Chapter 7
At first, it started purely as a friend.
Just a harmless excuse that he was “filtering out people on Leticia’s behalf” because she had absolutely no judgment when it came to people.
But in the end, he reached a strange conclusion—that since no one could be trusted anyway, he might as well take full responsibility for Leticia himself.
The only son of the foolish Baron Winpol family, who always lingered around Leticia at parties, waiting for a chance to dance with her.
The reckless second son of Count Rotmos, who openly bragged about disgusting thoughts like wanting to bury his face in Leticia’s skirt—he had been quietly shut up with a punch.
Even Baron Potsward, a rare sincere man who kept visiting daily with terrible poems, asking her to deliver love letters.
Just from memory alone, there were more than ten of them.
—“Realistically, who would like a plain, unremarkable viscount’s daughter like me? Ah, don’t tell Dad. He’ll cry and say he’s sorry for raising me like this.”
Every time Leticia said something ridiculous like that, Aiden felt like he was going insane.
Her soft, flowing reddish-brown hair looked like a beautiful sunset resting on her head.
Her sparkling eyes, like they held sunlight.
Her small, cute lips.
Even her body lines that were both delicate and strangely alluring—everything about her triggered protective instincts.
Unremarkable?
Where exactly?
Aiden pressed his aching forehead and closed his eyes.
And now, on top of everything else, it was that “Marquis Gray.”
Damn it.
When Leticia casually used the word “we” to refer to herself and Marquis Gray together, Aiden had completely lost his rationality for a moment.
We? Since when were they that close?
The image of the two of them, oddly well-matched, flashed through his mind, and jealousy made him bite his lip anxiously.
Then Leticia suddenly asked.
“By the way, how do you know the Marquis?”
“Just.”
“Just?”
“Just… by coincidence.”
Aiden borrowed Leticia’s excuse.
He couldn’t possibly say the truth.
That man was the son his mother had chosen when she abandoned her own child.
—“Aiden, I’ll do better. I’ll study harder and train my swordsmanship so you’ll be proud of me.”
—“You’re already doing well enough. But I’m sorry, Aiden. I love you and your father, but there are things in this world that cannot be solved by love alone.”
His mother, unsatisfied with being merely a merchant’s wife, abandoned his father and him and became the second wife of an old noble.
She was very happy to have a noble husband and a noble son with high status.
Once, he had even met her by chance on the street.
—“Say hello. This is my only son, Felix. Isn’t he adorable?”
She proudly introduced her new son, smiling brightly, saying he clearly had noble blood in his face.
What exactly was so great about being a noble?
Thinking of that scene again made Aiden clench his fist without realizing it.
“There’s no such thing as ‘just coincidence.’”
“You also said it was coincidence.”
“Tch. Cheap tricks.”
Leticia pouted.
“I know you’re the cheap type.”
“Yeah. I am.”
“Leticia.”
“Why?”
“Don’t meet Marquis Gray anymore.”
Even though he knew it was a childish request, he couldn’t help it.
“Why suddenly?”
“That’s….”
Aiden hesitated, then shook his head.
“He has a messy reputation with women.”
At that, Leticia burst out laughing.
“Ahh, you’re worrying over nothing again. Who in this world even sees me as a woman?”
Hearing her clueless answer made Aiden’s frustration flare again.
People usually beautify themselves in the mirror.
But Leticia’s mirror must be showing her something ten times, no—hundreds of times uglier than reality.
“Anyway, just don’t meet him.”
His tone was firm.
Leticia blinked, slightly flustered.
“If you say it like that… I guess I have to listen. You’re my only friend after all.”
At her easy acceptance, Aiden felt relieved—but at the same time, something in his chest ached.
Friend.
A word that brought back warm childhood memories, yet also reminded him of an unbreakable wall between them.
That painful boundary tightened around his heart.
How did he end up falling for such a clueless idiot of a woman?
Or maybe… he himself was the real fool for not being able to escape her.
“What’s with that expression? You look moved. Well, of course—you won’t find a friend like me anywhere else. Hehe.”
Seeing her smile brightly without understanding anything, Aiden gave a bitter smile.
* * *
After the Rutten Library incident, Aiden had not contacted her for days.
He smiled and said goodnight normally back then, so she thought everything was resolved—but it seemed that was her misunderstanding.
He really did hold grudges.
Letting out a sigh, Leticia pulled the blanket over her head.
When would he cool down?
She had decided to reduce their meetings, but now that he wasn’t around, the emptiness felt even bigger.
They had always been together like a shadow.
Naturally, it felt strange without him.
Still, she would have to ease the distance slowly.
First, Aiden had serious potential to become a regretful male lead, so she needed to keep him under observation.
Second… she was simply dying of boredom.
Maybe she should bake his favorite apple pie and go visit him soon. With lots of cinnamon, he would definitely soften up.
As she imagined bribing his anger away, she suddenly remembered his cold expression when Agnes was mentioned in the carriage that day.
Despite all her efforts, Aiden seemed to dislike Agnes even more now.
Maybe she really was hopeless as a matchmaker.
Love Cupid sounded easy, but it was far harder than she expected.
Still, she couldn’t give up.
This was Aiden’s future at stake.
Her father always said it: If it won’t work, make it work.
Repeating that family motto, she strengthened her resolve again.
Then she noticed a pile of letters on the bedside table.
“Oh, right!”
She quickly sat up and rummaged through them.
“There it is…!”
<from. Agnes Carnarvon>
Seeing the elegant handwriting, she smiled.
It was Agnes’s invitation to a garden party.
The Carnarvon Count’s garden was famous across the empire—so beautiful it was said to be second to none.
Perfectly trimmed hedges and blooming peonies that flowed like waves were the pride of Count Carnarvon… and also one of Agnes’s last memories of her mother.
Come to think of it, in the original story, once Aiden learned about Agnes’s remarriage, he burned down that very flower garden.
Remembering Agnes crying in front of the burning flowers made Leticia’s eyes grow moist.
Yes.
To prevent that tragedy, she—the only one who knew the future—had to act quickly.
Just as she was about to step away from the bed—
Knock knock.
“Miss, are you awake?”
“Yes. Come in.”
“Good timing, you just woke up.”
Lucy clapped lightly as she entered.
“What is it?”
“There’s a guest in the reception room.”
“A guest?”
Ah.
No need to guess—it was probably Aiden.
After disappearing for days, he must have finally cooled down.
She quickly got ready to go out, but Lucy suddenly grabbed her arm.
“Please, at least comb your hair before you go.”
“It’s fine. You know Aiden and I have seen each other at our worst already.”
“That’s not the issue! It’s not Young Lord Aiden today!”
“…Huh?”
Lucy looked unusually excited.
Guests rarely visited the Aster household unless they were from Count Crofton’s family.
Lucy seemed extremely eager.
“Hurry, sit down!”
She pushed Leticia into the chair in front of the mirror.
Leticia blinked.
Not Aiden?
Then… who had come?
