Chapter 138

Exactly where does that boldness come from? He had watched her fight with so many people now. Her words were thrown so sharply but always so calmly. Even Julius, who was known for his shamelessness sometimes, got flustered watching her fight with others.  He used to say, “Oh god, so embarrassing… Kaichen, is this how you feel when I act brazen and shameless? I am so embarrassed right now.”

He should have known about her boldness from the moment she opened his door without knocking when he took her to the Willow House. The woman didn’t know how to feel conscious or embarrassed. It was hard to tell if she was ashamed of herself because she became even more bold and confident when that happened as though that would make it any less embarrassing. It wasn’t such a bad trait. In fact, she always appeared so confident and sure of herself that it was hard not to be amazed.

Kaichen, realizing that he was unknowingly defending her, clicked his tongue. He had long lost his objectivity when it came to Dalia. He decided it was time to stop this fight before it got disastrous.

“Lady Sorel?” someone called.

Kaichen remembered why the voice had sounded familiar. He had heard it before.

“Oh my, Sir Petral,” a soft smile appeared on her face.

Dalia’s eyes widened as the woman’s demeanor completely changed. Kaichen narrowed his eyes as a memory surfaced in his mind. The dinner date was ruined, and it seemed it was bound to get more uncomfortable.

“Is something wrong?”

“Ah… they said no window seats were available, so I was just asking for some understanding.”

Kaichen hoped the woman would move along without lengthening the fight. He didn’t know if he could control Dalia. She was called the Fighter of Acrab, after all. He saw Dalia narrow her eyes at the woman’s blatant lie.

“Oh, it seems like a lot of people came to eat out today because it’s such a nice day,” said Sir Petral.

“I think the customer here is leaving because she said they are almost done eating,” said Lady Sorel.

“Oh, is that so? That’s very considerate,” said the man politely. He acted as though there hadn’t been a fight here just seconds ago. Although he dressed neatly, it was clear that his body was battle hardened. Even from his words, it could be deduced that this man was a man of authority. He was a handsome man with dimples on his cheeks. He smiled at Dalia as though to thank her for yielding her seat. Kaichen’s eyebrows furrowed. He was familiar.

This annoying woman… He didn’t have a good feeling about this situation. He did not pay much attention to others and did not engage in their businesses. When people remained in his memory, it was mostly because he had not had a good encounter with them. As he remembered more, he became uncomfortable.

Kaichen didn’t like balls or parties. He hated crowded places. But he sometimes had no choice, especially when it related to Julius. This woman was the reason he had stopped attending such events completely.

“Oh, my goodness! Mr. Kaichen, do you know how much I have missed you? This girl’s heart burns because you don’t show yourself at all.”

‘If you are not feeling well, you should see the doctor.”

“Oh, ho! You still have a good sense of humor! Come on, don’t be like this, let’s go out to the terrace and talk about things we couldn’t finish talking about.”

“Talk about things we couldn’t finish talking about? I don’t remember us having a conversation?”

“Mr. Kaichen, there are a lot of eyes watching. Please don’t embarrass this girl too much.”

That ball was the one he had hated the most. And not only because of Lady Sorel. Julius hadn’t been able to establish himself as the Crown Prince and Kaichen himself was mostly addressed as the Archmage’s disciple. People used to ignore his title as the Archmage. Now, he had become such a person that people could not make light of him so easily but back then things had been different…

The smell of perfume made his eyes water and his nose sting. The woman who threw them at him made him very stressed. He didn’t like being grabbed by the arm even then. They touched him as they pleased, and he hated every bit of it.

It was especially difficult when Lady Sorel had attended every ball he was in, pretending as though it was just a coincidence. In the aristocratic social circle, rumors spread fast, and it put him in a very difficult spot. He put a stop to what he endured for Julius as a friend right there.

“Do not approach me with the smell of an animal in heat. It’s dirty and filthy.”

Lamia Sorel. She was the only daughter of Marquis Sorel, one of the leading families in the empire with both wealth and power. She was so arrogant that she took any kind of rejection as a slight to her honor. When Kaichen had uttered those words to her in that ball, she had burst into tears. He had gotten so uncomfortable that he had just left. But rumors had spread that he had been unable to control himself and harassed Lady Lamia Sorel.