A turbulent wave surged in Callian’s eyes.
Callian felt a throbbing pain in his chest at her words, as if they were piercing deep into him.
And immediately, a wave of denial swept over him.
‘I’ve developed an interest in Esika?’
Her family, the Brigitte, is just another baronial house, vulgar and only interested in money.
As his mother said, a woman from a house that doesn’t ‘match’ the status of the Klaus ducal family.
“The Duke of Klaus was practically sold for a high price in the marriage market.”
“It seems even the once-prestigious Klaus isn’t much anymore.”
After the marriage to Esika, people endlessly whispered behind their backs.
But whether she was oblivious or simply pure-minded, she remained consistently cheerful.
She whined about wanting to have parties and flaunted her wealth with extravagant dresses and jewels brought from her family.
Word spread that she was tormenting the long-serving employees of the family, and everyone was said to be clicking their tongues at her arrogant attitude, as if she had bought the entire Klaus family with money.
So it was only natural for his mother to hate her.
Her vulgar and frivolous behavior made him sick to his stomach.
Callian avoided her, disgusted even by the sight of her constantly following him around and clinging to him.
Inwardly, he wished that Esika would fall ill and die.
“That’s nonsense.”
Callian’s dry lips moved.
In his mind, the words Esika had just asked kept repeating.
“Could it be that you’ve developed some interest in me?”
“…”
The corners of Esika’s lips turned upward.
At some point, Esika had stopped smiling at him.
Yet now, upon hearing words that meant ‘I have no interest,’ Esika smiles as if greatly pleased.
An inexplicable, viscous unpleasantness envelops his mind.
“Then please leave now. To a woman you have no interest in…”
Esika’s blue eyes, reflecting the moonlight through the window, were cold.
“What good would come from wasting time?”
“…”
Callian stood as if nailed to the floor, staring at Esika.
Esika’s outward appearance hadn’t changed from the past to now.
But that heartless and indifferent gaze, and the tone that left no room for doubt…
It wasn’t hers. It wasn’t the her he had known.
‘That can’t be. This woman is Esika.’
Callian briefly pressed his forehead with his hand, furrowing his brow, then turned around.
He couldn’t tell if the dull pain was felt in his head or his chest.
A deep confusion swirled in his violet eyes.
**
“Um… My lady, it seems you need to move rooms.”
Cella carefully spoke to Esika, who was having breakfast.
Her freckled face was flushed.
“There’s been an order to move you back to your previous room.”
Esika, who had been eating her salad, asked nonchalantly.
“What whim has come over the Grand Duchess?”
“It’s not the Grand Duchess… it’s an order from His Grace the Duke.”
Esika’s hand, which had been calmly using her fork, stopped.
‘An order from Callian?’
Callian Klaus had been a terribly cold-hearted husband.
Before regaining the spirit’s memories, she hadn’t known, but he… had been ashamed of Esika.
Rumors spread that he had reluctantly taken a bride for money, and Callian had cared about such things.
He couldn’t have respected Esika, thinking he had been forced to marry a woman beneath his status.
He had allowed the Grand Duchess to mistreat his wife.
He even sided with the servants when conflicts arose between Esika and them, so it was no wonder all the servants looked down on her.
Thus, Esika’s married life had been terribly unhappy.
“…”
Esika continued using her fork.
Perhaps this was a gesture of reconciliation after their recent argument.
And if she hadn’t regained the spirit’s memories, if she were still the innocent Esika who knew only love, she would surely have been moved.
Esika had loved Callian so much that she would have gladly eaten even rotten bread if it was his kindness.
That feeling of love clearly remained in Esika’s memories.
However…
“My lady… the… the fork…”
Looking down, she saw that the fork had been bent in half.
It seemed she had unconsciously applied her inner force.
Cella’s face was frozen in shock, but Esika simply straightened the fork again.
And then she resumed eating.
‘How interesting.’
The current Esika was different from before.
He had sinned against her, so he would receive due punishment.
Having trampled on the powerless while looking down arrogantly from above, he too would be trampled.
One cannot be forgiven for beating someone severely with just a few candies or sweets.
‘You’re still under a misapprehension, Callian.’
