Chapter 24
“What’s wrong with me, seriously..”
She rubbed her fingers furiously—as if the lingering touch from earlier was making them ache. Then she pressed a hand to her pounding chest.
‘Heart, why are you freaking out?’
Why was her face so hot?
‘It’s not like this is anything new.’
Gabriel had always been dazzlingly handsome as a boy. That he had grown into an even more breathtaking young man was nothing surprising.
Even in the novel, pages upon pages were devoted to singing the praises of the male lead, Gabriel.
A short, helpless laugh escaped her lips.
‘First time we met, it was a mess. And now, again…’
The returning war hero nearly got trampled by a horse… because of her.
It wasn’t funny—it was almost tragic.
‘We really must be cursed.’
Still…
‘I just panicked today. Next time we meet, I’ll thank him properly.’
She shook off the tangled, confusing emotions as best she could.
And just as she stepped off her carriage, now parked in front of the estate—
‘…Huh?’
Her eyes widened at what she saw.
Another carriage had arrived ahead of hers, snorting as it came to a stop.
That wasn’t the problem.
The problem was the person stepping down from it.
Gabriel.
“D-Duke Belkius? Why are you—”
Why are you coming out of that carriage?
This made no sense.
Hadn’t she just tipped her coachman to drive like a bat out of hell? The man had flown down the road like a reincarnated taxi driver from her past life.
So how—how could he have arrived before her?
He seemed a bit startled too when their eyes met.
Then, looking oddly nervous, Gabriel tugged at the collar of his shirt.
With a pop, a button came undone.
The deep line of his chiseled chest became more visible.
And suddenly, the world tilted.
What the— Why is he… undressing?!
She averted her eyes in a panic, struck by a wave of inexplicable embarrassment.
Gabriel, for his part, looked flustered too. He muttered,
“You… left so quickly.”
“……Excuse me?”
No. No way. He couldn’t mean—
“I was going to suggest we go together, since our paths are the same.”
…That made zero sense.
How on earth would their destinations possibly be the same?
Then the horrifying realization dawned on her.
Her eyes went wide.
Why Is He Here?
Why was this man here?
Hadn’t the Imperial Army not officially returned yet?
“There’s no way the commander came back alone…”
It made no sense. A little incredulous laugh slipped out of her.
But then Gabriel looked at her and spoke slowly.
“You move quite fast, Hil.”
Her breath hitched.
‘Did Gabriel just… call me Hil?’
Thinking back—yes, even when he saved her earlier, he had called her that.
The realization sent an odd chill crawling up her back.
‘Hil’? That’s what he called me in his letters…’
A nickname. One used in private. One that made them seem close—too close.
‘He’s making it sound like we’re familiar. But we’re not. That was just… in the letters.’
But still, she couldn’t bring herself to say, “Please don’t call me that.”
It felt like swallowing something unripe and bitter.
“Duke Belkius. I hadn’t heard the Imperial Army returned—why are you here?”
…In front of my house, no less.
This time, it was Gabriel who didn’t answer.
As she took a step back, he mirrored her movement, stepping forward.
What—what is he doing? Why is he following me?
Her brows furrowed slightly.
Gabriel’s expression hardened too.
Ah. That face. Now that’s the Gabriel I remember.
This awkward sense of familiarity—it really was just in my head.
Somehow, the discomfort in her chest eased. Things made more sense again.
“Surely, you didn’t come here alone?”
“And why not?”
…Was he serious?
Say it. Say of course not. Say that you didn’t just ride off ahead of your troops like some lunatic—
“………”
“My lady?”
Her heart dropped.
No way. No way he broke protocol—ran here ahead of the army, without any ceremony, without even stopping to report—just to…
Just to see Rosé?
A silent panic flared in her chest.
I cannot have Rosé caught in a scandal. People won’t blame Gabriel for this—they’ll blame her.
They’d Blame Rosé.
My gaze sharpened instinctively.
“When exactly did you return?”
“…The room— I mean, not long ago. I didn’t rush here like a madman.”
What was he even saying?
Wait, did he just say ‘room’? Or did he start to say ‘just now’?
I shook my head. I must have misheard. There’s no way he came here before greeting the Emperor. Ha.
Surely, he’s not that unhinged.
“If you came to see Rosé, she’s not home right now. What a shame.”
I meant it kindly—for his sake.
But strangely, Gabriel’s face twisted at my words. He frowned sharply, then narrowed his eyes and muttered something.
“…I didn’t come to see Lady Roseriel—”
Whatever he was trying to say was interrupted by a sudden noise.
BANG! THUD!
“!”
Startled, I turned toward the sound—coming from the direction of our estate’s front gate, specifically the empty mansion across from the Hillington residence.
Something was being moved over there.
That place should be empty, shouldn’t it?
It was strange. A vacant house across from a noble’s central estate wasn’t unheard of, but still…
That building was originally constructed generations ago, by one of the previous heads of the Hillington family—to house the beloved in-laws of his wife.
