His twisted face smoothed as if ironed the moment he laid eyes on Irene. His eyes became sorrowful.
“I’m sorry, my lady. You must have been frightened by that doglike brat.”
Irene shook her head. Although startled, she wasn’t distraught enough to cling to Jesse.
“Are you hurt?”
“No. Who is that man? He looks like Mr. Dewey….”
“Of course, he resembles him. They’re twins.”
“Twins?”
As Irene asked in surprise, Jesse let out a short exclamation.
“Come to think of it, the Luman Empire viewed twins as unholy.”
True to her words, twins were classified as unauthorized beings by the gods, and it was customary to kill the secondborn child, sparing only the first.
If it was discovered that both were spared due to unnecessary kindness, the temple would cry blasphemy and kill them all.
Hence Irene’s shock at learning that Dewey and the man were twins.
Jesse seemed to belatedly realize something, speaking strangely, almost like a foreigner.
“Aren’t you an imperial citizen, Jesse?”
“I am, for now. Since I live in Duke Esper’s domain.”
“What do you mean?”
“Um, how do I explain this….”
Jesse scratched his head, pondering for a moment before elaborating.
“Basically, I’m originally from another country, but became an imperial citizen when I came to serve the master. Does that make sense?”
“Yes. I understand.”
“Thank goodness.”
Jesse laughed heartily, hooking his arm around Irene’s.
“Let’s go to the Knights’ training ground, my lady.”
[Star Icon]Having finished touring the Knights, Irene headed to the bath and then to the dining hall. Breakfast and lunch were simply dealt with in her room, but dinner was in the dining hall.
Jesse’s opinion was that it was hard to enjoy various dishes if they ate in the room.
Certainly, in the dining hall, they could eat many foods, but there were too many. By rough count, there were over ten dishes. And the portions were enormous.
When Irene first saw the prepared table, she even asked Jesse if other people were eating with them.
But it was all exclusively for Irene. Faced with an indulgence she had never considered, Irene was stunned and also uncomfortable.
The overly spacious dining hall and table were uncomfortable for dining alone.
What made her most uneasy were the utensils. At home, Irene only had one fork, knife, and spoon for eating.
But here, there were as many as three forks and knives. There were many glass cups, and the plates were changed each time.
The nobles dine like this. She had never seen it before, so there was no way she would know.
If there was someone eating with her, she could clumsily watch and follow, but since that was impossible, Irene initially picked up one of the most familiar forks and knives each.
And she glanced at Jessie and the servants who were waiting a little far away.
She looked to check if this was right, but thinking that she felt uncomfortable, Jessie told her to eat comfortably and left the dining room with the servants.
Thanks to that, there was no one to watch, so Irene used the utensils as she pleased.
That was the same that day. Alone in the large dining room having dinner, when the tightly closed door opened.
Was it already time for dessert?
“Gulp.”
Unintentionally turning her head, Irene spotted Carlos entering through the door and was startled, coughing. It was fortunate that she had not yet put the neatly cut steak in her mouth, or she would have spit it out.
Carlos, whom she was seeing after almost two days, looked very tired. Normally, that would make one look unattractive, but not Carlos. On the contrary, there was a stronger feeling of decadence, and Irene momentarily lost herself, staring at him.
Carlos also fixed his eyes on Irene and quickly approached. The strong smell of blood that she felt from the suddenly shortened distance woke Irene’s mind.
“The smell of blood…….”
As Irene unconsciously muttered, Carlos stopped in his tracks.
She also closed her mouth and looked at him. The smell of blood was strong, but strangely, she couldn’t find any bloodstains on his body. Was it because he was wearing black clothes, so the bloodstains were not visible?
No, she must get up. A noble has come, and she couldn’t just sit and greet him.
As Irene rose from her seat, Carlos spoke.
“……Sorry.”
Irene stopped rising and looked at him again at the apology that did not suit him.
“I should have washed, but I was in a hurry.”
“……”
“I’m also short on time.”
Carlos laid out an incomprehensible excuse, then reached out to Irene.
“Will you hold my hand?”
Irene’s gaze naturally fell to his hand.
“You might not want to hold a hand that smells of blood while eating…… but please.”
The word “please” also did not suit him.
If he had given a command, she would have held his hand without thinking, but since he said please, she thought about it more.
“Do you hate it?”
“……No.”
It was not empty words but sincerity. Truly, Irene didn’t feel entirely unwilling or repulsed to hold Carlos’s hand.
But she also didn’t readily want to hold it, and remained still, so Carlos spoke again.
“Please.”
His earnest voice suppressed the hesitation writhing in her heart.
Irene nodded slightly and held his hand.
An Indifferent Woman is the One Men Desire the Most
One-line summary: The female lead is actually cold-hearted and extremely rational. She has stage-by-stage relationships and won’t two-time, but there will always be someone who secretly likes her.
This novel has the following triggers, so if you’re sensitive to these, please don’t read:
1. The female lead has had many relationships, but she treated each one seriously and broke up properly.
It’s just that the men unilaterally pestered her incessantly. For the female lead, when she doesn’t like someone anymore, she simply doesn’t like them.
(This applies to her relationships with Male Lead 1, 2, 3, and 4 as well, but she’s loyal in each 1-on-1 relationship!)
2. In this novel, Male Lead 2 and the female lead kiss in a car, and Male Lead 1 sees it and beats up Male Lead 2.
The female lead calls the police and sends both Male Lead 1 and 2 to the police station! Male Lead 1 begs the female lead not to break up with him.
3. Male Lead 1 has a gentle appearance but an obsessive personality.
Male Lead 2 has a delicate and soft appearance, slightly green tea-like (two-faced).
Male Lead 3 is a youthful college student and a smart person who has secretly liked the female lead for a long time.
Male Lead 4 is the female lead’s father’s special assistant, a business elite with deep, hidden thoughts.
4. At the beginning of this novel, the female lead has already broken up with Male Lead 1 (Chapter 4) and gotten back together with Male Lead 2 (ex-boyfriend).
5. Enter with caution if you have triggers!!!
