Chapter 8
“Should I tell him? No, just say that you saved him….”
“Please say that it was you, sir, who found him in the forest and even treated him.”
“Alright, I saved him… huh?”
“Just in case… I mean… yeah, say I was your assistant! Or something like that.”
Mr. Haeven frowned as if he’d just heard something totally ridiculous.
“Why would you make such a request, hmm? Even if the Grand Duke is known for being cold, it’s obvious he’d want to repay the favor! This is the perfect chance—just ask him for money to pay you back!”
‘You don’t understand, sir…’
That favor might end up costing me my life.
“Are you worried someone from the Count’s house will find out you went out today?”
“Well… yes.”
“If that’s the reason, I’ll explain everything clearly to the Grand Duke. So go ahead, tell him you saved—”
“No! Absolutely not! Please don’t tell him, no matter what.”
I couldn’t say things like, “The original story would change,” or “If we get involved, it’ll ruin everything,” or “My escape plan will fall apart.” So I just brushed it off vaguely.
“It’s not like I saved him expecting anything in return… It’s just… honestly, I don’t want to get involved with someone like that at all. I know it’s hard to understand, but please. Okay? Sir…”
“Wow… then should I take the money and say it’s for you…?”
“Nooo—please don’t! Don’t accept anything from the Grand Duke. Please, I’m begging you.”
Even something that small could turn into another unwanted connection. If there’s even the slightest chance, it’s best to cut it off completely.
So that after today, Reus can never come near Anas again.
“Well then… I’ll stop by again when I’ve saved up some money. Got it, sir?”
“Sigh… fine, I get it. Sheesh…”
If the person I had saved wasn’t Reus, maybe I would’ve revealed myself. Like Mr. Haeven said, in my current situation where I desperately need money, it would’ve been the perfect opportunity to earn some, pay off my fake identity, and settle down in Veliata.
But the problem is—it was Reus.
The crazy villain from the original story. The reason I die.
So the best move is to prevent any connection before it starts.
‘I can’t believe I almost got involved with the villain like that.’
I’ve worked so hard to avoid breaking the original plot! There’s no way I’m letting all my efforts go to waste now.
‘Well… I guess things have gone a little off-script recently… but just a little.’
After everything I’ve done, what else could go wrong?
But like always, life never goes the way I want.
It took only a week to realize that all over again.
Thankfully, I got home safely without any problems. But because I used muscles I never use to move Reus near Anas, I spent the next four days mostly stuck in bed.
Still, there hadn’t been any word from Reus’s side, so it seemed like Mr. Haven handled it well, just like I asked.
Even so, there were still problems I had to solve.
‘Money… what do I do now?’
I had gone to Anas that day to make the final payment for my new identity.
But I ended up spending all of it on medicine for Reus!
I thought he might die, and I panicked. I don’t regret saving someone’s life… but still…
The problem is that the person I saved is the one responsible for my death—Reus.
I should’ve stayed far away, but now I’ve created a connection. And just because there’s no news yet doesn’t mean I can let my guard down.
Everything started going wrong just because I mentioned breaking off the engagement, and now this. Who knows when they’ll find out what happened yesterday?
‘So I need to save up the escape money faster…’
Reus doesn’t know I saved him, so there’s no way he’ll pay me back.
‘I wish Mr. Haeven could help, but…’
He’s just an employee running one of Anas’s many branches. He’s not in a position to give money or free items just because he feels bad.
I racked my brain, but no good ideas came up.
“What do I do now?”
It took me months to save that money, and I definitely can’t get it back in a few days…
And then, suddenly, I remembered something.
“Oh…! My birthday!”
That’s right—my birthday!
At the end of next month. It’s one of the rare days when my always-busy father actually pays attention to me.
Maybe he’ll give me a jewel like last time? It’s always a cheaper one compared to what Verodica wears, but still, it’s valuable to me.
‘If I sell that, I should be able to make up for the lost money. That means I can gather funds faster than expected. But that brings me to the most urgent problem now…
The breakup letter I furiously sent directly to Marquis Ersian. The letter must’ve arrived at the Marquis’s residence by now.’
