10. Wednesdays in the Imperial Capital (1)
Wednesday. Rohaton Street.
Saena had to go out again.
Since she couldn’t find any reason to refuse Elizabeth’s previous request.
Also, she thought she should meet her once because of their somewhat confrontational state during the debutante ball and the subsequent closing ceremony.
“May I ask for the name of the person who made the reservation?”
The manager asked as she entered the most famous noble-exclusive teahouse on Rohaton Street. After giving Elizabeth’s name, she was guided inside.
The reserved seat was empty. It seemed Saena had arrived before Elizabeth. Thinking she would arrive soon, Saena waited without much concern.
“Saya?”
A moment later, hearing someone calling her name in a somewhat urgent voice, she looked up and was thoroughly startled. She almost spat out the tea she was drinking.
“Sorry, am I a bit late? Oh, I was going to do some light shopping before meeting you, but I ran into a pickpocket.”
“……”
“This gentleman helped me when I was flustered. He was so kind that I wanted to treat him to tea at least… would it be alright if he joined us for a while?”
“……”
As she said, Elizabeth wasn’t alone. She had brought a man with her. And… this situation felt very familiar.
‘…Why is this situation happening at this point?’
The same thing had happened in her previous life.
The only difference was that she was eighteen then and nineteen now.
“…Saya?”
“Haha. You don’t seem too pleased, but I’m fine. There will be other opportunities.”
The man laughed generously as if he were some kind of good person.
“No, we can’t have that. Please sit and have some tea with us. I’m just so grateful.”
Elizabeth made excuses to the man while making eyes at Saena, wearing a troubled expression.
“It really wasn’t anything special. I just happened to catch the pickpocket as he passed by me.”
“What are you saying? I saw how bravely you caught and taught that villain a lesson. You were really amazing.”
“Haha. You’re too kind. I’m just glad your belongings are safe, my lady.”
Right. It must be an exaggeration.
The man Saena knew would never have done something like catching a pickpocket.
And she had heard these ‘exact same words’ in her previous life. It was on the same day she was supposed to meet Elizabeth, Elizabeth was late like now, and she had brought this man saying he had helped her when she was pickpocketed.
That had been their first meeting in her previous life.
‘Wow, that’s really fortunate. Thank you for helping Beth.’
Not knowing any better, Saena nodded and expressed her gratitude along with the others.
But for the same situation to occur now, even though time had twisted by a year… Was this something that had to happen? Or…
As Saena continued to silently stare at the two, their expressions gradually began to crack.
“Ahem. Shall we introduce ourselves? I am George, heir to the Hollander family.”
Yes. George Hollander.
The worthless good-for-nothing who had been Saena’s husband in her previous life.
“I’m Elizabeth of the Valdez family.”
Elizabeth revealed her name with a bright smile and looked at Saena. It was a look telling her to hurry up and introduce herself too.
“You’re quite a helpful person.”
“Yes. I really would have been in big trouble if it weren’t for him.”
“I see.”
“Yes! So about that–”
“Then I’ll be going.”
“…What?”
Saena stood up from her seat. A deep look of disappointment flashed across Elizabeth’s face, but Saena paid it no mind and said,
“Thank the kind person properly, have a good talk, and then go. There’s no point in me being here.”
“Saya, no. That’s not–”
“I’m fine. We can meet again just the two of us another time. The kind person comes first, right?”
“……”
While Elizabeth stammered, not having expected Saena to react this way, she unhesitatingly cleared her spot.
She didn’t even look at George Hollander’s direction. Although it amounted to ignoring someone to their face, courtesy is only shown to those who deserve it. For her, who already knew his true nature well, even briefly facing him was a creepy experience.
She didn’t care if he felt ignored.
“Ah, but aren’t you two already acquainted?”
“Uh, um…?”
“I don’t understand why you’re acting like strangers. Are you having a secret date or something? You could just say so. Hmm, have a good time.”
