I’m trying to set the mood, could you not cut in and let me finish?”  

“Ashton.”  

“Sabina.”  

They were just standing quietly, but Ashton seemed out of breath.  

“I promise. I’m not doing this to hurt you.”  

Sabina had no reason to believe him. Reyes Brinita had said the same, and in the end, Sabina died by his hand.  

Ashton gently closed his eyes. Golden eyelashes settled over his tanned skin. Sabina felt a strange sense of déjà vu at his face. She didn’t know where she’d seen him before. But where?  

“Please accept my invitation.”  

That unfamiliar face somehow sealed Sabina’s refusal.  

Silence weighed down the drawing room.  

‘Strangely, I feel myself giving in.’  

Come to think of it, it was the same the day they first met. She’d felt sorry for overreacting and took him as her carnival partner…  

Sabina had seen many men. They were all much the same. Ashton would be no different.  

But with this man, she felt a little more lenient for some reason. She was wary of that feeling, but somehow, she relaxed a bit. Maybe it was because Ashton asked for only small things—at least for now.  

In the end, Sabina sighed and relented a little.  

“Alright. I’ll go. But keep your promise.”  

“Ha ha.”  

Ashton laughed like a boy. The serious look from earlier was gone. Sabina remembered he’d even worn sunglasses to his job interview and sighed again. He looked older than her, but at times like this, he seemed immature.  

“Since it’s settled, how about we go pick out clothes together?”  

Ashton pulled out a chair, turned it backward, and sat with his chin on the backrest.  

“I only agreed to the invitation, not to be your partner.”  

“Ah, do you dislike me? Then who will you partner with?”  

“……”  

“Reyes Brinita?”  

“Don’t even joke about that.”  

Sabina instantly turned serious. She was always expressionless, so it wasn’t a big change. Ashton wasn’t affected at all.  

“Since it’s come to this, why not hire me, too?”  

“Why are you so obsessed with getting hired?”  

“Well, if I get hired, I can earn money.”  

Sabina didn’t bother to reply to such nonsense anymore.  

“We can sign a contract, too.”  

“Why a contract?”  

“It specifies the employment period. Oh, doesn’t Brinita do that? In Retona, everyone does.”  

“Brinita does, too.”  

“You said you needed eight months.”  

Ashton tilted his head, resting his cheek on the chair back and smiled. A dimple appeared.  

“I’d like to sign a contract for eight months.”  

Sabina silently fiddled with her cane’s handle. She only needed to say ‘Fine,’ but couldn’t bring herself to do it.  

A fine man, born to be Reyes’s nemesis. And if he filled the term so she wouldn’t need another man, honestly, the conditions couldn’t be better. Even if they never met again after today, even if it was just a lover in name…  

If Ashton seemed greedy or foolish, Sabina would have accepted without hesitation. She was truly grateful for his help, but such a clever man spouting nonsense and boldly coming at her was confusing. The precedent of Reyes Brinita cast a heavy shadow over her.  

“You keep hesitating, Miss D’Vialis.”  

Ashton’s voice held a hint of laughter. Sabina decided, once more, to postpone her decision.  

“…Let’s talk about the contract later. Neither of us is in a hurry. But…”  

Sabina traced the lace on her gloves for no reason and sighed for the third time.  

“I’ll go pick out clothes with you. We can go out together. Partner… Fine, I’ll do it.”  

Neither of them noticed, but Mitchel Valium was still standing in the drawing room like Sabina’s shadow. At Sabina’s declaration of defeat, Mitchel quietly bowed her head and smiled almost invisibly.

He was a handsome and skillful man. For Mitchel, who wished Sabina would finally shake off her reputation for fleeting romances and settle down with one person, he seemed like a not-bad choice.

The moment Mitchel lifted her head, Ashton flashed a wide smile. His persistence was a bit embarrassing, but he showed no signs of regret. For a moment, Mitchel thought she’d seen that smile somewhere before. Where was it? When Ashton’s laughter faded and only a smile remained on his face, that question vanished as if washed away.

Ashton sprang up from his chair, nearly knocking it over with a loud thud. He quickly caught it and cleared his throat.

“I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“You’re leaving now?”

“I’m a bit too excited, so I don’t think I could be a proper escort right now.”

“What are you talking about?”

“Well then, I’ll be going.”

Ashton walked out briskly. Even then, he didn’t forget to kiss Sabina’s hand or exchange a glance with Mitchel. Mitchel thought Ashton was quite a character.

On the other hand, Sabina, who had plenty of experience dating men but only ever reinforced negative prejudices and formed hollow relationships, looked a bit dazed.

“What’s with him?”

“He’s just a man in high spirits.”

Mitchel answered solemnly and cleared her throat.

“I can’t follow his emotions. Why is he suddenly so excited? He’s only been hired as a partner, not for full employment.”

“It’s understandable. It’s hard to understand people. I often can’t follow your emotions either, Miss Sabina.”

Sabina pressed the tip of her cane against the top of Mitchel’s maid boots. True to her role as head maid, Mitchel didn’t show any sign of pain.