Chapter 5
The inside of the carriage was endlessly quiet. The steady clatter of the wheels felt almost welcome in comparison.
In that silence, Emil sat frozen, his eyes fixed on the closed window’s glass without saying a word.
“You look usable enough.”
The Duke was the first to break the silence. He removed his glasses and gently wiped the lenses with a velvet cloth.
“If you stay close to her, you’ll be useful in the future.”
“Useful….”
“You dislike it?”
“…….”
Emil, who didn’t even dare meet the Duke’s eyes, lowered his gaze further, growing dry and tense.
Does Father… like that child?
A slow unease spread through him.
He wanted to get close. But now that his father had directly ordered him to, Emil couldn’t understand his intention—and that made him anxious.
‘Should I tell her?’
She was the first person in his entire life who had reached out and taken his hand.
He had always been confined to a corner of the mansion, ignored and dismissed by everyone, but she acted as if his birth meant nothing at all and simply offered him a warm hand.
‘She said she liked me because I’m handsome… I guess I am handsome.’
She also said she liked him because he was smart. Emil had never imagined he was smarter than others his age. The same went for his appearance.
If he became more handsome… more intelligent… would she like him more?
Because of all the whispers around him, he had always believed he was something like a little demon.
No matter how much he longed for affection or warmth, all he ever received was suspicion and disdain as the villainess’s son.
The only person he could truly talk to was his father, the Duke of Calixt.
But his father was never warm—always cold, always distant—and standing in front of him felt suffocating.
‘I want to get close… but Father told me to…’
A sudden fear struck him—what if he was doing something terrible to her?
“Emil Calixt.”
“…Yes.”
The Duke looked at him as if he were nothing more than an object.
“Make Belcia Lancaster like you.”
Emil did not immediately understand what he had just heard.
“What… do you mean….”
“Make her feel favor toward you.”
“How am I supposed to….”
“Do you think it’s difficult?”
“…….”
“She already seems quite interested in you. How unusual.”
Emil couldn’t lift his head. A short laugh came from the Duke—mocking.
The image of the girl flashed through his mind.
Soft ivory-colored short hair, and deep red eyes like autumn leaves that appeared and disappeared.
‘She probably doesn’t know anything.’
About what kind of person the Duke was.
Emil slowly lifted his gaze.
He had already suspected she might have some kind of motive.
Most people avoided him, and the few who didn’t always had other intentions disguised as kindness.
She might not be different either—but…
…Even if she has another purpose toward me, does it matter?
He didn’t want to let go of the kindness directed only at him. In his cold, silent life, it felt too warm to lose.
One Week After His Tenth Birthday
Barely a week after his tenth birthday, Emil received an invitation.
It was from the Duke of Calixt’s estate.
“Father, do you not want me to go to the ducal house?”
Emil asked carefully.
His mother hesitated, but the Duke was different.
“I don’t dislike it.”
“Then?”
At that, his father looked at his mother with a “how am I supposed to explain this” expression. Emil quietly waited.
He already knew why his father was displeased.
“Because I don’t like the Duke of Calixt.”
His mother smiled teasingly, clearly enjoying his father’s troubled expression.
“He’s a suspicious man.”
Inwardly, Emil agreed.
Suspicious. It was the perfect word for the Duke of Calixt.
Even in his past life, Emil had felt uncomfortable around him.
And in this life too, the Duke had openly disliked Emil interacting with her.
Emil didn’t know why the Duke suddenly invited her now—but for the moment, it didn’t seem like a bad development.
“I’ll be back before sunset.”
Thankfully, his mother was on his side.
“Genewart, I told you before, didn’t I? That child is still being left alone.”
She always remembered her promise with Robellin.
Even during Emil’s birthday banquet, she had tried to invite him out of isolation.
“Still, I can’t simply go to the ducal estate on my own.”
His father, though worried about Emil, ultimately agreed with his mother.
“Then I’ll do this—I’ll come to pick you up at the Duke’s estate before sunset.”
“I’ll be happy if Dad comes!”
As soon as permission was given, Emil returned to his room and wrote a reply.
