Chapter 19: CH 18

She was about to say the second part of the pick-up line, well, had it not been for this unexpected turn.

“That fact. How did you know?”

“…Whaaat?”

Reina repeated the same word.

“Of course, it’s not like that anymore,” he answered.

‘W-What the…’

Not like that anymore… but that means it was like that before?

‘The second most powerful man in the empire, Duke Liam, was a former thief…?’

The light purple eyes, perhaps lavender, began to tremble severely.

‘Uh… I don’t know how to react to this.’

She couldn’t even say a word in response, only flapping her lips open and close. Then, Ethan murmured.

“It’s much more astonishing that you actually know that fact.”

Yeah, but I’m also shocked… shocked that this situation turned into a plot twist straight out of a historical drama…!

“This has never been revealed before, but how did you know?”

As she frantically tried to choose the right words, Reina’s eyes were turning.

‘What do I do…?’

Reina glanced up and bit her lips.

‘The situation right now, I mean… I was just trying to lighten up the mood and make you smile, but before I knew it, the situation turned into something where I’m fearing for my life…!’

“Where did you hear it?”

Reina dodged the question repeatedly. However, the man’s persistent gaze remained fixed on her face.

“Um…”

‘You’re not going to unleash your magic because I somehow dug out your family’s secrets, are you…?’

Or maybe he’d bury her somewhere she couldn’t be found… Or perhaps erase her memories…

At the chilling thoughts that kept going through her mind, her body shook endlessly.

‘Of course, I have neither tangible nor intangible proof that Ethan is…’

“……”

Reina, who’s been working her brain nonstop in the meantime, shook her head.

Who was she again? A wild, proactive woman! A shameless woman who had a face that’s as thick as iron! A master of shooting context through the roof with nonsense!

That woman thought.

‘Yeah… if I suddenly react like a normal person here, it’s all over.’

The crazy ramblings of a crazy person just gets ignored as nonsense, but if a normal kid suddenly says something like that, how serious would that sound?

‘So the concept now is… Just roll with it.’

Forgetting that the ‘original concept’ was a seductress—not a crazy girl with flowers in her head—Reina spoke.

“Oh my. I guess we’re fated to be together, my love.”

“…Fated?”

His left eyebrow rose. He looked a bit intrigued by the answer as he repeated the word.

‘Yeah, okay. It’s good that he doesn’t look angry now.’

So, she nudged him a little more to lighten up the mood.

“Duke Liam, you’re so good at stealing my heart that I was about to ask you if you had stolen it too, but what do we do. I guess I’m a shoo in because I’ll fit in with my love’s family too, right?”

Why do you think people become more brazen in times of crisis? So, this time, Reina murmured as she smiled.

“It seems like heaven itself has destined us to be a match, right?”

To be honest, she had no idea how she connected the dots like this to get to that conclusion.

She’s been talking all this time, but she hasn’t really understood herself for a while now, so how could she possibly know? She’s just saying whatever came at the top of her head.

“I’ve just guessed the secret of my love’s family, so we truly are meant to be, my love.”

In general, people who could determine ‘fate’ like shamans, fortunetellers or tarot practitioners didn’t exist in this world, but don’t mind that for now. Right here and right now, what’s important was her life, not logic.

“Don’t you think so, my love?”

As he paused for a moment, Ethan eventually burst into laughter. At the same time, the scent of lilacs vaguely fluttered in along with the breeze. Perhaps connected by a thread to that scent, his atmosphere also lightened.

‘Huu… I survived.’

Her nervous shoulders relaxed.

“That’s an interesting way to put it.”

She didn’t know what about it was interesting, but she was relieved anyway.

Still cradling her trembling hands, Reina held back these words and said something else to Ethan.

“Then, shall we go now?”

Sweeping up his hair, Ethan asked back with a more relaxed expression.

“Aren’t you going to the Ministry of Finance building?”

“Um.”

She wasn’t really in the mood to see her father now, notwithstanding the fact that she had to deliver the packed lunch. After thinking about it for a second, she shook her head.

“No, please just take me to the palace gates.”

“Can’t you go there by yourself?”

“I can’t. My legs are still shaking.”

As she pouted her lips for no reason, he burst into a smile again, in disbelief of her answer. Completely forgetting the original purpose of her visit to the imperial palace, she walked beside him while holding his hand tightly.

* * *

“Huu… I’m gonna have to stop myself from saying stuff about the households and stuff.”

Who would have guessed it? Who would have ever thought that the progenitor of House Liam was a thief?

Reina still had chills at the thought of what happened a few days ago.

“And why did Ethan react that way? If it’s something as bad as that, you have to make excuses, right?”

She was sweating so much at the time.

“I’m glad you don’t seem to care about your family’s secrets, but… if I said one wrong thing there… uuugh.”

Shuddering, she tried to erase the memories of that nerve-wracking day.

Knock— knock—

“Milady, His Lordship is calling for you.”

“Father?”

Why was the person who’s supposed to be at the palace right now at home?

Reina rose to her feet with a perplexed expression, then Mary walked into the room to whisper to her.

“Milady, I’m not very sure about it, but there’s a rumor going around that an engagement with House Carter has been annulled.”

The unexpected news made Reina’s eyes go wide like a bunny’s.

“What? House Carter? Are you talking about Fran Carter?”

“I don’t know the details, but that is what the other maids said.”

The maids’ information network was better than Reina thought. Besides that, if Mary’s the one personally breaking the news, then it’s likely from a pretty reliable source…

“It’s Fran, then.”

Indeed, if Fran Carter’s engagement had been broken, then Reina now had another option, not just Ethan.

“Then, by any chance…”

With her imagination running off, she burst into a wide smile.

“Eyy. No way an engagement with House Carter’s gonna proceed.”

When this family and that are like cats and dogs?

“That doesn’t make sense.”