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Chapter 30
He thought he could win her over with just a finger.
Just one of his fingers had made more than a few noble ladies fall for him…!
But it was all a big misunderstanding on Windsor’s part.
Erené had the strongest ironclad defenses.
“I’ll carry that for you.”
“…It’s just two apples?”
“They’re heavy.”
Windsor was doing everything he could to win Erené’s favor.
He worked so hard not to miss even the smallest opportunity.
On the other hand, Erené found it more distracting than anything else.
She had simply meant to peel some apples as a snack for the children, but Windsor asking to carry them because they were “heavy” made him seem suspicious again.
But then again, this wasn’t the first time something like this had happened…
Erené decided there was no reason to be suspicious.
‘Right. Maybe he really is just being kind? Even if that whole mess with Derrick still makes me uneasy…’
Perhaps offering to carry two apples was simply Windsor’s unique way of showing affection.
Erené nodded with a knowing look.
“You wanted some apples, didn’t you? Alright, Windsor, let’s eat together. I’ll go get one more!”
“…”
His attempt to win her over was instantly downgraded to simple gluttony.
Windsor could hear Shuknen snickering behind him, but he ignored it.
He realized this couldn’t go on. Rather than small acts of kindness, he needed to create a romantic atmosphere.
Windsor bit into one of the apples Erené had peeled and waited until Selene and Ash left.
“Bye, mister! Good luck!”
“D-Duke! You can do it…!”
Windsor had grown quite close with Selene and Ash. Children could pick up on things faster than adults.
At some point, the two had started clenching their fists at him with barely-suppressed grins.
Clearly, everyone in this quiet village of Cheonghakdong had figured out his feelings—everyone except Erené.
With a small nod in response to the kids’ enthusiastic waves, Windsor turned back to look at Erené.
Her expression looked unusually troubled.
“When did you get so close to them?”
“Well, we’ve shared an apple slice, haven’t we? To be precise, it started after that picnic.”
“But… why were they telling you to ‘hang in there’?”
“That… I’m not really sure…”
Trailing off was the best way to dodge awkward questions.
Sure enough, Erené only tilted her head slightly and didn’t press further.
Windsor decided this was his chance.
Glancing around, he saw that his perceptive son had already gotten into the carriage.
His eyes narrowed, lips curled in a teasing smile. Windsor knew how to use his good looks at just the right moment.
“Ellen. I have something very important I must tell you today.”
“…Yes?”
Erené’s pupils trembled. Windsor had never approached her so boldly before.
He had always kept a proper distance, usually over a cup of tea. Now, he was right in front of her.
Startled, Erené found herself backing up, unable to breathe properly.
There was a window behind her, so she had nowhere else to retreat.
Her waist arched slightly as she leaned back.
“Ellen. The truth is… I—”
“Windsor? Why is your face so red?”
Erené had no idea how much courage it took Windsor to speak those words.
All she saw was how flushed he looked, like a ripe tomato, and grew concerned.
Genuinely worried, she placed her hand on Windsor’s forehead.
“!”
Windsor flinched, startled by the unexpected touch.
Moments ago, he had been about to confess his heart with a romantic flourish, but now he was retreating in embarrassment.
“Hm. That’s odd. You don’t have a fever.”
Erené tilted her head, puzzled. He looked flushed but didn’t feel hot.
Windsor, however, felt the heat surge only after her hand left his forehead—as though his skin had been scorched.
His entire body burned with a heat that couldn’t be calmed.
Maybe that confidence about winning someone over with a finger… didn’t apply to him, but to her?
How could just a touch to check his temperature make his heart feel like it was about to explode?
Maybe he really did need a checkup from Hanteo. No way this heartbeat was normal.
“Ellen. I think I…”
Windsor was tormented by the heat of his own excitement. His handsome face was now miserably twisted with emotion.
Unable to suppress his urges, he grit his teeth and looked at Erené like he might devour her.
“I think I’m in love with you.”
His voice was drenched with longing, creating a thick sensual tension in the air.
Erené’s eyes widened.
“That guy… you said he was your ex-fiancé, right? That means you’re not seeing anyone right now.”
“W-Windsor?”
Even her flustered voice was sweet and pure like honey.
“You hate people who go after someone already in a relationship. You said so yourself.”
Windsor hadn’t planned to confess like this.
But the warmth she left on his forehead lingered.
His reason was fading, his thoughts grinding to a halt. He was drunk—drunk on her. And he couldn’t hide it anymore.
“So since you’re not seeing anyone now, I wouldn’t be stealing someone else’s woman, right?”
“…”
“Please, allow me… to be your man.”
As he said that, Windsor slowly reached out toward Erené.
His trembling hand approached gently, so as not to scare her.
