14 Ashford Crescent

Selene was curious if Logan had suffered any major physical trauma to his head during his studies abroad.
Otherwise, there was no way he would say he would follow her to that distant continent.
“I haven’t injured my head, and I’m not drunk.”
Logan was quick-witted.
At her suspicious gaze, he quickly answered what Selene was curious about.
But if he hadn’t injured his head, it was even stranger.
“You’re going to follow my study abroad plans on a whim?”
“It wasn’t an impulsive decision. I thought about it for about two days after hearing that the prize for the competition you won was to study abroad.”
“Two days…?”
“I thought it wouldn’t be a bad idea to study abroad one more time.”
“Are you going to enter Mulshe Graduate School like me?”
“Not that, but there’s a business school in the area where that graduate school is, where professional managers get their degrees. It’s good for networking.”
It is common for the children of noble families to attend business schools for networking.
However, Logan, who had just returned from studying abroad and was now saying he would attend a business school in that distant place, still felt like he was not in his right mind.
“Your father won’t stand for it.”
Logan’s father, the Grand Duke of Pembroke, was a close friend of Selene’s father, Nicholas, but unlike Nicholas, he was strict and taciturn.
Logan had suffered not a little under such a father since he was young.
“Don’t worry. I’ve already warned him that I’ll live as I please for a while in exchange for graduating from university early.”
Selene thought to herself.
‘The Grand Duke is not a person who would just watch his son’s rebellion.’
As if sensing her unresolved suspicion, Logan pulled out a chair from the table as if to give a long speech and sat down, crossing his long legs.
“Selene. As you know, this is a privilege that people of our class can enjoy. That we have more time than others. Of course, I shouldn’t be lazy, but I believe that living in the continent of Vetgraz with you will be a very important experience in my life. And the Grand Duke of Pembroke, whom you are worried about, will also respect my opinion.”
‘Well. Even if he talks about privilege, Logan has rarely enjoyed the things he was born with. He was busy learning this and that without a break since he was young under his strict father.’
That’s why she still couldn’t understand his decision.
There were too many things to pay for later to decide based on rebellion against his father or a momentary attraction.
“Why are you making a worried face?”
As if the person himself had no worries, Logan stretched out his long arm and snatched the letter from Selene’s hand.
Logan, who read the letter without permission, opened his mouth.
“Ah, you were just writing a reply about when you’re going to enter graduate school.”
“…”
“Summer? Not bad.”
There was only a month left until summer.
Even though Selene had already decided to go to study abroad at that time, she felt uncomfortable as Logan spoke as if to confirm it again.
“What’s wrong? Didn’t you write it?”
Logan asked as Selene stood still with her mouth shut.
But she didn’t want this hesitation either.
‘What am I clinging to here?’
As if to deny this hesitation, Selene answered Logan firmly.
“No. I’m going in the summer.”

The preparations for studying abroad proceeded step by step.
In that process, the completely erased Theron felt as if he had never existed to Selene.
This peace was also a peace brought by time, but in fact, it was something Selene had worked hard for.
Even while thinking that forgetting such a human scumbag was nothing, it was because Theron, fidgeting, or Theron, with his sleeves rolled up and immersed in playing the keyboard, would be drawn on the sheet music or the piano from time to time.
Although she hated to admit it, that faint symptom had worsened for a while after Theron Cox had stopped visiting the ducal estate.
‘Theron Cox is a disease.’
Selene decided to think of it that way.
That although he was not important in her life, nor did she have any affection for him, just as a disease leaves aftereffects after being cured, the disease called Theron Cox was causing a lingering aftereffect.
‘Otherwise, there was no reason to be disturbed in her daily life, unable to forget such an insufferable man.’
So, Selene stayed in the mansion even more for a while.
Although she knew she had to meet Evelyn and tell her the fact that she was leaving for the distant continent of Vetgraz in a month, she didn’t want to meet anyone.
The same went for her grandmother.
But that self was now a thing of the past.
As the saying goes, “time is a great healer.”
In the passing day, just like that wise saying, she gradually returned to her original state.
Selene was more than satisfied with this peaceful daily life.
“My lady, there’s a call from a stranger.”
