Chapter 2.2

Upon being guided to the reception room, Cassian slowly surveyed the interior. 

‘It’s small.’

Cassian, who had never been entertained in such a shabby reception room, was speechless.

What was this messy reception room? It was smaller than he had imagined. He had felt it when he arrived at the Leilia Barony, but the fact that this small family had once rejected a marriage proposal was beyond absurd. It was preposterous.

If Ted saw this situation, he might have clutched his stomach and burst into laughter. 

Cassian’s glamorous appearance and the rustic baron’s manor simply didn’t match at all.

‘How long has it been since I last waited for someone?’

He was currently experiencing a series of unfamiliar experiences all at once recently, things he had never encountered in his life. Not even the Emperor made Cassian Baltinart wait.

How much time had passed? 

Cassian, who had opened his eyes at the sound of a knock, turned his head towards the door.

“I’m coming in, Your Grace.”

With a moderately toned voice, the reception room door gently opened. The flowing blonde hair visible first through the crack in the door caught Cassian’s eye. Cassian’s gaze started from the smooth ends of the blonde hair and moved up to confirm the other person’s face.

Clear lines contrasted with delicate features. Rosena Leilia, blinking her round blue eyes, stood there with a somewhat nervous expression.

It hadn’t been long since she graduated from the academy, and he remembered her looking quite young in her portrait. However, Rosena’s overall atmosphere when seen in person wasn’t exactly like that.

“I apologize for making you wait so long. My father is away, so I am receiving you in his stead.”

“Not at all, Lady Leilia. It is I who arrived so suddenly without prior notice. I should be the one apologizing.”

“Thank you for your understanding, Your Grace.”

He felt her smiling blue eyes meticulously observe Cassian.

A subtle wariness. Cassian, who had done nothing yet, suddenly wondered why Rosena was acting this way from the start.

“It seems my visit has surprised the lady greatly.”

“Yes, a little. Wouldn’t it be natural, since you arrived without prior notice?”

“…Did Baron Leilia say nothing at all?”

“…My father?”

Rosena’s beautiful brows furrowed, and her head tilted slightly as if she didn’t understand. Cassian, who was leisurely lifting his teacup to drink, paused at her reaction.

Surely not…

“I recently made a marriage proposal to you, Lady.”

“Oh! That’s right.”

Rosena covered her mouth with a surprised expression, as if she had forgotten. 

At the same time, Cassian’s eyebrows rose and twitched. He had thought she was a naive young lady who had just come of age and knew nothing of the world.

At her blatant reaction, suggesting that only he was still concerned about a past marriage proposal, Cassian almost let out a wry chuckle.

Cassian managed his contorting expression and replied.

“Yes, that’s right. Do you remember now?”

“I’m sorry for such a mistake, Your Grace. Of course, I remember hearing about the marriage proposal.”

“I’m glad to hear that.”

“Yes. And my father told me he would entrust this marriage proposal to me.”

Rosena replied firmly with an innocent expression. On the surface, she seemed naive, as if she would easily fall for a little persuasion, but strangely, everything Cassian said seemed to bounce off Rosena’s impenetrable fortress.

Like father, like daughter, it seemed.

“Baron Leilia did say so. That’s why I came to your barony. I thought it would be better to meet the lady in person and express my feelings.”

“If you had given me prior notice, it would have been easier for me to treat you, Your Grace. I didn’t expect you to come all this way.”

When he had threatened her to come directly to his estate, Rosena Leilia’s reaction was that she hadn’t expected Cassian to actually come in person. If she had known, she would have adorned herself more. 

Rosena’s attire, though well-dressed, felt a bit clumsy for a lady coming out to negotiate a marriage with a Grand Duke.

It might have been a coincidence, but Baron Leilia was also absent from the mansion.

…Is it really just a coincidence?

Cassian was convinced that this entire situation was a setup orchestrated by Orkan Leilia to empower Rosena Leilia.

Having assessed the situation, Cassian looked down at his teacup, and then smiled gently.

“I apologize for my rudeness, Lady.”

“Don’t worry about it. I assume you are busy, so visiting a mere barony without prior notice is something you can do.”

“…”

Perhaps Ted’s report that she was indeed lacking in social skills was correct.

