Chapter 004
In the blink of an eye, my body lost balance and leaned forward. Just as my heart was about to drop, a strong arm wrapped around my waist.
In an instant, I was standing on solid ground.
Only after I regained my balance did Den let go of my hand and waist and ask, “Were you surprised?”
“I was surprised… but I’m okay.”
It wasn’t a bad surprise; rather, it felt closer to excitement or a fluttering sensation.
Still, I looked up at Den and smiled to ensure he wouldn’t misunderstand.
“Thank you for helping me.”
Den blinked slowly as he looked down at me.
After a moment of silence, he turned his head and cleared his throat softly.
“I’ll help you back up before it gets late.”
Nodding, I took his hand. It was a proper escort.
With one hand holding his, I gripped the jacket draped over my shoulder with the other.
I felt the uneven texture of the buttons, perhaps engraved with the family crest.
Suddenly, I thought that I might be able to figure out Den’s family name now. The terrace above was lit, and there were likely scattered glass lanterns in the garden we would stroll through.
However, it was unfair for me to confirm his identity when the brooch bearing the Rowen family crest was hidden beneath his jacket.
After all, I already knew the faces of everyone I really shouldn’t be involved with.
I hadn’t met the new Duke of Raslet yet, but Den was unlikely to be that person.
In the end, instead of checking the brooch, I gripped the coat a little tighter.
Right now, I wanted to enjoy the romance of this moment, knowing nothing.
* * *
After that, we walked through the garden using a path that was less frequented to avoid encountering others.
In the light conversation we had to keep our walk from being boring, we exchanged what we liked and what we disliked, being careful not to reveal the identities we were hiding while asking each other the questions we were curious about.
Den was a year older than me, and despite the small age difference, he had a much more mature side. He was accepting of things he didn’t like, and he valued principles.
That didn’t mean he was a boring person though.
If he were, he wouldn’t have suggested jumping off the terrace in the first place.
Thinking about that made the earlier incident feel even more special.
“I can’t believe I jumped off the railing of the terrace.”
It was something I would never have dreamed of, usually too scared of Demian, Iswen, and my father.
Yet, when Den looked up at me from below the terrace and smiled, all my fear melted away like snow. Holding his hand didn’t seem like it would lead to anything bad.
There was no real reason to feel that way, but my heart was racing with such joy that those thoughts came to me.
It was a fascinating experience.
I wondered if this was what the magic in fairy tales felt like.
Instead of answering, Den turned his head to the side and looked down at me. His eyes, now clearly revealing their color, held unmistakable affection.
My heart raced at that affection. It had been a long time since someone had looked at me with such warm feelings, and I found it hard to contain my emotions.
Suddenly, I thought that Den might realize just how much I loved this moment.
But I didn’t know how to hide this feeling.
All I could do was honestly confess my emotions.
“It was really my first time experiencing something like that.”
“What was it like?”
After pondering his question for a moment, I answered.
“I felt like a bad person.”
“…….”
“Because I enjoyed it even though I broke the rules.”
If it weren’t for the fact that we shouldn’t be seen by others, I might have laughed out loud.
There were many good things besides just feelings.
The night breeze was refreshing, and the sky looked like a beautiful carpet studded with jewels.
Den’s hand, which I held, was warm, and his soft voice, filled with consideration, made my heart flutter every time I heard it, as it was still unfamiliar.
I confessed to Den, who was still looking down at me with his curved eyes.
“I guess I’m not such a polite or exemplary person.”
Den smiled faintly and replied, “I don’t like following the rules either.”
“How much do you dislike it?”
“A lot.”
It was the strongest expression of dislike Den had used so far. Until now, he had only said he didn’t particularly like certain things.
I turned to him and asked, “But you said it was important to you, didn’t you?”
“Because I have to follow them even though I dislike them,” Den added.
“If I can’t like them, I have to at least consider them important to keep them.”
It was a surprisingly exemplary answer that didn’t match his rebellious nature.
After finishing his words, Den raised the corners of his mouth again. It was a smile that revealed his wish for the atmosphere not to become awkward.
It was then that I felt a sharp sensation in my heel.
As I involuntarily paused, Den stopped walking. He narrowed his brows slightly.
“Are your feet uncomfortable?”
“Oh, it’s just that I’m wearing new shoes today….”
“I will call the servant.”
Before I could finish my sentence, I grabbed the man who was coming to a conclusion.
“No, please don’t do that.”
Den turned to me with one eyebrow raised, looking as if he were asking why.
“If you call the servant, we’ll be caught.”
