Lady Class - Chapter 15

The desk in the study, barely used even by the villa’s owner, was now covered in a chaotic stack of books—everything from Tennis for Beginners, Basic Horseback Riding, and Choosing a Hunting Rifle to Gardening, Embroidery, Dressmaking, and Introduction to Painting.

And right in the middle of it all, Rackley sat wearing a pair of thin protective reading glasses, flipping through a book titled Traditional Dessert Recipes.

“I’m trying to figure out what I like by looking through books,” she explained.

Judging by the densely written notes in the notebook beside her, she was serious.

Kahn’s lips curled slightly. Now he understood what type of person she was.

She was someone who needed to study the theory before jumping into practice.

“You think you’ll find out just by reading? You have to actually try it.”

“Ah—!”

Before she could react, he grabbed her wrist and pulled her along. She followed easily, without resistance.

Kahn smirked inwardly.

She had been waiting for him to make the first move.

Fine. I’ll play along.

Just then, Brandt, the butler, entered the parlor carrying a tray. It was just past lunchtime.

“Brandt, what’s for dessert this afternoon?”

“Maggy is making éclairs.”

Maggy, Brandt’s daughter, was the villa’s cook. She was mute and struggled to socialize, which was why Brandt had taken a job as a butler here—to be able to live with and support her.

Understanding the situation, Kahn led the startled Rackley straight into the kitchen.

Inside, a freckled woman with light brown hair was pouring flour into a wooden bowl.

“Maggy, would you mind teaching this lady how to make éclairs?”

“Me? Teach her?”

Maggy looked surprised, but not as much as Rackley.

“Reading about it a hundred times won’t help. You have to actually do it to know if you like it or not.”

“I-I can cook.”

“You mean giving orders in the kitchen, not cooking with your own hands.”

“Ah…”

Rackley clamped her mouth shut.

Everyone knew that the Winner family was struggling financially. Sometimes, she had helped out in the kitchen, but admitting it aloud felt embarrassing.

What would Kahn think of a noble lady who had actually done kitchen work?

But he misunderstood her silence entirely.

Seeing her lips pressed together, he let out an amused chuckle, as if he had expected this reaction. Then, without hesitation, he grabbed an old apron hanging from a hook and handed it to her.

Most noblewomen were taught about cooking—so they could supervise the staff and give instructions when preparing for banquets. But actually working with their hands? That was unheard of.

His assumption wasn’t entirely wrong.

The truth was, Rackley had never made a dessert before.

Taking the apron hesitantly, she slipped it on and stepped closer to Maggy. Her heart pounded—not from embarrassment, but from excitement.

He was right.

She would never know unless she tried.

“Please teach me well.”

Before her lay a tray of pitch-black, charred remains.

Rackley buried her face in her hands.

Kahn, who had watched her efforts from the start, along with Maggy, who had patiently guided her, and Brandt, who had come to check in, all struggled to suppress their laughter as they offered words of comfort.

“It was your first attempt, my lady. You did well.”

“No… This was my third attempt at making éclairs.”

“Well… it’s not like you’ll ever need to cook, so it’s fine.”

She had followed Maggy’s instructions step by step, used the same oven at the same temperature—yet somehow, only her éclairs had turned into charcoal.

Was this why Countess Joel had only ever asked her to help with prep work in the kitchen?

“You’ve been completely rejected by the gods of cooking.”

Kahn, shaking with laughter, even tearing up, finally managed to regain his composure. With a smirk, he put an end to the ordeal.

“Alright, so cooking isn’t your thing.”

“I completely agree.”

Rackley didn’t argue. Three failed attempts were more than enough to reach a conclusion.

“You had embroidery on your book list, didn’t you? Maggy, do you know how to embroider?”

“Let’s do something we can do outside. I want some fresh air.”

After spending so much time in the hot kitchen, standing near the oven, she was beginning to feel drained.

Kahn agreed without hesitation and followed her outside.

Once they stepped out, they noticed that while the gravel paths were fine, the areas without them had turned into muddy patches from the previous day’s rain.

Walking along the gravel path surrounding the villa, Rackley turned to Kahn, who was trailing slightly behind her.

“What about you? What are your hobbies?”

“Me? I play the piano or violin when I feel like it. I hunt during the season. Sometimes, I paint landscapes, and I suppose reading counts as a hobby too. Oh, and I actually enjoy working with numbers—tedious calculations help me clear my mind, kind of like moving my body.”

Most nobles cultivated a few hobbies as part of their education, but not to the extent Kahn did.

His words didn’t sound like a lie, and Rackley found herself blinking in surprise.

“What do you think? Do I seem more intriguing now?”

“Are all those hobbies just so you can fit in with noblewomen? Being a gigolo doesn’t seem easy.”

“Of course, but the best part of my job is spending time with beautiful young ladies.”

Fully embracing his role, Kahn leaned in with a teasing gaze and pressed a light kiss to the end of her red hair.

Her eyes widened in shock before shifting away, landing on something by the villa.

“Wait… is that a fishing rod?”

Hunting and fishing were considered men’s pastimes. While fishing could be done with artificial lures, live bait like worms was more commonly used. And the journey to good fishing spots was often rough, making it an activity mainly enjoyed by men.

“Oh, right. There’s a lake nearby. Brandt likes to fish, so if you stay at this villa long enough, you might see fresh fish appear on the dining table.”

“…So this isn’t your first time at this villa.”

Her sharp observation caught Kahn off guard, though he quickly masked it with a casual smile.

“I heard about it from the servants. This body is quite popular—I’ve visited many villas, you see.”

