Chapter 28
“You were the first person who ever said that to me.”
“Someone like Miss Eshar must have many people trying to get close to you.”
“Yes, many.”
Lynette had expected the polite denial of ‘not at all,’ but instead, she admitted it easily.
“Really, there are a lot. I may not be a noble, but since I’m the heir of the Lera Merchant Guild, countless people try to approach me.”
Her answer, so frank and without hesitation, was even refreshing.
“But I don’t really like those kinds of people.”
“Why not?”
“Because what they want is always clear.”
“……”
“I dislike it, but at the same time, I think it makes things easier. People like that will work hard to get what they want. That makes them easy to deal with. And if I happen to want something too, it’s easier for our interests to align.”
Lynette blinked at the unexpected response.
It had only been a casual remark, but she hadn’t thought such a cynical answer would come back. The way Eshar said it so easily, all while smiling brightly, made it feel strangely unsettling.
‘Ah. Right, she’s the heir to a merchant guild.’
She wasn’t as simple an opponent as she looked. How could Lynette have forgotten that?
Wasn’t there a saying that no one truly knew the heart of a merchant? A woman who had lived as the young master of the guild since childhood could hardly be naïve.
“But no matter how I think about it, Lynette doesn’t seem to want anything from me.”
“Do I… look that way to you?”
“Yes.”
In one sense, what Lynette wanted was clearer than anyone else’s. A small laugh slipped out.
‘It’s just not something material.’
Completely oblivious to such a thought, Eshar tilted her head lightly with a smile.
“That’s why I’m even more curious. I don’t believe in a relationship where someone truly wants nothing. So I want to know… What is it that Lynette wants from me?”
“If I tell you, will you agree to it?”
“Well. Do you intend to tell me?”
Lynette gazed silently into her eyes. Eshar, unbothered by such a stare, simply lifted her teacup and sipped elegantly. The soft fragrance of the tea, mixed with floral notes, spread gently through the air.
‘What should I do.’
Should she state her desire outright?
But she didn’t have the confidence to explain the reason. Even if she said, ‘Actually, I know the future, and you awaken as a Guide,’ who would believe that?
Nor could she fool the woman before her with some plausible excuse. No matter how brightly she smiled, this was the young master of the Lera Merchant Guild. Lynette, who had only managed to survive in a poor household and then spent just a few years in the Imperial Castle, was not someone who could match her.
And in truth, even her life in the castle had been spent under Euphen’s protection, happily shielded. She had never learned or experienced schemes or political strife.
While she wrestled with her thoughts, Eshar simply waited patiently. Even delaying her answer seemed something the woman was well used to.
Lynette looked at Eshar’s composed face.
‘No matter what I do, it’ll seem strange.’
She imagined whether it would be easier to silently step aside and leave Euphen and Eshar together, but no convincing idea came. Besides, leaving the two of them alone abruptly would only invite suspicion.
After long hesitation, she chose to simply be honest.
“Yes. There is something I want.”
“And what is that?”
“Please don’t ask me the reason.”
“Is that your condition?”
“Yes.”
She nodded. If Eshar started prying into why Lynette wanted her connected with the prince, she wouldn’t be able to endure it.
At her words, Eshar thought for a moment, then nodded.
“Alright. I won’t ask the reason.”
Speaking aloud the thought that had been circling endlessly in her mind brought a strange new weight.
How should she put it? Asking someone to fall in love with the one person she herself loved… it was far more unbearable than she had imagined.
“With His Highness Prince Euphen…”
She tried to sound indifferent, but her voice trembled slightly.
“Please fall in love with him.”
Eshar blinked. For once, the woman who had seemed as though nothing could surprise her now wore an unmistakably shaken expression.
“That… is what you want from me?”
“Yes.”
Lynette shut her eyes tight. Her heart pounded harshly against her chest.
That she would ever let such words leave her lips…
It struck her anew how she had dared to love someone she should never have harbored feelings for. She clenched her fists with all her strength, hiding her trembling fingertips.
A silence passed.
“Please love His Highness the Prince. And be loved in return.”
“……”
“That’s what I want.”
Eshar’s expression turned unreadable. Her slender fingertips tapped lightly against her smooth chin.
“I want to ask why, but… I did promise not to.”
Lynette pressed her lips together firmly.
“Is that truly what you want?”
When she nodded, a light chuckle followed.
“But the truth is, it isn’t what you want now, is it?”
“No, it is.”
“No… I think the one who loves His Highness Prince Euphen is Lynette.”
“No!”
Lynette’s head snapped up. Their gazes locked. She tried desperately to hide her feelings, but even the faint trembling of her eyes could not be concealed.
“You love him.”
Eshar said it evenly.
Lynette covered her face with her hands. A long sigh escaped her lips.
“And yet… you truly wish for me to fall in love with His Highness Prince Euphen?”
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