Chapter 1: I Will Interfere With You
“Should I tell you what the last thing was? Do you know what was the most terrible thing for me? It’s that I liked you.”
Even in a low voice, it penetrated through the thunder and vividly reached my ears.
Rain seeped in between the skin of our hands that were touching. The hands, which weren’t close to begin with, now desperately tried to push each other away.
If I let go of the hand, I will die. If I hold onto the hand, I will die. There’s no way for both of us to survive and get down from here.
“You lived longer. So you die first. That’s fair.”
The yellow light of the lightning illuminated the crazed eyes. My face reflected in the pupils of her blue eyes.
While the hand that wanted to let go and the hand that didn’t want to let go clawed at each other like that, lightning flashed, followed by a thunderous roar as the old tree beside us fell.
Did you see the cart we had set under the tree being crushed beneath it as we fell?
* * *
“They said the corpse was a mess.”
“How sad. She was such a good person. I met her once at the New Year ceremony.”
“Ah, I met her too. She was really beautiful. And kind, too. It’s rare to find someone so gentle. Her younger sibling must have been very shocked, right? They were together, weren’t they?”
“Shocked? They were seriously injured and had to recuperate for nearly three months. She couldn’t even attend the funeral.”
“But… that rumor. Could it really be true? Why did her sibling kill—”
“Shh. They say Count Kalashi is attending the party today. Be careful with your words.”
It was too late to be careful. Classie had already heard all the whispers of the guests.
She put down her coffee cup, which she had been sipping, as a waiter passed by with a tray and checked the watch that hung from her wrist like a bracelet.
It had been three hours since she entered the party. At this point, she thought she had held on long enough out of loyalty to Florence.
Deciding to retreat before she could hear any more of the gossip about herself, Classie considered how her niece, Mereen, might soon realize she had come to the party alone.
“It would cause quite a stir.”
Recalling Mereen’s stubbornness, Classie searched for a way to slip out of sight from Florence and head toward the door.
Fortunately, Florence was absorbed in conversation with her husband near the stairs.
Classie quietly walked along the wall.
“Excuse me, Lady.”
However, as she passed about twenty steps from the door, a young man suddenly ran up and called out to her.
Classie didn’t think he was calling her and tried to keep walking, but the young man boldly stepped in front of her.
Classie stopped in surprise.
“Me?”
“Yes.”
The young man nodded and bit his lip, running his fingers through his blond curls.
Classie noticed that the young man’s cheeks were a bit flushed. He had an embarrassed expression.
What’s with him? As she watched him in confusion, he clasped his hands tightly and asked,
“Um… Did you come alone by any chance?”
“Me?”
Classie repeated the same question.
“Yes.”
The young man seemed to gain some courage as he nodded solemnly and pointed to the curtain where Classie had been standing earlier.
“I… kept watching you. But you were alone the whole time.”
“You kept watching me?”
“I-I have no strange intentions. It’s just that you’re so beautiful… I wanted to talk to you, but you were so beautiful… And it seemed like you were about to leave, so I gathered my courage…”
As he stammered, the young man suddenly broke into an embarrassed smile and ran his fingers through his hair again.
“I’m sorry. I don’t know what I’m saying.”
Classie stared at him blankly and then realized a moment too late. This person seems to have come over because he’s interested in her.
It was too obvious to pretend not to notice the young man’s embarrassment.
Classie nearly screamed, Oh my. A man approached me because he’s interested!
But no matter her inner thoughts, Classie maintained a calm exterior.
The young man, seeing that Classie didn’t respond at all, lost some of his courage and asked,
“Did I make you feel uncomfortable by approaching you? I wanted to be introduced, but no one seems to know anything about you… You seem like someone I haven’t seen around here, so I gathered my courage to come over. But if it makes you uncomfortable, I’ll leave.”
In fact, the young man had already turned half his body away.
“Uncomfortable? Not at all!”
Classie then snapped back to her senses and grabbed the young man’s arm.
As she tightly held his arm, the young man’s eyes widened in surprise as he looked into Classie’s eyes.
Realizing she had been too forward, Classie quickly let go of his arm and put on a smile she had practiced for years.
Receiving her smile, the young man seemed to regain some courage and turned his body fully back toward Classie.
“I’m not uncomfortable. It’s just my first time experiencing something like this. I was surprised.”
Classie tried her best not to get too excited and spoke as gently as possible. However, she unconsciously glanced toward Florence.
For the past few years, Florence had been doing her utmost to set Classie up with a good husband. With the results of that effort now coming to fruition, it was only natural for her gaze to drift.
Coincidentally, Florence was also looking at Classie at that moment.
Florence, smiling broadly, waved her hand in a hurry when her eyes met Classie’s, signaling her. Why are you looking at me? Talk to that guy who just showed up!
Classie immediately understood the signal and turned her attention back to the young man.
As their eyes met, the young man’s face turned even redder, as if he couldn’t believe what he was hearing.
