Chapter 20
After talking about training for a while, Jenuer suddenly gave an unexpected piece of advice.
“The opera that’s been popular in the capital recently has just opened.”
“And…?”
“I just wanted to say that I managed to get tickets with great difficulty.”
Jenuer teased Kainess by shaking the tickets in front of him as if to show off.
“Enjoy the show.”
Kainess replied stiffly, as if it had nothing to do with him, and spun around.
“Hey!”
It was Jenuer who was caught off guard.
He quickly grabbed Kainess, placing the tickets in his hand.
“Go watch it with Esta.”
“Why would I go with Esta?”
“Do you think I wouldn’t notice? You were totally distracted during training recently.”
“And what does that have to do with these tickets?”
Kainess’s eyes flicked to the tickets and then away again. His indifferent expression remained unchanged.
“You like Esta, don’t you?”
“No.”
The denial came so quickly that it left no room for argument. Jenuer tilted his head in confusion.
“Well, you at least know what it means to like someone, right?”
Considering Kainess had never once admitted to liking anything, it seemed a reasonable hypothesis.
But Kainess’s eyes turned cold at Jenuer’s words.
“Do you think I’m an idiot?”
“Then… think about it carefully. Place your hand over your heart.”
Jenuer placed Kainess’s hand over his chest and asked,
“When you think of Esta, doesn’t your heart feel… ticklish?”
Ticklish? He had never felt that.
“No.”
“Or did you ever want to see her?”
He had never felt that either. He was only curious why she hadn’t come to see him. The first time he had genuinely wondered was when her treatment had ended.
“Not even that.”
“Did you ever feel deeply thankful for something Esta did?”
“….”
For the first time, Kainess was momentarily at a loss for words. The day Esta had given him cookies…
To be honest, he had really been thankful.
Because it allowed him to eat something he otherwise couldn’t, in front of the most uncomfortable person imaginable.
“Don’t you feel your attitude toward Esta has changed lately?”
“A little uncomfortable, yes.”
But now it was a different kind of discomfort.
Before, he had been uneasy with Esta’s excessive attentions, but now… it was unsettling that her affection wasn’t visible.
Why?
He felt regret now that Esta, who had always liked him, suddenly seemed not to. Losing something is always painful—even if it’s Esta’s affection.
“Go watch the opera together. Then you’ll know the answer.”
Jenuer patted Kainess’s back, who was far shorter than him.
Kainess, aside from Esta, was the closest thing to a younger sibling. Mayer had been a little difficult to care for, but Kainess was different. Born to a ducal family, yet he appeared the most wounded.
A child with noble blood yet wallowing in the mud naturally drew attention.
‘Esta teased him a bit too.’
Kainess muttered quietly, clutching the tickets Jenuer had handed him.
“Thank you.”
But he never used the tickets. Esta had said she wanted a divorce, and in anger, he tore them to pieces.
The path to understanding his own feelings was gone.
He couldn’t understand why he had been so angry at the mention of divorce.
But the sense of loss was clear. Realizing he had lost Esta’s affection made him angry.
Why?
The answer to that question came only later.
His father’s beatings could be disguised as “education” because of Esta’s so-called “magic.”
It was a cursed ability.
Even if his flesh was torn or burst, it healed in less than a day. Broken bones or major wounds healed rapidly.
But the pain had to be felt fully.
The problem was that his abilities kept developing as he healed.
Once his father realized this, he forced him to endure more beatings to strengthen his abilities, repeatedly.
The cycle of being beaten and recovering became normal, almost absurd to him.
“Your abilities are truly remarkable. You remind me of myself as a child.”
Kainess realized his father had used the same cruel method to develop his own abilities.
When Esta announced she wanted a divorce, his father, who had broken his legs, whispered in a low voice:
“Make her change her mind. If you don’t want your legs broken again tomorrow.”
“…No.”
The words almost escaped his mouth but he couldn’t say them. Speaking up would mean his legs would be broken for real.
All he could do was drop his head and pretend he hadn’t heard.
“Follow me.”
