Before she could spiral again, there was a knock at the door. A proper knock this time.
The previous maid entered with a tea tray, carefully arranged, steam curling up from the porcelain cups. She paused for just a fraction of a second when she saw us, then continued forward like a professional.
"Tea, my lady. Your Grace."
"Thank you," Faye said quickly, grateful for the distraction.
The maid set everything down and left. Silence followed again, but this time it wasn't awkward; it was... a pleasant kind of awkward if something like that even existed.
Faye poured the tea with careful motions, hands steady now, but her face still as red as a tomato.
She slid a cup toward me.
"I don't know if it's to your taste," she said. "It's not imported. Just harvested from our garden."
"I'm fine with that," I said, taking a sip.
It was warm. Mild, comforting.
Although I'm more of a coffee guy myself.
"Good," she said softly. "I'm glad."
She took her own cup and sat across from me, not sure of what to say next. In her mind, it's nearly impossible to try to relate to a duke, but considering how casual I was...
Maybe I had more in common than she thought?
After a moment, she spoke again.
"…So," she said, carefully casual, "does this mean we'll be living together...?"
I paused, cup halfway to my lips.
"We're engaged, not married."
I laughed. Wasn't that the typical romance fantasy setup for nobles, where engaged couples usually don't live together before marriage?
She froze immediately. "W-Wait!? Really...? But I thought that's how that works..."
"Not for us," I supplied.
She winced. "B-But why?"
I'm surprised I know more about this than she does… and everything I'm saying comes from years of reading and watching fantasy stories.
Although... she was described to be more of a noble for the common folk than anything else, I guess it makes sense.
I really do need to read the novel when I return home.
"Well... it just makes things less messy."
I can't really explain it without going into too much detail—like when engagements are arranged for political or personal reasons.
But she seemed to get it... so I guess that's fine.
"H-Huh..." She awkwardly chuckled. "G-Guess there's more to being a noble than I thought..."
Of course, she would say that. She'd been raised with love and care; her parents focused more on her happiness and basic etiquette than on molding her into a perfect heir, as most nobles do.
*** A Few Minutes Later
"It was nice talking with you, Faye."
I stepped out of her estate to where my carriage was waiting. Faye and her servants gathered to see me off.
"I-It's been nice talking with you as well... Cassian."
Faye smiled, pleasantly surprised that the ominous and infamous Duke Noctierre wasn't as scary as the rumours said he would be.
In fact, I was more pleasant than most nobles she'd met. I could tell at a glance from how much more comfortable she was with me than with the other nobles back at the conclave.
And while I'd like to talk with her more, both for my task and for personal reasons.
I still needed to claim the physical copy of the novel and get a refresher, the only reason why I had to leave.
But that didn't mean I was dumb enough not plan something so I can meet her again.
"If you want, you can visit me for lunch just before the next meeting starts."
I looked behind my shoulder to address her, enough to keep an air of mystery and superiority, I still needed to keep up my original body's persona after all, I couldn't just become super nice that quickly.
"I-I'd love that!" Faye stuttered, then continued. "I'll be sure to come!"
The ride back to my temporary residence felt quieter than the way here. The city was starting to wake up, carriages and pedestrians filling the streets with measured chaos, but I felt strangely detached. Not in a brooding villain way, more like someone taking mental notes on everything around them.
I leaned back in the carriage seat, letting the warmth of the leather sink in. Faye's smile still lingered in my mind.
I tried keeping my cool earlier... but she was undeniably beautiful, she was someone I couldn't even dream of talking to in my past life.
If she were a celebrity back in my original world, she'd probably be my celebrity crush.
"I guess I should commend myself," I muttered in a volume only I could hear. "Even if it's for something as small as not panicking while talking to her."
The carriage trundled over a stone bridge, the sound echoing in rhythm with my thoughts.
The system reward for Task 1. A physical copy of the novel...
Perfect. I could finally refresh my memory properly without relying on vague recollections. Maybe then I could plan better… or at least not make a complete fool of myself.
Edward's voice broke my train of thought. "Your Grace, shall I inform your staff that you'll be back shortly? Or would you prefer some solitude first?"
"Solitude," I replied, stretching out slightly. "I'd need to prepare for something."
Edward nodded. "As you wish, my lord."
By the time I arrived, the servants were already busy preparing lunch for later. I slipped into my private study, the familiar dark wood and heavy curtains giving me an odd sense of security. I opened the system interface and claimed the reward.
[Physical copy of "A Knight After My Heart" acquired.]
The book materialized before me on the desk, its cover glossy and pristine. For a moment, I hesitated. Opening it meant fully confronting the story I'd been transported into, and the inevitable future I was supposed to try to rewrite.
But... I wasn't the type to be too dramatic.
"No point in beating around the bush."