Third-Rate Villain Of Fantasy Novel-Chapter 57: A Private Conversation [2]

"Hm… anyways, I talked about you with my daughter last night."

…And there it was.

A bombshell dropped so casually it almost felt rehearsed.

For a second, I forgot how to breathe.

Why would he bring that up now?

The moment he said he had spoken with Elena about me, I was dragged back to the very first time I met him. That same tightness in my chest. That same awareness that every word I spoke could shape my future.

Of course, I knew Elena wouldn't speak ill of me.

She wasn't that kind of person.

Still… hearing that a father and daughter had discussed me privately?

There was no way that wouldn't make a man uneasy.

Even if the engagement had already been agreed upon, standing alone with the father of one's fiancée while he casually reveals that you were the topic of conversation the night before—it would make anyone tense.

Well… perhaps not anyone.

There are men who are composed in any situation. Men who smile confidently and say all the right things.

I am not one of them.

And what made it worse was Joachim's expression.

He wasn't stern.

He wasn't angry.

He looked… lonely.

That subtle loneliness in his eyes only deepened the tension building inside me.

"I've never seen Elena smile so brightly in my life," he said quietly.

"Yes?" My voice came out more cautious than I intended.

He didn't look at me immediately. His gaze drifted somewhere beyond my shoulder, as if replaying a memory.

"That child likes flowers very much," he continued. "Ever since she was little."

I nodded slowly. That much, I knew.

"So at first," he went on, "I thought perhaps it was because of the south. The climate there. The fields. The gardens." A faint smile tugged at his lips. "You would know better than anyone. The flower garden at Lord Kraus Castle is one of the most famous sights in the empire."

I gave a small nod. "It is… well maintained."

"But it wasn't that."

He finally looked at me.

And that look carried weight.

"It wasn't the flowers."

Silence stretched between us.

My heartbeat grew louder in my ears.

"She spoke about how you listen."

"…Listen?"

"Yes." His lips curved faintly. "She said that when she talks, you don't interrupt. You don't correct her. You don't laugh at her interests. You simply… listen."

I hadn't expected that.

Out of all the things Elena could have said—about the garden, about our walks, about the weather—she spoke about something so… ordinary.

"I only did what anyone should," I muttered.

Joachim shook his head.

"No. Most people wait for their turn to speak. They don't listen."

His voice softened.

And then…

He looked at me—really looked at me—and there it was.

Envy.

Barely concealed, thinly wrapped in amusement, but envy nonetheless.

"Damian," he said, leaning back slightly, folding his arms as though he were trying to appear casual. "The reason Elena was able to talk to me with a smile was none other than you. What on earth happened in those short ten days to make that child fall for you? I'm really curious about that."

I blinked.

'Well, that's what I'm curious about too.'

"That's… a strange way to put it," I muttered, rubbing the back of my neck. "You're making it sound like I cast a spell on her."

Joachim snorted quietly. "If you did, I'd like to learn it."

This time, I couldn't find the right words to answer Joachim's question.

Because the truth was—I genuinely didn't know.

She had been kind to me since the first time we met. There was no dramatic turning point, no heroic rescue, no carefully crafted confession beneath moonlight. Just quiet conversations. Shared silences. Her laughter when I said something stupid. The way she would look at me as if I wasn't Kraus's heir, not a political piece on a chessboard, but just… me.

The answer to Joachim's question was something I could never find within myself.

And it was an answer only Elena knew in this world.

"I didn't do anything special," I finally said. "I was just there."

Joachim raised a brow. "That's the worst answer you could give a man like me."

"I'm serious."

He studied me for a long moment, his expression unreadable.

Then he stood up from his seat with a thin smile on his face, as if he had never intended to hear my answer from the beginning.

"If by any chance you ever want to live here after wandering around Merohim," he said lightly, brushing imaginary dust from his coat, "just tell me. There are many empty rooms in the Winter Castle, you know."

I stared at him.

"Are you trying to recruit me?"

"I'm offering you stability," he corrected smoothly. "And perhaps a warmer welcome than the one waiting for you back home."

"You're kidding, right?" I let out a dry laugh. "I'm Kraus's heir—"

"Don't you have a younger brother?"

"That's not the point."

"How about passing on the heir position to him?" he continued, completely ignoring me. "And on top of that, Arthur seems like he'll live for over a hundred years. You won't even get the throne until you're old and gray."

