27. Who Was Your First Kiss?

Evelyn’s voice was steady, as if she were delivering the morning paper or reporting the day’s schedule.

“May I ask why?”

Rashid also asked in a tone free of emotion.

His eyes, beautiful like blue gemstones, were fixed solely on Evelyn.

Under Rashid’s unwavering gaze, Evelyn felt her heart sink heavily.

She didn’t want to talk about what she’d heard from her younger sister, but Rashid’s eyes didn’t allow her to avoid it.

“I met Jemina at a café, and she said something strange.”

“Something strange?”

「Sister, is it true that you’re really Lord Rashid’s mistress?」

At that moment, Evelyn experienced her mind going completely blank from the suspicion that spilled out of her young sister’s mouth.

「Jemina! That’s absurd! Where did you hear such a baseless rumor?」

Evelyn’s urgent voice trembled as she responded.

“I found out the rumor has already spread widely within the academy.”

Evelyn reported with a gloomy expression.

It seemed the scandal involving her and Rashid had made its rounds and even reached her sister’s ears.

And not just any rumor—one that crudely claimed she was Rashid’s mistress.

“Some of her classmates came to ask Jemina if it was true. And the fact that Jemina is being sponsored by you is already well known.”

On top of that, most of the classmates who had come to confront Jemina were Rashid’s devoted followers.

Imagining the humiliation her proud and emotionally sensitive younger sister must have endured made Evelyn’s head spin.

“I guess… I took it too lightly. There’ve been all sorts of rumors before, so I thought this one would blow over too…”

Evelyn trailed off.

“Haa.”

Watching her, Rashid let out a light sigh, then straightened his reclining posture.

He folded his long legs neatly and looked directly at Evelyn.

“You want to quit being my secretary for something like that?”

“You may think it’s just a small matter, Your Grace, but to me, it’s something very serious.”

Thankfully, Jemina had been able to clear up the misunderstanding after several hours of explaining.

But what about their father? What about Alto?

Alto was far too young to grasp the situation, and their timid, melancholy father would never be able to endure the scandal surrounding his eldest daughter.

「Evelyn, I’m sorry. It’s all your useless father’s fault.」

Then he might even throw himself into the reservoir at the edge of the village.

Recalling her sister and father, Evelyn’s face turned pale.

‘I have to protect my family. No matter what!’

“So, I’m sorry, but I will be resigning from my position as secretary.”

Evelyn bowed politely toward her employer.

And then silence fell.

Why isn’t he saying anything?

Still bowing, Evelyn sensed Rashid’s presence and began to feel uneasy.

Given the circumstances, she had naturally assumed he would accept her resignation.

Though he called her a capable secretary, truthfully…

There were plenty of talented people in the capital.

And with the salary she was being paid, he could easily hire three equally competent secretaries.

“Your Grace… your answer…”

“I do not accept your resignation.”

Rashid’s cold reply left Evelyn momentarily stunned.

He would not permit her resignation.

‘Are you the king or something?’

“Why not, Lord Rashid?”

“I should be the one asking questions, Lady Evelyn. You’re leaving me over something so trivial?”

Caught off guard by the unexpected retort, Evelyn hesitated.

Rashid’s eyes, which had been lazy just moments ago, now flared with sharpness.

The intensity of his emotions was palpable, making Evelyn flustered.

“As I said, I have a duty to protect my siblings. I don’t want my family to be hurt because of my scandal.”

Rashid fell silent at Evelyn’s rebuttal.

Then he roughly ran a hand through his hair.

“I apologize for saying it was a trivial reason.”

“…”

“And I also apologize for failing to prevent the scandal from escalating this far.”

Evelyn hesitated at the uncharacteristic apology.

But before she could say anything, Rashid spoke again.

“But your relationship with me hasn’t exactly been brief. Didn’t that time mean anything to you?”

“It’s not that it didn’t, but…”

Evelyn let her words trail off.

She knew what she should say right now, but the words wouldn’t come easily.

Eventually, though, she opened her mouth again.

“You have so much, Rashid. I figured it wouldn’t matter if someone like me disappeared from your life.”

As soon as the words left her lips, Rashid’s expression hardened.

His finely chiseled features, like a carefully crafted statue, grew cold.

