Chapter 68
‘Oh my, what a coincidence!’
‘Since we’ve met by chance like this, why don’t we go together?’
‘What a coincidence. But this too is fate.’
‘Have you heard they say when coincidences happen three times, it’s destiny?’
‘What an incredible coincidence. We must spend the day together.’
He had heard such words enough to be sick of them.
Though some among them might have spoken truth, they were extremely few.
Therefore, he couldn’t simply blame his friend’s reaction as rude.
“Yes. That’s how it is.”
And the viscount’s daughter, still unable to look directly at Lione and with reddened cheeks, answered thus.
Though she had been desperately longing for Lione, this meeting truly was just a coincidence.
However, as they say, one sees what one wants to see.
Because he plotted countless schemes internally, his friend was convinced others would naturally do the same.
But he couldn’t very well demand she tell the truth here.
Moreover, this meeting required modifications to his plan.
To tell Lione “I helplessly fell for your fiancée at first sight, so I wish you would step aside,” he would need to at least pretend to be smitten with her now.
“Indeed. I’m grateful for such a coincidence.”
His friend said this with a smile, but the viscount’s daughter only slightly bowed her head.
Lione noticed the very subtle tension flowing between his prospective fiancée and friend but dismissed it as natural for people meeting for the first time.
To end this awkward meeting, he naturally stepped back from her and spoke.
“We’ve taken up your precious time, my lady. We’ll take our leave.”
As soon as his words ended, his friend grabbed Lione’s arm and shook his head.
“No, just a moment…”
But before his friend could begin speaking, the viscount’s daughter, who had closed her eyes tightly then opened them, burst out:
“If it wouldn’t be a bother, could I join you?”
She was so nervous about uttering the word “join” that only that part came out in a shrill voice, but she properly finished her sentence and let out a held breath.
An unexpected meeting and an unexpected proposal.
And unexpectedly, his friend readily nodded too.
“Of course.”
At this, Lione stared at the viscount’s daughter’s trembling hands.
The sudden engagement was still confusing, and the chance meeting wasn’t welcome.
However, he couldn’t ignore someone who would share his future at a place like this.
Since he had come out to buy a special gift for his prospective fiancée anyway, he could perhaps find something better by observing what caught her eye.
Eventually, Lione too nodded.
“If that’s what my lady wishes.”
Lione extended his hand to her with a kind smile, and she certainly didn’t decline.
When her hand, cold from tension, settled on his, her cheeks instantly turned bright red.
Naturally, having perfectly good eyes, his friend couldn’t have missed seeing this.
His friend didn’t take his eyes off Lione and the lady who would soon stand by his side.
One step, and then another step.
Lione and she, not noticing his friend falling behind, gradually moved away, and finally when their figures could no longer be seen mixed in with the crowd.
-Grrrind.
A violent grinding sound came through his friend’s teeth as if they would break.
“Not looking back. Not even once.”
The woman who appeared suddenly and would become his lifelong companion, securing her place by Lione’s side without any effort.
Not only interrupting their precious time alone, but completely stealing his place.
The man pretending to be a friend’s sinister obsession and desire, disguised as love, was twisting beyond even his own control.
* * *
While Lione was spending an awkward time with his prospective fiancée,
Riina was reviewing the sustainability and flexibility of potential businesses for seed money investment at the Bolshevik residence.
-Knock knock.
“Come in.”
Without taking her eyes off the documents, Riina gave permission as a long shadow fell over her.
Only then did she raise her head, and her vision was filled with Einar.
“Einar? What…”
Before she could finish speaking, Einar pulled out quite a heavy pouch from his breast.
“I have something I want to give you.”
“What is this?”
“Things I obtained while wandering around today.”
At his words, Riina narrowed her eyes and looked down at the pouch.
She had experienced Einar’s ‘wandering’ before.
“Open it.”
He pushed the pouch toward her with eyes shining like an innocent boy, and Riina didn’t bother declining.
Readily untying the string binding the pouch and looking inside, Riina soon poured out its contents.