The spirit was the type to enjoy the process of revenge more than the result.
And such petty kindness, like throwing food to a dog, only invigorated her will further.
“I have somewhere to go for a while, so move my belongings.”
Esika, having finished her meal, said to Cella.
Watching Esika immediately change into a maid’s uniform, Cella answered promptly.
“Understood, my lady.”
**
“Wh-What nonsense is this!”
Yuri questioned the maid with a pale expression.
The young maid continued speaking with a frightened look.
“His Grace the Duke ordered to move her back to her original room… saying that a room unsuited to her status could lower the dignity of the ducal house…”
The largest bedroom in Klaus was Callian’s, and the next largest and best-located was the Grand Duchess’s bedroom.
And the third largest bedroom… that was originally used by Esika.
Yuri recalled when she arrived at the Klaus ducal house upon Esika’s summons.
As she entered, lost in admiration of the beautiful scenery of the historic residence, she saw the spacious and luxurious room Esika was using.
Seeing Esika smiling in her splendid dress in that beautiful room of the magnificent mansion, Yuri had made a decision.
That she would take everything away from that girl.
When Esika had to move to a small room after incurring the Grand Duchess’s hatred, Yuri laughed inwardly.
Though she too became inconvenienced as Esika’s attendant, the fact that the Duchess’s room was empty made her dream of a future where she would occupy that place.
“Impossible! Why would His Grace the Duke!”
Yuri shook the young maid’s shoulders, her eyes wide.
“Lady Chamberlain… you’re scaring me. I told you earlier.”
“There must be another reason. His Grace wouldn’t care about Esika! He hates her so much!”
“Ah.”
As if suddenly remembering something, the young maid spoke.
“Come to think of it, he visited the lady’s bedroom last night.”
“That small room?”
Yuri’s eyebrows froze.
Before Esika moved to the small room, and even after, Callian had never once visited her room.
Callian was a man thoroughly indifferent to Esika.
He even hated the touch of Esika’s hand terribly.
“It can’t… be…”
But Callian went to Esika’s room of his own accord?
Yuri anxiously bit her nails with a pale face.
The maid, watching her reaction, bowed her head slightly and turned away.
“Esika, what on earth are you doing?”
Yuri’s eyes flashed with jealousy and anger.
If their relationship improved, the future she dreamed of would become nothing but bubbles.
How could this happen after she had dragged Esika’s reputation to the bottom and risen to the position of Lady Chamberlain?
“…”
Yuri clenched her fists and stood up.
The wound from hitting her head still stung.
She couldn’t just sit still like this.
**
“Make the length about this much, and the blade a bit more blunt, please.”
“You’re quite particular, young miss. Well, it’s good to have a clear order.”
Today, Esika visited the weapons shop dressed in a maid’s uniform.
It was to purchase a sword for herself.
She was able to find it at once, having noted the way when she went to Marshal’s tea party last time.
‘The same size and shape as the black dagger I used as the Thousand-Year Spirit… I’m looking forward to it.’
Of course, the weapons shop owner wouldn’t think that the seemingly delicate maid before him would use the dagger herself.
As Esika nodded silently, the weapons shop owner, finishing his notes, said,
“Come back to collect it in three days.”
The cost of making the sword was paid with money from selling pearls.
Recalling the sensation of holding a sword after so long, Esika unknowingly smiled.
As she left the shop smiling like that, an unexpected voice was heard from in front.
“… A weapons shop.”
“…!”
“There must be several blacksmiths employed at Klaus, how interesting.”
Esika’s blue eyes wavered.
The one standing before her was none other than Crown Prince Resban.
He was wearing clothes that other knights wore, different from his usual black uniform, and it seemed he had come out on some errand while hiding his identity.
Even the knights who should always accompany the Crown Prince on his outings were absent.
And meeting him at this moment must be cursed coincidence.
“You’re the knight I met before, greetings to you.”
Esika bowed her head, pretending to be a maid, hiding her bewildered inner thoughts.
As she slowly raised her eyes, she met Resban’s gaze fixed on her.
“I briefly stopped by the shop district to choose a dagger for my lover.”
And she calmly lied.
Resban’s eyebrow twitched.
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!!!