Cassian’s eyes momentarily went blank at Rosena’s answer, which was far beyond his expectations, but he skillfully maintained his smile.

Since it was a remark that had already deducted points from his first impression, he had no other options.

“You may not believe me, but I guess I was nervous because this is my first time in such a situation. Please don’t hate me too much, Lady.”

For some unknown reason, the more Cassian conversed with Rosena Leilia, the more convinced he became that she was the bride he desired.

That’s why Cassian said such brazen words without hesitation.

Compared to what Rosena Leilia would bring him, these things were nothing.

‘Yes, her face truly is a work of art.’

If Cassian’s words and attitude at that moment had been truly sincere, Rosena might have fallen completely for him. To be honest, she might have already been half-fallen. She almost nodded as if enchanted by that face.

However, every word Cassian spoke was full of lies, so Rosena had to quickly return to reality before falling deeper. Ironically, whenever she was about to lose her sense of reason, Cassion would catch her again, creating a very peculiar situation.

“It would be even better if I could win the Lady’s heart.”

…No. Is there really a reason to hold onto reason?

Even if she disregarded everything else, if her husband’s face was that handsome every day, she felt like she could live off it for the rest of her life.

‘Anyway, I understand that the situation is urgent.’

Just looking at the current situation, Rosena could easily conclude. Cassian Baltinart was currently in a dire straits

The evidence was his sweet words and efforts to please a baron’s daughter whom he would normally not even glance at.

But who exactly was causing Cassian Baltinart such trouble?

As Rosena stared at him, Cassian ran a hand over his face. 

“Is something on my face?”

“Your handsomeness.”

“…”

Rosena spoke exactly what she was thinking. Seeing Cassian’s dumbfounded face, she quickly added.

“Ah, ahem. I apologize, Your Grace. I hadn’t thought of marriage until now, but while I was thinking about what it would be like to marry Your Grace, I inadvertently…”

“…”

“Haha… ha.”

Silence filled the air. Cassian, who had been staring at Rosena, asked calmly. Rosena couldn’t help but blurt out her answer again without any resistance.

“Am I handsome?”

“Only your face is handsome?”

“…”

“Ah…”

This was a situation where she should be acting noble, but instead, she was babbling about his handsomeness on their first meeting. No matter how urgent his situation was, rudeness was still rudeness.

Rosena wanted to dig a hole and hide immediately after her unfiltered words slipped out. Rosena’s faint voice echoed in the reception room.

Not being able to lie often brought Rosena lifelong embarrassment, just like now.

As Rosena fidgeted in the full silence, Cassian gently smiled and spoke.

“That’s a relief. At least there’s something you like.”

“Yes?”

“Is there anything else?”

Instead, Cassian asked subtly and pressed further. Anything else? Rosena nervously bit her lip. She desperately pulled her eyes away from wanting to go down to Cassian’s solid body beneath his sharp jawline.

No. If she let her eyes linger now, she might actually answer, ‘Your body too.’ She had no intention of making the same mistake as before and testing the limits of Cassian’s generosity.

“…I’ve been losing sleep lately, and I’ve been rude. I apologize, Your Grace.”

Rosena straightened her back to regain her composure. If she relaxed, she might dig her own grave again. Seeing Rosena so tensed up, Cassian chuckled softly, thinking something.

Rosena cleared her throat, deciding to fix the awkward atmosphere. 

“Actually, there’s something I wanted to ask before I discuss marriage proposal with Your Grace.”

“What is it?”

“For what reason did you propose to me?”

“I believe I stated the reason. Is that not enough?”

Of course not. Rosena answered firmly.

“No. You said you fell in love with me at first sight, but we weren’t acquainted during our academy days. And it’s been some time since graduation. It’s a bit surprising that you propose now.”

There was no plausible backstory between the two of them that would make them declare something grandiose like falling in love at first sight, nor was there any secret connection.

In short, she wanted him to reveal the honest, real reason.

Even though Cassian must have immediately grasped the intention behind Rosena’s words, he remained silent.

“To be honest, I don’t understand what Your Grace stands to gain from this marriage, and furthermore… my reputation among the young nobles during my academy days was…”

…He must have already heard about it. Yes, he must have known already?

