When he pronounced my name, I momentarily held my breath. His coarser and lower-pitched voice seemed to tickle somewhere inside me.

Ah, now I see, the one going crazy is me. To feel this strange sensation about none other than Rochard Caidel, could it be that madness is contagious?

I turned my neck aside, swallowed the saliva with a gulp, and finally managed to speak.

“Are you, are you being too honest?”

“My decision was rational. Deceiving you completely would have been quite challenging, but seduction, it’s enjoyable and challenging like this.”

I remained silent.

He was so insane that he rationalized his own madness. I felt like I might go crazy too.

I laughed nervously as I faced him as if entranced.

“Oh, don’t talk crazy.”

If getting excited about my swearing was what he expected, then I’ll go along with it.

Caidel Gongja was surprised by my abrupt remark, but his gaze was still fixed on my lips.

Watching him swallow his saliva, I said,

“If you are so convinced that rationalizing this is for my sake, Gongja-nim, you’re not in your right mind now. Feel ashamed!”

Upon my words, he reached out and touched the wall over my shoulder. As I got caught in his arms, my thoughts came to a halt.

“Do I look embarrassed now? Do you think that?”

Claiming to be ashamed in such a coarse and confident tone…

I turned my head away, but his intense gaze remained fixed on my lips.

We were too close, going mad in different directions.

“W-What are you thinking…”

“You’re thinking about it, aren’t you?”

“Oh, really!”

I pushed him away and fled from the waiting room.

Glancing back, just before the door closed, I saw him roughly washing his face.

I headed towards the fitting room as if escaping from a forest of monsters in a fairy tale. My heart was pounding, my face was burning, and my palms were sweaty.

A smart person going mad is unstoppable. What a waste. The Empire lost a precious person!

But in the showroom leading to the fitting room, a brown-haired noblewoman and a clerk were wrestling.

The clerk, not knowing how to handle the situation, said,

“This is really awkward. As I mentioned before, this dress is reserved for the guest who arrived first.”

The dress they were arguing over was the one marked by the Empress earlier. The young lady dared to try to take the dress chosen by the Empress.

The clerk couldn’t directly disclose the entry of a member of the royal family, so she only said, ‘the guest who arrived first.’ The involved parties might not have known.

‘Haha.’

I watched, hoping the clerk would win, without approaching the scene any further.
Dealing with the secrets of noble young men and now with the secrets of noble young ladies, I didn’t want to intervene any further, as I felt I might lose my self-control.

Her tone while coercing the clerk was calm and gentle, yet conspicuously imposing.

“I’ll take it without trying it on. Tell the manager to attach as much additional payment as I want. I’ll give you a generous tip as well. There won’t be a better deal than this. Agree?”

Even without knowing who she was, it seemed like money was overflowing. However, this time, I completely misread the situation.

The clerk politely responded, “I’m sorry, but please wait a moment. As soon as I hear the choice of the guest who arrived first, I’ll let you know.”

“Do you know where I will wear this dress? I have a scheduled engagement in Tagar. I don’t know who the guest who arrived first is, but I’m sure they won’t have something as important ahead of them as I do. Don’t you agree?”

‘She’s currently attempting to intercept the dress from Tagar.’

I hoped this situation would end quickly as I silently muttered to myself.

At that moment, the young lady’s maid tried to take out the dress from the wardrobe. The clerk, blocking it with her body, hesitated, glancing at the fitting room where the Empress and the manager were.

Staying like this, the clerk would either cry or have the dress taken away.

‘Well, there’s nothing I can do.’

I approached the clerk and said, “Next is this dress, right? I’ll take it.”

When I appeared, the clerk quickly handed me the dress with a face like she had seen a savior. On the other hand, the brown-haired young lady stiffened her face.

As I turned towards the fitting room, something firmly grabbed my arm.

I clenched my mouth to prevent curses from coming out.

‘Damn. Why is today’s schedule like this?’

I was already in a terrible mood thanks to someone. I didn’t want to start a fight at all.

And now, I couldn’t afford to let unpleasant things happen around the Empress.

However, the daring young lady grabbed my arm first. I couldn’t withdraw like this.

I approached her and said, “Is the next one this dress? I’ll take it.”

When I turned my body
“I realized that I had encountered a formidable opponent. The fleeting ease in her eyes and her attitude were saying that Kalin Angkarth was not someone who easily stepped back.

‘Angkarth?’

Come to think of it, that name sounded familiar.