Erené, staring blankly at the hand approaching her face, suddenly squeezed her eyes shut and dropped down to the floor.
Huh?
Windsor was startled when Erené disappeared from his view.
With no way to escape past him, she crouched down and waddled away from him like a duck.
Then she stood up and forced a clumsy smile.
“The weather’s really hot today, huh?”
“E-Ellen?”
Windsor understood perfectly what her nonsense remark meant.
“You want the window open, right? Let me get that for you!”
Using quick thinking to escape, Erené opened the window and let the breeze wash away the tension.
“And Windsor… You’re quite the jokester, aren’t you?”
His sincere confession had now been downgraded from gluttony to a joke.
CRACK! A figurative thunderbolt struck Windsor’s head.
“Hahaha. More importantly, Windsor… I think you’re really sick. Your face is so red.”
She had written him off as a feverish, delirious patient—even though he was perfectly healthy.
Windsor clenched his jaw at Erené’s roundabout rejection.
Any proper methods of winning her heart had already been long discarded.
The dark aura that had mellowed while studying in Cheonghakdong now loomed once more.
He stared at her, his voice cracking.
“A woman like you…”
It was his first rejection. The first time someone had trampled on his sincerity.
“Ellen. You’re the first.”
Windsor’s obsession flag had been triggered.
But Erené was dealing with a bigger issue—one that left her utterly defeated.
She had been pretending not to notice. But now, just like any typical romance-fantasy cliché, she had ended up in a love-line with the villain.
Ugh! This is exactly the kind of line you’d hear in a trashy novel!
She scratched at the goosebumps crawling up her skin, her face frozen in horror.
There was no turning back now.
She hadn’t just crossed the river. She’d ended up in the swamp of melodrama.
＊＊＊
“Derrick!”
Pashina shook him with an angry face.
Ever since returning empty-handed from Vanessa, Derrick hadn’t been himself.
No one knew what had happened that day, but Derrick had come back looking completely wrecked and spent a sleepless night at the inn. At dawn, he fled Vanessa without a word.
Back in the capital, Derrick shut himself away.
He said nothing about what had happened in Vanessa.
Pashina’s patience wasn’t infinite.
“Are you going to stay like this? Just keep hiding in your house forever?!”
Frustrated, Pashina yanked the blanket off of Derrick’s curled-up body.
“You saw Erené in Vanessa, didn’t you? You met her, right? If she was there, you should’ve brought her back!”
Her words poured out like bullets, and finally, Derrick shot upright.
“Shut that annoying mouth of yours!”
“What?! What did you just say?!”
It was the first time Derrick had ever shouted at her.
Pashina stared at him, stunned.
“I knew you were stupid, but I didn’t know you were this clueless. If you’re ignorant, then keep your mouth shut.”
He glared at her with a disgusted look and sighed.
“I should’ve realized from the start that even her name was strange. Damn it! Do you even know what happened to me there?”
His voice was sharp, filled with anger. Pashina stared at him in disbelief.
Derrick had never refused her before. Never spoken to her this coldly.
Their relationship had begun out of mutual interest, but Pashina had grown arrogant.
She believed Derrick had chosen her over Erené because he loved her more.
They were the perfect match.
“Do you still not get why Erené ran away from the royal family? It’s because she found out about us.”
“…So what? You just blurted everything out? She’s dumb enough that if you looked sorry and denied it, she would’ve let it slide!”
Derrick didn’t respond. He looked like he had plenty to say but kept his mouth shut.
Dealing with Pashina was exhausting.
“If you know her so well, then go deal with her yourself!”
“Derrick. Did you just yell at me?”
Pashina’s shoulders trembled pitifully.
She felt betrayed. But the fury soon returned to her eyes.
“I misjudged you. You’re worthless now.”
“Pashina. Even I have my limits.”
“Derrick. You only got engaged to Erené because I recommended you to the Queen.”
Her cold eyes pierced through him.
Derrick had once been a decent candidate despite being a little dense, but now his usefulness had completely dried up.
Stupid Derrick. Ever since Vanessa, he’d lost his nerve and become a coward.
He even flinched at the mere mention of Erené, clearly unwilling to talk about her.
That had been his state since returning.
Pashina was fed up with waiting in the dark.
“I’ll bring Erené back. When she returns, you’d better find a way to win her over. You must explain our relationship. If not, the royal family will break off the engagement. You get what that means, right? Even you can’t be that stupid.”
Derrick couldn’t utter a word.
Everything she said was true. He was even surprised at how sharp and calculating she could be—usually, she just nagged loudly.
“Where’s that ambition to become king now? All that’s left is a trembling little coward. Tsk.”
Her sharp words didn’t stop.
“Leave this to me. You just stay here, shaking under your covers.”
With that, Pashina stormed out of Derrick’s estate without a hint of regret.
