Chapter 1.1 – The Young Lady Only Wanted to Date

“Finally… the ban on going out has been lifted?”

She looked at her personal maid, Ella, and cheerfully chattered. Unable to hide her excitement, she clasped her hands together as if in prayer. She spun around, stopped, and looked at Ella again. Feeling as if she could fly, she unconsciously stomped her feet.

The word ‘freedom’ popped out of her mouth, but oddly felt unfamiliar. Was it because she hadn’t used it often? She couldn’t stop herself from laughing out loud at her own silly smile.

Ella watched her laugh and spoke with a calm smile.

“Yes, My Lady. From today, the ban on going out has been lifted for you.”

When she became an adult, her parents finally lifted the ban. There had been an accident in the past, and worried that something might happen to her, her parents had kept her under the ban for a long time.

Anyway, she was so happy that she couldn’t stop smiling.

“It doesn’t feel real that the ban is lifted. But……”

Suddenly, someone came to mind and she quickly shut her mouth. That man’s face flickered in her head. She had been so excited that she’d momentarily forgotten about him.

Her childhood friend, and the one who had watched over her since she was six—Jayden Artre.

Being watched by Jayden actually gave her a sense of security, as if he was protecting her. Still, because of Jayden’s protection, she didn’t think she’d ever find complete freedom.

Two years ago, her father, Earl Yutrian, was looking for someone to teach her history. One day, Jayden himself came to her father, saying he wanted to teach history. She hadn’t asked him why at the time, but she was sure he’d volunteered to tutor her as a pretext to protect her.

Her father gladly accepted Jayden’s request. Without hesitation, both men promised to protect her. She knew well from her father how that decision was made.

Her father, passionate about education, wanted her to become a distinguished noble lady. So, he needed someone to protect her in his absence. That person was Jayden.

He chose Jayden to be both her tutor and protector.

Moreover, her mother frequently met with Madame Artre, Jayden’s mother, so she often went out. Knowing this, her father asked Jayden to watch her even more closely whenever both parents were away.

Since then, she had received history lessons from Jayden three times a week. Every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday at three in the afternoon, he would visit their home to teach her.

The two Earldoms were about a ten-minute walk apart. Not only the distance, but even before she was born, their families had been close. Her mother often had tea with Madame Artre, and her father frequently met with Earl Artre for work.

“Looks like I won’t be able to go out today.”

She sighed. Even if she went out now, Jayden would find a way to keep an eye on her. If he couldn’t come himself, he’d surely have someone else watch her.

“Hm? Going out?”

When she looked uneasy, Ella tilted her head and asked. She smiled bitterly, worried that Ella might stop her before Jayden even got the chance.

“No, it’s nothing.”

It was already late afternoon, so going out today seemed impossible. But there were plenty of opportunities ahead. She wanted to go out as soon as tomorrow.

‘I’ll have to be careful not to get caught by Jayden.’

If Jayden found out she’d gone out, she wouldn’t escape his lectures. He’d start with, “Why did you go out?” and then go on and on. Even if she just wanted a walk around the neighborhood, he’d sternly refuse and explain why.

Still, she didn’t dislike Jayden’s lectures. Watching his scolding face strangely made her feel good. Was it because he was so handsome? The way logical words flowed from his neat lips was charming.

Even so, Jayden’s watchful eyes were a bit burdensome. No matter how much he overprotected her because of what happened when they were young, they were both adults now.

She wished Jayden would let go of the past little by little.

‘First, I want to meet my friends.’

For now, she wanted to see at least one of her few friends without Jayden noticing.

‘But who should I meet?’

As she pondered, Lady Anderson, the Viscount’s daughter, came to mind. She lived about thirty minutes away by carriage.

The same age as her, they would chat whenever their parents met for work. Because of the ban, she rarely saw her except on those occasions. Jayden knew they were close, too. So if she got unlucky and was caught, he might guess she’d met Lady Anderson. If she were caught, she planned to make up any excuse she could. Her anticipation and curiosity about going out were pushing aside her conscience.

‘Still, I should contact her first.’

She quickly wrote a letter to Lady Anderson. Since it was nearby, a servant could deliver the letter quickly. Ella took the letter and immediately arranged for it to be sent to the Anderson Viscount’s residence.

“Thank you, Ella.”

“I’m just doing my job, My Lady.”

She smiled at Ella when she returned from her errand.

Almost two hours after sending the letter, a reply arrived from Lady Anderson. She took the letter and opened it right away. As soon as she read it, she was startled.

“What? She says she can’t meet because she has a prior engagement for dating?”

She barely managed to close her gaping mouth and muttered to herself. Shaking her head at the unbelievable reality.

Just three months ago, when she last saw her, there was no mention of a lover. No matter how much she rubbed her eyes and looked at the letter, the contents didn’t change.

With no choice, she decided to meet another friend. To do that, she should check the social gathering schedule. Participating in social events was the best way to build connections.

She wondered what the next social event would be.

“Ella.”

“Yes?”

“Do you know the schedule for any social gatherings?”

“One moment, please.”

Soon, Ella brought her a paper listing the upcoming social events. She quickly took it.

Some events required invitations, while others didn’t.

“Is there any gathering I can attend without an invitation?”

Her eyes scanned the paper and stopped at one spot. The ball hosted by Marquis Brown caught her attention. As soon as she saw the words, she became sullen.

“What? The ball at Marquis Brown’s mansion is three weeks away?”

Just thinking about waiting was suffocating. She wanted to go out as soon as possible, but waiting three weeks felt like t＊rture.

She decided to make other plans for the time being.

Four days later.

Her history lesson with Jayden ended.

“Well then, Celia, see you later.”

“Goodbye, Jayden.”

No matter how many times she saw him, he was really handsome.

She gazed at Jayden, mesmerized, admiring him inwardly. His flawless face was truly perfect. Having such a man watch over her was a bit burdensome, but also delightful.

Only after Jayden left did she come to her senses. She immediately moved to the bedside table. She crouched in front of the three-tiered table, worried someone might come in, and glanced at the door. After a while, when everything stayed quiet, she finally looked away and opened the bottom drawer. Inside, she had hidden two letters in advance.

The senders were other acquaintances. Even during the ban, she was allowed to meet these ladies occasionally with her parents’ permission. They were all girls she’d grown close to through her parents’ social gatherings.

She opened the reply from Lady Rutels, the Earl’s daughter, first.

“Oh, no.”

She’d thought she’d happily agree to meet, but it was a rejection. She pouted in disappointment. She stared blankly at the words apologizing for not being able to meet because of a prior engagement with her lover. What surprised her even more was the next line.

[You should find a good match and try dating, too. Meeting someone you love is so exciting. Well, let’s meet up sometime. I’ll contact you.]

She hadn’t expected Lady Anderson’s mention of dating to appear in Lady Rutels’ letter as well.

‘Then what about Lady John, the Baron’s daughter?’

Without much hope, she opened Lady John’s reply. As expected, it was the same. She even mentioned details she hadn’t wanted to know. Because of a prior engagement with Baron Bern’s son, whom she met a month ago, she didn’t have time. Of course, the word ‘dating’ appeared again.

Seeing the word ‘dating’ again, she realized her friends her age were starting to find partners. She felt happy for them, but also lonely. Were her friends just fast, or was she slow?

Her heart felt filled with loneliness, and her mind grew complicated. She grumbled, hugging her head.

‘Is dating… really that fun?’

She asked herself, but with no experience in dating, she couldn’t find an answer. If she were to date someone, it would probably be Jayden. He was the only male friend around.

‘Wait! Romance with Jayden?’

She’d never imagined it.