Looking for My Fiancé's Lover

As I turned my head away in joy for some reason, the ashes from the cigarette I couldn’t shake fell. I pushed the burning tip of the cigarette a little further away between my increasingly hot fingers. Pancion blinked as if he was taken aback by my active question, then slowly opened his mouth.

“It is purely my opinion, but I do not recall meeting anyone other than Sir Lockherd and Sir Breit who spoke to me as comfortably as the young lady.”

“Is that a compliment? In fact, you are also the first person I can talk to so comfortably besides Caron.”

In the darkness, I could see Pancion’s forehead wrinkling slightly. Just in time, the cigarette that had been kept far away was only the length of a finger, so I crumpled it onto the ashtray without regret. Was this right? Just in case, I didn’t look away until the flames were completely gone.

“It’s hard to believe I’m the first. Was there something wrong when you talk to others?”

“If there is a problem, I think it lies with me. Maybe because I’m too self-conscious, I get nervous even with a simple greeting.”

Of course, this was only true when dealing with female peers. I didn’t know if it’s because of the influence of my brothers, but I had never had any trouble making eye contact with men.

Or was it not? It felt different when I thought of my beating heart when I first met Pancion. Apart from Nezar, Pancion was the first person with such a strong first impression. I thought he could be an exception.

“I didn’t mean to lament about my life like this, but somehow the words came out sounding like that. Please forget about what I said today.”

I didn’t know if it was because it was night, but I didn’t even feel the common sense of shame. Even so, there were only a few words exchanged. As I raised my hand and brought it close to my nose, a strong smell of cigarettes rushed in. Even if I gently shook my hands in discomfort, there was no way that strong smell would disappear right away.

“I don’t think it will be easily forgotten, but I will try if you want.”

Indeed, it wouldn’t be that easy to forget that his younger sister’s best friend was a social misfit.

Pancion, staring down at my face, turned around and lit a lantern on the outdoor table. He handed me the lantern while I turned my head away as I couldn’t get used to the suddenly brightened vision.

“It’s getting very late now. I think you’d better go back to your bedroom.”

I was a guest of Entera, who was in a position to follow the owner’s request. Hence, I obediently took the lantern and raised my head. The embers in his purple eyes flickered as if they were about to burst out.

“May I ask you just one more question?”

“Please do.”

“Are there any good men around you?”

A moment of awkward silence passed between us.

“I don’t want many…It would be just enough if it’s a man who is confident in front of His Highness Nezar.”

Pancion slowly swallowed his saliva, as if going over the meaning of my question.

“To be confident without being mindful of anything is considered arrogance and bravado. That wouldn’t be a type I want to introduce to the young lady.”

The calm, subdued voice contained a very valid meaning. I nodded, meeting eyes that had regained tranquility.

“You are a hundred times correct.…but if someone like that is still around, please think about it at least once.”

Rumours were not to be believed. I would be the one to find out if he’s of that type or not.

Eventually, Pancion laughed out loud and nodded slightly. It was the most natural laugh I had ever seen on his face.

As soon as Lockherd opened his eyes, the first thing he spat out was a groan out of pain. Rather than spitting it out, it was more appropriate to say that it came out spontaneously. Slowly getting up, he first poured himself some prepared mineral water for a drink. His mouth was completely dry, probably because he had been drinking alcohol, which he had refrained from for years. He went wild like a horse unbridled.

His memory was hazy from the moment the victory celebration party was over yesterday. Though by that time everyone had crawled on all fours.

He headed straight to Nezar’s office with only the minimum formalities required in the imperial castle. Ron, who had just come out of the door, recognised Lockherd and gave him a faint smile.

“You both look like you’ve escaped hell. You didn’t look like this on the day you returned though. As expected, the true enemy is from within, huh?”

As he had always felt, every word the prince’s aide spoke lightly of still sounded bone-chilling. With his brows furrowed at the smell of alcohol still hovering near his nose, Lockherd replied.

“I poured it in without thinking for the first time in a while, and it tastes like death. It still feels like the ceiling is spinning. Is Nezar in there?”

“He is. Judging by his complexion, it seems like he’s stayed up all night. Shall I tell them to prepare tea?”

“Please do.”

Unable to guess the reason (to why Nezar stayed up), Lockherd passed Ron and entered Nezar’s office.

Fittingly late in the morning, the spacious study office was full of bright sunlight. At the desk in the middle of it, Nezar, wearing glasses, was silently turning over the pages of a book. Lockherd, who quietly closed the door, took a few steps in and slumped into a chair. At the same time, Nezar’s low, sunken voice was heard.

“You’re up early.”

His voice sounded harsh.

“Did you roam around the imperial castle all night long? What’s wrong with your voice?”

Nezar had a more monstrous stamina than him, who had wielded a sword daily growing up. But despite Lockherd’s question, Nezar’s eyes were still on the book.

“Lockherd.”

“Hm?”

“The Marquis of Pearlwelts has shown interest in you. His eldest daughter just made her debut this year.”

“…Are you telling me to deal with a man right now?”

Only then did Nezar glare at Lockherd with sharp eyes through the lens.

“Didn’t any of your ears catch the part on his eldest daughter?”

“I don’t want to.”

Lockherd shook his head resolutely and looked away.

“You decided to help them on the condition that they don’t interfere with your private life, didn’t you? It’s not like your position is so bad that you can’t do without the Marquis anyway.”

Rather, after the war of conquest, Nezar’s position became much more solid. It meant that Prince Andrew, born from the current Empress, could no longer run rampant with only the Emperor’s favour on his back.

“The Marquis has said the same thing over and over again to the point I got scabs in my ears. If you are interested, you should visit the marquis family.”

“She’s even younger than Kate. It’s rather more appropriate for them to tell me to raise the kid instead.”

Nezar smiled at those words and slowly took off his glasses.

“Did you come to that conclusion after meeting Kate yesterday?”

Lockherd watched as Nezar approached the table he was sitting at.

Yesterday’s Kate. Looking back at the moment of the reunion, he was surprised, but she was certainly not that unrecognisable. Was it because he inadvertently assumed that she would remain the same?

Obviously, the disgruntled pout on her face remained the same, but everything else was very different. Her cheeks, which were especially chubby compared to girls her age, had disappeared, and her height, which was the size of a peanut, had grown to exceed their mother’s shoulders. Aside from looking more mature, he didn’t think that she would show up with her shoulders completely bare.

The thought of his youngest sister pretending to be a lady made Lockherd suddenly feel unsettled.

“She’s certainly grown so much to the point I couldn’t recognise her after all these years. Now that she’s reached this age, it would be perfect if she just gets married.” (Nezar’s line)