Chapter 2
“But isn’t it better to have him by my side rather than watching from a distance? I mean, being a lover or a fiancée is way better than being a stalker, right?”
“That’s right, Miss. Which is why you said you’d propose. This is already the 299th time you’ve brought it up.”
“Really?”
Just as the nervous Anteia was about to say something odd, the shop door swung open, and a man walked in.
She froze on the spot.
The person she had only seen in illustrations was now standing right before her. His appearance was so breathtaking it was beyond handsome—he was beautiful, to the point of being otherworldly.
Hair as black as squid ink—no, even darker—and violet eyes that seemed shrouded in mystery yet irresistibly drew everyone’s attention. Unlike the youthful face from ten years ago in the illustrations, age had added depth and an intoxicating allure to his presence.
His deeper-set eyes lent him a decadent air, while his sharply defined features made him look all the more masculine.
Anteia rubbed her eyes, wondering if she was hallucinating, with her mouth hanging open.
“Holy—…”
Merilyn sighed and gently propped Anteia’s jaw shut.
“Miss.”
At Merilyn’s call, Anteia snapped out of it, realizing he was already standing right in front of her. In a panic, she jumped to her feet.
Right, I couldn’t afford to be rude.
I need to make a good impression on him…
“I was told you wanted to see me, Lady Blair.”
The moment she heard that deep, resonant voice, Anteia knew it was all over.
“Duke Sylvester. Please marry me.”
***
Right. It was completely over.
“Merilyn, did I do something wrong?”
“Well, proposing before he even sat down was a bit of a misstep—”
“Was that the mistake? Or does he just not like the way I look?”
“Miss, that’s certainly not the case.”
“Ugh, then why did he reject me…”
Anteia stared at the seat where he had been sitting moments ago. Watching the steam still rising from his untouched teacup, she slumped forward, burying her face on the table.
He was exactly as gentlemanly and kind—and so mature—as he’d seemed in the novel. Closing her eyes tightly, Anteia replayed the scene from just before.
“Duke Sylvester, please marry me.”
The moment she finished her words, silence engulfed the café.
It was so quiet that it felt like no one was even breathing. Of course, the ‘people’ in question were only the staff working there since Anteia had rented the entire place for the occasion.
“Shall we sit down and talk first?”
He blinked in surprise, seemingly taken aback, before finally speaking. He blinked in surprise, then finally spoke. Anteia let out a small sigh at his words and took her seat.
With that, the staff resumed their work, moving about the café. A waiter approached to take their order, and he coolly requested a single cup of tea.
Even as they waited for the tea, he seemed to be lost in thought—probably choosing his words carefully.
When the tea was served, he absentmindedly fiddled with the teacup before finally speaking.
“Um, Lady Blair?”
“Y-Yes—”
Anteia, tense as she could be, answered him the instant he called for her.
“May I ask why you want to marry me?”
“It’s because I like you, Your Grace!”
Her resounding voice echoed through the cafe.
“Guh-uck!”
He had been sipping his tea and started coughing, apparently caught off guard.
Anteia hurriedly took out a handkerchief and handed it to him, and he used it to wipe his mouth.
“Good grief.”
It sounded like Merilyn let out a small sigh, but Anteia decided to ignore it.
Once things settled down a bit, he spoke again.
“I am an unworthy man, not yet ready to consider meeting someone. You, on the other hand, are still young, Lady Blair, and will surely find someone far more suitable than I am.”
“But…”
“I’m sure you’re just mistaken at the moment.”
He was gentle yet firm.
She wanted to say she wasn’t mistaken, but he rose from his seat, as if unwilling to continue.
“I’m afraid this is all the time I can spare for you today, Lady Blair.”
He had barely touched his tea—it hadn’t even had a chance to cool. Everything was over so quickly.
“It was a pleasure.”
He remained a perfect gentleman to the very end.
“Haaaaa…”
“Miss, are you really planning to give up here?”
“Huh?”
“When you want something, you always find a way to get it, don’t you?”
Merilyn asked, gathering the bouquet and other items as she glanced at Anteia, who looked utterly defeated, sighing as though the world were ending.
“Me?”
“Yes. Do you know how much trouble you caused your parents because of it?”
“So that’s how I used to be…”
That trait, at least, was something she could appreciate.
After a moment of contemplation, Anteia leaped to her feet, clenching both fists with determination.
“Rudvig Sylvester, you’re going to be mine.”
***
Thus began the “Operation: Seduce Rudvig Sylvester.”
Step one: Hang around him as much as possible.
However, since he was a workaholic, this plan ended in failure.
Step two: Confess her love every time they meet.
“Duke Sylves—!”
But with his lightning-fast reflexes, he’d vanish before she could even finish her sentence. It wasn’t as though she never managed to meet him or confess her love—it’s just that her attempts failed more often than they succeeded.
“Well, I heard he was attending this party today…”
Still, Anteia refused to give up. Wherever he went, she followed with dogged determination.
Her efforts had become quite the topic in social circles. Everyone knew that Lady Blair was chasing after Duke Sylvester.
