Side Story 9

“Let’s go to the McKinnon ducal residence. Your master can return later in another carriage.”

While waiting for the carriage, Dianne gave instructions to the Ganielo Family’s attendant. Since the carriage she’d arrived in today belonged to the Ganielo Family, she had no choice but to use it, and considering the relationship between the two families, it shouldn’t be an issue. Edward was probably determined to return in Joan’s carriage today anyway.

Normally, carriages for banquets like this would be lined up in the backyard or along the mansion walls. When the banquet ended, they’d gather at the entrance—whichever attendants managed it fastest—and take their masters home. So if someone wanted to leave abruptly in the middle of the banquet, they had to summon the coachman separately.

But instead of immediately going to call the carriage, the attendant spoke with an awkward expression.

“Um, Miss. Actually, the wheel’s been acting a bit strange since earlier. It’s being inspected right now, so I think you’ll have to wait a little.”

“Is that so? Then there’s no choice. I’ll wait.”

“You must be cold. Why don’t you wait inside?”

“It’s fine. Tell them to come as soon as the inspection is done.”

“Yes, Miss. We’ll resolve it quickly.”

The attendant hurried off, looking relieved. Dianne stood at the now sparsely populated mansion entrance and lifted her gaze to the night sky. A crescent moon shone brightly above.

‘Moon, if you truly have the power to grant wishes like people say.’

She murmured inwardly—words that would cause an uproar if the temple heard, accusing her of worshiping idols.

‘Please let our baby Yoni be healthy today and not get sick like me, let all our family stay healthy, let our Riz keep being happy, let Joan unnie’s affairs all resolve smoothly, and let Talfrin trip while walking and shed a tiny tear.’

She wasn’t kind enough to wish happiness for everyone in the world. Usually, when she prayed like this, she’d ask for Talfrin to be healthy and happy, too. But sometimes, when she was angry, the content of her prayers changed.

A moment later, the attendant came running back.

“I’m sorry, Miss. It seems the wheel is completely broken. It looks like you’ll have to return in another carriage today. I’ll look into it.”

Is this all the carriage maintenance the Ganielo household can manage? Dianne felt a faint sense of incongruity, but since it wasn’t the attendant’s fault, she simply nodded.

After the attendant left again, she waited for what felt like a long time before an unfamiliar young noble approached and spoke.

“Leaving early? I also have business and need to return. If it’s alright with you, I can escort you to your residence in my carriage.”

A man of unknown status with an unfamiliar face. Could he be dangerous? Dianne studied him for a moment. He tried to appear nonchalant, but under her direct gaze, his eyes trembled slightly, as if he were nervous.

Dianne smiled.

“Is that so? Thank you. You’re very kind for a gentleman I’m meeting for the first time.”

❖ ❖ ❖

Dianne was angry. Even as she smiled the entire time she boarded the carriage, Talfrin could tell.

Otherwise, she wouldn’t be pretending not to know him, keeping her gaze fixed out the window like this. She would’ve asked how he’d come, with a smile as bright as the sun.

A few days ago, when she told him, “I’ve decided to go to this ball with Lord Edward,” she’d seemed far calmer than now. Talfrin was flustered, unable to tell what had happened in the meantime—or whether she’d thought it all over and decided she didn’t need a man like him after all.

The carriage rolled slowly through Penmewick’s night streets. Crushed by the heavy silence, Talfrin was weighing whether he should simply beg for forgiveness without conditions when Dianne tossed out a short remark.

“I’ll be away from my post starting tomorrow. I’m thinking of traveling.”

Her tone had returned to normal. Pretending not to know him didn’t suit Dianne’s temperament, either. Uncharacteristically timid, Talfrin asked in a small voice.

“By any chance, where is your destination……”

“I won’t tell.”

“Then if you could at least let me secretly find out……”

“Does that seem possible?”

“No. But I’m worried…… This season isn’t good for traveling in Maindulante……”

“I’m going south. It’s not cold, and it should be very nice.”

“Then if you go now, you won’t be able to enter Maindulante before spring……”

“Why do you keep trailing off?”

“……I’ll correct it.”

Why was she so irritable? Talfrin quickly reviewed his own mistakes.

The obvious ones came first. Last time at the party, something suddenly came up, and he couldn’t go with her at all. Last month, there had been a disagreement about the gift for Princess Arbiyone. In the end, he’d bought what he thought was suitable, gotten scolded, and exchanged it.

But Dianne wouldn’t be this angry over those things now.

After crossing that river of trivial mistakes came the waterfall of bigger ones—the kind that pricked at his conscience—namely, his usual attitude. The fact that even though she seemed strong, she wasn’t someone who couldn’t be hurt, and yet he sometimes reacted perversely, knowing that. The fact that when she was being stubborn, he could’ve yielded just a little, but instead argued until he reached the conclusion that he was right before conceding.

Even that waterfall was bearable. After countless arguments, he’d accepted that his faults were problems he needed to fix, and he was trying to fix them. And Dianne, when her feelings were hurt, didn’t stay quiet—she’d vented her temper at him plenty.

But were his mistakes limited to that?

Talfrin tore off the disguise he’d worn on his face. It was necessary now. He felt like he would suffocate from the self-loathing he’d never overcome since childhood. He didn’t want to cut off his own breath by wearing a mask on top of that.

He wanted to live.

Desperately wanted to live.

And only now—because of his clumsiness and fear—could he finally admit it: Diane McKinnon had to be in that life.

Dianne glanced at his face, twisted with pain and free of pretense. Her aloof expression softened, if only a little. Talfrin confessed immediately, starting from the edges.

