Oh, Dear Nemesis

“Young Lady Phlox.”

Another problem was that Kalmia went back in time. No matter how hard she thought about it, there was no reason to go back to the past!

“Kalmia.”

Kalmia, who was immersed in her thoughts, stopped in her tracks. As she raised her head with a bewildered expression, a sullen Rudbeckia caught her eye.

‘Huh?’

“What were you thinking about? Do you know how many times I called your name?”

“You called?”

“Yes. Exactly three times.”

‘Why do you look so upset after calling me three times?’ Kalmia’s expression changed as bitter as Rudbeckia’s.

“Well, I’m very sorry.”

“I will accept the apology. Do you have some time?”

‘Wow, since you were young… You had this personality from a young age.’

Rudbeckia calmly waited for Kalmia’s reply while she was standing in front of him speechless. She was already irritated and was about to refuse him, but she suppressed the urge quietly.

That man was a decisive nuisance in her life. It was hard for Kalmia to describe him as a ‘nuisance’ because Rudbeckia saved her brother, but she couldn’t think of another appropriate word.

If that wasn’t a nuisance, then what was it? She would now have a longer way to go. The glorious road to becoming Count Phlox and entering the world of politics, gaining the trust of the second Prince, and finally defeating her enemy and achieving victory was further away.

Her father, Count Phlox, was someone who, like his predecessor, tried to distance himself from politics. Because of that, Kalmia would end up as a noble’s wife and rot away her whole life in the outskirts. So, she had to listen to him. Kalmia had to figure out what the hell happened and why everything was different from before.

“Yes, I do.”

“That’s a relief. I’d like to have a conversation with you, is there any good place to talk?”

“Let’s go to my room.”

There were several meanings for an unmarried noble woman to invite an unmarried noble man to her private room. However, they were only ten, respectively twelve years old so it wouldn’t mean much if anyone saw them.

Rudbeckia followed Kalmia without any objection.

Unwilling to serve him tea, Kalmia did not call her maid. Instead, she looked at Rudbeckia who was sitting opposite of her, on the sofa on the other side of her room, with an expression which was telling him to talk. 

Rudbeckia didn’t bother to talk about the weather so he spoke his mind with honesty.

“I will tell you straight up. Please, marry me.”

The problem was that it was too straightforward.

Kalmia froze for a second, then asked softly with a bewildered expression.

“What are you doing?”

“My father sent an engagement letter to the Phlox family, and I brought it with me. Count Phlox refused, saying it was too much, but if the young Lady asks him to get engaged, he might listen.”

“…Why an engagement with the Duke?”

Kalmia couldn’t openly call Rudbeckia crazy. 

‘Yeah, he’s talking like that because he doesn’t know he poisoned me.’ Kalmia had no idea what she was supposed to do.

Rudbeckia sighed as he looked at her bewildered expression.

“Count Phlox will eventually return to the capital.”

Those words were quite bold for a thirty year old Kalmia to hear.

“My father promised that he will fulfill his duty by nurturing juniors here for the rest of his life.”

“My father doesn’t think so.”

If it was the Duke of Matari, Kalmia remembered meeting him a few times in her previous life. But she didn’t know him well. That was because the second Prince had secretly assassinated the Duke of Matari. Thanks to that, Kalmia heard that Rudbeckia’s succession ceremony was carried out earlier than expected. 

Kalmia also became interested in the Duke of Matari while dealing with Rudbeckia, so she looked up his biography several times. She remembered laughing for a long time while reading the nonsense in the book. Such as how the Duke fought a one hundred to one battle and beat a buffalo with his bare hands. Either way, the stories in the biography were one thing. The fact remained that the Duke of Materi was a very outstanding person both as a military commander, and as a civil servant.

Kalmia stared at the boy in front of her while recalling the fading memory of the Duke of Matari. Rudbeckia looked serious. She didn’t know what was going on in the Duke’s head, but it looked like he really sent an engagement letter. Then, it was understandable that Rudbeckia had come all the way down in the outskirts.

Although Phlox was a Count, he was very proud of himself. If the Duke had sent the letter along with his subordinates, Count Phlox would have returned it without even looking at it. He had no interest in politics anyway, so it was not a very difficult choice for the Count, who didn’t need to be wary of the Duke.

However, things were now different. Rudbeckia, the heir, came to the outskirts with an engagement letter himself, and he was even the benefactor who saved Elois from death. No matter how much the Count didn’t want to get involved with the Duke, it was difficult to refuse. At least it seemed that he hinted at his disapproval by being excessive, but he couldn’t openly express it.

What if Kalmia walked out on Rudbeckia? She never thought such a crazy proposal would ever take place.

‘Yeah, this is nonsense.’

“So you’re asking me to run to my father and lie that I fell in love with Your Highness?”

“Am I not handsome enough to fall in love with?”

‘That’s such a shameless thing to say.’

Kalmia forgot the situation she was in and stuck out her tongue.

‘How can a man of the Duke’s family be so shameless and obnoxious?’

Kalmia hated Rudbeckia for boasting about his looks. So, with a stern voice, she spoke.

“Your Highness’s face is not my taste.”