“You said this is your first time? That can’t be. A person as beautiful as you…”
“Am I beautiful?”
“Yes. I’ve never seen anyone like you before. The moment I saw you, it felt like lightning struck my head.”
“But it really is my first time.”
When Classie deliberately lowered her voice to a seductive tone, the young man’s expression turned to one of pure awe, like burning hay, as he murmured.
“If that’s the case, then it’s probably because the lady is just too beautiful. Everyone else must be too shy to approach. I’ve gathered all the courage I have in my life to come here.”
Classie almost blurted out, ‘Then let’s set a wedding date right away.’
Fortunately, she didn’t make that mistake, but in her mind, she was already picturing herself lifting up that cute blond young man and marching toward the wedding venue.
Thank you, Florence. Thank you for bringing me to this party. You’re truly my best friend.
Classie held back her tears and looked up at the ceiling.
‘Finally, I can get married. I’ll be able to inherit my estate. Damn imperial law. Why is it that only married people can inherit property?’
“Excuse me, but… may I know your name, Lady?”
However, Classie’s daydream of entering the wedding venue was abruptly pulled back to reality by the young man’s question.
Classie swallowed nervously.
Her name. Of course, she had to tell him. To get married, she had to share her name and her family background.
Classie reflexively glanced toward the nobles who had been whispering about her earlier. The joy that had soared to new heights plummeted, and her courage disappeared in an instant.
Feeling downcast, she studied the young man’s seemingly pure face closely.
Does this young man know the rumors about me? Does he even know my name? What if I tell him my name, and he runs away saying it’s inappropriate?
“Um… Lady?”
“It’s Classie.”
Classie mustered her courage and answered briefly. If the young man ran away after hearing her name, she would chalk it up to experience and return home. After all, it wasn’t the first time she had gone through something like this, so it was okay.
In any case, whoever she chose as her husband, she would have to go through this step at least once.
“You have a beautiful name.”
But the young man didn’t know anything about Classie at all. Instead, he smiled happily upon hearing her name and introduced himself.
“I’m Count Albert. I’m also related to the Hiard family.”
Classie’s hopes, which had fallen to the ground, suddenly floated back up. The decision to move to the capital to escape rumors was proving worthwhile.
Moreover, she liked his status as a man of noble birth. He was also a count like her. It was neither too high nor too low—how wonderful!
However, just as Classie was about to break into a wide smile,
“Aunt!”
A familiar voice rang out loudly from behind. It was her niece Meren’s voice.
Classie almost reflexively turned around. She managed to keep her head still, but her heart was pounding.
‘Why is Mereen’s voice here? I thought I left her behind?’
No, that wasn’t important right now. Classie hurriedly grabbed the young man’s arm and pointed with her eyes toward the back door, asking,
“It’s a bit noisy here. Shall we go over there to continue our conversation?”
The young man nodded with a dazed expression.
Classie pulled him along. She couldn’t let Meren meet this young man until she had him completely enchanted.
However, just after taking two steps, Meren tapped Classie on the back.
“Aunt! Goodness, how many times do I have to call you before you notice?”
It was Mereen’s. She didn’t even bother to turn her head. That pesky niece had recognized Classie from behind and approached her.
Classie realized her plan had failed. The young man, who had been following her with a dazed look, was already back to his senses.
He looked between Mereen and Classie and muttered, “Aunt?”
In the meantime, Meren had hooked her arm around Classie to prevent her from escaping and asked,
“Aunt, who is this wonderful gentleman? Is he the reason you ignored me?”
The young man again muttered, “Aunt…” as he looked back and forth between Classie and Mereen.
After a moment, he seemed to reach some conclusion in his mind and awkwardly laughed, saying,
“Oh, so you are this lady’s aunt. You must be very young. I almost made a mistake.”
The young man naturally slipped his arm out from Classie’s grasp. It seemed that his momentary infatuation with her appearance had faded.
Classie felt a curse rise within her. Another failure. That naughty Mereen. What a wicked niece she was.
Classie used her accumulated experience to gauge what the young man was thinking.
Meren looked around twenty, which was her actual age.
Given that Mereen called Classie “Aunt,” the young man was likely assuming that Classie was much older than she appeared.
Since he and Mereen were of the same age, he would think she was significantly older than him.
Of course, age differences could allow for romance and marriage, but that was only possible when a niece as formidable as Mereen, who looked like Classie’s suitor’s peer, wasn’t clinging next to her.
“Aunt, who is this gentleman? Aren’t you going to introduce him to me? I’ve just come up here and don’t know anyone. Don’t just go around having fun with the guys alone; introduce me to him, okay?”
Even though she must have known all this, Mereen pretended not to and cutely tugged on Classie’s arm.
But Classie, having lived with Merren for nearly ten years, could not miss the mischief firmly seated in her niece’s large eyes.
In Mereen’s blue eyes, there was a strong determination that read, “I will continue to interfere with your courting activities today.”
* * *