19. There’s no such thing as friendship between a man and a woman

He was the talk of the Empire—an unbelievably handsome man and a self-proclaimed fashionista acknowledged by all.

Standing next to someone like Rashid, it was only natural she’d appear lacking by comparison.

‘If he was going to worry about that, he shouldn’t have asked me to be his partner in the first place.’

Evelyn let out a quiet sigh. No matter how tight the schedule was, she still couldn’t understand why Rashid had insisted on asking her of all people to be his partner.

“Even if you tell me to start caring about fashion now…”

She took a deep breath and looked around the store. Among the many stores carrying the latest trendy items, the one Evelyn gravitated toward had a sign that read “New Arrivals” and was a cosmetics store.

“…What’s wrong with trying to look a little nice?”

Rashid recalled her earlier comment and pursed his lips. He didn’t particularly intend to interfere with Evelyn’s style or fashion choices, but this was a different matter. What was wrong with her showing him a prettier side of herself, whether through a pendant or a ring?

Over something so trivial, Rashid found himself unreasonably upset at his longtime childhood friend.

“Hm.”

Finishing his meeting with the department store executive, Rashid spotted Evelyn standing in front of the cosmetics store and halted his steps.

“……”

He hadn’t intended to spy, but he couldn’t take his eyes off Evelyn as she spoke with the store clerk.

“How much did you say for just one hand cream?”

Evelyn asked again in disbelief, unable to trust the amount the clerk had mentioned.

‘My fingertips have been cracking lately, so I thought I’d buy one…’

Still, this price was over the top.

“It’s a bit pricey for hand cream, but the scent is lovely, so it’s very popular,” the clerk explained kindly, applying some of the cream to the back of Evelyn’s hand.

“Please test it out.”

Just as the clerk had said, with only a small dab on the back of her hand, a graceful rose scent tickled her nose.

The hand cream, said to be made generously with rose extract from the Beron region, had a lovely fragrance and smooth texture—but the price was still a problem.

“The scent really is nice, but…”

“Did they put gold in it instead of rose extract or something?”

As she hesitated, a voice suddenly came from over her shoulder, startling her.

“Ah! You’re back from the office already?”

Despite her question, Rashid’s gaze remained fixed on the hand cream the clerk was holding.

“It might be expensive, but I’d say I’m paying you enough to afford something like hand cream.”

His expression seemed to say he couldn’t quite understand what she was agonizing over.

“Well, the cost is one thing…”

“?”

“Anna, the cleaning lady at the office, has a flower fragrance allergy. She reacts not only to real flowers but even to perfumes and cosmetic scents, so I try to avoid products like this.”

“……”

“It’s nothing grand, but I’m always indebted to Anna, and this is the least I can do.”

At her added explanation, Rashid fell silent and simply stared at her. Feeling slightly uncomfortable under his gaze, Evelyn gave a small shrug.

“Did you think I was so stingy that I’d even skimp on buying hand cream?”

“As if…”

As Rashid trailed off, Evelyn cheekily held out both hands.

“Of course, if my generous employer were to bestow it upon me, I’d gladly use it.”

After all, she could just use it at home before bed.

At her brazenly extended hands, Rashid scoffed.

“I’ll say it again, but I consider myself quite generous with your pay.”

“Well, I do think the occasional bonus would definitely boost my work motivation.”

Caught in their witty back-and-forth, the clerk gave a nervous smile.

***

“I work late like this every day—what harm would it do to buy me a little hand cream?”

“If you became a slightly kinder employee, I might consider it.”

“If I treated you any more kindly than this, I’d be more of a nanny than a secretary.”

As always, their banter continued as they returned to the Duke’s estate, where the butler, Robert, greeted them with a warm smile.

“Welcome home, both of you.”

Without a word, Rashid took off his jacket and handed it to the butler. Robert, receiving the jacket, approached Evelyn.

“By the way, Lady Evelyn, a gift has arrived for you.”

“A gift?”

“…From whom?”

Evelyn’s eyes lit up with delight as she asked, while Rashid, who had been loosening his tie, scowled deeply.

“His Highness, Crown Prince Cairen, sent it.”

“Really?”

Evelyn’s eyes grew wide with surprise. A waiting maid stepped forward and presented Evelyn with a silver tray bearing a gift box.

“Tea and cookies?”

Evelyn opened the box and whispered in awe.

Inside, there was also a card.

[To the esteemed Lady Evelyn,

Unfortunately, by the order of His Majesty the Emperor, I have been dispatched on an inspection tour of the border. It will be difficult for me to return to the capital anytime soon, so I am sending tea in my stead.

Next time, let’s truly have tea together.]

The message, written in elegant script, was even moving.

‘He must not have forgotten the promise to have tea together last time.’

Evelyn lifted the tea box wrapped in golden paper and brought it to her nose to smell.

“This is black tea grown in the Netari Mountains. The first harvest of the year.”

Having always purchased budget teas, Evelyn was thrilled by the luxury of this premium tea.

And the cookies, which seemed to have been made by the royal palace chef himself, looked absolutely delicious.

“Would you eat poison too if it were free?”

A cold voice brought her excitement to a halt.

When she turned her head, she saw Rashid standing with his arms crossed, a look of indifference on his face.

