If she backed down now, it would be goodbye to the necklace forever. Both of them knew without needing to say it—if he ran away at this point, all negotiations would be over.

Kyla deliberately sat down right next to Haiden, even closer than before, and stared at his face. Even from the side, he looked like a sculpture—absolutely beautiful. His broad forehead, thick lashes, sharply raised nose, and those rose-colored lips with perfectly shaped peaks…

Blushing, Kyla set her wine glass down and leaned her chin on one hand.

“So, wouldn’t it have been nice if we’d had a dinner like this much earlier?”

But he still wouldn’t look at her.

Feeling a bit offended, she slowly reached out her heated hand—warmed by alcohol—and gently touched the duke’s face.

“Wh-why are you acting like this? Don’t you have any sense of propriety—?”

Kyla pressed her finger against Haiden’s lips mid-sentence, cutting him off. Startled, he widened his eyes and looked down at her. Their eyes met, and Haiden held his breath. His gaze lingered on Kyla’s slightly unfocused eyes and her peachy-red flushed cheeks.

Her red lips moved.

“For someone pretending not to know me…”

That line came out sharper, more sincere than anything else—like it was the real reason for all her tormenting behavior.

The man, who had stopped breathing for a moment, spoke again with a composed voice.

“If you’re talking about what I said back then, I believe I already gave you an answer. I’m not the person you think I am.”

“Hmph. I see…”

Perhaps due to the alcohol, she accepted it more easily than expected and nodded.

“You finally believe me now?”

Kyla nodded again, somewhat absentmindedly. This was the first time the two of them had ever agreed on anything.

Haiden, impressed that they could even hold a normal conversation, smiled slightly and tried to finish reasoning with her.

“Well, I’m glad you understand. So, I hope you’ll stop following me around and causing trouble—”

But what came next was an even bigger bombshell:

“Will you marry me?”

His pupils dilated in shock.

“How… can someone be this out of line? Maybe I should just go home.”

His expression hardened, and he tried to rise from his seat— But Kyla suddenly grabbed the collar of his coat.

“Where do you think you’re going? I said, “Let’s get married!”

“What is wrong with you?!”

“Seal it with a vow kiss!”

“A vow—what?!”

Like a warrior charging into battle, Kyla stood up proudly and slammed her hand down on the table. With a loud bang, the wine glass tipped and spilled its contents.

“Bailey!”

Gone was the flustered man from moments ago—Haiden immediately rushed over and pulled her away from the table where the wine was pouring off the edge.

He grabbed her arm.

“You almost got hurt. Your dress is ruined, too.”

They had poured so much wine that it not only soaked the table but began to drip over the edges like a waterfall.

“Gasp.”

Suddenly, Haiden staggered, drenched in cold sweat, like the breath had been knocked out of him. Kyla, wide-eyed, looked at him in confusion—then realized something was seriously wrong.

“Haiden?”

She gripped his arm and shouted in panic,

“Haiden! Get a hold of yourself!”

It was like all the alcohol had instantly left her system.

“Someone! Please help us!” 

Kyla cried out desperately.

“I…”

“Wh-what do I do?!”

Moving sluggishly, like he was dying, Haiden’s eyes fell toward the spilled wine on the table.

‘Is it because of that?’

Kyla grabbed the shawl she had draped over her shoulders and used it to cover the table. Only then did Haiden seem to breathe again, finally exhaling deeply.

“Are you both all right!?”

The staff, who had been waiting outside, came rushing in and checked on them.

“We’re fine.”

Haiden, now completely composed as if nothing had happened, replied calmly— but…

‘You’re not okay.’

“And you, my lady?”

As all eyes turned toward them, Kyla smiled brightly and said,

“Oh, I’m fine too. This gentleman must have been startled while trying to catch me when I almost fell. I caused quite a scene. Sorry about that.”

The store clerks hurriedly moved to smooth over the situation. The two of them stood side by side, exchanging glances.

***

“Thanks for earlier,” he said in the carriage on the way back.

“For what?”

“For covering up my blunder in front of everyone.”

So he thinks of it as a blunder.

“Well… I did start it, so let’s call it even.”

Kyla, still flushed, cooled her cheeks with her hand and looked out the window. Night had fully fallen outside. Birdsong echoed occasionally from the forest, and the only light came from the carriage lantern and the moon hanging in the sky.

A subtle forest scent rode in on the breeze. The smell of wine had faded, and Haiden’s gaze had become noticeably clearer.

“So, what is it you really want from me?”

