~Chapter 2~
“What are you doing? Open the door.”
“Um, well…”
“Move. I’ll just open it myself.”
The staff kept hesitating, so Aveline opened the door herself. She heard the staff gasp behind her but ignored it and walked inside.
‘Just meet him for a minute and leave. It’s not hard.’
This meeting was just a formality. She didn’t have to see Baron Bertha again until the engagement ceremony. If she was lucky, maybe the baron would refuse her. Honestly, it would hurt her pride, but she’d rather be rejected than be sold off to a stranger.
“Ugh. Smells like alcohol.”
As soon as she entered, she understood why the staff hesitated. The room stank of alcohol.
“Oh, you’re here.”
“Baron?”
Empty bottles were scattered on the table. Baron Bertha was already drunk. He staggered as he tried to stand up and saw Aveline.
“Hehe… You’re very beautiful.”
Her hope that he’d refuse her was shattered.
The baron staggered toward her like a newborn giraffe. Aveline couldn’t hide her disgust but tried to keep calm.
“Baron, you seem to have drunk a lot. Are you okay?”
“Huh? Are you ignoring me, thinking I’m not okay?”
He suddenly got angry at her question.
“I’m fine!”
‘He’s not fine.’
The baron somehow stopped right in front of her. Aveline backed up until her back hit the door. She had nowhere else to go.
“You know why we’re meeting today, right?”
Aveline cursed him in her head.
‘Yeah, I know, you ugly guy.’
She hated this situation. His ugly face was too close, and his breath smelled terrible every time he spoke.
‘Ugh, his breath stinks.’
None of the male leads in her romance novels looked like this or smelled like rotten clams. She’d never read about a drunk main character either!
She wanted to kick him right now, but she remembered her father’s words and held herself back.
‘I can’t go back and disappoint Father.’
Aveline took a deep breath and spoke calmly.
“Baron, could you please step back a little?”
“What? You want me to move back? I always have to step aside for my annoying older brother!?”
He was too drunk to talk normally. Aveline couldn’t stand his breath anymore and just said,
“No, it’s just your breath stinks.”
“Hehe. They say your brother is handsome, but you’re pretty good-looking, too.”
He ignored her comment and suddenly reached out with his wet hand and grabbed her pink hair.
‘Hold it in. Hold it in.’
She wanted to shake his hand off but remembered her father’s face and tried her best to endure it.
“Baron, you seem really drunk. Why don’t we both just go home and say we met today?”
“What if I say no?”
He licked his thick lips and smirked.
“You’re just a useless child your family is trying to get rid of! That’s why they sent you here!”
He suddenly yelled, spitting as he spoke.
“Still, I’m lucky. I get to have a much younger and prettier wife.”
The look in his eyes changed. He stared at her, his drunkenness replaced by something slimy.
“We’re going to get married anyway. Why not have a little taste now? What do you think?”
He stepped even closer. Aveline was stuck with her back to the door and tried to calm him down.
“Baron, if you step back right now, I won’t use my hands.”
“Hahaha! Your hands? You’re just a girl. What could you possibly—”
Suddenly, he clutched his lips and fell backward. Aveline had punched him right in the mouth.
“My hands are heavier than you think.”
Aveline left him groaning on the floor, covered her mouth, and ran out the door.
All her training from reading novels about female knights paid off now. She was surprised at herself as she searched for the exit.
“Miss, do you need— Oh!”
A staff member saw her messy appearance and gasped.
“What you see in there is a secret, okay?”
Even while panicking, she made sure to tell the staff to keep quiet. The staff nodded quickly and pointed to the exit.
Aveline dashed for her life, afraid the baron would come after her.
Thump, thump.
Her heart beat loudly in her chest.
“Prove your worth to me.”
Her father’s voice echoed in her head instead of her heartbeat.
‘Why can’t I even do this right?’
It was supposed to be a simple meeting. Maybe she should have waited until he sobered up.
But she was genuinely scared. It wasn’t just the smell; it was frightening being trapped against the wall by a drunk grown man.
She remembered how Ares had tried so hard to stop her.
‘Maybe I should have listened to him.’
She shouldn’t have been so excited just because her father finally gave her something to do.
As soon as she saw a carriage outside, she jumped in.
Thud.
Inside, she finally felt safe.
“Hic…”
Her tears, held back until now, began to fall.
“Waaah!”
Aveline cried loudly, just like a child. She hadn’t shown it, but she was really scared. The meeting felt like a faraway nightmare already.
“Sorry to interrupt your crying.”
A voice came from inside the carriage. Aveline wiped her tears and turned to the sound.
“This is my carriage.”
A man with black hair and blue eyes looked at her warily.
He was so handsome, it was like the creator made him just to show off.
He didn’t seem to care that Aveline was crying, but more that a stranger suddenly got into his carriage.
“You’re the daughter of Count Herald, right?”
His voice was as attractive as his looks.
‘How does he know me?’
Aveline rarely left the house and had almost no friends, but she didn’t know who this man was.
“They say the Herald twins look alike. I’ve seen your brother at the central meetings.”
Then she realized who he was.
A man so handsome you could never forget him, but also strange and mysterious. She’d heard of him before.
“…Duke Ribes?”
He was the emperor’s nephew, the leader of the noble faction, and always in the top three most handsome men in the empire along with the crown prince and Ares.
He was also known for being politely crazy.
Meanwhile, at the Herald mansion:
“Did you really send her to meet that scoundrel?”
“Watch your mouth in front of your father!”
“Why not use me to make connections instead? I’m confident I could seduce anyone with this face.”
For the first time, Count Herald frowned.
“What nonsense. You have more important things to do. Aveline has finally found something she can do. You saw it—she was happy to go out because I gave her a job.”
Ares remembered how Aveline had looked earlier.
“It’s the first time Dad expected something from me. Don’t ruin it.”
She looked nervous, but pretended to be strong as she got in the carriage.
Even if she didn’t have many skills, sending his sister—a girl of only twenty—to a man over thirty was too much. People would surely say he sold his sister for status, ruining his perfect reputation.
Thinking about this made Ares even more anxious.
At first, he came because he was worried about his sister. Now, he was also worried about his own reputation.
“No matter what you say, I’ll bring my sister back.”
“How dare you!”
“But first.”
Before leaving, Ares looked at his angry father with a calm face.
“I’ll make sure to get Duke Ribes’ documents—the ones you couldn’t steal before.”
Bang!
Ares stormed out and hurried to the stables.
“Bring my horse!”
His favorite white horse, Beauty, was quickly brought out.
“Let’s go, Beauty!”
“Neigh!”
The horse, with a name that matched its pretty owner, neighed loudly.
Ares jumped on and looked like a fairy-tale prince.
“Wait for me. Your big brother is coming.”
Ares rode off, full of confidence.
