~Chapter 10~
I barely held back my strong curiosity about his past and tried to comfort Linus.
“So what if you don’t remember? Right now, you’re living as Duke Pictian, aren’t you? Just focus on living well from now on.”
He’d lost his past, and I had to hide mine—but either way, we just had to live in the present.
I gently patted the back of Linus’s clenched hand.
After a long moment of staring into my eyes, he asked,
“Why are you being so kind to me?”
The obvious answer was: “Because you make me want to.”
But I couldn’t say that, so I gave another answer.
“Because… we’re friends.”
“Were Airevet and I friends?”
Linus stared at me with his gem-like eyes.
Wait, weren’t we already friends? Or did I never say that?
I remembered that I had kind of taken him as my walking buddy unilaterally.
Still, we went on walks, he promised to keep my secret, and I comforted him… Isn’t that enough to call someone a friend?
Even our fathers were friends—so why not continue that?
Am I really about to feel hurt over this?
“Don’t you want to be friends with me?” I asked.
“Yes.”
I asked straightforwardly, thinking he wouldn’t say no, but he flat-out did.
Ouch.
That stung.
Then why did he smile at me so sweetly before?
Feeling a mix of frustration and embarrassment, I asked sharply,
“Why? Do you dislike me?”
“Of course not. I like you.”
Linus smiled brighter than the blooming spring flowers as he answered.
I blinked, surprised by his unexpected reply, and his smile grew even more radiant.
Oh, look at him…
I like him, but he doesn’t want to be friends.
Ha… I’m doomed.
Have I stolen the heart of a mysterious, amnesia-stricken handsome duke?
My dad said not to get close, so what am I supposed to do?
I couldn’t stop grinning, even though I was in big trouble.
***
I couldn’t respond to Linus’s confession.
I liked his sweet, flowing expressions a lot, but thinking about what comes next made my position complicated.
Falling in love as an impurity of the world—my cat would laugh at me.
I worried he might ask to date me, but he must have read my mind, because he said nothing else.
After that, we just had some trivial chatter and parted ways.
He hadn’t contacted me since.
Considering my father, it was probably good I didn’t see him often—but after three days of seeing his sweet face, not seeing him felt disappointing.
Today, I’d probably meet him.
If he was the Duke Pictian, he wouldn’t have been uninvited.
Thinking I needed to talk to him, I entered the royal banquet hall.
Today was the day the male protagonist, Haid, and female protagonist, Larienne, of this world would announce their engagement.
The story of Secret Meetings in the Butterfly Garden was officially starting.
To see it live, not just read about it—it made my heart race.
I headed inside with my father, muttering,
“Please, let nothing happen today…”
Remembering the nightmare of the gate from a week ago, my father asked,
“What did you say?”
“Oh, nothing.”
“If you’re not feeling well, don’t hold it in. Speak up.”
“I’m fine, Father. Really.”
“If it’s hard, go ahead inside first. Understood?”
“Yes. Don’t worry.”
I smiled, and the wrinkles on my father’s forehead relaxed.
It seemed Ruby and my father still couldn’t fully believe I was healthy.
Maybe I need to swing a sword in front of him to reassure him.
After leaving me with a mix of casual yet caring advice, my father went to mingle with pro-emperor nobles.
I looked for familiar young ladies in the hall.
Far away, Rene and Christine were gathered together.
As I approached, I spotted Linus.
At first, I thought he was a statue by the wall—but no, it was him.
In a hall filled with nobles chatting in groups, he was completely alone.
I wondered why someone so striking didn’t appear in the novel—maybe because he was left out as an “outsider”?
Still, he was a duke—why didn’t a single person talk to him?
I changed direction and approached Linus, who was standing by himself.
“Linus, we meet again.”
As I spoke, a floral smile bloomed on his previously expressionless face.
“You’re the only one in Arendel who welcomes me, Airevet.”
He smiled brightly and held out his hand, and I naturally placed mine on top.
I thought we were about to shake hands, but Linus bowed and kissed the back of my hand.
“I heard this is how a lady is greeted.”
He raised his head proudly.
It seemed he had gotten a crash course in Diorneta Empire noble etiquette over the past few days.
The problem, of course, was that I—the lady—had no idea how this etiquette worked.
A hand-kiss out of nowhere… I was so surprised.
In my past life as an ordinary dungeon slave, the only time anything had touched my hand like that was from a beast.
Not that it kissed my hand—it basically hit my fist with its mouth.
Either way, I froze, forgetting what to say.
Seeing me awkward, Linus smiled awkwardly too and let go of my hand.
Then, he looked around and said with a lonely expression,
“I probably shouldn’t have done that.”
I turned to look—every noble nearby had been watching us.
To be precise, they were all staring in shock at the young lady who had awakened after ten years, greeting a mysterious social climber whose past was unclear.
I started to get frustrated.
Linus isn’t a beast—why is everyone gossiping so much just because we did a hand-kiss?
I tried to lead him out of the hall, but Rene and Christine spotted me and urgently called out.
“Lady Airevet! There you are! We’ve been looking for you!”
“Me? Looking for me?”
“We needed to talk to you. Come talk to us for a moment.”
“What? No, wait… I was with him—”
I tried to say I was talking to Linus, but Rene and Christine grabbed my arms from both sides.
Before I could say anything, they started moving me away.
As I was dragged, I glanced at Linus.
“See you later in the Butterfly Garden,” I mouthed, quietly.
I hoped he understood.
Rene and Christine set me down and whispered like it was a secret,
“Lady Airebet, don’t get close to him.”
They weren’t even malicious—just genuinely worried about me.
I was shocked.
They were my only old friends who had visited me when I woke up.
I had wanted to be close to them, but if they were going to ostracize an innocent person, I’d have to rethink it.
I pulled my arm free from Rene’s and asked firmly,
“Why? Did Duke Pictian do something wrong?”
“Oh, Lady Airevet… you knew he was Duke Pictian?”
“Yes. I also know about the rumors concerning him.”
They probably assumed I didn’t know and had just greeted him.
I ignored those ridiculous rumors, and they looked flustered.
Rene leaned toward me, whispering in a tiny voice,
“You even know the rumor that he killed someone?”
“Linus… killed someone?”
I couldn’t help but ask loudly, surprised.
Just as Christine opened her mouth to answer, a servant loudly announced the arrival of the emperor and crown prince.