To pull such a trick when she had already seen them come together as partners at the debutante ball — just how lightly did they think of Saena?
‘Before, I was so uninterested in others… Did they think I wouldn’t remember people I hadn’t even spoken to?’
Indeed, the previous Saena had trouble even remembering faces of people outside her interest. Knowing nothing beyond Arles-Promesa, she believed everything Elizabeth said.
But the current Saena is different.
Leaving behind the bewildered Elizabeth who didn’t know what to do, Saena left the teahouse without hesitation.
“Ah, wait a moment! My lady.”
George Hollander unnecessarily rushed out and blocked Saena’s path.
Startled by his hand reaching out to grab her wrist, she shook it off.
“Don’t touch me! How rude.”
The brief touch of his hand felt like it would make her rot.
As soon as her sharp cry ended, Rupert appeared.
Yes, she now had a knight escort with her wherever and whenever she went.
“Miss? What’s wrong? Did this man do something? Should I restrain him?”
Rupert, showing none of his usual casual demeanor, glared at George Hollander and asked in an ominous voice.
George Hollander flinched at his intimidating presence.
“Ahem, ahem. There seems to be some misunderstanding, but I’m not a suspicious person.”
George Hollander raised both hands beside his head, trying to demonstrate that he was harmless.
Drooping eyebrows, well-groomed self-proclaimed blonde hair, and a smile that never left his lips.
That deliberately crafted exterior that seemed harmless at first glance.
Quite naively, Saena in her previous life had thought this man was somewhat handsome, generous, and had some good qualities.
“And about the date…. I’m not in that kind of relationship with Lady Valdez. Haha.”
“Aren’t you two engaged? Weren’t you partners at the debutante ball?”
“……”
Then what exactly was their relationship? It was truly incomprehensible.
Regardless, she couldn’t understand why they were telling her this. She had no need or desire to know.
“You two make a good match. I’ll cheer for you.”
“……”
Perhaps reading her mood well, Rupert shielded her from George Hollander.
A man who became so docile just with the presence of someone bigger than him — she had been so afraid of such a person.
It was hard to believe her past now.
* * *
After the unpleasant meeting at the teahouse, there was no further contact from Elizabeth.
Whether this was fortunate or strange, she didn’t want to think about it particularly.
She was a bit curious though. If Saena didn’t marry George Hollander like in her previous life, would he end up with Elizabeth?
If so, what did she want to do about this? As someone who was once friends with her, shouldn’t she warn her about the obvious pit ahead?
But after recently feeling suspicious about Elizabeth’s strange behavior, even those thoughts disappeared.
‘They said they were in talks for engagement, so why did she try to introduce that kind of man to me?’
An obvious answer flashed through her mind, but she deliberately pushed it aside.
‘Surely, it couldn’t be that.’
In the midst of this, her nanny entered.
“Miss.”
Seeing the silver tray in her hands, it seemed she had brought an important letter. But as soon as she saw it, Yolly suddenly ran in and started spinning in circles in one spot.
“What’s wrong, Yolly?”
“It seems even this little one knows it’s good news. Hoho.”
The way it was thumping its tail and stamping its feet suggested quite the opposite — if anything, it seemed rather displeased.
There was only one envelope on the silver tray.
It gave the impression that it was being treated with utmost care.
‘Who could have sent something to warrant such treatment?’
Though the envelope was pure white without any color, it was made of expensive glossy paper with pearl finish. Simple but expensive high-quality material.
And the wax seal was black. A black wax seal…. This too was unusual. But looking at the pattern impressed in the wax, it became immediately clear why it had to be black.
Only one family used the side profile of a winged black lion baring its teeth as their symbol.
The House of Kramer.
Naturally, this was a letter from Duke Kramer.
Saena carefully broke the seal and took out the contents to read. She was quite curious since she couldn’t guess at all why Duke Kramer would send her a letter.
“……”
As unpredictable as it had been, the contents were truly unexpected.
