Chapter 6
—
Even though I had already seen him earlier this morning, his beauty still hadn’t faded.
Standing with the sunset behind him, Kahen looked even more dazzling.
He slowly walked toward me.
Each step was calm yet not slow — his long legs closed the distance in only a few strides.
‘As expected of the male lead…’
Why was Kahen still here?
This place was far from the capital, so nobles rarely came — there was nothing special here.
Could it be… he came hoping to accidentally meet Bella?
But unfortunately, Bella wasn’t in the capital right now.
Maybe my curiosity showed on my face, because Kahen suddenly looked awkward.
Bella once told me, “If you want to act, you should wear a mask — your face shows everything.”
And she was right. If I could act, I’d probably be an actress by now.
My expression must have revealed my thoughts again, because Kahen looked slightly troubled.
Probably because we’d agreed to a contract relationship as business partners, but now that we were face-to-face, it felt awkward.
There were people watching nearby, so I decided to play my part.
I could at least act friendly — just like when I used to fangirl over him while reading the novel.
“Lord Cherta, what brings you here? Did you come to see me?”
“…”
Kahen said nothing.
Suddenly, embarrassment flooded me so hard I seriously considered finding a hole to crawl into.
Ten seconds felt like ten years.
Then, he covered his mouth with his palm.
Was his hand that big, or was his face just small? Half of it disappeared behind his fingers.
‘Is he… laughing at me?’
He lowered his head now, still covering his mouth — his face completely hidden by his hand and hair.
‘He’s laughing. He’s totally laughing…’
Ugh, I should’ve just left out the “our” part!
Regret hit me like a wave.
Just as I was drowning in embarrassment, Kahen lifted his head again.
My cheeks were burning.
This would haunt me for a week — total blanket-kicking material.
Kahen looked a bit flustered himself, his usual calm face stiff, but his reaction was small compared to mine.
Still, at least I wasn’t the only one embarrassed.
“T-that’s…”
He hesitated, which was unusual for him, and didn’t even look at me.
Perfect. Time to fix my blunder.
“It’s okay. Take your time. Anyway, we’re in the same boat now, aren’t we?”
‘Come on, just say you wanted to see Bella. I won’t tease you that much.’
But even after I said that kindly, Kahen still hesitated.
What was going on?
I leaned closer, worried something might’ve happened.
He flinched a little but didn’t move away.
“Are you feeling unwell? Should I call someone?”
“I got lost.”
“…Sorry, what?”
Maybe I was too young to be losing my hearing already.
Before I could ask again, he spoke firmly — fast and sharp, as if all that hesitation earlier had been an act.
“I said, I got lost.”
“….”
‘Did he just… lose his way? What is he, a puppy?’
Normally, I wouldn’t call a grown man a puppy, but this was Kahen.
In the original novel, he and Ventián had that cat-and-dog rivalry thing going on.
Come to think of it, Ventián had been acting weird today — maybe he’d seen lost Kahen wandering around.
So this was it — the day I discovered the male lead’s clumsy side.
I had to write this in my diary and keep it forever.
And when I was old, I’d hand it to my descendants and whisper, “You know what…? Kahen was terrible with directions…” before peacefully closing my eyes.
If I ever returned to my original world, I couldn’t exactly pass the diary down generations, but still — I’d definitely message the author:
“Author-nimㅋㅋㅋ Kahen being bad with directions is too muchㅋㅋㅋ”
Then I’d post on social media:
“Guys, did you know? The male lead in can’t find his wayㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ.”
The world deserved to know about his adorable flaw!
Just imagining it made me forget all about my earlier embarrassment.
But when I turned to tease him, Kahen had an unreadable poker face again.
That threw me off balance instead.
‘Okay, maybe teasing him isn’t a good idea…’
I cleared my throat. “Ahem, then shall I call a carriage for you?”
His family’s mansion in the capital was close by — close for nobles, anyway — but definitely not walking distance.
