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Chapter 06
Wait, how much does the duchess know?
‘Did he tell her about the medicine I gave him? Or at least about the prophetic dreams? That should make the duchess interested in me….’
Damia unconsciously glanced sideways at Cassian. When their eyes met, the boy shrugged his shoulders lazily.
At that moment, a chilling premonition struck the back of Damia’s head.
‘S, surely he didn’t tell her nothing, right?’
Damia froze in panic and stared blankly at the duchess’s moving lips.
“I am glad to meet the young lady. And you are so calm and dignified…”
Huh? Glad?
Surprised by the unexpectedly gentle and friendly reaction, Damia widened her eyes.
“Cassian trusted you enough to reveal his secret, it seems. And even knowing his condition, you embraced him.”
The blue eyes of the duchess, looking at her terminally ill son and Damia, were already moist.
“I want Cassian to experience all the happiness that others enjoy.”
“Hmm…”
“But since Cassian realized his condition, he has strongly avoided forming deep relationships with anyone.”
“Ah…”
“I am grateful that the lady gave him the courage.”
It seems there was a serious misunderstanding…
Damia swallowed dry saliva and glanced at Cassian.
She expected him to jump up and shout that it was nonsense, but the boy was instead nodding calmly.
It seemed Cassian himself was the one who planted such romantic misunderstanding in the duchess’s mind.
“Even if Cassian were to pass away before me…”
Perhaps overwhelmed while speaking, the Sarkis duchess stood up.
She approached Damia and took both of her hands.
Contrary to her cold appearance, her hands were warm and gentle.
“The Sarkis ducal house will take responsibility for you. If necessary, we will even help with remarriage or overseas study until the end.”
‘What? Even remarriage?’
At that part, Cassian frowned slightly, as if something irritated him.
“Right, Cassian?”
But when the duchess turned to seek agreement, only a faint, distant smile remained on Cassian’s beautiful face.
“Of course. I want my fiancée to be happy even in a world without me.”
Even though there was probably not a shred of sincerity in it, the voice sounded frighteningly genuine.
‘So this is how you want to play it.’
Understanding the situation, Damia’s violet eyes suddenly sparkled.
“Please… don’t say such things.”
“…Lady Ponti?”
“How could I be happy without Your Highness? I… sob!”
Damia buried her face in her hands and lowered her head. She even sniffled as if crying.
It was quite high-level acting, enough to fool even Cassian who knew the truth.
“How can there be such a beautiful heart…”
The duchess’s voice trembled faintly.
She seemed deeply moved by the scene before her.
“May I call you my daughter-in-law?”
“Sob… Yes, Mother!”
When Damia quickly answered, the duchess shed tears of emotion.
‘Maybe I can actually be loved during this fake engagement period?’
Cassian seemed to shake his head as if he were speechless, but the start was much smoother than expected.
A few days later, Damia sat tearfully in the reception room of the Sarkis ducal house.
“Are you serious? You’re going to introduce me as the young duke’s fiancée at this tea party?”
Damia bit her lip nervously.
“Wasn’t that just a children’s tea party? Suddenly announcing an engagement?”
“If others heard you, they would think you are not a child either.”
Well, I may not be a real child despite how I look…
Damia swallowed the truth she must never reveal with a sigh.
“Are you dissatisfied that it is not a proper engagement ceremony?”
“That’s not it at all. I just…”
I want to quietly live as a fake fiancée, then break off the engagement and defect to another country.
So it would not be good for either side if my face became widely known.
Damia bit her lip to keep from revealing her true thoughts accidentally.
“How about being satisfied with an engagement announcement? If we prepare a grand engagement ceremony, I might suddenly die from being terminally ill during that time.”
“Eh? No, Young Duke, it’s not that….”
According to my past life memory, the illness was not that severe.
But there was nothing she could say out loud.
Damia eventually gave up trying to argue and closed her lips quietly.
“Well, if even the engagement announcement feels excessive, then endure it a little. My mother seems to want to show you off anyway.”
“Mother?”
Cassian answered by glancing lightly at the butler.
The silent butler bowed and opened the reception room door.
“Madam has prepared an engagement gift. Due to the tight schedule, only part of it will be delivered today. Please understand.”
Along with the butler’s explanation, people who looked like they came straight from the capital shopping district flooded into the reception room.
“This is… only part?”
Damia swallowed dry saliva unconsciously. The merchants all bowed at once.
“We will serve you with the utmost effort!”
The wide reception room of the ducal house was soon filled with Damia’s dresses, jewelry, and various accessories.
“Why are you surprised already? I haven’t even brought in my gift yet.”
“Eh? You also prepared a gift, Young Duke?”
“Of course. You are my precious fiancée.”
Cassian walked closer to the speechless Damia.
Unlike when they were alone and he constantly complained, he acted like a gentle fiancé in front of others.
“As long as you don’t break the contract and cling to me, I will support you materially.”
At his whisper, Damia’s heart began pounding wildly.
“Really?”
Although she was the price of the medicinal herb, she felt too shameless to demand even financial compensation since she had requested the engagement first.
But since he was personally taking care of it, there was no reason to refuse.
‘My funds for defecting to the kingdom are growing steadily.’
Because of her past life, she was already tired of men. Even if the young duke gave his heart, she would reject it.
Gradually, the panic disappeared from Damia’s violet eyes.
“It will be hard because I like you so much…”
The girl stood up abruptly and spoke a shameful confession beside Cassian’s ear.
“But I will manage my feelings well so that I won’t disappoint you.”
Then she stretched out one hand as if asking for a handshake.
Her attitude was more like dealing with an employer or business partner than a lover.
“…A handshake? Now?”
Feeling the incongruity, Cassian raised an eyebrow, but he could not push Damia’s hand away.
Damia smiled very satisfyingly and shook hands with Cassian.
Perhaps the young duke’s rumor about having a cleanliness obsession was not completely false, as he did not remove his gloves until the end — but that did not matter.
“Did you hear the news? Young Duke Sarkis will personally introduce his fiancée at today’s tea party!”
“What? That can’t be true!”
Among a group of noble young ladies, a commotion broke out.
Cassian Sarkis, the most beautiful boy in the empire, was the center of every girl’s attention.
“…Fiancée?”
At that moment, a golden-haired girl standing under a willow tree spoke.
The girl with honey-colored blonde hair and slightly upturned eyes was Drury Soro.
“Oh, I thought it was about the Marquess Soro’s young lady. So it wasn’t?”
Drury blinked slowly to hide her confusion.
‘That Cassian Sarkis… is engaged?’
