16.
Rohwinas frowned, clearly displeased with my words, and stepped closer.
“What business do you have here?”
His voice wasn’t just cold—it carried hostility.
I delayed answering and smiled.
Why should I tell you?
His attendant looked like he wanted to move far away from us but didn’t even have the courage to flinch. He just stayed frozen in place.
Ignoring him, Rohwinas took another step toward me.
It had been such a long time since we stared at each other from such a close distance.
In the dim light, I could see his face clearly.
Long eyelashes framed his jewel-like green eyes, shining faintly.
His golden hair, soft and neat, brushed the nape of his neck—elegant and refined, the very image of a noble.
But anyone who truly knew him would never be fooled by that doll-like beauty.
He was proud and detached.
Having grown up without ever lacking a single thing, his kindness and warmth were always calculated, given only when it benefited him.
He had never formed real attachment to anyone or anything. That’s why keeping a cold, rational distance was easy for him.
So when such a man told me he loved me, clung to me—I should have known something was wrong.
I suddenly noticed that his face had grown thinner since I last saw him.
The sharpness of his aura came partly from that.
His eyes were sharp enough that anyone might believe he had beaten someone half to death just the night before.
“Baroness.”
He pressed me, his voice sharp.
I smirked crookedly.
“And why exactly should I answer you?”
“Don’t you understand? I am giving you the chance to explain yourself.”
“…Explain?”
I gave a short laugh. Rohwinas’s eyes stayed fixed on my cheek, but he didn’t stop his needling tone.
“Did I not warn you already? I will not tolerate any attempt to approach me.”
His words treated me as though I were the aggressor. I clenched my teeth.
But truthfully… he wasn’t wrong.
Publicly, I was the woman who had forced a potion on him against his will.
“And what grounds do you have to claim that I am trying to approach you?”
“That is why I’m asking you to explain. Just explain, and it ends there.”
His words made me want to punch him.
I glared at him, but he only frowned deeper.
So it’s fine if you stare at me as much as you want, but if I look at you, it’s a crime?
I looked away and sighed.
“I came to see Margaret.”
“State clearly what your business is with her—right here, right now.”
That almost made me laugh.
I suddenly grew irritated and snapped back.
“Do you seriously think that after four years I would still have personal feelings for you?”
“…”
“Even a stray dog on the street would laugh at that.”
Wasn’t this self-obsession a bit much?
When his silence dragged on, I glanced at the entrance.
Honestly, I wanted to leave.
This conversation was useless, unpleasant, and gave me nothing.
All I wanted was to get out, find the nearest pub, and drink the strongest thing until I was pleasantly drunk.
“Then… am I wrong?”
I turned my gaze back to him.
His eyes were still fixed sharply on me, scanning every inch of me as if searching for proof. His stare was almost obsessive.
Ah… does he really hate that I once loved him that much?
Does he pray that not a single trace of feeling remains?
That even the tiniest leftover emotion would disturb him, rob him of sleep?
I didn’t care anymore.
But still, the thought stirred something faint inside me—like a wind blowing through an empty heart.
“I don’t like people who don’t like me.”
I said it plainly, almost like a final line.
It wasn’t even a lie.
“I understand why you’re upset to see me. But don’t think I’m any happier about this encounter.
Your eyes can tell. My face doesn’t exactly look thrilled either, does it?”
That’s when Rohwinas suddenly cut me off.
“Is it so difficult for you to find some decent man and start a family?”
His cold tone cracked, giving way to open mockery.
“What… did you just say?”
At first, I thought I had misheard him.
But then I saw his face. His words were sharp and full of spite, aimed only to hurt me.
And I was left speechless.
For the past four years, we had avoided each other completely.
We never sought each other out. We simply stayed away.
I couldn’t attend noble gatherings anyway, so it wasn’t hard to avoid him.
If we ever happened to see each other from afar, we both turned our heads and walked away.
I thought that was our silent agreement.
That it was the best way to prevent hurting each other further.
And I believed he thought so too.
Because at the very least, he had left me with a shred of dignity.
Whatever he truly thought of me, however he saw me—at least he had been the man I once loved.
But now, here he was, throwing away even that last bit of decency.
“Have you never considered that your circumstances make you unfit to fool around with men?
So stop this nonsense and find someone within your level. Marry him.”
“…”
He said coldly,
“Then I will believe you.”
Believe me?
Ah.
That I don’t love you anymore?
Fine.
I didn’t flare up. I just stood there, silently staring at him.
And his face stiffened, as if he suddenly regretted his own words.
But he didn’t take them back.
“…Very well. I will take your advice to heart.”
“…”
I had no words left.
All I wanted was to cut him out of my life completely.
“May I leave now?”
“…”
I gave a polite nod to the old man who had been watching everything with interest, then walked out of the tent.
Only later did I wonder—why had Rohwinas come all the way to a shabby tent in the slums?
But I quickly pushed the thought away.
And I forgot about it soon after.
“How could you forget something like this?!”
“No, I didn’t forget exactly…”
“The appointment is next week! And now you want to reject it?”
I rolled my eyes, cornered by Julie’s scolding.
It was true—I’d rushed to shove the potion at the duke last time and completely neglected the official appointment letter.
But honestly, I had never once intended to accept it.
I could admit that I would now inevitably be tangled with those three men one way or another. But becoming the duke’s aide? Impossible.
Who knew what would happen once I eventually took the antidote?
“Well, I’ve been… busy lately…”
“Busy enough to toss an appointment letter with the Emperor’s seal in your study and run off? Busy with what, exactly? Tell me.”
After vanishing for several days, I’d already been dragged over the coals by Julie the moment I returned home.
I had no desire to hear the same nagging again from the very beginning.
So I quickly changed the subject.
“Anyway—where’s Zaka? Why don’t I see him?”
“Is that what you’re worried about right now? What about the duke? Don’t you care what he’ll say? He might even punish you if you refuse!”
Julie huffed, trailing beside me down the corridor. Still, she pointed out the window with her finger.
“He’s probably in the garden.”
“Really?”
“I don’t know. I haven’t seen him since then. He’s likely still there.”
Her tone was careless.
Taking advantage of her distraction, I opened the window and leapt out.
“Lady Asha!”
Julie leaned out, calling after me. I just waved and headed for the garden.
The day was bright, the breeze light.
As I stepped into the garden, flowers and trees filled my view wherever I looked.
I enjoyed them purely, for once.
Wildflowers lined the paths in cheerful colors, lively yet not overwhelming.
The strong fragrance of blossoms was almost dizzying. Then, tall trees and obelisks appeared, their vines not yet in bloom.
It was clearly Zaka’s work—meticulous and orderly, despite his sharp temper.
The earthy scent of grass was refreshing.
Sunlight filtered gently through the leaves.
Deeper in, I finally spotted someone sitting before a pond.
The water glittered as though dusted with gold, but what caught me was his pale sky-blue hair swaying in the breeze.
Zaka’s hair was always a little messy—sometimes tangled, sometimes unruly.
But somehow, it suited him perfectly.
When his long bangs shifted and sunlight caught his gray eyes, there was a sense of free-spirited ease.
I liked that about him.
Slowly, I walked toward him.
Surely he must have heard my footsteps, but Zaka didn’t turn around.
Closer now, I saw him leaning against a tree by the pond, arms crossed.
His eyes were closed. Sleeping? Hard to tell.
“Zaka?”
I stepped carefully through the grass until I stood right beside him.
