Chapter 08
As soon as I woke up in the morning, I ran out of my room.
The moment I dashed into the hallway, I ran into Ellie, who was walking toward me with a basin of water.
“Miss? Where are you going?”
“Morning walk!”
“M-Miss!”
I brushed past Ellie, who grabbed at me with a flustered face, and ran straight ahead. There was someone I absolutely had to see this early.
“Miss, you have to take your medicine before you go!”
“I’ll take it later!”
Leaving the mansion behind while listening to Ellie’s near-scream of despair, I headed straight for the wall that bordered the Feisia estate and waited there without moving.
Soon, I spotted the adorable figure of the male lead walking from afar.
“Good morning.”
I curled my lips into a grin. Kainess avoided my gaze. As if he hadn’t expected me to be waiting here, he flinched and took a step back.
“…Why are you here?”
“Because I have something to say?”
The corner of my lips, which had been smiling at him, trembled with anger.
“We have something to talk about. Right?”
As I stepped toward him threateningly, Kainess’s expression gradually hardened.
The sunlight poured down overhead, casting a shadow over me as I stood beneath the tree.
I stopped just one step away from him. Slightly taller than him, I looked down, and he lifted his head to meet my eyes.
“Why didn’t you help me?”
Kainess let out a short sigh and glanced around.
Then he grabbed my hand.
“Let’s go somewhere else first.”
“Fine. Let’s go.”
He looked like he had plenty to say as well.
With slightly dissatisfied eyes, I followed him.
The place Kainess led me to was a corner of the Feisia ducal estate.
“Where is this?”
“…That’s a strange question. As if you don’t know.”
I really don’t, though?
But the Esta in the original story would know.
As if I had said something odd, Kainess’s brows furrowed.
“It’s my personal training ground.”
No wonder it felt so empty. I thought it was strange that there was nothing but sand—turns out it was a training ground.
Compared to the Bailey family’s, it looked far too simple, so I couldn’t even imagine it was one.
If you’re a ducal house, at least make it flashy and grand!
“…I know.”
I pretended to know belatedly, but Kainess’s wrinkled expression didn’t smooth out.
Under the blazing sun, his face no longer held the innocence I’d seen when we first met.
He looked challenging. Rough. This felt like the real Kainess.
‘Our male lead is handsome even like this.’
In a very R-rated, dark-romance-male-lead kind of moment, my heart thumped shamelessly.
I averted my gaze from my slightly reddened face when Kainess suddenly asked in an aggrieved voice,
“Why did you do that, Esta?”
“What?”
“You said my strange power was a secret.”
Strange power? Does he mean magic?
It seemed Kainess didn’t realize that the power he possessed was magic—and an incredible one at that.
It hadn’t been revealed to the Empire yet, so that was natural.
Still, it’s not “strange.”
His eyelashes trembled slightly. He looked as if he had been betrayed, and that made me even more flustered.
“We even made a promise. You even took compensation. And yet you’re the one who broke it unilaterally.”
“T-the compensation for the promise…?”
“You’re pretending not to know again.”
Kainess glared at me with narrowed eyes.
My conscience pricked. I awkwardly laughed and looked away. He let out a deep sigh.
“Just because we’re engaged doesn’t mean we have to meet once every month.”
He muttered as if annoyed that he even had to explain this, running a hand roughly through his hair.
Whether from the scorching sun or from guilt toward Kainess, sweat trickled down my back.
Then the memory came flooding back.
—Let’s make a deal. I’ll keep it a secret that you have a strange power. In return, you must come see me once a month.
Esta, eyes slightly unhinged, had clung to Kainess. With a troubled expression, he had reluctantly accepted the proposal.
…That’s what we call blackmail.
So I had put conditions on him and forced him to keep his power secret—and yesterday, I nearly exposed it in front of his family?
My face went cold instantly.
“I’m sorry. Really…”
I had only thought about what was convenient for me. I hadn’t realized he was desperately hiding his magic.
Why are my memories so inconsistent?!
I bowed my head deeply. This was something I absolutely had to apologize for.
“I’m sorry. I acted like a child.”
Even with my head lowered, I could feel Kainess flinch.
He stood stiffly, just listening.
“That won’t happen again. Since I’m the one who broke the promise… let’s cancel the deal.”
