# 2
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Episode 2
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Ruelia returned to the Duke's Palace after visiting the herbal shop.
“Are you back okay?”
She paused for a moment when she heard the voice that rang in her ears as soon as she opened the office door.
A voice she was used to hearing.
A cold, dry voice, as if it summoned frost, but it carried within it the warmth of a heart, like a spring breeze.
On normal days, she would have answered energetically, but...
Because of her heart disorder, she couldn't open her mouth easily.
When Ruelia didn't answer, the owner of the voice raised his eyes from the stack of papers and looked at her.
Blue eyes with a long, cold stare, as they always were. His lips, which at first glance seemed rigid, were exactly as Ruelia knew them to be.
Contrary to what people thought, he was not a difficult person or annoyed others. On the contrary, the person to whom she deserved to offer true loyalty for the first time was someone worthy of respect.
But, what if it was all just an illusion?
Ruelia grabbed the notebook she was carrying and felt a strong desire to tear it up.
'No wonder, I felt goosebumps then.'
She suddenly remembered her first meeting with the Duke.
She was trying to get rid of some trash when she accidentally spilled hot tea on the Duke.
The crime of harming a senior noble.
If he had ordered her to be beheaded on the spot, she would have had nothing to say to defend herf.
'Then, as if he was waiting for an opportunity, he suggested that I become his assistant, right?'
He knew her identity even before she revealed it herf.
Was this a planned approach?
At that moment, she was blinded by the offer of a thousand gold as a weekly salary, so she accepted without thinking or considering. She didn't even think to look for the reasons for this annoying feeling.
'You stupid Ruelia!'
She had always had a strong intuition, and every time she felt something unsettling, there was a reason for it.
But it wasn't really intuition.
Thanks to the memories of her previous life buried in her subconscious, she has been able to succeed and prosper until now. But she thought it was thanks to her luck and skills.
She was very busy, living a loud and intense life.
"What's wrong? Did something happen outside?"
At that moment, Caelce spoke to Ruelia who looked like she was about to cry.
“No, nothing. No need to worry.”
She smirked, wrinkling her nose.
Kyle's blue eyes narrowed even more as he watched her.
She felt her head spin as she looked at him. The man in the notebook and the man standing in front of her now did not seem to be the same person no matter how she looked.
First, Caelus was not interested in women.
Even when he attended parties, he would go alone without a partner.
A handsome face, a strong body, he is called the best swordsman in the empire, incomparable wealth, and he is a central figure in the authority of the nobility.
He is the person who is supposed to receive love, not fall into it.
Although many women aspired to him, no romantic rumors were heard about him.
'At his lively age, I thought he had special inclinations because of that.'
Moreover, he is a close friend of the Crown Prince and his political partner. Thanks to him, the relationship between the Duke's family and the Imperial Palace was better than it had ever been, in contrast to the traditional tensions between them.
‘To rebel and destroy everything because of one woman...this is unbelievable.’
It must be a coincidence. A seven-year-old girl's fantasies may have strangely matched reality.
Ruelia tried with difficulty to relax her convulsed face.
The Duke was still looking at her with a keen look.
“Anyway, you're early? I thought you'd enjoy dinner there...”
Does a person become stressed when immersed in tangled thoughts?
Cayce noticed her attempt to change the subject, and the corners of his eyes twitched hard.
"Really nothing happened? Where did you go?"
“To the house where I used to live. There is nothing to worry about, Sir Duke. I am really well. Perhaps I felt sad because seeing the little girls there reminded me of the past.”
Ruelia told everything about the family she met today and the threat she had been subjected to.
Anyway, even if you don't speak, the knights will report everything. So, it was better for her to tell the story herf so that she could relax.
Everything except what was written in the notebook.
“When I was little, I used to get hungry sometimes.”
Cayce put down the feather pen he was holding.
Then he rested his chin on his clasped hands and looked at Ruilia for a long time without uttering a word.