"That's not funny."

"I'm not joking."

That made me pause.

He wasn't smiling anymore.

"You'd really have me abandon my house?" I asked quietly.

"I'd have you choose," Joachim replied. "For once."

The air between us grew heavier.

"You think I'm unhappy," I said.

"I think you're tired."

"You're tempting me on purpose," I muttered.

"Of course I am." Joachim shrugged. "You're valuable."

"That's a terrible reason."

"It's an honest one."

Silence settled between us again, but this time it wasn't uncomfortable.

"Even if I wanted to," I said slowly, "it's not that simple."

"It never is."

"I have responsibilities."

"So does everyone."

"My father—"

"—will survive," Joachim interrupted. "Especially if Arthur truly lives forever."

I let out a reluctant laugh despite myself.

"You really don't hold back."

"Why should I? You're not my subject."

That was true.

And perhaps that was why I felt strangely at ease talking to him like this.

Still… I couldn't do what he wanted me to do.

Even now, my fingers trembled slightly at the memory of it.

Afterward, Joachim said it was a joke. He laughed lightly as he opened the door and stepped out, as if he had merely teased me for fun. But the expression he wore when he said it—those steady eyes, that unwavering tone—had been far too serious.

It hadn't felt like a joke.

It had felt like a test.

Or maybe a warning.

I stared at the closed door long after he left.

This father of mine—this man who seemed to overflow with energy as if exhaustion had never touched him—would have torn down half of Winter Castle and built an entirely new wing if I had so much as casually mentioned wanting to stay there.

If I had joked about living here, he would have made it reality by sunrise.

That was the kind of man Joachim was.

And that was exactly why I couldn't take his words lightly.

A knock interrupted my thoughts.

Before I could answer, the door opened again.

"Oh, I almost forgot to tell you," Joachim said, stepping back inside as though he had just remembered something trivial. "Now that you've come to Merohim, I'm thinking of holding a banquet two days from now to introduce you to my vassals."

Of course.

I should have expected that.

"I am…" The words stuck in my throat.

Overwhelmed? Unprepared? Reluctant?

All of the above.

"I know," he said. "Arthur told me you've never attended a proper social gathering before. Apparently your head is filled with nothing but swords and fencing manuals."

I frowned slightly. "That's not entirely true."

"Ah, so there's room for strategy books as well?" he teased.

Despite myself, I let out a quiet breath that might have been a laugh.

"I don't know how to do this," I admitted. "I don't know how to speak the way they do. Or smile the way they expect. I've never had to."

Joachim leaned against the wall, crossing his arms.

"You don't need to smile like them," he said. "You only need to stand there as yourself."

"That won't be enough."

"It will," he replied firmly. "Because whether you like it or not, you are my heir."

His gaze sharpened.

"And if you're going to live under the name Edelweiss from now on, you cannot avoid banquets forever."

There it was.

Edelweiss.

The name felt heavier than Kraus ever had.

"I'll say it again," I said quietly, lifting my head. "I am Kraus's heir."

Silence stretched between us.

Then he smiled—not mockingly, not indulgently, but proudly.

"And you always will be," he said. "But you are also Edelweiss."

He stepped closer.

"Names are not cages. They are banners. You decide which one you carry into battle."

I swallowed.

Battle.

That, at least, was language I understood.

"As for the banquet…" I exhaled slowly. "Yes. As you said, I'll try attending this time."

His expression softened.

"Good."

He pushed himself off the wall and walked toward the door again, but paused before leaving.

"Oh, and one more thing," he added casually, as if discussing the weather. "The owner of the most famous boutique in the capital happens to be in Merohim right now. A fortunate coincidence."

I blinked. "Why are you telling me that?"

"It would be wise to commission her to make a new dress for Elena."

"…What?"

He raised an eyebrow.

"You didn't think you were attending in training clothes, did you?"

Heat crept up my neck.

"I don't need anything extravagant."

"I didn't say extravagant. I said appropriate." He smirked faintly. "You're lucky, you know. Nobles wait months for her attention."

"I don't care about dresses."

"You will," he said lightly. "Or rather, you'll care about the message they send."

He opened the door once more.

"Rest tonight. Tomorrow we'll visit the boutique."

"Tomorrow?" I echoed weakly.

"Yes. And don't argue. This is a battlefield too, just with silk instead of steel."

The door closed behind him before I could protest again.

Silence returned.