“It’s alright if you want to cross your legs.”

Rochelle spoke, but Yevgeny waved his hand, saying he was fine, and gave a slight smile. The way his eyes crinkled on his handsome face made him look even more charming. Rochelle smiled back, her lips trembling with nervousness.

Watching her, Yevgeny took a cigarette and lighter from his pocket, put the cigarette between his lips, and lit it. The dimples on his cheeks deepened. As he inhaled and exhaled the smoke, his gaze briefly swept over Rochelle before moving past her.

At the same time as he raised his eyebrows, the waiter quickly approached.

“May I take your order?”

“Yes, a glass of whiskey. And for the lady…”

“Just a black coffee, nothing added, please.”

Understood. The waiter soon returned, both hands full.

“Thank you.”

Rochelle replied politely and carefully checked the man’s face across from her. She hoped he would forget the pointless conversation they’d had earlier in the street, but for some reason, Yevgeny seemed even more interested in learning about her.

“Returning to our previous topic, your level is far above average. I’m sure you’ll master Castian in no time. Of course, pronunciation isn’t something that can be fixed easily. But still—”

Yevgeny turned his head and exhaled a puff of white smoke as he spoke. The bitter scent of tobacco drifted over.

“They usually give children in orphanages a decent name, don’t they?”

“…”

“Don’t you think so?”

Rochelle swallowed dryly.

“…I didn’t want one.”

“Why not?”

“I didn’t need a name given meaninglessly, like a homework assignment, by people who felt no affection.”

Rochelle took care to drink slowly so as not to seem hasty.

As she stretched out an arm to set her half-empty cup on the table, she felt the man’s piercing gaze fixed on her.

Yevgeny was still smiling.

“So, you’d be alright with a name given with affection and meaning?”

“…Maybe.”

Standing before his gaze, for some reason she felt endlessly exposed, as if stripped bare before a crowd. His attention was truly overwhelming.

Sometimes she even wanted to dig into his hidden feelings or intentions.

***

“What a shame.”

“Truly.”

The two stepped out of the tavern and sighed in unison as they looked up at the sky, thick with dark clouds.

They had lingered inside, hoping to avoid the rain, but the downpour had only grown heavier, ruining all their plans.

“What should we do, Miss? It must have been a rare outing for you.”

“It’s alright. I think we should hurry back to the cabin instead. I’ve only just recovered from a cold, and if I’m not careful, I might end up bedridden again.”

“You’re absolutely right. Shall we race to the port together? Aren’t you curious who’ll get there first?”

“What?” she asked, startled, looking up at him. There was a playful glint on Yevgeny’s face. His sparkling eyes matched his mischievous smile perfectly.

So he can make that kind of expression, too. Thinking this, Rochelle looked into those passionate, shining eyes and replied with feigned composure,

“With the difference in our leg lengths, wouldn’t that be a bit unfair, Yevgeny? Of course, if my legs were just a hand’s span longer, it would be hard to tell who’d win.”

“I didn’t realize you were so full of bravado.”

He chuckled and reached out his right hand to her.

“Take my hand.”

“Huh?”

“You might run so fast that I lose my way.”

Ridiculous.

Unable to help herself, Rochelle burst out laughing at the man’s sly remark. Giggling, she reached out her left hand and placed it in his. Yevgeny tightened his grip, pulling her closer.

Their eyes met for a moment. Then, without another word, they both dashed toward the sidewalk.

Wind and rain lashed at the lower half of her face, which the hat couldn’t cover. Squinting from the sting, she turned her head to see that the man beside her was faring no better.

Soaked to the bone like a drowned rat, Yevgeny still looked upright and elegant. Rochelle glanced at the man, who wore his usual gentle smile, and was startled.

His eyes were smiling, too, as if he was genuinely happy. It was the first time she’d seen such a pure smile from him. Just seeing it brought her joy, as if from a man with the depth of the sea.

Was her racing heartbeat really from running for the first time in ages? She could hear the pounding of her heart in her ears.

Overwhelmed by the strange sensation, Rochelle quickly looked away from him.

She hadn’t had a single drink, yet her face was burning hot.

With the hand not joined to his, Rochelle scratched the back of her neck. She meant to chase away the itch, but all she did was confirm to herself the loud sound of her swallowing.

***

“…Sir Yevgeny?”

At the sound of a gruff man’s voice from a short distance away, the hands that seemed like they would never part dropped apart instantly.

Rochelle hurriedly adjusted her hat.

Yevgeny stepped in front of her, blocking her trembling, startled form, and looked down coldly at a very familiar figure—Kaiten of the revolutionaries.

“It’s been a while.”

It was Yevgeny’s father, General Alexander, who had taken in and raised the starving, wandering Kaiten from the streets. Yet Yevgeny’s expression upon meeting his old friend was indifferent. No, more than indifferent—he showed no emotion at all, his face flat and cold.

“So it really was you, Sir Yevgeny. I thought I was mistaken, seeing you with a woman… Yes, it’s been a while, sir.”

“Why are you at the port heading to Castiya?”

“Hah.”

‘That crazy psychopath.’

Kaiten, who had long been frustrated by Yevgeny’s habit of looking at others as if they were beneath him, was just as displeased by this encounter.

He’d never liked this guy since childhood. He couldn’t give his life for Sir Ivan, who had accepted a wretch born to a lowly pr*stitute as a brother, but here was this mad traitor who stabbed him in the back with that upright face.

‘Did you really think you could take Ivan’s seat in Castiya’s parliament?’

Just seeing him standing there, acting so noble and brazen, made Kaiten’s blood boil.

Turning slowly toward Yevgeny and the unfamiliar woman behind him, Kaiten, who had been waiting to board the passenger ship, spoke.

“You may not know, sir, but I’m currently on a very important mission. If anyone saw you now, they’d think you were eloping with a lover.”

“A very important mission, huh? Can it really take so long to find a single noblewoman? As expected of you, Sir Kaiten—so very competent.”

Yevgeny let out a mocking laugh.

Infuriated, Kaiten strode toward him in large steps.

“Sir! Watch your mouth. ‘That noblewoman’? Aren’t you ashamed before your dear brother, Sir Ivan? Where is your loyalty as a man?”

“…”

“And after Sir Ivan collapsed, you never once came to visit. While your own flesh and blood hovered at death’s door, were you rolling around in the arms of some unknown woman?”

“Very good, Kaiten.”

Yevgeny slowly raised his right arm and punched the wild dog charging at him.

With a dull thud, Kaiten’s face twisted. His skin split, blood splattering everywhere. Red blood trickled down his neck, dripping onto the frosty ground.

But undeterred, Kaiten bared his claws and swung at him again, even knowing Yevgeny would easily block him. He lunged again and again.

Yevgeny easily grabbed Kaiten’s right hand, twisted it behind his back, and slammed his elbow into his throat. Choking and gasping, Kaiten flailed and finally managed to escape Yevgeny’s grip.

Watching the man cough, tears and snot running down his face as he lay on the ground, Yevgeny brushed off his shirt.

“Keep going. Raise your voice and make a scene, Kaiten. Howl like some wretch who doesn’t even recognize his master. That way, I’ll have an excuse to kill you.”