He had never been curious about anyone before, but somehow he felt he absolutely had to know who she was.
Yes, I have to go back to the ballroom anyway. I’ll give her one more chance on the way.
Having found a simple excuse, Kais turned around and retraced the path he had just walked down.
“Larie, I’ve been looking everywhere for you. Why are you out here?”
But someone had reached the woman before Kais. When he suddenly heard a man’s voice, Kais stopped and peered through the tall cypress trees.
A man with the same golden hair as hers was sitting at her feet.
Kais recognized him immediately. Baron Ronais Polar. Not long after the ball began, he had greeted Kais, saying he had come to the capital to inform the imperial palace of the late Baron Polar’s illness and his succession as the legitimate heir to the Polar barony.
With the same colored hair and similar features, the woman was undoubtedly Baron Polar’s younger sister. Though this was the first time he had seen the Polar siblings, Kais had met the late Baron Polar several times. Considering that the late baron had been a scholar with exceptional knowledge, her love of books seemed to be a family trait.
“I came out here for a perfectly good reason.”
Then a bouncy voice tapped Kais’s ears. The woman’s chattering voice was refreshing and cool like the evening breeze, pleasant to hear. It matched well with her sparkling eyes and bright smile.
“What’s this perfectly good reason?”
When Baron Polar showed interest, Miss Polar closed the book she had been reading and began to chatter in earnest.
“Listen, brother. Earlier, while you were very busy going around greeting people.”
“That’s right.”
“I went to the library alone. I was so curious about how magnificent the library would be in such a large mansion. But you know what, while I was choosing a book in the library, suddenly a man and woman rushed in, and before I knew it, they were pressed together and started…… well, they were…… oh, anyway, they were doing that, and I was so shocked that I ran all the way out here.”
Her voice trembled lightly at the end as she excitedly reported what she had seen, clearly disturbed by the unseemly sight.
Who uses a library as a library on the day of a ball?
She was such an odd woman.
“Why did you go to the library on a day like this? Didn’t you leave with the second son of Viscount Ronic earlier?”
“Who? Oh, that fat badger?”
Kais, who had been listening casually, couldn’t help but laugh at Miss Polar’s unrestrained expression.
Though the second son of Viscount Ronic didn’t have the best reputation for making advances on innocent-looking young women, still, to call him a fat badger…
He had thought she was incredibly oblivious, but she turned out to be a woman with quite a bold tongue.
“Well, brother, do you know what that badger said to me?”
“What on earth did he say to make our Lariella so angry?”
“He asked what I do all day since there must be no balls or banquets in the countryside like Polar territory. So I told him I’m very busy reading books, riding horses, and taking care of the village children. Then he asked what’s the point of a woman reading books. He said if I had spent that time improving my appearance, I wouldn’t still be unmarried.”
“And? Did you just listen quietly?”
“Of course not. I told him, ‘If you had spent your time reading books instead of going around judging ladies’ beauty, you might have at least learned how to converse properly.’ Then his face turned bright red, and he left.”
Baron Polar burst into loud laughter at her natural retort, going “Haha.”
Their conversational tone was quite natural and affectionate, suggesting the siblings had a very good relationship.
“So, brother, there’s no need to force yourself to come to places like this just to find me a match. The fact that I haven’t settled on a match yet isn’t because I’ve been busy taking care of Father’s illness, but because I haven’t met the right person yet. If it doesn’t work out, I can just keep living with you and Murina and the people of Polar, like now.”
“Then what kind of person do you think is right for you?”
Baron Polar’s voice was full of affection as he asked.
Kais unconsciously pressed his ear closer through the cypress trees that stood like a fence. He was curious about how this peculiar young lady would answer.
“Hmm, let’s see…… Someone who sends a large ash wood box with iron fittings, filled with gold coins, claiming love at first sight?”
Kais laughed again at her outrageous answer that exceeded expectations.
Even her brother, who clearly cherished her dearly, couldn’t agree with that answer.
“……Are you really not planning to get married?”
“Oh, why? Didn’t you say my beauty means I shouldn’t bring a dowry but should receive one when I marry?”
“Of course I still think that way, but Lariella, reality is……”
The siblings’ conversation continued for quite some time after that.
Kais, who had been quietly listening to their conversation, suddenly felt a strange and unnatural sensation.
He raised his right hand to touch his face. The facial muscles that were always firmly set had softened, and the corners of his mouth, usually drawn in a straight line, had turned upward. So he was smiling now.
Smiling, especially smiling this naturally, wasn’t an expression he could have. Not in his childhood, watching a father who caused trouble almost daily and a mother who grew physically and mentally weak because of such a father, and certainly not after being confined alone in the desolate office of Elmano Castle, pushed there by his insane father.
Yet here he was, smiling so comfortably because of a woman he barely knew. Kais found this fact extremely disconcerting.
His two feet, rooted to the spot, couldn’t move easily even after the Polar siblings finished their conversation and left the garden.
* * *
“Where is Polar territory?”
Worklan, who had been checking the territory inspection route with his nose buried in a widely spread map, looked up at Kais’s sudden question.
“Polar? Is there a minor lord with that surname among those belonging to Elmano territory?”
“Not a minor lord, I’m asking where Baron Polar’s territory is located.”
Worklan was dumbfounded, flabbergasted, and speechless at Kais’s irritated voice.
Come on, while looking at the Elmano territory map and checking the Elmano territory inspection route, he suddenly asks where some random nobleman’s territory is—who would understand that right away!
Though he wanted to give a sharp retort, Worklan suppressed his temper.
These days, Kais looked not just uncomfortable but ready to explode. He scowled so much that the servants couldn’t even properly make eye contact with him. Whatever the issue was, it was clear that if he touched the wrong nerve, he’d face some very unpleasant consequences.
Grumbling, Worklan brought the map of the Bayaroman Empire. After spreading out the map, which was attached to sturdy leather and rolled up, he began tracing the tiny letters embedded in the map one by one.
“Polar……. Polar……. Pol……. Pol…… Ah, here it is! Here at the eastern edge, beyond the Gilicot region. It’s so tiny I almost missed it. But why Polar territory all of a sudden? Is someone there? From your expression, it looks like you’re going to chop off someone’s head.”
Ignoring Worklan’s curiosity, Kais asked another question.
“How long would it take to get there from here?”
“Well. For this distance, about three days by carriage. If you ride a fast horse and travel through the night, maybe a day and a half. But why are you asking?”
Why, he asks.
There was no answer he could give. Even Kais didn’t know the answer. That’s why he was acting this way.
Two weeks had passed since he attended Count Viller’s ball.
He had already forgotten about the unremarkable ball, but only that rustic, oblivious, and strange woman remained in his memory, continuing to irritate his nerves.
Because of this woman who simply wouldn’t leave his mind, he had even done the foolish thing of showing his face at minor gatherings he had previously declined to attend last week. But he couldn’t find the Polar siblings anywhere. It seemed they had returned to their territory after Count Viller’s ball.
Since they’re originally a family that kept its distance from society, it would likely be difficult to see them in social circles in the future. In that case, he should just forget about it, but that simple and easy task wasn’t working well.
Day by day, everything felt stifling, like his head was filled with fog. In his completely hazy mind, only her brightly smiling face appeared clearly.
It was just a bit curious and strange, so he had glanced at her, and once this moment passed, it would be nothing—he knew this clearly in his head, but knowing didn’t help shake it off.
