Not pushing like Rashanin but stepping back slightly to give me time to think must be her skill in handling people. While looking at Elisabeth’s flower-like beautiful face, I steadied my wavering heart and opened my mouth.
“There’s one thing I’d like to ask.”
“Say it.”
“Why do you go this far?”
“I told you I like you.”
I’d asked Rashanin the same question when he tempted me to sleep together. And Elisabeth gave the same answer as Rashanin. That she liked me.
“But I can’t understand why you would go this far just because you like me.”
It was a proposal I couldn’t understand with just the fact that she liked me. I didn’t know how hard the work would be, but I was curious what made her trust me enough to entrust work to me.
“I told you before too, but Unhyuk, people like you are rare.”
“I know.”
“And people as well-centered as you are uncommon too. The fact that there’s someone who can meet my eyes and speak their own words confidently is very important. A philosopher said it. Proof of existence is seeing yourself reflected in the other person.”
Rashanin had said the same thing. But Elisabeth’s words sounded more serious.
“I expected you wouldn’t be swept away, but to think you’d become a catalyst. I’m glad my eye for people wasn’t wrong.”
I frowned slightly at the incomprehensible words. That being able to meet her eyes was a catalyst.
“Still, don’t fall too deep.”
“……?!”
Though she didn’t say what the target of not falling deep was, it wasn’t hard to understand.
“Right now he’s acting like a lazy lion, but his essence is utterly cold-hearted. That’s why the Grand Duke cherished him most. So don’t give your heart. Because he’s a bad man.”
Elisabeth casually threw bombs with her pretty face. The reason I didn’t assure her that wouldn’t happen was because I didn’t feel the need to.
Though her playful advice was surprising, I didn’t want to give my heart and fall deep as she said. If I did, I definitely wouldn’t see a good end.
I wasn’t a fortune teller, but I was certain of that much.
“I really like your eyes. You’re the type the Duke would like.”
“Elisabeth-ssi?”
She told me not to fall deep, then said Rashanin would like me. I couldn’t get a grip on things. As I glared at Elisabeth with a frown, her blue eyes curved as if amused.
“The Duke is picky. In addition, his personality is bad.”
Since I thought the same, I couldn’t say anything in rebuttal.
“Shall I tell you one good thing? If you really don’t want it, just say you don’t.”
“Pardon?”
“We can’t do anything against a refusal that contains sincerity. So if you don’t want it, say you don’t. Got it? Now, that’s enough. The protagonist is appearing.”
When I couldn’t understand anything Elisabeth was saying, at the sound of the protagonist appearing, I quickly looked toward the coffee shop entrance. From beyond the coffee shop entrance, I saw Rashanin, about the size of a cigarette. Despite the considerable distance, his features were distinct enough for me to recognize him.
Rashanin approached this way in one go with a cold face. He hadn’t completely dried his hair, so moisture remained. Though he didn’t look like he’d hurried, it was definitely an appearance unlike Rashanin.
“As I thought, it’s the Princess.”
Upon confirming Elisabeth’s face, Rashanin clicked his tongue before greeting.
“Are you dissatisfied it’s me?”
“Why are you here?”
“Well, because the Duke is here. You know that.”
Rashanin frowned as if displeased with Elisabeth’s smooth answer.
“Unhyuk. Stand up.”
“Oh my, why are you dragging Unhyuk-ssi into this? I want to continue talking with him.”
“There’s nothing to talk about.”
“I think that’s for Unhyuk-ssi to decide?”
Blue and purple eyes resembling jewels turned toward me simultaneously. Both of them glinted their eyes in their own ways, as if saying they’d see about it if I didn’t take their side. It seemed I’d been caught up in another clash between two outstanding vampires. I swallowed a sigh inwardly. I wasn’t unaware of whose side I should take at times like this.
“Elisabeth-ssi. I’ll be taking my leave now. Have a good day.”
As I gave my greeting and stood up from my seat, Rashanin’s face showed a triumphant expression. Elisabeth’s elegant eyebrows furrowed slightly, but she soon smiled with the corners of her lips raised.