It was a beautiful estate, but had long gone unused and had become something of a nuisance to the family.
No way Father had suddenly rented it out to someone…
Then who—?
As I stared, one of the workers moving items caught sight of us and gave a polite nod.
More precisely—he bowed to the tall man standing silently beside me.
Cold sweat slid down my back.
No way.
I turned to follow the man’s gaze and saw Gabriel’s stoic face.
His voice came next—lower than before, his tone slow and weighty.
“Is it… unpleasant to you?”
“What?”
What was he talking about now?
His brows furrowed more deeply. He looked like he wanted to retreat, like he was forcing himself to stay still.
Suddenly, I felt uneasy too.
Is he making that face because of me?
“I’ll be staying across the street for the time being.”
Right there. In that mansion.
I stared at him in disbelief.
“You’re not returning to your territory?”
“No. This location is closer to the capital.”
“That’s not the real reason, is it?”
He lied so smoothly.
Just say it—just admit you’re here to see Rosé.
I blurted it out before I could stop myself, then gasped and covered my mouth.
Too late.
Gabriel’s eyes widened, his brows shooting up.
“My lady? That… Wait. Are you saying you knew?”
What? Knew what? I just saw the movers five seconds ago!
“Is that why you’re so upset…?”
Unbelievable.
When was I upset?! You’re the one who’s been scowling this whole time!
Utterly lost, I shook my head quickly.
“No. It doesn’t concern me.”
But even to my own ears, my voice sounded cold and indifferent.
And judging by Gabriel’s face, it must’ve sounded that way to him, too—his expression turned even more frigid.
“It doesn’t concern you…?”
Between us now was enough cold air to chill a freezer.
This wasn’t how it was supposed to go.
Oddly, I felt worse now, like I’d ruined the conversation and was disappointed by it.
“…Yes.”
It was true that who stayed in that house had nothing to do with me. So why did he look at me like that?
Anyway…
I sighed deeply.
So you really do love Rosé that much, huh.
The moment I saw Gabriel, I was forced to realize it.
All of his behavior—the lack of formality in skipping an audience with the Emperor, avoiding a proper victory ceremony, and even sneaking back only to come here—it all pointed to one thing.
He would do anything for Rosé.
Ah.
Then why…
Why does his affection for my little sister—something I should be glad for—sting so much today?
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“You’re flawless again today, my lady.”
“There’s nothing left to teach you.”
“The Duke must be so proud of you.”
The tutors, even more fired up ahead of the debutante ball, praised me constantly like that.
But their words felt odd.
Proud of me?
I only did what was expected—nothing more.
My thoughts were tangled.
The debutante ball wasn’t a simple formality. It meant everything to me.
Because once it happens… I might finally learn the truth about my Blessing.
When a noble child is born, their family is informed of the general nature of their Blessing.
But the exact words are only revealed when the child either debuts in society, or inherits a title.
Just like Gabriel did.
Just thinking of my Blessing made me break into cold sweat.
A cursed Blessing.
I still couldn’t forget what that one servant whispered long ago. And since then, no one—not a single person—had told me anything about it.
Knock knock.
“Sister, are you awake?”
Right then, a soft knock came at the door, followed by Rosé’s head peeking in, her twin braids swinging gently.
If there was ever someone who made me smile just by existing, it was my little sister.
“Can’t sleep?”
“Yeah! Are you still up, too?”
“As you can see. Come in, Rosé.”
I wished I could smile more warmly, but that was still hard—my past life’s memories made bright expressions difficult.
Rosé skipped over cheerfully and jumped onto my bed, laughing like a child.
Then she clung to me.
If I ever had to leave someday… she would be heartbroken, wouldn’t she?
“We’re going to hear our Blessings soon, right? What if mine’s scary? I can’t sleep just thinking about it.”
I looked at her in surprise.
She was always so confident and cheerful—I never imagined she’d worry about something like that.
I even chuckled quietly, knowing just how absurd her fears were.
“That won’t happen.”
“Huh?”
“Rosé, your Blessing is going to be the most beautiful and warm thing in the world. Don’t worry.”
She pouted a little in that familiar way of hers whenever she wasn’t convinced.
“You can’t know that, Sister.”
“Yes, I can. You’re so sweet and lovely—there’s no way your Blessing won’t reflect that. Everyone loves you.”
“Hehe. Then what about you?”
“Hm?”
“Your Blessing has to be beautiful too. We’re twins, after all.”
She smiled shyly, her expression like a blooming flower.
She might not realize it herself, but Rosé really was a miraculous child.
“I hope so…”
“I know so! Yours will be even better than mine. You’re smarter, you try harder, and you’re way cooler than me.”
That’s not true… but her wholehearted encouragement filled me with warmth.
Just as my heart was starting to settle, Rose’s eyes widened suddenly.
“By the way, sister—I’ve been meaning to ask you something.”
“What is it?”
Rosé blinked innocently.
“Did you… see Gabriel?”
