Shien dashed out the moment he agreed, slamming the door behind him so hard it echoed through the room. Even without looking, I could tell from the sound alone how panicked he was. He was worried about me—desperately so.
And yet… my feelings were complicated.
It was because of what Brother Laje had just said. If Shien doesn't want to see the girl he likes get hurt, he should hurry and bring Mr. Karen here.
Does Shien… like me?
He didn't deny it. No—he just didn't have the chance to.
Still, I couldn't stop thinking about it. Did he really like me? And if he did… what kind of "like" was it? The kind between childhood friends? Or the kind between a man and a woman?
Personally, I leaned toward a third option—just friendship.
Because Shien treated Hera and Sicilia the same way he treated me. I never felt anything special from him.
And even if it was romantic… I wouldn't accept it.
I like someone who takes care of me. But Shien is someone who needs to be taken care of. That alone disqualifies him.
Ever since we were little, I'd been scolded by his parents whenever he got hurt from his own recklessness. Just because he was blessed by the Goddess of Fate and possessed all four elemental attributes, he was considered a future pillar of the nation.
So Shien had to be protected like royalty—never allowed to come to harm.
And because I played with him, I naturally became his bodyguard. Even my own parents agreed to it.
That's why… I really hated being around him.
It was exhausting.
We do the exact same thing, but whatever I did was wrong, and whatever he did was right.
When I was younger, I used to wish every day that something would come up so he couldn't visit my house.
But it was useless.
He came every single day—365 days a year. Even when I was sick, he still showed up, and it took me six whole days to recover because of it.
And whenever his family held banquets, he would invite me. I couldn't refuse.
But I didn't want to go.
Even when I did, he'd just sit there reading by himself. It was unbearably boring.
In short… Shien was a source of stress.
And thankfully, his parents didn't like me. There was no way they would ever approve of a marriage between us.
That was my saving grace.
Just as I was lost in these thoughts, Brother Laje suddenly grabbed my arm and pulled me to my feet. He led me over to the sofa across from the door.
From here, we'd have a clear view the moment Shien returned with Mr. Karen.
As soon as I sat down, I asked the question that had been bothering me.
"Brother Laje… what did you mean earlier? When you said Shien likes me?"
He looked at me with a mix of surprise and irritation, his tone rough.
"I've got a knife to your throat, and that's what you want to ask right now?"
…He had a point.
This really wasn't the right moment for that kind of question.
Sometimes, I really do forget the situation I'm in and end up saying strange things.
Like the day the Black Sun attacked the train.
When I realized I was their target, I should've been terrified… anxious…
But because Mr. Karen saved me, all that fear just vanished. I couldn't even stop the smile on my face.
Still… waiting for Mr. Karen to arrive was boring.
Sitting here like this was tiring too.
If I didn't say something, the silence would feel suffocating.
"The Brother Laje I see now feels like a stranger… I don't even know what to say. Just waiting here for Shien is boring."
Brother Laje let out an unpleasant chuckle, mocking both Mr. Karen and my father.
"You can thank that commoner and Golendo for that. But I agree—it's boring. So let's talk about Shien."
I got straight to the point.
"Let me ask first. Shien's feelings for me are just friendly, right?"
"Nope," he replied immediately. "It's romantic."
I wanted to confirm it because I needed peace of mind. I didn't want the thought that Shien liked me lingering in my heart and troubling me.
But Brother Laje's answer betrayed my expectations. Being liked by someone is naturally a wonderful thing, yet Shien isn't someone I would consider. It would only become a burden to me—I wouldn't be able to return his feelings.
I couldn't accept that answer, so I argued back against Brother Laje.
"That's impossible. Shien doesn't act like he likes me at all. He ignores what I say every day."
"Then why do you think he goes to your house every single day?"
"To read somewhere else."
Brother Laje burst out laughing.
"After all these years, he still hasn't made any progress."
He wasn't laughing at me—he was laughing at Shien.
But how could he be so sure?
"Then where exactly does he show that he likes me?"
"He probably thinks you two will get married when you grow up. That's why he doesn't do anything."
"What kind of confidence is that? Did he ever ask me? And besides, he's got a beautiful duke's daughter right next to him. If she were in danger, he'd react the exact same way."
So that's what he thought?
How arrogant.
Did my opinion not matter at all?
…Maybe it didn't.
Maybe children were just expected to follow whatever their parents decided.
Still, his parents were my saving grace. No matter how stubborn Shien was, they'd never agree.
And Shien wasn't the type to devote himself to just one person anyway. He'd definitely end up flirting around.
Brother Laje laughed again at my words, then said something that made me frown.
"Lixia, Butnashso allows polygamy. And a man who isn't a womanizer isn't a man at all."
The moment he finished speaking—
The door in front of us was suddenly thrown open with a loud bang.