“Now that I think about it, I forgot that I had something to tell the Duke.”
Just as he was about to turn and leave, Elisabeth called out to Rashanin.
“I thought you might not know what’s been happening since you’ve been enjoying your secret tryst, so I looked into it myself. They say Duke Usmilnov has died. At the hands of Count Schliepen. Since he’s been openly making certain statements, aren’t you curious about what his next move will be?”
“Elisabeth.”
I didn’t understand what the information Elisabeth had conveyed meant, but it was clear that it had touched a nerve with Rashanin. Rashanin called Elisabeth’s name as a stern warning. Nevertheless, Elisabeth wasn’t intimidated and smiled with her bright blue eyes gleaming. It was a smile that sent chills down one’s spine just from looking at it.
“It’s my role to watch until the very end. If you don’t like that, run away to somewhere I can’t find you. Your Excellency.”
Rashanin’s eyes narrowed as he looked at Elisabeth saying “Excellency.” The atmosphere was similar to right before they fought in the lobby two weeks ago. Both vampires craved each other so much that they had no hesitation in using force regardless of time or circumstance.
“Rashanin-ssi.”
Thinking I had to stop them by any means necessary, I hastily called out to Rashanin. He then turned his gaze to me with a frown. I flinched involuntarily at his sharp gaze, but soon tried to smile as naturally as possible.
After frowning for a moment, Rashanin turned his gaze back to Elisabeth.
“If you were trying to provoke me, you succeeded. Princess.”
“How fortunate. But even so, it doesn’t look like you’ll be returning to Moscow right away.”
My heart skipped a beat when Elisabeth glanced at me. Rashanin blocked her view of me.
“If you want to watch, do as you please.”
“My, how generous of you.”
Despite the sarcastic greeting, Rashanin turned away as if uninterested. I gave Elisabeth a light bow and followed Rashanin.
*
“What did she say to you?”
As we left the coffee shop and walked toward the elevator, Rashanin pressed me about what had happened. Since we were walking side by side, I couldn’t see his face, but from his stiff voice I could tell his mood wasn’t very good.
“She asked why I wasn’t wearing the watch she gave me as a gift.”
There was no need to lie, but it felt awkward to tell him truthfully that I’d received a scout offer. Still, it was true that she’d talked about the watch.
“And your answer?”
“I said a lion nearby is more frightening than a tiger far away.”
I told him exactly what I’d said to Elisabeth.
“Nice metaphor.”
“Thank you for the compliment.”
I hadn’t given much thought to Elisabeth’s scout offer. Rather, I was curious about what Elisabeth had come all the way to Jeju Island to convey. She said Duke Usmilnov had died at the hands of Count Schliepen. Rashanin had definitely reacted to those hard-to-pronounce names.
“I’m curious about what Elisabeth-ssi told you. Did something bad happen?”
While waiting for the elevator to arrive, I asked cautiously, wondering if perhaps something had occurred. Rashanin tended to be honest about these things. I expected him to either say he didn’t want to talk about it, or tell me up to an appropriate point.
“It’s nothing. Except that Count Schliepen holds a grudge against me.”
“What? Then… does that mean the Count could come to Korea too?”
“That might be the case.”
Rashanin spoke nonchalantly as if it were nothing, but I couldn’t just brush it off. If he’d been asleep for 30 years, what kind of grudge had he created for vampires to be gathering in Korea to see him?
“Will you fight like you did with Elisabeth-ssi?”
“Are you worried?”
“Of course I am. This is a peaceful place.”
“Do I look like a villain who disrupts peace?”
I swallowed the words that his very presence here was already far from peaceful.
“Can you swear you won’t fight with the Count for the sake of peace?”
“You don’t avoid a fight that comes to you. Unhyuk.”
“There you go.”
“For your sake, I’ll have to fight properly.”
“That’s absolutely not what I’m saying.”
I quickly stopped the man who said he’d fight properly. It might be half a joke, but given Rashanin’s position, it didn’t sound like a joke.
“Then what should I do?”
