Chapter 14: Second Courtship
The guards must have been quite surprised, but not as much as Kishin.
When Classie entered the room holding the ruined bouquet, Kishin was already standing between the desk and the door, waiting for her. His expression suggested he had braced himself for something, but the moment he saw Classie enter, his face wavered even more. His gaze landed on the wrecked bouquet.
“You must be quite angry,” Kishin murmured in a vague tone.
Goodness! Realizing her mistake, Classie clutched the bouquet even tighter.
‘How foolish. I was so focused on shaking off Merran that I completely forgot about the state of the bouquet!’
She almost blurted out that her nephew was the one responsible.
“I had to leave in a hurry, and there was a little… accident.”
But Classie didn’t rat Merran out. Tattling was only effective if the other party believed you. If they didn’t trust your words, they were more likely to dismiss it as a lie.
“I see. An accident, was it?”
Kishin lifted the corners of his lips elegantly, as if he thought she was joking. He probably believed that Classie had deliberately ruined the bouquet but was choosing to call it an accident.
However, rather than being annoyed, he seemed to find her actions amusing. Classie felt her cheeks flush red in an instant.
‘Does he really see me as that kind of person?’
Well, of course. If he didn’t, he wouldn’t have made that absurd misunderstanding and insulted her in the first place.
Recalling the insult he had thrown at her, Classie suddenly regretted coming here. Maybe she should have done as Merran had suggested and simply sent the bouquet back to Kishin.
As she tried to calm the heat in her cheeks, Kishin spoke again.
“Are you planning to cause another ‘accident’ here as well?”
He was indirectly asking whether she intended to make a scene, just as she had with the bouquet.
Suppressing her wavering emotions, Classie stated her original purpose.
“I like bouquets.”
Kishin had been quietly smiling as if preparing himself, but at her words, his lips lowered slightly. He looked as though he couldn’t quite understand what she was saying.
Clutching the tattered bouquet even tighter, Classie repeated her words with more emphasis.
“You said you wanted to apologize to me, right? You don’t have to suffer a public rejection. Just… I want to go on one more date, without any misunderstandings.”
“!?”
Kishin truly seemed taken aback. He was so flustered that he couldn’t even respond right away.
Lowering her head, Classie mumbled in a small voice.
“A real date, not one where you’re deliberately trying to torment me.”
“Don’t noble ladies value their honor?”
I care more about getting married than honor! Classie wanted to yell, but on the outside, she simply gave a shy shake of her head.
“There’s honor that truly matters, and honor that can be let go. The moment you apologized for insulting me over a misunderstanding, it became something I could let go of. I don’t want to keep clinging to the past just to humiliate you.”
As soon as Classie finished speaking, half of the flowers dangling from the bouquet suddenly tumbled to the floor. Like falling leaves, the petals scattered in a messy heap.
Oh, come on. Feeling distressed, she stared down at the fallen petals, but then she heard Kishin chuckle.
When their eyes met, Kishin joked, “I’m glad you sent a friend to take the brunt of your anger on my behalf. Now that you’ve vented, you seem much more forgiving.”
Merran did this! Classie suppressed her frustration and forced a smile.
“I told you, it was an accident.”
Kishin glanced at the clock hanging on the wall.
Classie instinctively turned her head as well.
It was already nine in the evening. Normally, by this time, she would be in her soft pajamas, curled up in a rocking chair with a book.
Kishin spoke, “My shift ends at ten tonight. I’ll be switching with a colleague then.”
Classie responded absentmindedly, “Oh. I see.”
She had assumed that Kishin would tell her it was too late today and suggest meeting another day. Or that this time, he would seriously reject the idea of a date. But when he merely mentioned that his shift ended at ten, she found it hard to grasp his meaning.
Kishin continued.“There’s a café I stop by every time I work late.”
“Huh?”
“I’m planning to drop by on my way back today as well. Would you like to come with me?”
Classie nearly jumped in surprise. A nighttime date! Instead of saying it was too late and suggesting another day, he was asking her to meet in just an hour!
She had come here at this hour because she couldn’t shake the image of Kishin’s bright, striking face from her mind, but she hadn’t expected things to go this well.