From a delicately crafted small comb to various jewels, and even an unidentifiable piece the size of a fingernail.
“These aren’t much for a gift.”
“To say this isn’t much – the Second Prince’s sense of economics is seriously concerning.”
At Riina’s merciless words, Einar lightly waved his hand.
“No, really, it wasn’t much money at all, for everything…”
“How much… did you say you bought this for?”
It was an amount that made even Riina, who was well acquainted with his ‘luck’, ask again.
Einar shrugged and repeated the same answer, and Riina picked up the large blue diamond closest to her.
“Could this… possibly be genuine? This diamond for that amount?”
“Since the imperial appraiser confirmed it, it must be genuine.”
-Knock knock.
When with Second Prince Einar, they had indicated that even servants should minimize their coming and going, let alone visitors.
Yet there was a knock.
When Riina looked at Einar, he nodded with a grin.
“Come in.”
Soon, servants carrying various items filed in line.
After carefully setting down the items, the servants bowed and withdrew, leaving the two alone.
“You can’t mean…”
“I bought all of this together too.”
“Einar.”
As soon as Riina called him, Einar gently took her hand.
“Will you accept it even if it’s unlucky?”
Seeing him kiss her hand while smiling with crinkled eyes, Riina shook her head but didn’t refuse.
“The unlucky ones aren’t me right now but the merchants who sold you these items at that price.”
“Ah, not merchants.”
“What?”
“It was one merchant.”
“One person? At that price for all these items – they couldn’t really be called a merchant.”
At Riina’s merciless assessment, Einar couldn’t hide his chuckling as he nodded.
“Said his name was Max. He caught me saying he had quite an interesting story.”
He shrugged and shared his encounter with Max.
-Grab.
Even when his arm was suddenly grabbed, Einar didn’t particularly feel threatened.
His ‘luck’ wouldn’t let him be in danger.
Even if a dangerous situation came, it would only be temporary for the sake of something much better.
But even Einar had to frown at the words that followed.
‘Your face looks interesting.’
If he was completely mad, just dealing with him would be uncomfortable.
Perhaps sensing this reaction, the other party quickly waved his hand.
‘I’m not crazy. I’m perfectly sane!’
‘Crazy people don’t call themselves crazy.’
‘Well, that’s true too. But look here, I’m a merchant?’
He pulled out a small pouch from his pocket and readily handed it to Einar.
‘I’ll give you this in exchange for an interesting story.’
Einar’s eyebrow shot up as he held the small but heavy pouch.
‘An interesting story?’
‘Yes. For example, something about traveling back in time? My eyes have never been wrong, so tell me. You have an interesting story, don’t you?’
After hearing even the example, it was clear he was crazy, but because of that, Einar could share his story about ‘luck’ that anyone else would call crazy talk.
And indeed, perhaps because he was crazy, he just listened intently with sparkling eyes the whole time Einar spoke.
Finally, when Einar finished his story, he added with a smirk:
‘Is this worth the pouch?’
To this, the crazy man shook his head vigorously.
‘No, not at all!’
Having spoken up to there, Einar gestured toward the items in front of Riina.
“He insisted I take all those items too, saying it was too much, so I just gave him my entire pouch that I had with me.”
“There really are all sorts of people in the world.”
“Indeed. He said we should meet again, and somehow I feel like we will.”
“It wouldn’t hurt to know someone who deals in such high-quality items. Though we’ll obviously do a background check.”
While Riina, who had smoothly pulled her hand away from him, examined the items the servants had left,
Einar sank deep into the sofa and spoke casually as if commenting on clear weather.
“About Young Lord Bartorio.”
Though it was an abrupt name to bring up, since she’d had quite a few unwanted encounters recently, Riina naturally picked up his words.
“You mean Lione Bartorio?”
“Yes. That young lord, I hear he’s getting married soon.”
At Einar’s casually dropped words, Riina, who had been examining a carpet with an intriguing pattern, stopped abruptly.
