Adelia's Fluttering Heart
That evening, Adelia changed into her nightclothes and sat before the mirror. She touched a finger to her lower lip and stared at it blankly. The memory of Hyunwoo stealing a kiss from her earlier that day rose vividly in her mind. She had resisted fiercely, yet deep down she had not disliked it. It had been sweet and soft. Still, she had slapped him because she was flustered—and because she had no idea how else to respond. Pretending to be angry and rejecting him had seemed the most appropriate reaction, so that was what she had done.
“Are you thinking about what happened earlier, my lady?” Sinclair asked in her calm, steady voice. She had been standing at attention behind her the whole time.
Adelia nodded. A confused expression crossed her face.
“Why did he kiss me? He’s clever enough to know how dangerous it is to lay hands on a noble.”
“Hmm…” Sinclair stroked her chin, deep in thought, then suddenly brightened. “Have you already forgotten how loudly he declared that he wanted your attention?”
“It was the day after the banquet we held to placate the important figures of Nobern. The day we confronted Hyunwoo after he spent the night with Madame Marte. I remember. But I never expected him to act so recklessly all of a sudden…”
“Perhaps he was angry.”
“He showed no reaction at all while we were learning to dance from Professor Judeban. What could possibly have made him angry?”
“He has been holding a great deal inside for a long time.”
“Toward me?”
“He publicly confessed that he wanted your attention, yet you still do not understand his feelings.”
Sinclair began to act, her gestures and tone exaggerated like a stage performer as she gazed into the air.
“Ah, why does Lady Adelia refuse to see my true heart? It is truly vexing. Every time I see her, I try to convey these tender feelings, yet she never notices.”
“He loves me?” Adelia covered her mouth with her hand, eyes wide with shock. “So he kissed me in a fit of frustration?”
“Precisely. Because you have always kept men at a distance, Hyunwoo must have felt incredibly frustrated. When it seemed his feelings were not being returned, everything built up until it finally exploded today in that rough manner.”
“That cannot be…” Adelia placed a hand over her chest as if to calm her racing heart. “Have I been too cold to him all this time?”
She slowly shook her head as she recalled her past encounters with Hyunwoo. “I do not think I have been…”
“If it was not that Hyunwoo grew angry because you failed to notice his feelings and acted on impulse, then there is another possibility.”
“What is it?”
“The difference in status.” Sinclair once again launched into her dramatic performance, gazing out the window at the moon. “O my beloved Adelia! I love you, yet you are a noble of this kingdom! I am but a lowly thief! Even if I wish to speak a single warm word to you, our birthright stands between us! What am I to do?”
Sinclair stopped acting and turned back to Adelia. “As you can see, he harbors feelings for you, but his status is far too humble for him to express them. In the end, it all burst forth today. Come to think of it, the dress you wore earlier was quite beautiful, was it not?”
Adelia nodded as if it were obvious. “It was. Even I thought the dress looked lovely on me. The makeup suited me well, too.”
“That is exactly it. Longing and anger toward a woman he cannot touch. Overwhelmed by your beauty, he could no longer hold back and acted on impulse. Against his own will, he turned into a beast for a moment and kissed you roughly.”
“Ah…!” Adelia clapped her hands together with a gasp. “The second theory is far more convincing! Hyunwoo is clearly infatuated with me. But because of the high wall of class difference, he cannot approach and can only suffer in silence. Poor thing…!”
“Your charm is simply too great, my lady. No man can resist it.”
“Sinclair, you really are sharp!”
“Hehe, you flatter me.” Sinclair smiled with satisfaction. “Now that we know the reason, what will you do? Will you reject his love, or accept it?”
“That is…”
“You will refuse him, of course. The gap in status is far too wide. Think of your father. He will surely be furious if you bring home an unworthy man.”
Adelia ran her fingers through her long hair, her expression even more troubled than before. She let out a long sigh.
“I do not know. I think I need to hear his true feelings first.”
A carriage had stopped in front of the Kether Mercenary Group office. When Hyunwoo stepped outside after receiving the officer’s message, he looked slightly surprised to see Adelia sitting inside.
“What brings you here?”
“I came because I have something to say.”