It was only a matter of time before Peria found out. The biggest fear was that Peria, furious upon finding out, might lock me away somewhere.
Now that I was finally recovering, the sense of danger hit me hard. Maybe the letter hasn’t arrived yet… I should ask Enni and figure something out—’
Just then, the old storage room door slammed open as if it were about to break off its hinges.
-BAM!
“Loelle!”
Peria, who never came near the annex—especially not my room—was suddenly here. That could only mean one thing: the Marquis had received and responded to the letter.
‘Crap.’
As I stood up awkwardly, Peria stormed toward me and slapped me across the face with incredible force. Smack! My head jerked to the side with a sharp sound.
“Explain yourself! Did you really send that letter to the Marquis Ersian?”
“Why won’t you answer?! I’m asking if you sent it!”
I avoided her eyes and couldn’t say anything. She slapped me again, harder this time. I held my cheek and staggered, but Peria grabbed my wrist violently.
“You dare…! Who gave you the right to talk about breaking off an engagement?!”
“Mother, I—”
“Shut your mouth! I spoiled you too much and now you’ve gone completely mad. Lock this girl in the basement immediately—!”
“My lady—!”
Just as Peria grabbed my hair, a maid burst into the room in a panic.
“What is it?!”
“Th-the young master Ersian is here….”
The maid glanced quickly at me.
“He said… he wants to see the young miss…”
Seeing my swollen cheek and messy hair, the maid lowered her head like she’d witnessed something she shouldn’t have.
Realizing what a scene she was making, Peria turned toward me and harshly grabbed my chin. Her cold, knife-like stare lingered on my bruised cheek.
Then, in a voice full of barely-contained rage, she muttered:
“Fix her up to look as normal as possible and send her up immediately.”
When I entered the sitting room, Cassien was leaning back comfortably in the chair he always used.
I didn’t want to get involved anymore. I had no intention of staying connected. Still, maybe I should thank him for helping me out of that crisis…?
But thinking about how he always messed with my emotions, exhaustion hit me before gratitude.
“Cassien. Why are you here?”
“Ro—”
Cassien’s eyes widened. He jumped to his feet and walked over to me.
“What happened to your face?”
The maids had tried to cover the bruises with makeup, but they couldn’t hide the swelling. I turned my head so he couldn’t see that side.
“Loelle.”
“Let go.”
I slapped his hand away as he reached to touch my face and walked over to the chair like nothing had happened. He stood still for a moment, then sat down next to me.
“Let me see your face, Loelle.”
“Why? So you can enjoy the view?”
Cassien’s hand froze mid-air at my icy words.
“This is what you wanted, right? Isn’t it?”
“Loelle, I didn’t—”
“If you’ve seen enough, then leave. We’re really broken up now, so there’s no reason for us to be sitting together like this.”
Before I could finish, annoyance spread across Cassien’s face.
“The conversation’s not over yet. Where would I go?”
“I’m not in the mood for word games. Please just leave.”
I said it firmly, but Cassien leaned back even more into the chair, as if to provoke me.
Anger boiling, I grabbed his hand and tried to pull him up with all my strength.
“I said leave, Cassien! Just go—ugh!”
But instead of standing, I lost my balance and landed on his thigh.
Cassien used the chance to wrap an arm around my waist and held me in place.
Then he said something completely absurd.
“Let’s get married.”
“Are you insane? You’re seriously saying that now?”
“You feel it too, don’t you? That you can’t stay away from me.”
“Let’s stop fighting it. Don’t wear yourself out anymore. Okay?”
“No.”
“Why are you making this harder…?”
“I will never marry you, Cassien.”
A heavy silence filled the room. Cassien stared at me without blinking.
He stayed like that for a long time, and I thought maybe he was actually shocked this time. But then, his eyes curved into a gentle smile.
“Alright, Loelle. If that’s what you want, fine.”
The unexpected response made me ask like an idiot:
“What?”
“Throw tantrums if you want. Push me away as much as you like. I’ll take it all.”
“But you only need to remember one thing.”
Cassien pulled me tighter into his arms and whispered in a low voice:
“You belong right here—by my side.”
