IDTRAFTML 51

~Chapter 51~

I had no idea how Richard’s thoughts twisted things so much that he ended up believing I came to the party because of a man.

Seriously, that guy must have only come because of me.

Not to watch over me—but to provoke me, make me lose my temper, and then catch me in the act.

“Is that not the reason?”

“Of course not! Who comes to a party just for a man?”

“Whether man or woman, most people attend for that reason.”

Ah, right. In romance-fantasy novels, social parties filled with unmarried men and women usually had that kind of meaning.

But I had only been thinking about making friends with the young ladies, so I had completely forgotten the real purpose.

So that’s why people gave me weird looks.

To Richard, I must have looked crazy, but he was actually suspecting something rather ordinary.

Still—I had absolutely zero interest in men.

“Anyway, maybe others come for that reason, but not me. I came because Lillian wanted to introduce me to her friends. If things went well, they might even become clients of my counseling office.”

“…If that’s the case, then fine.”

The frown Richard had been holding finally eased.

So as long as it wasn’t about a man, it was okay for him? And what did that have to do with him anyway?

I thought the argument was over, but then his sudden calmness just left me dumbfounded.

“There are plenty of strange people at social parties. Some approach anyone shamelessly, others try to create scandals on purpose.”

He added that with a cough, maybe to justify himself.

If I translated his words directly, it meant: he was worried I might get entangled with some shameless scoundrel.

“I already said—I’m not interested in men at all. I don’t even notice them.”

“Even if you’re not, men are interested in you.”

“Interested? Hardly. That Hutton boy was just a little unusual. No one else would care about me.”

Yes, I was pretty—but compared to the stunningly beautiful young ladies at the party, I wasn’t eye-catching at all.

All of them wore such dazzling clothes that suited them perfectly. It felt like being at some celebrity award show.

I, who tried to dress comfortably and simply, wouldn’t stand out in a place like that.

“There are more than you think, Amelie Garnet. You’re the only daughter of the Garnet family, owners of the empire’s largest merchant guild. And… you’re quite beautiful.”

“And… you’re quite beautiful.”

“W-What?”

I froze at the sudden compliment.

Did Richard… just call me pretty?

The word “beautiful” kept echoing in my ears.

Repeated again and again in my head, it soon set my cheeks on fire.

“Haven’t you heard that before? Why are you so embarrassed?”

“Normally, people don’t say those things to your face.”

“Others say it casually.”

You and I are not the same, you jerk!

This man, blessed with heavenly looks, was mocking me without realizing it.

Still, judging from his unchanged face, he probably didn’t mean anything by it.

I quickly covered my flushed cheeks with my hands to cool them down.

“Do you plan to keep attending social parties?”

He chuckled at my embarrassed state and asked.

“Yes. Not too often—maybe once a week? I can promote my counseling office that way.”

“That makes sense. There’s no better place to promote than at a social party.”

“That’s what I thought, but someone interrupted and forced me onto the terrace.”

“It wasn’t me who interrupted—it was that Hutton boy. I just helped you out of the situation.”

“Fine, but let’s admit it—you also created another problem for me.”

After all, many people had seen us leaving the hall together. By tomorrow, who knew what kind of rumors would spread?

If it was just rumors, fine. But what if Lyssa heard and got hurt? That worried me more than anything.

“There won’t be any trouble. We’ll just say you followed me out because I asked for a favor. I’ll claim I wanted you to procure something from your family’s guild.”

“You think people will believe that? You showed up the moment Hutton confessed and pulled me away.”

“…Are you saying it looked like you and I are lovers?”

“As disgusting as that sounds, yes—that’s exactly how it looked.”

Oh no.

The more I thought about it, the worse it seemed.

I needed to come up with an explanation—something that wouldn’t hurt Lyssa, something she could easily believe.

• “But weren’t the two of you supposed to meet tomorrow? Since when did you become so close?”

The memory of Lyssa looking happy when she saw me with Richard flashed in my mind.

“Richard, you and I are friends, right?”

“What’s with the sudden—”

“To fix this situation, the only answer is to say we’re very close friends. So even if you don’t like it, we have to act like best friends for now.”

Even in high society, no one would dare object if the Crown Prince himself said we were friends.

If Richard cooperated, the rumors would vanish soon enough. And Lyssa would only be glad that I had become his close friend.

“But what bothers me is this—why do you keep acting like I’d hate to be connected to you?”

“That’s because… you really did hate me, didn’t you?”

Richard frowned again, confused, while I stared back with a puzzled face.

Sure, now we had grown closer after sharing many experiences, but I still couldn’t forget the way he looked at me on the very first day.

Those cold blue eyes filled with disgust and hostility—just remembering them made this peaceful conversation feel like a dream.

“That was only because you secretly bullied Lyssa. But now you don’t.”

“…Wait, you mean you no longer suspect me?”

“I don’t doubt you anymore. So don’t think I hate you. I don’t hate you, Amelie Garnet.”

“I don’t hate you, Amelie Garnet.”

Richard spoke seriously.

Under the soft moonlight, his blue eyes held not a single trace of negativity.

Meeting his gaze, I instinctively realized—I had become someone important to him.

Maybe not as much as Lyssa, but still, he had accepted me as his own.

Suddenly, I wondered what kind of look he gave Lyssa, the woman he loved.

When they were alone, he must gaze at her with even deeper, overflowing affection.

“Say we’re best friends. No need to pretend, no need for a time limit. We already are.”

Maybe it was because I imagined those beautiful eyes looking at someone else.

But hearing Richard call us “best friends” left me with a strangely bitter taste.

“W-What is this…?”

I rubbed my eyes and checked the newspaper again.

[The Crown Prince and the Baron’s Daughter Disappear Together… A Legendary Love Blossoms at the Party?!]

The article with its flashy headline claimed that Richard and I had slipped out of the party to enjoy a secret rendezvous.

It even dragged in the story about young lord Hutton, turning the whole thing into a ridiculous, novel-like scandal.

“Can they really publish something like this about the Crown Prince?”

I had thought, there’s no way this will make the papers, but I never imagined such a baseless gossip piece would actually appear.

Surely a correction would come soon. The royal family couldn’t just ignore something like this.

I nearly rushed out to confront the newspaper company myself, but stopped—Richard must have read the same article. For now, I decided to wait.

“Young Lady, since when have you and His Highness had that kind of relationship?”

Sophia, who had brought me the newspaper early that morning, looked at me with sparkling, expectant eyes.

“That’s not it at all. Not a single word in this article is true.”

“But you did say you left the party with His Highness, didn’t you?”

“Well, yes, but… Anyway—”

“Amelie Florelle Garnet!”

Just as I was about to explain properly, a loud, booming call came from downstairs.