Chapter 22
“I want to meet with Miss Eshar often from now on.”
“Why?”
She thought he would simply answer with ‘Alright,’ but instead, the man threw out an unexpected question. At his words, which she hadn’t anticipated at all, Lynette blinked in a daze. Euphen repeated, carefully enunciating each word.
“Why do you want to meet Miss Eshar?”
“That’s…”
If the two of them kept meeting often, then one day they would fall in love. Drawn by fate, they would recognize each other.
Because she was his true Guide. If the two who matched perfectly were together, then one day he would leave.
Lynette swallowed down all the countless reasons she couldn’t bring herself to say.
“Because… she’s a good person.”
“You want to make time to meet her just because she’s a good person?”
Eshar, who had suddenly become the subject of this conversation, could only blink her eyes, unable to cut in.
‘Why is he being so harsh about this?’
She couldn’t understand. Before the regression, their relationship didn’t seem particularly bad. Of course, she neither wanted to know the details nor had reason to, since she quickly left and never looked deeply into it.
But why was Euphen reacting as though none of this pleased him?
Lynette glanced once at Eshar, who was struggling to hide how uncomfortable she felt, then turned her gaze toward the smiling man. Though he was smiling, he didn’t look very pleased.
‘She’s your fated partner.’
She wanted to snap those words at him. Since the match was already decided by the gods, she had resolved to step back on her own. But now, she even wanted to demand why he was reacting this way.
“She’s the first person to be this kind to me.”
“The first kind person you’ve met?”
“…She’s gentle as well.”
“Gentle, too, you say.”
With every word she spoke, Euphen’s replies carried a faint trace of laughter.
Lynette nearly blurted out, Why are you acting like this? She looked straight into Euphen’s blue eyes.
“I want to be closer with her. Is that not allowed?”
He didn’t answer right away. At first, the air had been suffocatingly awkward. Just moments ago, it had been cold enough to make her break into a sweat. But now, it was heavy, so heavy that it made it difficult to even open her mouth.
“If it’s because I’m the lowest-ranked maid…”
At those words, Euphen’s expression twisted. Sitting across from him, Eshar widened her eyes in surprise, but as soon as she met Lynette’s gaze, she hastily smoothed out her expression.
Of course she’d be surprised. A lowest-ranked maid wasn’t simply a maid, her status was no different from that of a slave. For someone like her to be having a meal with an Imperial Prince was something that should never have happened.
“I never said such a thing.”
“But you’re opposing it.”
The man let out a long sigh, then turned his eyes toward Eshar.
“I’d like to hear Miss Eshar’s opinion as well.”
“I, I…”
Caught off guard by the sudden shift of attention, she faltered slightly in her reply.
“If Lynette doesn’t mind… then I’d like to be close to her.”
For someone who had just learned she was dealing with a woman of such a lowly status, her answer was calm, even groundbreaking.
Lynette stared blankly into space.
‘I thought at least part of her smile would be fake.’
When they met just once before her regression, Lynette had assumed on her own that Eshar’s smile wasn’t sincere. After all, that woman had known exactly what situation Lynette was in.
She had merely guessed that Eshar was treating her kindly only out of courtesy because Euphen cherished her. But now, that assumption had been completely overturned.
In this situation, even without knowing about Lynette’s connection with the Imperial Prince, just hearing her status should have been enough to refuse without being rude. That much was proven by how surprised she had been, and even Euphen wore an expression of surprise at her answer.
“If that’s what both of you want, I have no reason to oppose it.”
Euphen waved his hand lightly.
The biggest obstacle had been cleared. Things could have ended here, cutting off all ties, but she had somehow managed to create an excuse for them to meet again.
“If Your Highness allows it, may I meet Miss Eshar in the Imperial Castle?”
“I permit it.”
Just moments ago, he had been throwing sharp, disagreeable words at her. Now, he was calmly permitting everything. She truly couldn’t figure this man out.
‘He wasn’t like this before.’
Or perhaps she had simply chosen not to see this side of him, so she hadn’t known until the end.
Pushing aside her thoughts, Lynette offered Eshar a light smile.
“I’ll be in your care from now on, Miss Eshar.”
“Yes. I’ll be in your care too, Lynette.”
Eshar still wore an expression as though she couldn’t fully comprehend the situation. Lynette could understand that perfectly well.
She had suddenly met a woman who turned out to be the lowest-ranked maid of the Imperial Castle. Without much thought, she had simply offered to bring her back there, but then she found herself having dinner with the Imperial Prince. To top it off, the woman who had arranged this dinner boldly declared that she wanted to be close to her.
“I’ll send you a proper invitation next time, so please visit again. Since you’re also Lynette’s benefactor, I’d like to properly show my gratitude.”
“Yes. Understood, Your Highness.”
Instead of refusing politely, Eshar simply agreed.
***
Lynette barely managed to finish the dessert course. Then, with signs of weariness, she watched Eshar climb into the carriage. Should she run after her and explain that there was nothing special between her and Prince Euphen? She hesitated, but by then, the carriage was slowly pulling away.
“Haa…”
Her head throbbed with frustration from the way the meeting had gone so differently from what she had hoped.
What should she do now?
Should she ask her to come to the Imperial Castle as often as possible, so she and Euphen could keep meeting? Or was there some better way?
‘They’re fated partners.’
Couldn’t they just naturally fall for each other?
At that thought, Lynette suddenly remembered Sillian, and a bitter smile tugged at her lips.
If being fated partners naturally meant falling in love, then she would already be in love with that man by now.
As she tried hard to put her tangled emotions in order, a low voice brushed against her ear.
“What are you thinking so deeply about, Lynette?”
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