According to what the knights who had served the Duke for years had said, this expression was frightening. They said it was the face he made when he was doggedly watching someone to discover a lie.
Feeling alone, Ruelia quietly placed the crumpled notebook and the herbs she had bought at the store on her desk.
But she accidentally met Kyle's eyes.
“I swear, it's true!”
So she seems more guilty, doesn't she?
“I didn't know you had times like this.”
“I didn't tell you...did I?”
“Your father would be proud of you. You have become someone who knows how to help those who are in more difficulty.”
Caelus delivered a sudden compliment with a deadpan expression.
As always, his tone was emotionless.
Because of this, Ruelia trusted him more.
When she was working in the Merchant Guild, the weight of his words was always different from the words of those who approached her with empty requests.
This is the man he is.
More importantly, he was not someone who fit the description of “ice.” To those close to him, he was always as warm as the sun.
“Okay, but, Ruelia.”
But there was something worrying her.
This was related to the reasons for the resignation of former assistants.
That same insight. He had a tendency to cling to something frighteningly if it interested him.
Isn't that the case now?
“Do you know which trade guild the craftsman you met today belongs to?”
Whether it was a good thing or a bad thing, he would persistently ask until he was satisfied, which inevitably made people run away.
Imagine if he applied that to a woman he loved.
At best, this may be a subtle interest, but if it goes too far, it becomes a terrifying obsession. Maybe it's lucky that he hasn't shown any interest in women yet?
Ruelia swallowed her saliva and then answered.
“I didn't ask about that.”
“Next time, make sure you know that.”
“Ah, that's right. I could have helped them in an ongoing way... Thank you for alerting me, Sir Duke!”
Ruelia watched quietly as he raised his eyebrows and untangled his clasped hands. He's really a good person.
Ruelia couldn't make up her mind.
The record you left in the past, and the current Duke. Which one is correct?
Or has she perhaps already made up her mind?
She wouldn't be so stupid as to consider her boss, whom she respects and admires, evil because of an old phrase. Judging based on what she has seen and felt over the past two years is correct.
Perhaps the future will change during this period, who knows?
“By the way, Sir Duke, is there a lady you have in mind?”
But it's better to check one last time, right?
“Why are you suddenly asking about this?”
“On my way back, I met His Highness the Crown Prince by chance. He said that His Majesty the Emperor is worried about your marriage.”
“His Majesty suddenly?”
“Yes, he said that if you don’t find a wife for the Duke by the end of this year, he will intervene himf.”
Kyle's eyes sank into a calm coldness.
It didn't look like his closed mouth would open anytime soon.
Normally, he would have immediately answered with a direct no. So why doesn't he answer immediately now?
Gradually, Ruelia began to feel anxious.
“You don't have anyone in mind as a wife... do you?”
“Well, I didn't have…”
Why the past? Ruelia felt nervous as she waited for his words.
"But when I thought about it, there seemed to be one. No, maybe it appeared today."
Ruelia's heart dropped into her chest.
today? Where did the Duke go earlier? Did he have a date where he could meet a woman?
‘He was at a meeting of the knights’ families at Count Emil’s house…’
It's over.
In the notebook she quickly reviewed on her way back, she saw the name of that family. She might be the woman the Duke might fall in love with there.
“So, should I prepare a proposal letter...?”
“…No. She doesn’t seem to be interested at all, so let’s leave it. I have no intention of moving forward now.”
Why do I feel the smell of one-sided love?
“A woman rejects the Duke... Is there such a thing in the empire? There is no need to worry at all.”
“Really? She might run away if she says no. Like all my previous assistants did except you. That would be annoying.”
Kyles said calmly.
He was an example of someone who knew himf well.
“What's wrong with you?”
"Thanks."
Kyles raised the corner of his mouth for the first time in a while. This made Ruelia's heart skip a beat.
Even now, no matter how many complimentary poems she recited, he would ignore them or pretend not to hear. He's not the type to react to praise that way.
But to feel this palpitation now...
'It seems that his feelings for that woman are really deep.'
What can she do now?