Chapter 05
Iblea never dreamed she would see this man here.
“……I didn’t realize you were here. My apologies.”
“It is fine.”
At Iblea’s apology, Calypso replied curtly. Behind him, Duke Kalin was seen biting his lip tightly as he looked at her.
‘Just you wait until Duke Aedes leaves.’
It felt as if Duke Kalin’s fierce voice could be heard. Iblea flinched inwardly, but she did not show it outwardly—she was not foolish enough to betray her feelings.
“Your Grace the Duke. Thank you for your generous understanding. Please continue your discussion.”
Iblea calmly stepped back and carefully exited the room.
Clack—
As soon as the door closed, Iblea broke into a desperate sprint as if her life depended on it.
From her father’s expression earlier, once Calypso Aedes returned home, she was as good as dead. So she needed to hide somewhere other than her room—and avoid her father’s sight for a while.
Even as she ran, she felt wronged.
Did I know Calypso Aedes was here?! What?!
If she had known such a high-ranking figure was visiting, she would have been far more alert!
“Ah… where should I hide?”
The underground prison?
“It’s empty right now, but it’s still a prison… creepy. No.”
Dia’s quarters?
“If I asked him to hide me, he’d just go ‘Princess, trust me!’ and immediately report me to Father. Nope.”
Guest room?
“Too many maids coming and going. I’d be caught instantly.”
Garden?
“It’s full of bugs. I hate it.”
Iblea kept thinking of places—Francis’s room, Damon’s room—but shook her head each time.
Every possible hiding place ended the same way: her father would eventually storm in with a terrifying expression and find her.
In other words, there was nowhere in the entire ducal estate where she could escape her father’s grasp.
There’s no place in this huge estate to hide?!
She stopped in frustration.
Running was pointless—there was nowhere to go.
Her earlier frantic pace slowed into aimless steps. Her legs felt drained, as if hope itself had vanished.
Maybe I should just leave the estate…
But she immediately shook her head.
That was impossible without Duke Kalin’s permission. That would be like walking straight into a tiger’s mouth.
Forget hiding. I should just stay in my room and not waste energy.
Just as she turned around, she finally took in her surroundings.
“Wait… where am I?”
She looked around.
“I just ran wherever I could…”
The estate was vast, and she had not walked around in five years. It felt familiar yet unfamiliar.
Then she realized where she was.
This was near the carriage storage area where guests visiting the duchy left their vehicles. If she turned the corner ahead, there was an open space where knights rested or smoked—a sort of private hangout for them.
How did I end up here…
She briefly considered hiding there, but quickly dismissed it.
The knights would be startled to see her and gossip would spread immediately.
‘The princess was hiding there?’ ‘Why was she there?’ ‘Where do we smoke now?’
And eventually, rumors would reach her father.
Then she would truly be dead.
So she should avoid places that could cause gossip.
She stared longingly at the corner.
“You’ll be heading to the temple after this, right?”
“Probably. He was supposed to go to the temple but stopped here briefly.”
“But why did His Grace suddenly stop here?”
“How would I know? He said to stop, so we stopped.”
Hiss—
Smoke drifted from around the corner.
Ah. Those must be Aedes Duke’s people.
From the conversation, they were likely knights of the ducal house.
Still, she was essentially eavesdropping in her own home.
“Maybe he came to see Lady Kalin? They say she’s unbelievably beautiful.”
“Oh! Right! She just woke up recently!”
“She was already gorgeous five years ago… how beautiful must she be now?”
“They say Duke Kalin rushed here under the excuse of talking business, but he probably came to see her. Even His Grace is a man.”
“Come on, not him.”
“That Duke? Impossible.”
Iblea shook her head slightly.
They really don’t know anything.
Even if most men were like that, the male lead was different.
Calypso Aedes only ever looked at Paisley.
That was how romance novels worked—the male lead never glanced at other women.
“Hey, even if others might, the Duke definitely isn’t like that.”
“Yeah, true. That Duke? No way.”
Good. At least they understood that much.
Iblea was about to leave when she suddenly stopped.
…Wait.
Her eyes turned back to the corner.
A new idea formed in her mind.
A way to avoid her father’s punishment.
She quickly fixed her messy hair and straightened her clothes.
Then she hummed lightly and walked toward the corner, making her presence noticeable.
She stopped right at the edge, then lightly jumped and peeked around.
“Sir Arthur! Are you here? I was going to the temple—”
She cut herself off mid-sentence.
Inside were four unfamiliar knights holding cigarettes.
They froze instantly.
“Hmm? These aren’t our knights?”
She smiled sweetly, pretending she hadn’t known.
The knights were stunned by her beauty.
One of them even dropped ash onto his hand.
“Aah! It’s hot!”
“Oh my! Are you alright, sir?”
Iblea quickly approached him and handed over a handkerchief.
“Please use this.”
Up close, her beauty was even more overwhelming.
The knight didn’t even feel the pain—his mind was blank.
An angel is talking to me… she gave me a handkerchief…
“Here you go.”
He finally snapped out of it and took it.
“T-thank you.”
“By the way, who are you…?”
“We are knights of Duke Aedes. We are waiting here while His Grace meets Duke Kalin.”
“I see. Your uniforms make sense now. I’m Iblea Kalin—the daughter of this house.”
Then she made a slightly teary expression.
“Have you seen our knights? They were supposed to be here, but I can’t find them…”
She looked up with golden eyes.
“I need to go to the temple…”
The result was predictable.
The knights immediately competed to help her.
Dia… what did I tell you?
Iblea smiled faintly as they eagerly offered assistance.
A beautiful woman always had a third option.
Meanwhile—
“It seems our discussion is complete. I’ll take my leave.”
Calypso stood.
“I’ll escort you out.”
“There’s no need.”
“That won’t do. You are the Duke, after all. I cannot appear rude. Please.”
Duke Kalin led the way, and Calypso followed without further objection.
Their footsteps echoed through the hallway.
This meeting had not been originally scheduled. It had simply been delayed until today—by Calypso.
He had postponed it due to the worsening condition of his only nephew, Adrian.
Rumors about the child were cruel:
He is cursed.
The curse spreads.
He smells unpleasant because of it.
Those harsh words had been attached to a nine-year-old child.
“A curse…”
Calypso silently repeated the word, like a sigh.