Rosena suddenly looked up. Cassian still had an unreadable expression.

Could it be…

Foolish Rosena.

Does he need a wife with such a nickname attached to her name? Does he need a foolish wife instead of a clever one?

Meeting Rosena’s wavering eyes, Cassian smiled gently. 

“It saddens me to hear you say that when you didn’t even give me a chance to get involved.”

“…What do you mean?”

“Didn’t the lady avoid me?”

“…”

“So, how about Lady giving me a chance this time?”

Did he know she had been avoiding him? Or was he just testing? 

Cold sweat beaded on Rosena’s palms, and she tightly clutched her skirt.

“…Were you interested in me, Your Grace?”

“I’ve been saying that all along.”

His sweet and gentle voice penetrated Rosena’s ears.

A lie.

A shiver ran down Rosena’s spine. She had met many people, but Cassian was the first to lie so calmly.

Even though it was so obvious, Rosena couldn’t bring herself to refuse Cassian.

Just as Cassian had circumstances he needed to conceal, even if it meant taking on a foolish wife, Rosena also had her own circumstances.

The circumstance of needing to destroy the tracking magical tool stored in the Baltinart family.

Rosena took a deep breath and opened her mouth.

“I…”

Meanwhile, Ted was spending his time alone, left behind at the Leilia Barony.

He was used to curious glances from others, so he casually ignored them, looking around the areas of the mansion permitted to guests.

‘Hmm. I hope His Grace doesn’t reveal his true personality.’

Ted was pretending to be calm, but inside he was dizzy.

Of course, if it were the position of the Grand Duchess of the Baltinart family, families would be lining up to send their daughters, even if it meant breaking off engagements…

‘The atmosphere inside the mansion is quite nice.’

Since the overall mood of the mansion changes depending on the temperament of the lady who enters the household, Ted was doing his job carefully.

Rosena Leilia, having been born and raised in such a household, surely wasn’t a bad person by nature. This was because the servants’ expressions were all bright and seemingly free of worries.

‘I don’t understand why such a report came in.’

According to the reports from those who had been secretly stationed in the barony in advance, Rosena Leilia’s reputation was close to terrible.

If the report were true, the temperament of the young lady they served would be malicious, yet the servants’ complexions couldn’t be so free of worry.

Ted suddenly felt curious.

“Excuse me. I have a question, if I may?”

“Yes?”

He called out to a maid, and a short-haired maid who had been pretending to clean in the corner awkwardly turned around.

Ted habitually put on his charming smile. The short-haired maid’s tense facial muscles relaxed.

“What does Lady Leilia usually do in the mansion?”

“…Why are you suddenly asking about the young lady?”

“Is it a difficult question to answer?”

“No, not necessarily.”

The short-haired maid looked at Ted suspiciously, then answered. Given how smoothly the words came out, it didn’t seem like she was lying.

“Lady Rosena usually spends her time in the library. She doesn’t go out much. …Other than that, she sometimes helps the baron with his work.”

“The Baron’s work?”

“As you know, our Leilia family doesn’t have a baroness. Lady Rosena is taking on that role instead.”

This was an answer Ted hadn’t expected. Ted’s green eyes widened in surprise.

And “our” Leilia family? Even for a prestigious family, it was rare to see a servant refer to it that way.

Since he had already asked, Ted decided to inquire about his remaining doubts.

“I see. Thank you for telling me. But why does Lady Leilia refrain from going out?”

“Ah, that’s…”

The short-haired maid looked troubled. No matter how much he was a guest from the Baltinart family, his deep curiosity about the young lady she served seemed to have crossed into private matters, making her uncomfortable.

Ted nodded, indicating it was fine. After all, his primary curiosity was the first question he had asked.

Then, for some reason, the short-haired maid seemed to misunderstand and began to praise Rosena.

“No. Our lady is actually very clever. She learned to read faster than others and quickly understood difficult books.”

“I see.”

Ted smiled gently and thought, ‘That’s highly unlikely.’ Such cleverness could be displayed by anyone when they were young. It seemed this maid didn’t know what nickname Rosena Leilia had during her academy days.

