Chapter 89
Despite hearing it with her own ears, Kirine remained silent as if she hadn’t understood a word.
“So you’re saying I’m engaged to Ares?”
“Aren’t you?”
“…”
When she asked again, unable to accept it, her colleague merely tilted their head in confusion.
The sight made Kirine’s blood boil with unbearable anger.
“Are you kidding me? Why would I ever get engaged to that bastard!”
Kirine and Ares were known throughout the Imperial Palace as archenemies. The two would fight at the slightest contact, and even when they merely caught sight of each other from afar, they would end up quarreling. People around them would often push them toward the training grounds, saying they might as well fight there properly.
And now such a bizarre rumor was spreading. It was absolutely absurd.
“You don’t actually believe it, do you?”
When Kirine cautiously asked, her colleague glanced at her nervously.
Faced with this completely unexpected reaction, Kirine shot them an urgent look.
“Well… you two have been acting rather strange lately.”
“…?”
The way they trailed off was unsettling.
“Some people don’t believe it, but there are those who do.”
“Which side are you on?”
“…”
When Kirine crossed her arms and glared at them as if daring them to answer, they avoided her gaze. Though no words came out, their silence spoke volumes.
“Hey, you…!”
Just as she raised her voice in anger, Kirine let out a shallow sigh and clutched her head.
It was shocking that people actually believed rumors of engagement between two people whose mutual animosity was known throughout the Empire.
“Well, Lord Arensis hasn’t denied it.”
“Ares knows about the rumor?”
Kirine, who had been racking her brains over how to handle this situation, suddenly looked up. Wondering what that meant, she stared at her colleague, who explained apologetically.
“That’s what they say. I mean, if the person involved isn’t denying it, of course some people are going to believe it.”
“Is he insane?”
Apparently, when asked if the rumors of engagement with Kirine were true, Ares had simply smirked instead of denying it.
Upon hearing this news, Kirine felt her neck growing stiff with tension.
“Wow, he’s completely lost it.”
Thinking she might die of high blood pressure, she jumped to her feet.
“I need to go.”
“Are you going to see Lord Arensis?”
When they cautiously asked, noting Kirine’s ominous demeanor, she nodded as if it were obvious.
“I’m going to set him straight.”
“Wait, hold on!”
Though they called out for her to wait, Kirine had already left.
Watching her retreating figure, her colleague let out a resigned sigh.
This was like adding fuel to an already blazing fire of rumors.
***
Kirine went straight to the training grounds and glanced around. But no matter how much she looked, there was no sign of Ares.
“Where’s Ares?”
She finally stopped a passing knight to ask, but they just shook their head, saying they didn’t know.
‘Where on earth is he?’
She had wanted to tell him to clearly deny it if anyone else asked about their engagement, but strangely, Ares was nowhere to be found today.
“Oh, here to see your fiancé?”
At that moment, a familiar voice came from behind. When she turned slightly, she saw a knight she was only casually acquainted with approaching her.
“Keep talking nonsense and I’ll cut out your tongue.”
“Look how harsh you are. So prickly.”
“Whatever, where’s Ares?”
“He was at the training grounds until just now. Didn’t you see him?”
“Really?”
Kirine questioned incredulously.
She had gone straight to the training grounds to find Ares, but hadn’t seen him there.
“I see.”
Kirine nodded lightly. It seemed she would have to come back another time.
But she couldn’t find him the next day, or the day after that, or even the day after that.
After almost a week of this, Kirine had to acknowledge the truth.
‘How dare he avoid me?’
Ares was deliberately avoiding her.
Meanwhile, the rumors continued to grow, evolving from claims that they had set an engagement date, to assertions that they were already engaged, and finally to speculation about their wedding date.
As a result, only Kirine was left in an awkward position.
Of course, whenever Kirine was asked about these rumors, she firmly denied them, but no one seemed to believe her denials.
‘Why won’t they believe me when I’m telling them it’s not true!’
The reason was obvious.
It was because Ares hadn’t denied it even when asked about the marriage.
“I won’t let this slide.”
Finally unable to bear it any longer, Kirine jumped up from her experiments and set out to find Ares.
She was determined to settle this once and for all today.
However, before she could find Ares, she encountered an unexpected hurdle.
“Kirine.”
“Ah…”
Upon seeing who it was, Kirine couldn’t hide her bewilderment.
This was their first meeting since she had learned about Vincent’s feelings. Somehow finding it difficult to look him in the eye, Kirine slightly averted her gaze.
“It’s been a while.”
“Yeah.”
“…”
“…”
The conversation didn’t flow naturally like it used to. Instead, it came to an abrupt halt, creating an awkward silence. She felt like she wanted to dash away from there if she could.
“Is it because of what I said that day?”
“…!”
When Vincent asked so directly, Kirine looked up in surprise, and he gave her a weak smile.
“You don’t have to worry about it too much.”
“…”
Seeing his face smiling as if he was really fine, Kirine bit her lip.
“How can I not worry? Especially when it’s you.”
Most people wouldn’t have cared either way, but this was Vincent Holly.
The only true friend who had been there during her difficult childhood. It pained and saddened her that she couldn’t reciprocate his feelings.
She wanted to reject him without causing too much hurt, but she knew better than anyone that there was no such thing as a kind rejection.
“I’m sorry.”
“…”
“I’m really sorry.”
She felt so sorry that she could barely lift her head.
Vincent, who had been quietly watching her, asked calmly.
“What are you sorry for?”
“…”
His tone carried the determination to hear a proper answer until the end.
Finally, Kirine let out a heavy sigh and answered.
“For not feeling the same way.”
“…”
“You’re truly precious to me, but not in a romantic way.”
“…”
As she finished speaking, Kirine turned her head slightly and suddenly spotted someone, her eyes widening.
It was Ares.
“Sorry, I have urgent business to attend to, I need to go.”
“Kirine.”
“I’m really sorry.”
Not knowing when she’d get another chance to catch Ares, Kirine quickly left while repeatedly apologizing to Vincent. She heard him calling her name from behind, but she didn’t look back.
“Ares!”
When she called out his name loudly, Ares slightly turned his head to look at her. Just as she felt relieved that he had noticed her, Ares suddenly started running in the opposite direction.
“Hey!”
Seeing him so blatantly avoiding her, Kirine felt her blood boiling for the first time in a while.
Before she knew it, Ares had disappeared, leaving Kirine standing alone in the garden.
“Are you deliberately avoiding me?”
“…”
“Are you seriously out of your mind?”
As soon as she realized his silence meant confirmation, Kirine roughly ran her fingers through her hair.
She had some idea why he was doing this, and it was both absurd and infuriating.
“Is this because I avoided you before? Is that why you’re doing this now?”
“…”
At his continued silence, Kirine burst into laughter like a madwoman.
“This isn’t the time for that. At least resolve these rumors about us before you start avoiding me!”
“…”
“I give up. I’ll ignore whatever rumors spread about us getting married, or being already married, or even having kids.”
Unable to contain herself any longer, Kirine turned around irritably.
At that moment, she heard a rustling sound behind her, and when she turned back, Ares had appeared.
He stood in front of Kirine shamelessly, as if he hadn’t just run away.
“Doesn’t feel good, does it? Being avoided, wondering why someone’s acting this way.”
“Hey, you…”
As Kirine stood there, too dumbfounded to speak properly, Ares flashed her a perfect smile.
“I just wanted you to feel what I felt.”