Even though his legs had been broken, his father dragged him out of the room. He even prepared crutches and sent him into the garden, ready for an outing. He had noticed that today’s movements were unusually deliberate.
“Sirrrr!!!!!”
Esta’s thunderous scream made his focus briefly snap.
Could it be…?
Seeing his father’s lips curl slightly, Kainess instinctively knew:
Everything had been planned. His father would do anything to prevent the divorce.
In that moment, reality hit harder than his feelings for Esta.
No one should step into this mess.
“Estamos not getting a divorce. Then you can take responsibility, right?”
Esta’s words stirred mixed emotions in him.
The relief that she still cared, and the worry that she shouldn’t be dragged into this.
“Duke, I have something to say… I want to marry Kainess.”
Esta, who had grown up loved by her family, did not belong in this place.
By then, he already knew: he must refuse her proposal himself.
Somehow, his heart felt heavy.
“Kainess?”
“….”
He didn’t answer when called. His sharp gaze was fixed not on her, but on the candy in Eren’s hand.
Was he upset that he had been left out while they ate sweets?
His glare was more than irritation—it was full-blown anger. Alternating between looking at the candy and the cake, Kainess suddenly strode forward as if running.
Startled by Kainess’s sudden visit, Eren jumped from his seat.
“Your Grace, long time no see.”
Ah, right. Kainess was a person of high status.
Having only met him in the room before, she had momentarily forgotten that.
Following Eren, she bowed slightly to Kainess.
“Long time no see.”
She didn’t forget to give him a slight glare. A few days ago, Kainess had run out of her room and had been fleeing ever since.
He ran so quickly, like a squirrel, that chasing him was nearly impossible.
A squirrel…?
She suddenly thought of him.
Kainess, after glancing at her greeting, ignored Eren’s introduction and turned to stare at her.
He had grown enough that he could now meet her gaze directly.
The male lead’s growth speed was remarkable. His small, cute face was twisted in frustration.
“What are you doing?”
“Doing? I was drinking tea.”
She lifted her teacup.
“Not that….”
For a brief moment, Kainess’s gaze landed on Eren.
“Oh, you don’t know Eren? He’s a friend. Say hello, Eren.”
She quickly introduced Eren to Kainess.
Eren awkwardly bowed again.
“I am Eren Vegna.”
“I know.”
“….”
“….”
Why was the atmosphere like this?
Not only Kainess, but Eren now looked at him with angry eyes as well.
Caught in between, she felt awkward.
“Haha, what’s going on?”
Both of them looked as if they had met an enemy.
“Kainess, do you want to have tea together since you’re here?”
“Your Grace must be very busy. Esta, just have the tea ourselves….”
“No. I’m free today, and I want to have tea with the visiting viscount.”
“….”
She felt trapped between the two.
Kainess, who she never imagined would enjoy tea time, suddenly called a maid to prepare his seat.
“Before that, Esta, come here for a moment.”
“Huh?”
Kainess grabbed her hand and pulled her inside. It seemed urgent, so she asked Eren to understand and entered the house.
Once inside, Kainess confronted her with a menacing aura.
“Why are you giving what’s mine to someone else?”
“Mine?”
“The candy. You bought it to give to me, didn’t you?”
“I didn’t give it to you, so it’s mine.”
Her words made Kainess’s expression stiffen slightly.
“There were other candies, weren’t there?”
Was he asking why she gave the broken candy?
Suddenly, she didn’t know why she had to explain, but she spoke steadily.
“That one was from that man. How could I give something I got from a stranger to you?”
It might have had something strange in it. She didn’t want Kainess to suspect again, even though it had passed the poison test.
Still, Kainess’s expression slightly contorted.
“Then why give it to another guy?”
“Guy…? He’s a viscount.”
She quietly answered, checking if the door behind Kainess was closed so Eren couldn’t hear.
Why did he bother to interfere with their tea time?
He liked Esta, obviously.
The blush on his face when their eyes met, the fact he recognized her immediately at the crowded market, the way he kept speaking to her, even the rude request to be invited to her house—all signs of affection.
“He likes me, doesn’t he?”
Kainess replied with a deadpan face, and his own expression cracked.