He needed a horse or a carriage.
I’d only ever ridden in carriages, so horses were… not my thing.
Bella once told me horseback riding was essential for nobles, so I’d tried it once and regretted it instantly.
With a good teacher and Bella’s encouragement, I got better over time, but horses and I never became friends.
They were huge — nothing like the photos.
The first time I mounted one, my whole body trembled.
Even at a slow walk, I was terrified of falling off.
I knew all the theory but couldn’t apply any of it.
After months of lessons, my instructor reluctantly passed me, muttering, “I’ve never seen someone tremble this much on a horse. I can’t tell if you’re riding the horse or the horse is riding you…”
So yeah — I never touched a horse again.
That’s why I suggested a carriage, but Kahen’s expression dimmed slightly.
‘His expressions are more varied than I thought…’
Still, all he did was lower his eyebrows slightly, yet somehow, I could read everything from that tiny motion.
“Unfortunately,” he said calmly, “to rent a carriage in the capital, I’d have to reveal my name. My family would be… ashamed if they knew.”
He said that with a perfectly straight face.
Knowing the Cherta family’s reputation, I didn’t insist. Instead, I offered another idea.
“Then… what about borrowing a horse?”
That seemed to cheer him up — his eyebrows lifted again.
But then he gently grabbed my arm. It wasn’t tight, just enough to stop me from moving away.
If I pulled, he’d easily let go — but something about his grip felt desperate, like a man clinging to a lifeline.
“Would you ride with me?”
“…Pardon?”
“I can’t ride a horse.”
“….”
Wait, what?
Bella definitely said horseback riding was essential for nobles.
Was she lying to me?
Or maybe I’d just remembered wrong.
Either way — what was I supposed to do with this situation?
Where was his servant, Hasin?
In the novel, Hasin was Kahen’s most loyal aide — surely he knew his master was directionally challenged.
How could he just leave him stranded like this?
No matter how handsome Kahen looked right now, I couldn’t possibly agree.
‘I have a license, but only for closets… not horses.’
It had been three years since I’d learned to ride, and three years since I’d last touched a horse.
“I’m not that good at riding either…”
“I’ll help you.”
I tried to politely decline, but he cut me off quickly.
“You just said you couldn’t ride.”
“I can still guide the horse.”
Sigh.
I couldn’t help but sigh out loud.
There was no other choice.
If I wanted to get this man safely back home…
“Fine. But renting a horse costs money, and I don’t have enough with me.”
Kahen reached into his coat and pulled out a pouch.
He didn’t even open it all the way, yet the gold coins inside gleamed so brightly they nearly blinded me.
I muttered under my breath, “Maybe we should just bribe the rental worker with that instead…”
“You joke as well, I see. But bribery is wrong.”
“…Yes, sir.”
“And since all carriages in the capital belong to the royal family, even a low-ranked noble would report such a bribe to gain favor. His Majesty already dislikes me enough as it is.”
“…Yes, sir.”
“If that’s the case, it’s better to secretly plant someone on our side instead.”
“…Yes, sir.”
Why was I getting lectured by the male lead?
And about something shady, no less!
But whatever — we were in this together anyway.
“Also,” Kahen continued, “the horse is already prepared.”
“…What?”
“You said you can’t ride—then why do you have a horse?”
“Hasin threw me a horse and told me to ‘figure it out’.”
So much for loyalty!
Leaving your noble master — who can’t even ride — alone like that? That’s cold.
“That’s… unbelievably heartless,” I muttered before realizing I’d said it aloud.
Thankfully, Kahen didn’t seem offended.
“I’ll make sure he pays for it later,” he said quietly.
I tilted my head. “Sorry, what was that?”
He smiled slightly — one corner of his mouth curling up.
“Do you have a good idea?”
I grinned wickedly. “Cut his salary.”
“A fine suggestion.”
And just like that, somewhere far away, Hasin’s paycheck began to shrink.
Goodbye, salary!
