Chapter 23
When he tried to recall it, it was something from far too long ago—and the girl’s face was one he barely remembered—but that feeling was unmistakable, still lingering in Arius’s mind.
To think he would remember even that girl he thought he had forgotten.
‘What a strange sentiment.’
Feeling like a stranger to himself, Arius let out a hollow laugh.
It was something that shouldn’t happen. It was time to draw a line.
“Lady Sephardi. Now that you understand proper etiquette, making such requests of me without a purpose or justification is—”
“Oh my, there’s a river over there! Is that the Betis River?”
Not only did she interrupt, but her face lit up with excitement. Her voice, tinged with delight, made it impossible to scold her.
“Ah, I’m sorry. I’ve only ever heard about that river, so I got a bit excited. It’s really huge! If you don’t mind, would you like to go see it together sometime?”
“Did you even hear what I just said, Lady?”
“Of course I did. You said it’s not allowed without a special purpose, didn’t you?”
Maribel’s gaze remained fixed on the scenery outside the window.
The fact that those eyes only looked outward irritated him.
‘What on earth is she thinking?’
The thought was so absurd that Arius shook his head and muttered,
“Then, are you saying there’s some special reason why you and I must see that river together?”
“This is the Lady of Sephardi showing Duke Romero the landmarks of Sephardi, isn’t it?”
Her face turned back to him—utterly shameless, as if what she said was perfectly reasonable.
The slight curl of her lips carried a mischievous spark.
A frivolous, strange woman.
Her excuse was blatant, her affection so obvious, yet somehow—for a brief moment—he thought, maybe it wouldn’t be so bad to play along.
He had enough self-control to suppress the impulse, though.
“I’m fine going alone.”
“Wouldn’t that be boring? If you had someone to explain everything in detail, you’d find it more interesting. And we could visit other places too.”
“I was under the impression that today is your first time leaving the ducal estate.”
“Oh, goodness… I suppose you’re right.”
“You’re just as unfamiliar with this land as I am. Since you can’t actually show me any landmarks, I’ll assume there’s no special purpose, then.”
“No, that’s not true!”
Maribel rose slightly from her seat, flustered.
Arius’s hand twitched—almost reaching toward her before he caught himself.
In a moving carriage, that’s dangerous.
It didn’t seem like Maribel noticed his unconscious movement.
“How can you say there’s no purpose?”
She sat back down quickly, giving a small shrug. Her silky hair rippled like water with the motion.
“Friendship. That’s my purpose. I want to be friends with you, Your Grace. That’s why I want to go out with you—just the two of us.”
“Friendship?”
“Yes. I simply want to get to know you better, that’s all.”
“Just friendship, you say.”
It was a flimsy excuse—hardly suitable for a meeting between the most prominent nobleman and noblewoman in Naparo, alone together.
Especially since she’d already confessed to love at first sight and said she liked him.
“Well, I am part of the ducal household now, so I should learn about political affairs, shouldn’t I? And the domain I’m most interested in happens to be Romero.”
“There’s Eskia, Puerto… or even Bernau. Why are you particularly interested in Romero, the farthest territory from Sephardi?”
“Well, Romero’s main business is also trade, just like Sephardi’s. I’m curious about the imports and exports that come through the Ibáñez Sea. It would be good to discuss fair tax rates, too. And I’d love to hear about Romero’s famously strong defense forces.”
The words spilled effortlessly from her red lips.
For a noble lady who didn’t even know how to properly handle a fan at a ball, such talk was startling.
‘What’s this?’
Arius narrowed his eyes slightly.
“Are you sure you’ve been confined to your room all this time?”
“Well, more or less. Since I had a lot of free time, I ended up reading quite a few books.”
“So you had a tutor, I assume—someone well-versed in commerce.”
“Not necessarily.”
Maribel merely shrugged.
I expected as much.
Even for a ducal family, education of that kind was reserved for heirs unless they were sent to an academy.
So how did she learn all this?
Maribel Sephardi was a curious, intriguing woman—and now she was pouting playfully at him.
“Once you get to know me, you’ll see I’m actually quite a decent person. I’m not too bad up here, either.”
She tapped her temple lightly with a slender finger.
That tiny motion—why was it so…
Pfft.
Arius let out a small laugh.
“Oh my, Your Grace, you laughed.”
“I did not.”
“You definitely did.”
“I did not.”
Even as he denied it, he brought a hand to his mouth.
He cleared his throat a few times, trying to look unaffected, but Maribel only tilted her head with a faint, knowing smile.
“I’m sorry then. I must have imagined it.”
Maribel Sephardi.
Arius Romero decided he would have her investigated.
This frivolous, strange, half-crazy woman who claimed to be in love with him—she was a formidable opponent.
And to deal with someone like her, he first needed to know exactly who she was.
“Please step down, my lady.”
She had been approaching him endlessly since yesterday, and yet he managed to keep dodging every attempt.
Well, it would be strange if he gave in after just a single day of persistence.
“If you take my hand, it’ll be easier to step down.”
I looked at Arius, who had stepped down first and was now extending his hand to me.
It was a flawless, gentlemanly escort gesture, his expression shifting from the relaxed smile he sometimes showed in the carriage to his usual cold, arrogant one.
“Thank you, Your Grace.”
What a suffocating culture, I thought. No dating, no romance allowed.
I clicked my tongue quietly and made up my mind.
Even if this world tried to block me at every turn, I’d keep pushing forward—every day, with everything I had, even if I got rejected over and over.
After all, my ultimate goals were to live quietly and help Gabriella with her life.
After stepping down from the carriage, I hurried after him.
“Your Grace, are you busy? I didn’t even ask about your next plans.”
Honestly, flirting wasn’t hard.
Sure, he was exactly my type—handsome enough to make my heart flutter sometimes—but it wasn’t like I was truly in love or anything.
Besides, I was planning to leave this world eventually.
Thinking of him as someone I’d have to say goodbye to soon made it easier not to feel embarrassed.
“Is there a reason you’re asking?”
“I wanted to treat you to tea, as a thank-you.”
“I don’t think I’ve done anything that deserves such thanks. I’ll have to decline.”
He drew the line so cleanly it didn’t even sting.
But if I looked completely unfazed, it might seem insincere, so I dropped my shoulders a little.
“……I have something I must do,” he said after a pause.
Perhaps my disappointed look had worked, because he added an explanation.
The reason the Grand Duke’s family, along with other nobles and members of the imperial family, had arrived in Sephardi before the upcoming Rocio Festival was simple—to relax and enjoy themselves before the main event.
And yet he claimed to have something urgent to do?
I thought for a moment, then said,
“Your Grace, are you going to see my father about today’s matter?”
“I told you I would, did I not? Each duchy’s law may hold within its own territory, but there’s still a hierarchy to those laws.”
“Um… are you really planning to go?”
“It’s precisely this kind of oppression that makes Moro crime worse in this region.”
It hadn’t even been a week since I’d found myself inside the world of that book.
I didn’t yet understand all the political dynamics, nor did I particularly like the Sephardi family—Gabriella aside.
But since I had just boasted about becoming a proud member of the Sephardi household, it could be a problem if Arius suddenly began criticizing them after being seen with me.
Besides, the reason for this region’s excessive discrimination against the Moros was obvious enough.
“There’s no need for that, Your Grace. I’ll just leave this place as soon as I can.”