The memory of yesterday’s kiss surfaced in Hyunwoo’s mind. He gave a bitter smile. “Ah, that.”
She had come to scold him. Resigned to a scolding, Hyunwoo climbed into the carriage. The carriage immediately set off for somewhere. Throughout the ride, Adelia sat with a stiff expression and said nothing.
I should properly apologize for my rudeness yesterday.
While he waited with that thought in mind, the carriage soon stopped in front of a high-class restaurant in the city. Only then did Adelia speak, her voice trembling slightly.
“L-Let us go inside…”
The moment they entered the restaurant, all eyes turned toward them. By now, there was hardly anyone in the city who did not know Adelia and Hyunwoo. As the two famous figures appeared, people stopped mid-cut with their knives and forks and stared blankly as the pair were led into a private room at the back.
They entered a room so lavishly decorated that Hyunwoo’s mouth fell open. Sitting across the table from each other, they noticed that the space seemed designed for high-ranking individuals to hold private conversations—the soundproofing was perfect. Soon the ordered food arrived, and the waiter left, closing the door behind him. In the roughly three-pyeong room, only Hyunwoo and Adelia remained.
Now that the atmosphere was finally right for conversation, Hyunwoo pushed aside the thoughts swirling in his head and spoke first.
“I’m sorry about yesterday. I didn’t mean to—”
“Enough.” Adelia cut him off. “I did not come here to talk about that.”
“Then why are we here?”
Adelia’s glossy, reddened lips parted. “I wondered if you might have something troubling you. If you do, I came to listen…”
The last words were so quiet they were barely audible.
“You came to listen to my troubles?”
When Hyunwoo asked as if he could not believe his ears, Adelia nodded and spoke carefully.
“The reason you suddenly kissed me yesterday… I can roughly guess why. You must have some worry you cannot speak of. I know you acted on impulse because you were frustrated and angry because of that worry. I will listen to everything, so tell me honestly right here. I came here already resolved, so no matter what you say, I will not get angry or be surprised. Please speak freely and tell me what is on your mind.”
Hyunwoo looked surprised. Had the ever-arrogant Adelia possessed such a considerate side that could understand another’s heart? More than that, he was glad she had even prepared a private space just to listen to his worries. Moved by her sincerity, he resolved to open up about what he had been holding inside.
“There is a woman I like.”
At those words, Adelia nodded repeatedly with a complicated expression, as if she already knew.
“Go on.”
“She is a very beautiful woman I never want to lose.”
“She must be quite the beauty.”
“She has dazzling golden hair and skin as white and smooth as milk.”
“She must be young. How old is she?”
“Twenty-one.”
Adelia flinched inwardly. She herself had golden hair and was often told her skin was fair. Moreover, she was exactly the same age. It felt as though Hyunwoo was deliberately speaking in circles, and her heart began to race.
“What troubles you because of her?”
“It is difficult for us to be together. We live in completely different worlds. I cannot bring her to the place where I used to live. That is what is hard. I do not even know whether I should give her up or keep pursuing her.”
Adelia’s eyes widened. Her suspicions were growing stronger by the moment. When he said they lived in different worlds, he must have been referring to the difference in birth between himself, a commoner, and her, a noble.
The woman Hyunwoo likes is me after all!
But not yet. She was still flustered inside, and to confirm for certain, she asked indirectly.
“Is it because her status is noble?”
“Noble?” Hyunwoo chuckled. “Yes, she is a noble. Someone from a high-ranking noble house that someone like me could never even dream of approaching. A noble among nobles, belonging to the very highest tier.”
Adelia dropped the fork she had been holding and her mouth fell open. She was the daughter of the Hildegart family, second in power within the Ingibar Kingdom. With that, everything became clear. Hyunwoo was confessing his feelings to her in a roundabout way right now.
How unmanly of him.
Adelia hurriedly wiped her lips with a napkin, calmed her turbulent heart, and looked at Hyunwoo. As the one who had hurt his feelings, she felt she needed to give him some kind of answer.
“E-Even if you live in different worlds, you never know. Life is unpredictable. Do not give up on her so easily. Why not try to find a way for the two of you to be together?”