“I locked up Lord Edward and came.”

“What?”

Dianne’s head, which had still been turned toward the window, snapped back.

“Where? Why? Did you fight?”

“In a small room inside the mansion. Since a lot of attendants pass by, he’ll be freed soon anyway. We didn’t fight. I was just being petty because he was unlucky.”

“You fool! He’s the next Grand Duke. What if he gets angry?”

“He was laughing so hard his back might break even while being locked up, so I don’t think he’ll take it as an insult. He’s a smart human anyway—he won’t try to make an enemy of me, who has His Majesty the Emperor’s favor, over something this trivial.”

‘Is… is that so?’

Startled at first, Dianne calmed down as the explanation sounded plausible. And then it felt awkward to suddenly resume her cold attitude, so she hesitated.

Talfrin could tell her mood had improved. He thought about what to say—then remembered that this very hesitation was what had been holding him back.

So he let the words spill out like tears.

“Damn it. I hate you being someone else’s partner. I want you wherever my eyes can reach.”

‘Don’t think.’

“I know that man has better conditions than me. Damn it, that man—though he’s annoyingly smug—probably has a better personality than me, too. So for your sake, I might have to step back. But I still hate it.”

‘Don’t be afraid.’

“I want to believe it’s me you like. Since I was little, I’ve never had a family, so I don’t know how to make that loving-family thing. This warmth, this affection-based relationship—it’s all a first for me.”

‘Of course.’

“So, damn it, I’m scared out of my mind. What if I make you unhappy?”

‘Not well-controlled?’

“What if you realize I’m a worthless guy only after you can’t turn back? I want you to be happy. I’ve never been interested in other people’s happiness, but I always want you to smile. But that’s not all. I want you by my side—that’s the problem.”

If he could wish for her to be happy next to someone else, the problem would’ve been solved long ago.

“If I could, I’d want to make it so you couldn’t even talk to others. I only want to see you, and I want you to only see me. But what if you end up hating me because of that?”

It was the first time he’d ever felt such a fiercely irrational emotion.

Tears surged unexpectedly. Talfrin contorted his face like an idiot and covered it with both hands. He couldn’t bear to see what expression Dianne was making.

“I still don’t know how to take responsibility for a family, but if you wait for me…… then I’ll learn. I’m good at observing and imitating others, so I’ll pick it up quickly. Then please consider me, even as a candidate.”

Because he wanted to make her family. Because he wanted to bind her so she could never leave.

After wiping his tears, he felt miserable—and yet lighter inside. Silence filled the carriage.

Outside was pitch-black. It felt as if the whole world were contained within this small carriage, and in that world, there were only the two of them.

When Dianne finally spoke, Talfrin felt his heart drop.

“Is that a marriage proposal?”

After all that, it was laughable, but agreeing took courage—as if staking his life.

“Yes.”

“Like this? Without even looking at my face?”

She was right. Talfrin lowered his hands and looked at her, feeling like a fool.

And then he cried again.

Dianne was smiling.

“Hmm. I didn’t expect the conversation to suddenly turn into a proposal like this…… That man wasn’t lying.”

That man?

Talfrin desperately wanted to ask what she meant—but his instincts screamed that now wasn’t the time.

So he decided to make his messy proposal a little more romantic while the quiet still held.

“If it’s alright with you.”

The carriage stopped. Talfrin forced himself to kneel on the narrow floor and pulled a ring from his pocket.

A gem revealed its true worth when it matched the wearer’s eye color—especially when that color was as dazzlingly beautiful as Dianne’s.

Inspired by His Majesty the Emperor, Talfrin had bought a gem that matched his beloved woman’s eyes whenever he saw one. On his hand, a massive emerald ring gleamed—a splendid work of art, as if light were shining from within.

“Please accept this ring.”

Dianne slowly reached her hand toward it.

(T/N: Ughhhhhhh. hajhdisgsis hdidgid jdhdik. Im grinning like an idiot here! Im sure ypu guys are too! haha!)

❖ ❖ ❖

Joyce McKinnon, buried in work until late at night, suddenly felt goosebumps rise along his arms.

What was this feeling? Chilling like cold, yet stifling like heat. An anxiety he’d never felt in his life swept through his entire body. For a man who would think about business deals even in the face of his own death, there was only one subject that could evoke such emotion.

His sister—the most beautiful, cute, adorable, kind, and lovable in the world.

‘Di… are you alright? There isn’t any trouble, is there?’

Thinking of her far away in Maindulante, Joyce felt a vague unease. Because of McKinnon Trading Company business, he couldn’t leave the lord’s mansion in the McKinnon duchy this winter, either.

‘I miss her. I wonder if the holiday gift I sent arrived safely.’

As the McKinnon Family grew richer each year, the holiday gifts he sent to his sister improved right along with it. This time, Joyce had chosen a decorative piece for her room.

‘She doesn’t come to this house much lately, but still… this is our baby’s home.’

Because Dianne disliked it so much, he’d been trying not to call her “baby” lately, but Joyce still used the word in his own head. Baby—how wonderful. It made it feel like she’d live with her family forever……

‘No. That’s not it. We do not have to keep living together.’

Of course, Dianne would marry someday, but would that day come so quickly? ‘Our baby doesn’t even have a fiancé yet!’

Innocent Joyce steadied himself. There was no reason to be anxious. Her Majesty the Empress was in Maindulante, so if some presumptuous fellow set his sights on Dianne, she would stop him.

“Let’s just work hard.”

To give Di an even better gift next year. Joyce burned with determination as he looked at the work still remaining.