Just as he was sealing the letter and about to call a maid—
“Miss, I brought a snack.”
Isana entered with a tray holding a small, pretty apple pie and milk.
“Isana, I want to send a reply to this invitation.”
“Oh my, I’ll have Ilena take care of it. This is for the Duke of Calixt’s estate, right?”
“Yes. I want it delivered before lunch if possible.”
“I’ll send it right away.”
He entrusted her with the letter and took a bite of the pie. Sweet fruit filled his mouth.
As expected, sweets helped calm his nerves.
From his regression onward, he always felt like he was walking a tightrope alone—and small comforts like this felt strangely bitter and relieving at the same time.
‘Ah, right.’
Just as he was finishing the last of the pie—
I can’t go empty-handed.
He immediately went to find the head chef.
“You said it’s in two days?”
“Yes. I’ll be visiting after lunch.”
“Then we’ll prepare mainly desserts. I’ll make sure everything is perfect.”
The chef rolled up his sleeves with determination.
Day of the Visit
Two days later, on the day of the invitation, Emil boarded the carriage just after noon.
“Even if it’s not now… being Korean means I’m still Korean, I guess.”
Belcia looked proudly at the three or four picnic boxes.
She had once lived as Korean, so she should make sure people around her eat well.
Especially children who would grow big in the future.
Calixt Ducal Estate
The Duke of Calixt’s estate was overwhelming.
Her own home and the Duke of Lucretius’s estate were also luxurious, but they carried a bright, elegant atmosphere with good lighting.
The Calixt estate was the opposite.
It was solemn, oppressive, and made even smiling feel careful.
“He is inside.”
The butler opened the doors for her.
Emil was already inside, sitting on a large sofa.
“Emil, it’s been a week, hasn’t it?”
“…Yeah.”
A maid soon entered. The butler excused himself after telling them to call if anything was needed.
Now it was just the three of them, including the maid.
“Where are the things I brought?”
The maid brightened immediately.
“We’ve moved them to the kitchen. Everyone is very attentive since Lady Belcia prepared them so carefully.”
They were just desserts that only needed to be neatly plated—but apparently that required attention.
Emil looked slightly startled, as expected.
“Thank you.”
“It’s our honor. Today….”
Her gaze briefly flicked toward Emil, then away.
“I heard Lady Belcia is visiting the ducal estate, so all the servants were very excited.”
Emil stiffened slightly. He probably wasn’t used to being treated kindly like this.
“It’s not like I came because the young lord invited me.”
“Excuse me…? I thought the Duke invited you….”
“I was the one who insisted on coming. I really wanted to get close to the young lord.”
Emil became the center of attention.
“….”
“Emil agreed, didn’t you?”
“…Yes.”
The maid looked flustered.
She probably couldn’t understand why a noble young lady was trying so hard to befriend the son of the villainess.
But Belcia didn’t care.
She smiled gently.
‘By the time I leave, they’ll misunderstand everything anyway.’
And she already had a plan for that.
Inside the Estate
Soon, dessert was brought in.
Colorful macarons, cookies dusted with sugar, chocolate cake layered with apricot jam, and apple pie filled with fragrant fruit filling.
“Please serve Emil the pie first.”
“Huh? Y-yes….”
The maid, who had instinctively tried to serve Belcia first, stuttered and complied.
Emil picked up his fork.
He carefully took a bite of the crisp crust and cinnamon apple filling.
Watching him, she asked casually:
“Tastes good, right?”
Emil nodded slowly.
“…I’ve only seen things like this in books.”
The maid glanced nervously between them.
But Belcia had to act like a carefree ten-year-old who trusted everything in this mansion.
“Does the Duke not like desserts?”
At her question, Emil paused.
“…He doesn’t.”
“And you?”
“Me?”
“Do you think you’ll come to like them?”
Unlike before, Emil didn’t hesitate.
“I think… I already like them.”
His quiet voice settled strangely deep in her ears.
A strange sense of relief filled her.
Good.
Honestly, what came next slipped out before she could stop herself.
“Then… do you want to come to my house?”
She spoke as calmly as possible.
“How about living together? We have a lot of these at my place.”