Was it the mood of the moment? The rhythmic clopping of horseshoes and the rolling wheels of the carriage sounded especially loud. Kyla blinked slowly and gave a faint smile, her voice landing somewhere between jest and sincerity.

“To marry you.”

“But you already have a fiancé.”

“Did that really seem like a proper engagement to you? Is that why you kept drawing the line with me?”

Well, he was a duke after all. Getting involved in a scandal with a prince’s fiancée would surely be troublesome.

Maybe that’s why he kept pushing her away. Maybe he was just trying to protect the polished reputation of the most eligible bachelor in Blanverque.

‘It was all calculated.’

She was the only one who had been too emotionally bound by the past to think clearly. What had she even been hoping for?

But unlike her emotional thoughts, his response was surprisingly rational.

“Do I look like the kind of man who would flirt with someone else’s fiancée?”

Kyla stared at him in silence, slowly retracing their past. Now that she thought about it, he had never once been rude or improper. He was always reasonable and rational.

Even now.

“I heard you two were friends when you were young. You played together often.”

“When we were young?”

“Maybe around ten or eleven.”

“Did Gellensid tell you that?”

Haiden nodded.

“I figured there must be something between you two that I don’t know. After all, you’re engaged. It’s not my place to get in the way. And more importantly—”

Suddenly, the carriage jolted over a bump.

“Ah!”

Caught off guard by the story, Kyla was thrown slightly forward, and Haiden instinctively caught her in his arms.

“…!”

Startled, Kyla quickly sat back in her seat. Her mind went blank, unable to recall what they’d been talking about.

All she could remember was the warmth of his hand on her arm and the way he had gently stroked her back.

Oddly enough, the place he touched tingled, like a faint current was still running through her skin.

While Kyla sat with her face flushed red, staring at the floor, a soft, amused voice broke the silence.

“Should I be honest with you?”

She lifted her head and met his gaze. His green eyes looked slightly sad, twinkling gently like fading stars. Looking into those eyes, it almost felt like a dream.

“I’m someone who’s not allowed to love.”

What does that mean? Kyla tilted her head slightly and replied calmly,

“I asked you to marry me, not to love me. A man and a woman don’t have to be in love just because they’re getting married, right?”

“Really? Is that what you believe?”

She nodded firmly. A strong affirmation.

But Haiden looked at her with an expression that said he didn’t quite believe her, and smiled again with that wistful look.

“But what should I do? I don’t think I can help but love my wife.” 

What, what is it?

For a moment, Kyla felt like her heart had dropped straight to the floor. She didn’t know why, but her heart suddenly ached—like she’d just been hit with an electric shock. Still, she couldn’t just sit there dazed, so she forced out another light, silly remark.

“Then just love me, simple as that.”

“You say that like it’s easy. Do you even know what love is?”

“And do you, Your Grace?”

Now that there was no wine, his gaze no longer wavered or flickered. Instead, it was deep as darkness—quiet, still, and calmly green as he looked at her.

“Kyla Bailey.”

His voice rang low and steady.

“You don’t have to marry someone else just to break off your engagement.”

He spoke gently, as if trying to reason with her.

“So if what you really want is just to call off the engagement… fine. I’ll help you another way.”

“Really?”

“But in return, you have to keep my secret.”

She nodded quickly.

“And while we’re at it, I’d like to see the necklace too.”

“That depends on how you behave going forward.”

“You’re awfully exact about things like this.”

“Of course I am.”

Kyla smiled as she held out her hand.

The carriage gave another sharp jolt, nearly throwing her again, but this time, she held firmly to the seat and stayed in place.

Both of them still remembered the warmth of the other’s touch from earlier. But now, as if nothing had ever happened, they looked at each other and smiled calmly.

“Well then, I’m counting on you, Your Grace.”

“The pleasure’s mine.”

When he gently took her small hand, Kyla’s red lips curled into a soft smile.

Soon, the carriage pulled up to the front of the count’s estate, where servants were already waiting with torches.

They gasped audibly when they saw their young lady returning late at night—with none other than the Duke of the royalist faction.

“My lady! You’re with…!”

They looked so shocked to see the duke beside her, as if they’d just seen a ghost.

“Don’t make such a fuss.”

Kyla, her face now free of any blush and back to its usual cool composure, walked confidently through the staff toward the house.

The duke stood with his hands in his pockets, eyes briefly on the ground. Then suddenly, as if struck by a thought, he lifted his head and called out—

“Kyla Bailey.”