“Yes, you are charming. Even among nobles, I’ve never met a man quite like you.”

There was nothing but pure admiration in her tone, which left Kahn feeling oddly unsettled.

At times, she exuded the sensual confidence of a courtesan. Yet other times, she was exactly what the rumors described—a dignified, traditional noblewoman.

Her act was so convincing that even he found himself confused.

Rackley’s curious gaze lingered on the fishing rod for a moment.

Noticing this, Kahn’s lips curved into a mischievous smile as he picked it up.

“Well then, let’s try it.”

“Huh? You mean… me?”

Kahn didn’t deny it.

A noblewoman, trying to fish? Walking through muddy paths, flinching at the sight of wriggling bait, squealing when a fish splashed?

Perhaps this little experiment would finally put an end to her strange search for new hobbies.

At least, that’s what he was hoping for.

“Let’s go.”

 

***

 

The expectations were pleasantly subverted once again. She was truly a woman who never failed to defy predictions.

“Wow, look, Kahn! I’ve already caught two!”

A fairly large fish, about the length of her forearm, flopped around energetically inside the wooden bucket, displaying its strength.

She had already caught two will-eye fish.

Even Rackley couldn’t believe her own skills and grinned widely.

She had briefly learned horseback riding as a child, but her fear at the time had prevented her from enjoying it. Fishing, however, was different. It was so fun that she wondered, Maybe active hobbies suit me better?

To make things even better, while she had caught two fish, Kahn hadn’t caught a single one, doubling her enjoyment. Every time she reeled in a fish, the proud expression on his face stiffened ever so slightly.

“Looks like we’ll be eating the fish you caught for dinner.”

“Just leave it to me.”

She had the confidence to respond to his teasing with ease.

Rackley beamed and cast her fishing line back into the lake. The moment she reeled the line in slightly, a strong force yanked at the fishing line.

“I got another one!”

She cheered, then immediately froze.

Unlike before, her fishing rod bent into a deep curve, almost like a fishhook. This was a big one.

Kahn, just as startled, moved to stand beside her.

“Wait, it’s a big one. Slowly, slowly.”

Rackley tried to follow what he had taught her—reeling in while pulling the line carefully—but she lacked the strength. As the tense struggle continued, she clenched her lips and used all her might.

The splashes on the water’s surface were quite large.

Kahn, momentarily surprised by the sheer size of the fish, moved behind Rackley and helped her hold the rod.

As the fish neared the surface, Rackley gave a command to the man behind her.

“Kahn, hurry, the net! Get the net, quickly!”

“Calm down, take it slow.”

“What if the hook comes loose? Hurry!”

The moment Kahn let go of her hands to fetch the net, the fish jumped high into the air, shaking its body violently.

SPLASH!

And just like that, it disappeared into the water.

The tip of the fishing rod pointed uselessly toward the sky.

The hook had come loose.

“No way! Ahhh!”

In her rush, Rackley dashed forward, only to brush against the wooden bucket with her dress, knocking it over.

The fish she had caught spilled out, and as if realizing it was their last chance, they flopped wildly, inching closer to the lake.

Afraid of losing them, Rackley reached out desperately.

But people always make bigger mistakes when they panic.

She stepped on her dress and tumbled down.

In that moment, the fish slipped back into the lake, vanishing beneath the surface.

All of this happened within a few seconds, just as Kahn had taken a few steps away from her.

“…Oh dear.”

“My fish…”

Kahn met Rackley’s gaze as she sat helplessly on the ground. Her dress was stained with mud, and she had lost all the fish she had caught.

As expected, her face twisted in frustration.

Kahn furrowed his brow, thinking she was about to throw a hysterical fit.

But instead—

“Pfft!”

She burst out laughing.

A clear, bright laugh spread through the air.

“Oh my gosh, did you see that? It was huge, wasn’t it? I’ve never seen a fish that big before!”

Kahn had expected her to finally drop the act, get frustrated, and reveal her true nature. But instead, she burst into laughter—genuine, carefree, and full of excitement.

It was such a big and radiant smile that even he felt a tickling sensation inside.

“I’ve never been such a mess before.”

“I’ll help you up.”

“Thanks.”

Her small hand, smeared with mud, was warm.

“There’s dirt all over me. I should take this chance to learn laundry from Maggie. Who knows? Maybe I won’t like cooking, but I might enjoy doing the laundry.”

Oddly enough, it was Kahn who started feeling irritated.

Rackley, despite the mess and losing all her fish, was genuinely enjoying herself.

She looked at him with a smile in her eyes and said,

“I like it.”

Kahn’s heart gave an unexpected jolt. He didn’t show it, but he was quite surprised.

“I like fishing. Even though I lost the fish, it was so much fun.”

She beamed up at him, her face glowing with delight.

Something in his chest stirred uneasily. It was that crooked desire—the kind that makes you want to leave a mark on a blank sheet of paper just to disrupt its purity.

“Thanks to you, I found something I like. Thank you, Kahn.”

“That’s not the reason you came here, is it? You haven’t forgotten, have you?”

Kahn’s hand cupped her face. Rackley’s bright expression vanished, replaced by flustered embarrassment.

Only then did he feel at ease—enough to smile himself.

“Your first exploration target should be me.”

He brushed a light kiss against the corner of her lips—just enough to tease, never fully touching.

Just enough to leave her wanting more.

He heard her breath hitch as she swallowed.

Satisfied, Kahn took her hand and led her away.

“Let’s go. The sun sets quickly in the forest.”

“Oh… right. It’s already evening.”

The sky had turned a deep shade of red.

And so had her face as she walked beside him, hand in hand.