It was a bit strange. Baron Leilia had allowed the malicious rumors about Rosena Leilia circulating in the barony to remain, yet he had suppressed rumors about the academy?

“The teachers invited to the barony also praised the lady. They said she would learn one thing and understand two or three more.”

The short-haired maid continued, sounding upset.

“Perhaps she didn’t get along well with her peers because their intellectual levels didn’t match!”

“…I see.”

“Sh-she’s a little overly honest, but she’s not a bad person. She’s a very transparent person.”

Ted paused. Did people usually use the word ‘transparent’ when praising someone?

“They say she’s a little lacking in social skills.”

It was a word that subtly pierced through the report’s content.

Ted furrowed his brows at the elusive, ticklish, and peculiar sensation.

One thing was certain, the Rosena Leilia described by the employee and the Rosena Leilia investigated by the Baltinart family hardly matched at all.

Ted turned his head towards the reception room where the two of them would be.

‘Well, it’s a bit strange, but they’ll figure it out.’

The master he served was not an easy person.

Cassian, who had been dealing with Rosena until now, couldn’t possibly be unaware of what Ted had discovered.

But now that he knows this much, why not find out a little more? 

Ted secretly whispered to the maid, who was belatedly becoming wary of him. Getting a single ordinary maid to open her mouth was no big deal.

“Could you tell me a little more about the lady? After all, she might soon be someone I serve, so I’m interested. I’ll need to earn some points in advance.”

“Oh my, is that true?”

“If Lady Leilia permits, that is.” 

Ted smiled gently.

* * *

“I…”

Cassian lowered his crimson eyes to Rosena’s lips, which were opening with a determined expression. He couldn’t tell why she was hesitating to speak, but he knew she had made some kind of decision.

‘She looks like she’d rather die than say it.’

To be honest, Rosena Leilia was an intriguing woman. She looked as if this situation was killing her, yet she didn’t utter a word of refusal.

Her restless eyes, busily moving as she struggled to recall what to say, were like… a flying squirrel he had accidentally encountered in a tree hollow while hunting in the forest long ago.

‘She’s like a flying squirrel.’

Her harmless eyes, similar to those he’d seen that day. Perhaps that’s why Cassian felt a sense of comfort he hadn’t experienced in a long time.

One remaining question was why she hesitated to speak so much, despite being thoroughly in the superior position within the situation orchestrated by Baron Leilia.

Of course, from Cassian’s perspective, it was a good thing. But he felt his patience would run out first if he waited any longer. Cassian called Rosena in a gentle voice.

“Lady?”

Rosena opened her mouth, seemingly having made up her mind.

“…If Your Grace were to marry me, what would you promise me?”

“Is there something specific you desire?”

“Becoming the Grand Duchess would be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity… but I desire something else more than that.”

Just as he thought. No matter how innocent she seemed, nobles were nobles. It was their characteristic to reveal their greed by seizing such opportunities.

Not satisfied with just sitting in the position of Grand Duchess Baltinart, what she wanted to hold and wield was obvious even without hearing it from her mouth, but Cassian asked curiously.

“What is it?”

“…Heirloom?”

“…”

“…Is that too much to ask?”

“…Do you know what the Grand Ducal family’s heirloom is when you speak?”

Rosena looked blank, and Cassian laughed wryly, rubbing his forehead.

Having mustered her courage to speak after much deliberation, Rosena felt awkward watching Cassian laugh helplessly.

She didn’t know what the Baltinart family’s heirloom was to elicit such a reaction, but she could tell Cassian found the situation amusing, at least.

But it wasn’t as if she could say what she wanted was a ‘tracking magical tool,’ was it?

Cassian stopped laughing and said.

“I’m pleased that you desire my family’s heirloom.”

“Huh?”

Furthermore, he was pleased, not angry. 

Why was he like this?

As she blinked in confusion, a thunderous statement flowed from Cassian’s lips.

“I didn’t know the lady wished to possess me.”

“…”

“If that’s the case, I shall gladly offer myself.”

“…”

“Then may I take it that you accept my proposal?”

What did that man just say?

Completely caught in Cassian’s words, Rosena froze, not even realizing that the marriage had been agreed upon.