4. Are You Jealous, Lady Evelyn?

“Of course I am, Lord Rashid.”

“Don’t be too harsh. Back then, both you and I were young, weren’t we?”

At Rashid’s somewhat appeasing words, Evelyn barely held back the laughter threatening to escape. Why was His Grace the Duke—normally so arrogant and convinced there was no one greater than himself—acting like this today?

“If you’re apologizing for what happened back then, I’ll consider accepting it… after thinking about it a little more.”

“…I’ll count on your generosity.”

Instead of replying, Evelyn simply smiled and returned to her usual professional demeanor.

“You haven’t forgotten that there’s a ball this evening at the Marquis of Barseon’s residence, have you? I told the coachman to be ready at exactly seven o’clock, so please don’t be late.”

“A ball at the marquis’s house?”

From Rashid’s rather annoyed tone, Evelyn felt a strange sense of déjà vu.

“Surely you didn’t forget again, did you? Do you know how much blame I received for your three-hour tardiness at the last count’s ball?”

“……?”

“Thanks to that, I was branded an incompetent secretary who couldn’t even relay the correct time, by countless young ladies who had waited longingly for His Grace’s arrival.”

“That’s quite unfortunate.”

Rashid’s expression, which clearly conveyed that he didn’t find it unfortunate at all, made Evelyn furrow her brows.

“For your information, there’s a royal palace ball scheduled for early next month. I shouldn’t have to remind you that your attendance is absolutely necessary.”

Like the seasoned secretary she was, Evelyn attempted to get a clear confirmation in a businesslike tone.

But Rashid responded in a bored voice, as if tossing the words out.

“Do I really have to attend?”

“Is that even a question? Attending balls during the social season is a noble’s duty.”

“I’d go if I had a partner.”

What kind of ridiculous excuse is that?!

“What about Lady Cecilia, the count’s daughter?”

When Evelyn named the most recent noblewoman Rashid had been dating, he answered in a flat tone.

“We broke up.”

Again! Again! There it is again!

Evelyn barely managed to suppress the scream rising within her at her employer’s confession.

“As far as I know, Your Grace dated Lady Cecilia for barely three months.”

“Three months seems long enough to me.”

A languid voice slipped from the duke’s elegantly curved lips.

This scoundrel…!

They say handsome men always ride on their looks—and the duke was the perfect example.

Rashid Egenhart, the most famous duke in the empire.

Of all the words used to describe him, the first was always “beauty.” Hair as radiant as embroidered platinum, eyes as dazzling as precious gemstones.

A face sculpted like rare marble, a height a head taller than most adult men. Add to that the charisma radiating from his entire being, and the graceful manners he was born with. It was no wonder he was called the “living jewel” of the empire.

Even before his debut in society, the duke had been the eye of the storm. So many unmarried noblewomen harbored affection for him that they could easily fill a grand hall.

The only problem… was that insufferable personality.

「Get lost!」

That was what he had said to an underclassman who confessed their feelings during their academy days.

From that moment on, negative rumors about Rashid Egenhart began to spread one by one. High-handed, arrogant, a personality disaster… and more.

Yet, strangely, his popularity never waned.

In fact, noble ladies grew more fascinated with his every move, every word.

And for some reason, Rashid—who had shown zero interest in women until now—had recently started engaging in a string of reckless, flame-like romances with noblewomen.

‘No wonder he gets stabbed on the night before the wedding and dies screaming…’

That thought was running through Evelyn’s mind when—

“Lady Evelyn?”

Rashid’s voice snapped her out of her thoughts.

“Is it bothering you?”

“Excuse me?”

“I’m talking about me breaking up with Lady Cecilia.”

“Well… I’m Your Grace’s secretary, so…”

The moment she said that, she realized Rashid’s gaze toward her was far from innocent.

“That’s not what I meant. I’m asking if you’re jealous, Lady Evelyn.”

Sigh…

At Rashid’s completely unexpected remark, Evelyn let out a deep sigh. Was she jealous over the romantic affairs of Rashid Egenhart?

Not a chance.

There was absolutely no such possibility.

She was not the Evelyn Berge of the original novel, the one who harbored a one-sided love for Rashid.

“I’ll say this again, Your Grace. I harbor absolutely no personal feelings of that nature.”

She answered firmly, but Rashid only let out a soft chuckle. Rashid often asked questions like this, even though he already knew how Evelyn would respond.

As if he were testing her.