“…”

Rashid’s gaze toward Evelyn held both disappointment and anger.

It was hard to admit, but at this moment, Rashid looked quite hurt.

‘There it is again—that face.’

The clear expression of disappointment on his handsome face threw Evelyn into confusion.

‘You weren’t that kind of person.’

The Rashid she remembered from the original story was arrogant and cold. He would never beg someone, or show such disappointment after being rejected. The gap between the Rashid from the original story and the current Rashid often left Evelyn unsettled.

『Your face alone is enough to disgust me.』

That man, who once uttered such cruel words in the original work, why was he acting like this now? Evelyn couldn’t help but wonder.

But before her heart could waver any further, she spoke again.

“Anyway, I’ve made my intentions clear, so I’ll be heading home for today. I’ll speak to you again tomorrow morning about the handover.”

“…Alright.”

When the cold response returned, Evelyn gave a polite nod.

“Then, I’ll excuse myself now.”

After finishing her farewell, Evelyn quickly backed away. But perhaps because she was too nervous—

Her worn leather shoes caught on the thick carpet, and she lost her balance.

“Ah!”

As she let out a short cry and stumbled, Rashid reached out and grabbed her. Feeling the firm, strong arm gripping her shoulder, Evelyn instinctively shut her eyes.

“……”

When she opened them again, a blue light as beautiful as the sea appeared before her eyes. That sculpted, handsome face had come incredibly close.

‘Too close!’

As if the scandal hadn’t already broken out over a ridiculous mishap. Evelyn quickly pulled away from Rashid. Watching her, Rashid’s brows furrowed.

“Are you afraid I might kiss you or something?”

His question clearly carried irritation. He looked annoyed at how she recoiled despite the fact that he had only caught her from falling.

‘You really have no clue about people’s feelings.’

Muttering inwardly, Evelyn replied impulsively.

“Well, I wouldn’t mind.”

At her words, Rashid slowly lifted his head.

“It wouldn’t be the first time anyway.”

“What? Wait, Evelyn. Who? Who was the person you kissed?”

Rashid’s voice wavered as if he was genuinely flustered.

“Did you really think I’d go twenty-five years without ever being kissed?”

With that bold declaration, Rashid’s entire body jolted. His gaze followed her relentlessly, as if demanding she reveal the identity of that person, but Evelyn simply stepped back, feigning ignorance.

“W-Well then, I’ll really be going now.”

“Wait, Evelyn!”

 Rashid called out to her urgently, but Evelyn didn’t look back and swiftly exited the office.

“Ugh, seriously, such a handful…”

If anyone saw them clinging to each other like that, another scandal was bound to erupt.

“And it’d be a headache for him too.”

Evelyn grumbled as she walked down the corridor.

‘Do you even know what a dragon slayer is? You might not know, but I—I’m someone who could stab your heart without hesitation. So don’t push your luck.’

Muttering to herself, Evelyn suddenly stopped and looked around.

The grand estate of House Egenhart came into view.

“I really should leave.”

They had first met as playmates around the age of ten, and now she was twenty-five.That was enough of a connection with Rashid. And the appearance of Violet, the heroine of the original story, was drawing near.

Maybe in a few weeks, or by next month at the latest, Violet would show up before Rashid.

Originally, Evelyn had planned to watch the two fall in love and then quietly step away—but the situation had changed.

“Well, I can still watch them even after quitting the secretary job.”

No doubt, they’d fall for each other at first sight. So this was the perfect time for supporting character Evelyn Berge to make her exit.

“Ahh, if I’d known it would come to this, I would’ve saved some of my stock dividends. I reinvested everything, so things might be tight for a while.”

The thought of what awaited her after resigning caused Evelyn’s brow to furrow, but there was no helping it. It was time to part ways with Rashid and the Egenhart ducal household. Evelyn had made up her mind…

***

“I’ve requested Bris Company’s staffing office to supply a new secretary. Once we receive the list of candidates next week, I’ll organize it and set up interview schedules.” 

Evelyn reported to her employer in as businesslike a tone as possible.

However—

“I don’t care about that. Just answer me, Lady Evelyn.” 

Perched casually on the edge of the mahogany desk, Rashid Egenhart looked at Evelyn with a disturbingly intense gaze.

“Who was your first kiss?”