~Chapter 65~
“Lyssa? What are you doing here?”
When I looked up, Lyssa was standing there with an annoyed expression.
But… why do I feel guilty?
Like I’ve just been caught doing something wrong.
“Oh, so this is the Viscount Medinael.”
“…And you are?”
When Wudian greeted her, Lyssa immediately went into guard mode and demanded to know who he was.
“This is Count Montreux. His late father was my father’s mentor.”
“I see. Nice to meet you. I’m Lyssa Medinael, Amelie’s closest friend.”
Lyssa made sure to emphasize that she was my closest friend.
Her eyes were still sharp with suspicion, but Wudian didn’t seem bothered and only smiled harmlessly.
“Hello, I’m Wudian Montreux. I’ve heard a lot about Amelie from long ago.”
“From ‘long ago,’ you say?”
Even though her tone was polite, there was a hidden edge in her words.
Across the table, their gazes clashed.
Why are they suddenly fighting each other?
I couldn’t figure out what was happening. But since Wudian had just returned home after so many years, I couldn’t just ignore him either—especially since Count Garnet had asked me to take care of him.
“When we were little, we often met. Since I was closest to you, Amelie, I must have talked about you a lot. Hahaha.”
“Oh, so that’s what it was? Amelie, honestly.”
Phew—
That one line worked wonders. Lyssa’s burning glare softened immediately, and she gave me a big smile.
“But it’s strange… I’ve never once seen you two meet until now.”
The problem was that this smile was aimed only at me.
Her voice to Wudian, however, still carried a chill.
Even so, Wudian calmly smiled back at her.
“I’ve been abroad studying. This is our first chance to meet again and catch up.”
He stood his ground against Lyssa’s sharpness without faltering.
I had tried to ease the tension, but maybe I didn’t need to.
Impressed, I secretly wondered how Lyssa would respond.
“Is that so? Then may I join you?”
“Lyssa, aren’t you busy?”
“No, I have time now. That’s fine, isn’t it?”
She answered me sweetly, then turned back to Wudian with a smile that clearly wasn’t asking—it was a demand.
“…Of course.”
After a pause, Wudian answered as if he had no choice.
But I noticed—his lips smiled, yet his eyes didn’t.
This was getting interesting.
It felt like some noble duel of pride, and I couldn’t look away.
At least… that’s how it felt at first.
Ughhh—
The moment we finally left the café, I let out a groan like a zombie.
My mistake was thinking I could just sit back and enjoy watching them.
Instead, Lyssa and Wudian spent the whole time battling for control, bragging about who had better memories with me.
I had to sit in the middle, nodding along to stories I didn’t even know, until I was completely drained.
One word: exhaustion.
My energy bar = zero.
But those two? They didn’t look tired at all!
“Please return safely. As for me, I’ll be riding the carriage with Amelie—just the two of us.”
Lyssa made sure to stress that she’d be with me.
Of course, Wudian wasn’t going to back down either. His brow twitched for a second, but then he smoothed it out and smiled.
“Yes, please do. It’s a shame to part now, but since I’ll be seeing Amelie again tomorrow, I’ll let her go.”
Their sharp gazes collided again, filling the air with tension.
Why are they acting like this?!
I rubbed my forehead. If this went on, we’d end up spending the night on the street instead of going home.
“Both of you, stop it. If you keep this up, I’ll ride the carriage alone—and I’ll cancel tomorrow’s meeting too.”
That worked like magic.
At once, they backed down, each retreating unwillingly.
I got into the carriage with Lyssa, escorted by Eric.
“Eric, come sit inside too.”
“Thank you, but I’ll take the driver’s seat.”
He politely but firmly refused.
So stiff with his consideration, really.
Once the carriage started moving, Lyssa suddenly shifted seats and sat right next to me.
“What’s wrong? Is the other side uncomfortable?”
“No. I just want to sit beside you, Amelie.”
She said this as she hugged my arm.
My favorite person being clingy? I could die happy right now.
“Why did you fight with Wudian like that?”
I asked, laughing openly at the sight of her pouting face.
“Don’t call him by his name, Amelie! He said you hadn’t seen each other in ten years. That’s practically a stranger!”
She frowned adorably, sulking.
“I only did it because I was alone with him. Otherwise I’ve been calling him Count Montreux.”
After all, Wudian wanted me to treat him as if we were still close, but to me, he was basically a stranger.
“You did well! Keep it that way. Don’t call his name again, okay?”
Still holding onto my arm, Lyssa suddenly hugged me tight with a mischievous grin.
Jealous Lyssa? Priceless.
She was so cute, I couldn’t help patting her back.
‘Wait. Didn’t I also get jealous of Lyssa before…?’
The thought made me flinch.
No, no—don’t think about that!
“But why are you so wary of Count Montreux anyway?”
I quickly shifted the subject. I had almost slipped and called him by name again, but caught myself.
“Hmm… I just don’t like him. Something about him feels off.”
“Really?”
I thought back to Wudian’s words and actions today.
He had been kind, complimenting me a lot, though sometimes he said things I couldn’t quite understand.
“Yeah. Maybe it’s because he keeps smiling… I can’t read what he’s really thinking.”
“You’re right. It’s hard to see his true self.”
“Exactly. I just want to peek into his head and find out what’s there.”
“…Ah!”
Why didn’t I think of that sooner?!
Lyssa’s words made me realize what I’d forgotten—
the worry icon!
I hadn’t even thought about activating it because I was too distracted by their constant bickering.
“What is it, Amelie?”
When I gasped as if I’d been stabbed, Lyssa looked at me with wide, worried eyes.
“N-no, it’s nothing. I just really agreed with what you said.”
“Oh, I see. I thought you’d forgotten something at the café.”
Well… I did leave something behind.
My brain.
But I couldn’t admit that, so I only smiled.
It was already too late today, but luckily, I’d remembered now.
We were going to meet tomorrow anyway.
Even if I couldn’t literally read his mind, at least I could figure out what worries Wudian Montreux was hiding.
“Alright then… step by step, I’ll uncover it, Wudian Montreux.”
I narrowed my eyes as I patted Lyssa’s shoulder.