After finishing my apology, I forced a small awkward smile. Kainess’s face hardened instantly.
No—he looked displeased.
‘Is my smile that irritating?’
Maybe he wasn’t over it yet. It might have been a sensitive issue for him.
As I fidgeted with my fingers out of guilt, he stared at me with dissatisfied eyes.
A long moment passed, but he said nothing. He just kept staring.
The silence made it hard to breathe.
“…I’ll go back now.”
Maybe even the sight of me annoyed him.
How was I any different from the original Esta?
Even if it was a misunderstanding, he might think I did it for attention again.
That was terrifying.
Now the one holding my lifeline was truly Kainess. I needed to be on his good side, but things had twisted strangely.
With my spirits crushed, I turned around.
“How am I supposed to believe you?”
Kainess grabbed me and asked.
“Huh?”
When I turned back, he seemed startled by the fact that he had grabbed my hand and quickly let go.
Ha. This kid.
To throw it away so abruptly that it stung.
But since I was the one at fault, I couldn’t even complain. I just gave him a bright smile.
His eyes crumpled further in displeasure.
“You might deceive me again, noona. If I don’t meet you, what if you go around exposing my secret?”
“I won’t.”
He clearly didn’t believe me.
Honestly, I wouldn’t believe me either.
After thinking for a moment, I spoke.
“Then shall we make a new deal? This time, you treat me once a month, and in return, I won’t bother you.”
“…How is that different from before?”
Now that I said it, it did sound similar.
“The difference is that it’s not blackmail anymore. I’m not forcing you. The choice is yours.”
The murderous sunlight beat down overhead. Even Kainess was frowning from the glare.
Carefully, I raised both hands to shield the sun from his face.
“It’s hot. You don’t like the sun either. If we have more to talk about, let’s go inside.”
Kainess looked up at me with suspicious eyes. His gaze lingered for a long time, making me uneasy.
“…What?”
I asked as calmly as I could. I didn’t want to get entangled with him anymore.
“What is it with you? At first, I thought it was just another whim, but it doesn’t seem like that.”
“W-what do you mean?”
“You’ve changed too much.”
…This is why sharp kids are troublesome.
His words startled me, and my eyes wavered for a moment.
“W-what are you talking about!”
I laughed loudly as if he had said something ridiculous.
“Haha! You’re saying something really funny.”
Was I overacting because it was my first time pretending?
Before I realized it, I had smacked his back with my palm.
Oh my.
Startled, I stepped back and watched his reaction carefully.
He didn’t look angry—just surprised.
Whew…
I let out a quiet breath and made an excuse.
“People change as they grow up. Don’t think too much about it.”
I even waved my hands jokingly.
Kainess still looked at me suspiciously.
How much must he have suffered because of Esta for a thirteen-year-old to have eyes like that…?
I felt guilty.
My heart stung, and I suddenly grabbed both his hands and spoke seriously.
“I don’t like you anymore. I won’t follow you around or bother you… So if you ever feel like it, come and treat me once in a while.”
I slipped in my true intention casually.
I thought he’d be happy.
I really did.
But Kainess only stared at me with an oddly unsettled expression.
“Why did you suddenly change your mind?”
He asked that only after a long silence. Was he really that curious?
“You acted like you were going to die whenever I told you not to chase me and bother me. And now you’re completely different overnight.”
“…People can be like that.”
“No. Not Esta.”
A faint line formed between his brows.
“Because you’re Esta.”
The original Esta must never have once disliked Kainess.
He was like her lifeline. She would never have tried to distance herself.
So it was only natural that he was confused.
But I’m not her.
Since I had changed, Kainess would have to accept that.
“Not anymore.”
I said firmly. His red eyes trembled slightly.
“You don’t have anything more to say, right?”
With a chillingly hardened expression, Kainess asked that—and then turned back toward the Feisia estate without another glance.
…Why is he angry?
It didn’t feel like a situation where he should be angry.
I watched him blankly before awkwardly returning to the mansion.
Dealing with a prickly thirteen-year-old was too difficult. Is this puberty?
“I’ll take that as you accepted the proposal!”
I shouted at his retreating back, but there was no reply.
It was only when Kainess came on the usual day the next month that I realized—
Ah. He accepted it.