“In that case, Evelyn, I have a favor to ask.”

A strange smile appeared on his sculpture-like, beautiful face.

“Go ahead, Your Grace.”

“I’d like you to send some flowers and a card.”

“To whom?”

“Lady Melissa Pruden, daughter of Baron Pruden.”

“…!”

At the mention of a noble lady she had never heard of before, Evelyn perked up her ears.

“It’s already too late for tonight’s ball, so nothing can be done about that. But I’m planning to take her to the upcoming royal palace ball.”

“In other words, she’s your new date?”

Instead of answering, Rashid simply pulled up the corners of his lips into a smile.

***

“Harbor no personal feelings at all, huh…”

After Evelyn left the office, Rashid muttered to himself. The smile that had been on his face just moments ago had already vanished from his marble-carved features.

Instead, he quietly stared at the teacup on the table in front of him. The black tea Evelyn had freshly poured had slowly cooled over time.

“How dull.”

Rashid whispered to the teacup. With his expression wiped clean of emotion, his exceptional beauty made him seem almost inhuman. His vividly blue eyes looked distant, as though they were fixed on some world far beyond this one.

After silently staring at the teacup for some time, Rashid slowly reached out and lifted it. On one side of the smooth, curved teacup—

Rashid pressed his lips to the spot where Evelyn’s hand had touched not long ago, without hesitation.

As if longing for the warmth left behind on the porcelain, he stayed like that, unmoving for a while.

***

c*ck-a-doodle-doo! Cluck-cluck-cluck!

At the loud crowing from outside the window, Evelyn scrunched up her face.

“How is anyone supposed to concentrate with all that noise?”

The baron’s modest estate garden had long since been overrun by dozens of chickens.

Their household relied on selling eggs and hens to cover living expenses and pay the one and only maid’s wages.

Cluck, cluck-cluck, c*ck-a-doodle-doo!

“Ugh! So loud!”

As another round of raucous clucking echoed in, Evelyn stomped to the window and slammed it shut with a loud bang. Only then did the noise from the garden begin to quiet down.

“Sigh, what am I going to do about this…”

In front of Evelyn was a pile of bills that had to be paid by the end of the month. Even at a glance, the amounts listed were staggering.

Frowning, Evelyn reached for the cookie plate.

Crunch.

Whenever her head hurt, eating sweets like this was her only way of relieving stress.

「 Do you really have to call me ‘Your Grace’ so stiffly? I mean, considering our relationship」

As she glared at the stack of bills, Rashid’s words from the night before suddenly echoed in her ears.

Why would he say something like that? Their relationship, at best, was childhood playmates—and currently, that of employer and secretary.

“Right. Between us… that’s all there is.”

Maybe Rashid thought otherwise, but Evelyn had no reason to dwell on it.

“Then why do I keep getting tangled up with him?”

With all the bills spread out before her, Evelyn fell into deep thought.

“Obviously, it’s because I have changed.”

What Evelyn hadn’t expected, however, was that the original male lead—Rashid—seemed to have changed too.

「Why are you looking at me like that? We’re playmates, aren’t we 」

The Rashid of the original novel would have rather died than say something so gentle. Evelyn clearly remembered the cold, arrogant Rashid from the source material, so the changes she saw in him lately felt completely unfamiliar.

“If only I hadn’t gotten involved from the start…”

But it was already too late for regrets. Given the situation, all Evelyn could do now was pray to exit the original story safely.

If Rashid followed the original plot and ended up with Violet, Evelyn planned to immediately resign and leave the capital for good. She was already quietly searching for job opportunities in other regions.

“Staying far away from Rashid would definitely be safer.”

Even though her past with Rashid had changed, and the story had been altered as a result, one fact remained unchanged: 

Evelyn still possessed the special power to pierce the heart of the dragon—Rashid.

She lowered her gaze to her hands. There was a bit of ink smudged on her fingertips, but otherwise, they were pale and clean.

In the original story, Evelyn had used these hands to stab a blade into the heart of the dragon Rashid.

『The dark crimson blood flowing from the dragon’s heart stained both of Evelyn’s hands red.』

That passage from the novel remained vividly etched in her memory.

No matter what happened, Evelyn wanted to avoid that future.

“So don’t mess with me…”

‘Because I’ll do everything I can to change my fate…’

Evelyn muttered bitterly under her breath, aimed at Rashid—who was likely enjoying himself right now at the marquis’s party.