Chapter 89

Findar whispered softly. In the end, as Azela nodded her head, Findar changed her dress with an excited face.

‘Pretty and comfortable.’

While she tried on a few dresses, Azela had to admit that Findar was a very good judge. In each of her recommended dresses, it suited Azela so well that it could not be compared with anything she had worn before, and it was comfortable to move around in.

As she tried on the last dress, Azela asked.

“If you had graduated from the Imperial Academy, it means that you could have gotten a better offer and worked for the Imperial Family.”

“Yes.”

“Then, why are you working here?”

Findar smiled softly at her question. Then, as if a thought suddenly came to her, she lightly applauded and spoke with a bright face.

“If you come from the outskirts, you know Benjamin!”

“…Benjamin from Lachata Bakery?”

“Right! He is my older brother!”

Azela looked at her in surprise. They didn’t look alike at all… Come to think of it, her passionate appearance seemed to resemble him.

Findar said as if she knew Azela’s thoughts.

“We are half-siblings. To be precise, our father is different.”

“Ah…”

“Do you know how much money you need to graduate from the Imperial Academy? As a lesser noble, it is unimaginable money. It was my older brother, Benjamin, who took care of me.”

“…I see.”

“That idiot did all sorts of bad things to take care of me.”

“…Benjamin?”

It didn’t look that way at all. As Azela looked confused, remembering Benjamin, who was smiling brightly and innocently, Findar chuckled.

“Everyone is deceived by a face like that. It was only his face though how bitter was the inside. He is ruthless when using a sword.”

“Ah…”

“Anyway, it was Duke Ferial who saved Benjamin and set up a bakery to make his dream come true.”

‘…Did Zagnac do that?’

Listening to her story, Azela looked in disbelief. He was the devil, not a human. There was no way he could do such a humane thing.

“So, I wanted to repay that. When I heard that a boutique shop was opening, I came and offered to work there. By the way, I only work for basic pay.”

Findar rolled her eyes and smiled. Still, seeing her, Azela couldn’t help but smile with her.

* * *

“The last dress you wore, that’s what I ordered.”

In the carriage going back to the mansion, Zagnac opened his mouth while looking through the catalog. If it was the last dress, that was her favorite dress. It looked like he was paying attention to that.

When Azela nodded her head in lieu of an answer, he glanced up at her.

“You don’t look good.”

“…No.”

“Did you not like that dress? You seemed to like it the most.”

“I do like it because the dress was beautiful, it was easy to move around, and it was good to carry a sword.”

As she replied, he asked again, with his long legs crossed, putting the catalog he was glancing at next to him.

“Then, what didn’t you like? Tell me.”

Because I’ll do anything I can.

…His eyes seemed to say so.

Looking at the smiling Zagnac, Azela hesitated and spoke.

“Findar, I heard she and Benjamin are siblings?”

His smile paused for a moment. The corners of his lips, which had gone up, gradually came down. Zagnac, with his leaned upper body back, turned his gaze to the window.

“Findar has a big mouth. She talks… a lot.”

“She said you were the one who saved Benjamin and set up Lachata Bakery.”

“I did.”

“Why?”

At the question, he turned his head back to the front. In the silence, only the sound of the carriage wheels resounded.

Zagnac tilted his head to one side and gave a twisted smile.

“Why?”

It felt like the space-time in which he was seated was twisted. Azela frowned as he opened his eyes with a grotesque smile. He could be scary, but strangely, she wasn’t scared. Perhaps, it was because she was sure he wouldn’t hurt her?

“You are looking for fun. Saving Benjamin and setting up a bakery wouldn’t have been fun. That doesn’t mean you signed a contract with him.”

“…Right. You’re smart, Azela.”

“So why?”

“Because it took a great designer to open a boutique shop.”

Zagnac answered as he ruffled his well-groomed hair. It was the answer Azela expected. Maybe, that was why she thought… and it was right as well.

There was no emotion on his face.

“Findar is a designer with a genius talent coveted by the imperial family. I wanted her to work in my boutique shop.”

“So that Findar can thank you…”

“Yes, I helped Benjamin so that Findar could thank me and help me. It’s hard to change people’s minds, but materially it’s nothing to me.”

“….”

“As a result, she is helping me now, and she will continue to do so in the future.”

“Zagnac.”

“I am the devil, this is nothing to me… are you scared? Are you going to tell me I’m bad?”

Saying so, he shrugged and said calmly. The eyes that gazed beyond the long eyelashes had darkened without knowing the end.

Azela shook her head at his question.

“No, I’m not saying you’re bad. Still, it’s too calculating.”

No matter what he did, she had no right to say anything… even if it was something that changed someone’s life completely. Like the main characters in the book, she had no intention of immersing herself in the game of heroes and arguing between right and wrong.

“It’s just…”

It was just… she didn’t feel good for no reason.

“Well, I’m afraid that calculating logic will apply to me as well.”

“….”

“It’s just a concern.”

Azela’s blue eyes met Zagnac directly.

* * *

It was the party day.

Late in the evening, just in time for the party, the two people dressed in the prepared clothes and holding the invitation went to the Crown Prince’s private Palace. The number of participants was too large to count, to the extent that the word “secret party” was overshadowed.

‘…If I had known there would be so many, I wouldn’t have come.’

Azela grimaced when she saw so many people that she didn’t even know were coming. Zagnac, who was standing next to her, was also of the same mind and had a putrid face.

“Duke Ferial!”

After coming to the capital, everyone welcomed him when they saw Zagnac for the first time in public. Rather than welcoming him, they seemed to be trying mightily to get to know him.

“How have you been?”

The nobles who came to say hello to Zagnac glanced at Azela, who was behind him like a shadow, every once in a while. They seemed to confirm that the rumors were true. Because of that, the gossip towards her grew as time passed.

What started as a small whisper in her ear has now turned into an open murmur.

“She really divorced…”

“She tried to remarry immediately after a divorce…”

“Why would Duke Ferial have such an ignorant woman?”

Those conversations were now audible in her ears. Conceivably, they were just talking so that she could listen to it, though she didn’t know. As she had expected, she wasn’t hurt as much. Azela sighed lightly and turned her head to the side.

“….!”

She widened her eyes wide in disbelief. Azela rubbed her eyes, wondering if she had seen an illusion. However, the person she was looking at was still standing in front of her.

“Azela.”

When he called her name, for a moment, everyone at the party went silent. They were holding their breath, staring at Azela and Daniel. Zagnac, who was greeting others by her side, also turned his head to look at him.

“…Daniel.”

Azela frowned as she called out his name.

Thinking it was all over, she never thought of seeing him here again… No, she never dreamed that even if they ever met again, he would pretend to know her by calling her name like this.