But as always, a ripple is caused destructively and unexpectedly.
An incident occurred to Selene, who was quietly celebrating the peace she had found again.
It started with the phone ringing in the early morning.
“I’m not taking it.”
Selene never took calls from strangers.
It was something she didn’t even have to think about.
“But he says he must talk to you, my lady. That he has something very, very important to tell you.”
At this point, Selene might have noticed that the person making that exaggerated request was Theron Cox.
Nevertheless, the reason she didn’t immediately tell her to hang up was because she was curious if Theron Cox, who hadn’t appeared for a while, was dead or alive.
She might have been able to find news in the newspaper, but she had deliberately not looked in order to erase him from her mind.
“He also said you’ll regret it immensely if you don’t take the call.”
‘Regret?’
Selene sneered inwardly at Theron, who was making such a pathetic provocation.
At the same time, she became quite curious about the words that she would regret immensely if she didn’t hear.
It was also an appropriate opportunity to give him a good scolding one last time before leaving the empire.
“Still, shall I hang up if you don’t want to?”
“No. I’ll take it.”
Selene, who had taken her hands off the piano keys, stood up.
As expected, a familiar voice flowed out as soon as she picked up the receiver.
-Selene?
Without any incident, the person who had called was Theron Cox.
‘He must have disguised his voice to fool Gwen.’
It was a childish act that even a child wouldn’t do.
A cold voice that resembled Selene’s cool expression flowed out.
“Just get to the point.”
-….
Although he couldn’t have not expected such a cold reception, Theron was silent for a moment.
But that was only for a moment; Theron said with force.
-Just meet me once.
“Why should I?”
-If you meet me just once, I won’t bother you anymore.
‘What is this feeling?’
Although it was what she had wanted more than anything, now that she heard it, it felt strange, like looking at the empty space of the gift boxes and letters that had stopped coming one day.
Swallowing that feeling, Selene opened her mouth again.
“I’m going to study abroad soon anyway.”
It meant that even if Theron Cox wanted to bother her, he couldn’t.
-I know. But I can bother you until right before you go to study abroad. If I’m a crazier person than you imagine, I can follow you to that distant continent and bother you.
“I’ll report you.”
If that happened, Theron Cox would go to jail.
Even though she must have heard Selene’s firm answer, as if he were really crazy, a laugh was suddenly heard from over the receiver.
-I told you I could go to jail for you. Do you think I’d back down because I’m scared of that?
It seemed Theron Cox was really crazy.
He was muttering as if it were not a problem at all.
But Selene did not believe this bluff.
Perhaps Theron Cox had not yet given up and was still eyeing the ducal estate’s fortune.
Just then, Theron Cox’s voice was heard again.
-I won’t ask twice, so just meet me once.
“…”
-Then it’ll be neat for you too, without the trouble of reporting to the police.
This man had a knack for saying ridiculous things with confidence.
So much so that if you just listened, you would start to wonder if he was right.
-The day after tomorrow, at 3 p.m., at 14 Ashford Crescent. It’s a noticeable place in the city, so it won’t be hard to find.
Theron, as if realizing that there would be no end to this persuasion, suddenly announced the schedule.
14 Ashford Crescent.
For some reason, that address was somehow familiar.
-I’ll be waiting.
Perhaps that’s why, Selene couldn’t immediately answer that she wouldn’t go to Theron’s words that he would be waiting.
Beep, beep.
She opened her mouth belatedly, but from over the receiver, the signal tone that sounds when a call is disconnected was heard.
Theron Cox had hung up the phone first.
Selene glared at the Theron Cox on the other end of the phone, who had brazenly said his piece and disappeared.
Although she soon realized it was a futile act.
It would have been better if she had just forgotten the place Theron Cox had conveyed in an instant, but that address, which she seemed to have seen in the newspaper without realizing it, was already engraved in her mind.
Selene, who had been biting her lip, looked at the calendar.
‘Yes, come to think of it, there’s no reason for me to go to the trouble of avoiding Theron Cox.’
‘As Theron Cox said, it might be better to meet him one last time and make him back off.’
Selene, who had been frowning, relaxed her expression and put down the receiver.