However, after hearing his offer, she realized that going on the date tonight was the best option. If they scheduled it for tomorrow or the day after, Merran would undoubtedly throw a fit about tagging along.
“Y-yes! Yes, I’d love to!”
Fearing he might change his mind, Classie answered repeatedly.
Kishin resumed his paperwork. But perhaps because his focus had already been broken, his thoughts kept drifting away from the documents and toward the sofa.
On the three-seater couch sat Classie, hugging the tattered bouquet tightly. Thanks to the warm fireplace, she didn’t seem cold, and the thick fur cloak she had worn was neatly folded beside her.
Each time Classie subtly swayed side to side, Kishin instinctively glanced her way. The first thing that caught his eye whenever he looked at her was her lowered eyelashes.
Even with her face expressionless, her eyelashes fluttered ceaselessly. Beneath her lowered eyelids, her eyes were surely darting back and forth.
Amused by that awkward attempt at composure, Kishin found himself smiling without realizing it.
He thought Classie was a rather peculiar woman. Many women had shown interest in him before. Even among those he had rejected, many continued to pursue him.
But because they were all noblewomen with strong pride, once Kishin turned them down, they would only show their interest indirectly afterward.
They would enlist family members or friends, stage coincidences, or send letters. Some even wanted to take revenge on Kishin and hurt him just because he rejected their feelings.
That was why Kishin found himself looking at Classie in a new light. A noble lady of a count’s family had her pride wounded, yet she persistently and boldly pursued him a second time.
At some point, his eyes met hers. While pondering what made her different, he had unknowingly been staring too intently.
Classie hadn’t expected to meet his gaze, and her delicate eyes immediately widened like buttons. She looked like a startled rabbit, which made Kishin chuckle again.
Flustered, Classie quickly averted her eyes. But only for a moment. For some reason, she soon lifted her head again and flashed him a smile—one that bore clear traces of practice.
What’s with that stiff smile? Is she posing for a portrait? Kishin smirked.
If his family had seen him tonight, they would have been shocked—he had been smiling far too often.
Practice really is important. The time she had spent in front of a mirror practicing a beautiful smile must have paid off.
Seeing Kishin react so favorably to her smile, Classie felt both excited and shy. She reached for the cloak beside her and fiddled with it absentmindedly.
In one corner of her mind, a wheel of optimism began turning vigorously.
Now that she had secured a second date, she found herself growing curious about Kishin’s family background.
Her standards had gradually lowered as time passed. At this point, all she required of her future husband was that he be a noble.
That way, their marriage would be recognized as legitimate, she would be acknowledged as a full-fledged adult, and she could inherit her share of the family wealth. Whether she and Kishin would get along in the future was a matter to worry about later.
But… would Sir Kishin’s parents approve of our marriage?
Had Kishin known what was going through her mind, he would have laughed in disbelief. He had begun to feel a slight fondness for her, but marriage? That hadn’t even crossed his mind.
Fortunately, Kishin lacked the ability to read minds.
And so, while Classie and Kishin were each lost in their own thoughts, neither noticed that someone had been watching them from the hallway window.
The observer was Dernick.
How strange.
With his forehead pressed against the windowpane, Dernick darted his eyes around. The guard who had escorted him was shifting restlessly beside him, but Dernick showed no sign of stopping his eavesdropping.
Kishin’s not the kind of guy to work with an outsider sitting right next to him.
Having grown up with Kishin like a brother, Dernick knew him well. Arrogant and meticulous, Kishin was strict about separating work from his personal life.
Women had come to the guard station before, showing interest in him, but Kishin had never met with any of them.
In fact, he had never even let them inside.
Yet this Classie Kalashi woman had been not only allowed in but was now sitting in his office with him. And they weren’t even lovers or engaged.
His curiosity piqued. Has his stone-hearted friend finally developed an interest in love? Or… was there another reason?
“How long has this been going on?” Dernick asked.
“Not long,” the guard replied bluntly.
“Why is that young lady here?”
“No idea. Sir Kishin told me to let her in, so I did.”
Dernick glanced back and forth between Kishin, who was working with an unusually rigid posture, and Classie, who kept sneaking glances at him. In the end, unable to contain his curiosity, he stepped inside the office himself.
“Oh? Miss Classie, we meet again!”
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