If this moment were to be revealed to others, I would hear a scolding from Demian or Iswen. My father would look at me with cold eyes from a distance.
Meeting those eyes would make me tremble with anxiety, just as I always had.
But there was a reason that felt more important than all of that.
“Because right now, I’m enjoying this too much…”
My face, which had been warm the whole time, suddenly became unbearably hot.
Even without looking in a mirror, I could tell how red my face must be.
As I lowered my head in embarrassment, Den pointed to a wooden chair set up for resting in the garden.
“Then I’ll go get some medicine, so could you please sit over there for a moment?”
There was an unavoidable hint of laughter in his suggestion.
What should I do? I must have looked completely strange. Thoughts like that flooded my mind.
Even as I sat down on the chair, feeling the distance stretch longer than it actually was, I couldn’t muster the courage to lift my face.
Den was standing in front of me. I couldn’t shake the thought that he must be smiling.
Then, he spoke.
“There’s something I didn’t mention when you asked if I liked the capital.”
I instinctively looked up at his words, which piqued my curiosity.
Den wasn’t smiling. While his gaze still held kindness, his face was close to expressionless.
The change felt unfamiliar as I looked up at him. Den continued speaking calmly while looking at me.
“I don’t like the capital.”
“……”
“I have no intention of taking note of anything about the capital.”
The moment he spoke those words, which felt almost coldly calculated, a strange light flickered in the man’s eyes. It felt as if something sharply honed was glinting within them.
Before I could even grasp what it was, Den narrowed his gaze.
“Until Ella let me into the terrace.”
He gently pulled my hand, which had been resting on my knee.
A cautious touch brushed against the back of my hand, covered by thin silk gloves.
I wasn’t foolish enough to miss the fact that that kiss lay somewhere between courtesy and rational affection.
My heart raced as if it would burst.
“Thank you for helping me, even though we’ve just met.”
Den softly brought his hand near my neck. At first, I didn’t understand what he was doing, but soon I realized. He was removing a brooch.
When Den placed the jewel, engraved with his family’s emblem, into my hand, I found myself holding my breath unconsciously.
If using a pseudonym was to keep our meeting a secret, revealing his true name meant the opposite.
It signified his desire to continue the connection that had begun with this meeting.
Realizing that I wasn’t the only one who cherished this moment filled me with uncontainable joy.
The moment I gave up trying to manage the corners of my lips that kept wanting to rise, Den’s own lips curved upwards as well.
He spoke.
“My name is Sioden Raslet.”
In an instant, my blood ran cold.
At this point, there was only one person who could use the name Raslet.
The new Duke of Raslet.
“I won’t ask for your real name, milady. If you wish to meet and part as Ella and Den, then I will respect that.”
The young man whose father was murdered by my own.
As if that wasn’t enough, I was sure he had been insulted by my father once again today.
I could never forgive Rowen for this.
“However, in the future, I would be grateful if you could give me the opportunity to repay the help I received today.”
The only direct descendant of Raslet.
My body stiffened as if bitten by a venomous snake. My fingertips tingled, and my vision kept blurring.
Den, or rather Sioden, must have thought I was just surprised, as he smiled.
The expression he wore, not knowing whose daughter he was with, was so fresh that it took my breath away.
Sioden turned to me, which had frozen in place.
“I’ve talked too much. I’ll go get the medicine.”
He showed me another smile, as if to reassure me, and turned his back.
I only regained my senses once his figure was completely out of sight.
It was only after I was entirely alone that I stumbled to my feet. My mind was completely in disarray.
Raslet? The man I had just been laughing and chatting with was actually Sioden Raslet?
What should I do?
Until now, Sioden had been kind because he didn’t know my surname.
If he had known I was Rowen, he wouldn’t have come onto the terrace.
Why did it have to be Raslet? I felt a sense of injustice.
He seemed like a good person I had just met for the first time. I thought we could be friends.
But we were never meant to get close from the beginning.
I felt like tears were about to spill, but I couldn’t cry. I needed to think of some plans quickly.
First, I should leave.
Waiting for Sioden to return wouldn’t lead to anything.
Accepting his kindness without revealing my name would be deceitful, and I couldn’t bear the thought of his reaction changing completely in that moment.
Right, I should go back and think about something.
I felt sorry for Sioden, who would be confused by my sudden disappearance, but I needed time to clear my head.
I bit back the pain in my heels and took a step.
Just as I was about to head down the path we had come from,
“What are you doing here?”
Demian appeared, frowning from between the bushes.
