Chapter 1.9

“I thought it was impossible to escape at that distance, so I just, um, did what I could.”

“It was a wise decision. If you had turned your back and tried to run, you might have been seriously injured before I arrived. Grizzly bears are so strong that they could easily sever your neck.”

Hearing this, Greta thought to herself. 

Isn’t separating the neck from the body called death, not injury? 

And another thought followed. 

If this disastrous conversation continued, the relationship might die before it even began.

Greta decided to survive the moment and prepare thoroughly for the next opportunity. This was undoubtedly a positive resolution for Ragaen, who was already mentally and physically drained from the continuous awkwardness. Of course, he had no way of knowing this.

“I’m worried that I might be taking up too much of your time, Your Grace, considering how busy you must be with the knight order.”

“…Not at all.”

“Oh, that’s a relief. Ah, right. I prepared a small gift to express my gratitude to you, Your Grace. It’s a handkerchief, and the knights… oh?”

Greta’s face turned pale as she rummaged through the small handbag she had brought.

It wasn’t there! The handkerchief wasn’t there! 

The gift she had chosen because it was classic, cliché, and safe enough to give to anyone—it wasn’t there!

Her plan had been to give the gift, express her gratitude, and end the meeting with a polite remark about hoping to meet again. But everything had gone awry.

“Oh, I must have left the handkerchief behind. I’m so sorry.”

Everything was a mess. Despite her efforts to look her best, the woman in the mirror wasn’t particularly pretty. She had finally gotten the chance to sit in front of him but couldn’t speak properly or maintain a conversation. And now, she had even forgotten the gift she had prepared. How could the Duke possibly see her in a positive light? She felt as though she couldn’t endure this humiliation unless she either soared into the sky or sank into the ground.

Greta didn’t even realize she was now on the verge of tears. As a result, she didn’t fully hear what Ragaen said next.

“It’s all right. You can give it to me next time.”

“I’m such a fool, a fool… Pardon?”

“The handkerchief you mentioned—you can give it to me next time.”

Greta’s tear-filled eyes widened.

“Then, I can come to see you, or—no, that might disturb you, so I could send it through Richard….”

“Whatever is most convenient for you.”

Although she was overwhelmed with self-loathing and despair, Greta realized this was an opportunity she couldn’t afford to miss. I may be trash, the world’s biggest fool, but still!

“Then… may I visit the knight order to deliver it?”

“I’m usually in the knight order’s office until late. If you send word before coming, I’ll wait for you there.”

“Oh! Thank you!”

Greta beamed.

The bright smile was like a wildflower. Small and common, not realizing its beauty until suddenly looking closely, then thinking it was pretty—a wildflower that evokes such thoughts.

Feeling his heart tickle more than before, Ragaen coughed softly. Still, he felt somewhat proud. It seemed he had effectively used what he had learned from the Crown Prince before.

While the Crown Prince, who had many fans, was chatting meaninglessly as usual, he said to Ragaen, 

‘Listen, Ragaen. The young ladies are so lovely that they often give me these small, cute gifts. When they realize they’ve left a gift behind, they become very upset, so you must ask them to bring it directly next time. You too will have more fans, so learn how to treat them properly!’

When he saw Greta flustered after leaving her handkerchief, Ragaen remembered the Crown Prince’s words. So, following the Crown Prince’s teaching, he acted in a way to console a ‘fan’ who had forgotten to bring a gift she had prepared herself. Thus, Ragaen inadvertently became someone who requested a second meeting without realizing it.

And here, neither Ragaen nor Greta, nor Richard, who was secretly observing them with a sly tongue-click, knew about Cupid’s mischief, which was actually Eurika. Eurika, upon hearing that her sister had prepared a gift for the Duke of Adantie, discreetly bribed a servant (the bribe was expensive chocolate). Under Eurika’s orders, the bribed servant secretly stole the gift from Greta’s bag before her departure. This was done to ensure they would meet again regardless of the day’s outcome.

No one present knew about the mysterious mischief of the fallen Cupid.

* * *

Greta was certainly okay.

“Ohhhhhh!”

“Stop crying!”

She was definitely okay shortly after parting with Ragaen. She even gained a natural excuse to meet again next time—how successful!

“Ahhhhhhhh!”

“If you’re going to cry, cry quietly!”

But on the way home, her mind began to fill with the mistakes she made in front of Ragaen, the foolish appearances she showed, and the repeated awkward moments. By the time she arrived at the mansion, her nose tingled, her lips twitched, and she was on the verge of bursting into tears. That ugly face was the result of trying her best not to cry disgracefully on the street.

Thus, Greta started sobbing as soon as she returned to her room. The Count of Lievo, who briefly looked to see what was happening, returned to his office saying children must be raised strong. Richard, worried by his father’s insistence on knowing what happened to his precious youngest daughter, was forced to follow his sister into the room to comfort her and had been training his eardrums for an hour.

“What should I dooooo!”

“What do you mean, what should you do!”

“I really looked like a fool, ughhhh!”

“Stop! Stop crying! Stop! You’re too old to cry like this! Stop!”

“Sniff, shut up! Ahhhhhh!”

Richard was going crazy in his own way. The sister he knew wasn’t such a crybaby nor someone who attached meaning to every little thing. She wasn’t exactly cool and chic, but she was at least straightforward! …She was! But now Greta seemed like someone he didn’t know. Those who have never fallen in love cannot understand the changes that come with being soaked in love.

“My breathing was so roughhhhhhh!”

No, at this point, it’s just madness.

“My face turned so red!”

“No, it didn’t.”

“It did! It was so red!”

How do you know your face is red without looking in the mirror?

In fact, when Richard secretly observed, Greta’s face wasn’t red. Her cheeks were just slightly flushed.

“Would he think I’m unlikeable because he heard my voice sounding strange due to nervousness?”

“No, how low do you think the Commander’s humanity is?”

“But my voice was almost like a twisted chicken’s neck, ughhhh….”

“Even if it sounded like a twisted chicken’s neck, the Duke wouldn’t think strangely of a person because of their voice.”

“So it was strange, it really was strange!”

The barely calmed sobbing started again.

“No! It was like a nightingale! A voice so beautiful that a nightingale would cry!”

“Ahhhh! Liiiiiies!”

“Agh! It was a nightingale!”

At that moment downstairs.

Greta’s mother and father, along with her sister and brother-in-law, were enjoying tea with the disturbance from upstairs as music. Naturally, their topic of conversation was Greta, who continued to sob loudly. The Count seemed quite uneasy as a father.

“Oh dear, poor thing. She’ll end up with swollen eyes from crying like that. Oh dear, our youngest must be overwhelmed by love.”

“It’s all because she takes after you. Lievo women are usually all like Eurika, but she takes after your soft and tender side, that’s why she’s like that. A woman should have a strong heart like a rock.”

“No, she takes after you. Remember when you cried when I first rejected your proposal?”

“…Do you want to fight after a long time? Huh, want to fight?”

“I’m sorry.”

The older couple bickered.

“But she’s cute. It’s a fresh love that can only be experienced at Greta’s age.”

“You were about Greta’s age when you met me.”

“But I was already deeply entangled with you back then.”

“Yes, quite deeply.”

“Anyway, she’s cute, so cute.”

The younger couple blushed slightly as they recalled their intensely burning love of destruction from a few years ago. Of course, they were still burning with love.

The adults who had already passed the pain of first love laughed, Greta who was alone in her love cried, and only Richard, who watched the scene, was frustrated.