“There’s no way the imperial palace would send poisoned tea, right? And if it’s black tea from the Netari Mountains, even if it were poisoned, I’d still want to try it at least once.”

“What?”

Rashid let out a short, incredulous laugh.

“Why did the Crown Prince send you a gift?”

“He couldn’t keep his promise to have tea with me, so he sent this instead.”

“Then my next question. Since when were you two so close?”

Rashid’s eyes gleamed sharply.

Evelyn flinched as she was opening the cookie box under his piercing gaze.

“It’s not that we suddenly got close. We’ve had a long-standing relationship from the start.”

She had known Crown Prince Cairen since childhood.

Being the heir to the empire’s First Ducal House, Rashid had often participated in various palace events from a young age.

Naturally, Evelyn had accompanied him as a playmate on many occasions, which led her to become acquainted early on with Cairen, the heir to the throne.

“We’ve known each other for over ten years, so I think it’s fair to call us friends by now.”

“There’s no such thing as friendship between a man and a woman. That’s my principle.”

“It’s shocking that you still hold on to such an outdated way of thinking. Truly.”

Evelyn could say with confidence, bearing her own name, that she had never harbored any ulterior motives toward Cairen.

She knew there were all sorts of rumors about the twenty-six-year-old Crown Prince, who hadn’t even held an engagement ceremony yet, but none of it concerned her.

The Crown Prince was just a friend who shared her hobbies—nothing more.

‘Why is he being so touchy about this?’

Evelyn wondered, watching Rashid irritably yank off his tie.

Rashid particularly disliked Evelyn communicating with Cairen.

“Why do you hate the Crown Prince so much?”

“Do I have a reason to like him?”

The sharp rebuttal left Evelyn momentarily speechless.

‘Is it because they’re rivals in the social scene?’

Even now, Rashid was pressing his lips tightly together, unable to hide the hostile emotion in his expression.

From that, Evelyn got a clue.

‘Could he be upset because I’m getting along with his rival?’

“Lord Rashid, are you perhaps… jealous?”

She asked, half-jokingly, on a whim—and Rashid’s expression froze.

His beautifully sculpted face turned to stone so suddenly that even Evelyn was taken aback.

‘Aha! That’s it!’

Having uncovered the answer, Evelyn tried to soothe him.

“No matter what, Rashid and Adelio are more precious friends to me than the Crown Prince. The Crown Prince is nothing more than—”

Thud!

Before Evelyn could finish her sentence, Rashid raised his hand and slammed it hard against the silk-papered wall.

With a loud crash, the wall cracked open, leaving a gaping hole.

Startled for a moment by the incredible strength that seemed beyond human, Evelyn clicked her tongue in exasperation.

‘Why take it out on the poor wall!’

As expected of a descendant of dragons.

“Lady Evelyn Berge, let me warn you—do not meet Crown Prince Cairen again.”

“Do I have a logical reason to comply with that?”

Rashid twisted his perfectly shaped lips and spoke sharply.

“…There isn’t one.”

“Then I’ll have to decline your order. Who I meet in my personal time is part of my private life.”

At Evelyn’s words, Rashid narrowed his eyes threateningly, then turned and disappeared into the mansion.

***

Crunch, crunch.

Even now, Evelyn was grumbling as she munched on cheap peanut cookies.

“Seriously, what a personality…”

Her brows furrowed as she recalled the events from a few hours ago at the ducal estate.

“I don’t understand why he’s so wary of the Crown Prince.”

He was the First Duke of the Empire and the Crown Prince was the heir to the throne.

No matter the personal animosity between them, they were supposed to appear cordial in public—because that was politics.

‘And yet he acts all cold and distant every time he meets the Crown Prince…’

So far, they’d avoided trouble thanks to Cairen’s easygoing nature, but at this rate, conflict was inevitable.

“I really need to do something about that temper.”

The appearance of Violet was drawing near.

Evelyn was beginning to feel pressed for time.

Before Violet showed up, she needed to somehow reform Rashid and turn him into at least a first-place husband candidate.

Though she felt she’d made good progress through much trial and error, Duke Rashid Egenhart was no easy opponent.

“Why on earth did he take it out on the wall?!”

Evelyn let out a sigh.

Knock knock.

Just then, there was a knock at the door, and the maid Vanessa entered the room.

“Lady Evelyn, a letter has arrived for you.”

Vanessa handed Evelyn a white envelope.

“And by any chance, do you know where the Baron has gone? He left this morning and hasn’t returned yet.”

“Father still isn’t back?”

Evelyn instinctively looked out the window.

Outside, the sky had already fallen into darkness.

“I didn’t mention it earlier because I didn’t want to worry you, but… something seems to be going on with the Baron lately. Yesterday, some suspicious men even came by the house.”

Evelyn frowned at Vanessa’s report.

‘Come to think of it, he didn’t eat properly last time either.’

If there was a problem weighing on Baron Berge’s mind, it was usually money-related.

The barony, having fallen into decline over generations, now struggled even to maintain the dignity of its name.

A few years ago, they nearly lost their only remaining asset—the house—because of a scam.

‘Just what could it be this time…’

Evelyn sighed and opened the envelope—only for her expression to freeze at once.

[If you want to save Baron Berge, come alone to this place.]

The white paper contained only that single sentence.