FGFM 05

Chapter 5

“Aidan, w-wait, calm down….”

I tried pushing at his chest with all my strength to get him off me, but he didn’t budge.

He doesn’t even look like he has any muscles, so why is he this strong? Ah… right, Fleur doesn’t have muscles either.

I was distracted for just a moment.

“Ah…!”

Our noses brushed together. Startled, I instinctively turned my head away.

“Fleury, look at me.”
“No!”
“I know you’re acting this way because you’re lonely. If I comfort you, you’ll change your mind.”
“I don’t need this kind of comfort!”
“Physical touch is the greatest comfort when you’re uneasy. Maybe you never saw me as a man because our relationship has been too dry—so let’s start over from here.”
“I told you, I want to end this, not start over!”

As expected of a twisted R-rated tragedy game, Aidan didn’t take “no” for an answer.

“Fleury, please look at me. Look at me….”

I’m the one being pressured here, so why do you look like the tragic heroine?!

We were so close that even a slight glance let me see his face clearly. His eyebrows drooped, his eyes shimmering pitifully. If I were weak-hearted, I might have fallen for it instantly—he looked that angelic.

But I mustn’t be fooled by that face. In this game, once you kiss, things escalate in an instant. The sofa in this parlor might soon get soaked—absolutely not!

“Fleury…”

His desperate voice tickled my ear.

By now I was half-leaning back on the sofa, cornered after trying to pull away.

No more room to escape, and his face was right in front of mine.

As my mind raced for a way out, I spotted a small bell on the edge of the table.

“If you need me, just ring the bell right away.”

Dylan’s words flashed in my mind.

That’s it! If I rang it, Dylan or another servant would come—I could call for help.

But Aidan wouldn’t just sit there and let me ring it.

So how could I distract him?

With no time to think, I locked eyes with his red gaze and wrapped my arms around his neck.

“Let’s go to the bedroom instead.”
“…What?”
“I don’t want my first kiss to be in a parlor. If you’re going to do it anyway, I’d rather you kiss me properly in the bedroom.”

I whispered softly on purpose, making him focus on my words.

It seemed to work—his pressing weight lightened.

“Are you serious?”
“Of course—”

That instant, I shoved his shoulder with all my strength.

“You liar!”
“Ugh…!”

Caught off guard, Aidan staggered, and I lunged for the bell.

I shook it hard.

Ding-ding!

The clear sound rang through the parlor. Please, someone come, anyone! I prayed.

“You called?”

The parlor door burst open, and Dylan walked in at once.

Seeing us tangled together, his brow furrowed deeply. With long strides, he reached us and shoved Aidan to the far end of the sofa.

“Argh!”

Finally free, I could breathe again.

“Lady Fleur, are you all right?”
“Yes… thanks to you.”
“What do you think you’re doing?!”

Aidan rubbed his shoulder where Dylan had pushed him, shouting angrily. But Dylan ignored him and focused only on me.

“Take my hand and stand, my lady.”
“Thank you.”
“I asked what you think you’re doing!”

Ignored, Aidan grabbed Dylan’s collar in fury. Only then did Dylan slowly turn to meet his eyes.

Looking down at the unthreatening Aidan, Dylan said coolly:

“Allow me to introduce myself. I am Dylan Vaughn, Lady Fleur’s aide.”
“What? Aide? Why would Fleur need one? Don’t lie in front of me.”
“It’s not a lie.”

I pried Aidan’s hand off Dylan’s collar with both of mine, then stood in front of Dylan protectively. My small and frail figure shielding him made both men’s eyes snap to me.

“He really is my aide.”
“What?”
“I told you, didn’t I? I’ll become the head of the Valen family. I hired him as my aide to protect the house with my own strength.”
“You’re seriously planning to become head of the house?”
“Yes. I’ve said it again and again—I’ll lead this family without marriage, by my own power.”

Finally, Aidan seemed to realize I meant it.

I wanted to end this engagement completely today, but things had gone off-track.

“Leave for today. And don’t come here again for a while. You won’t be allowed into this mansion.”
“Wait, Fleury, you suddenly saying we’re breaking off the engagement—I was bound to be shocked….”

He tried stepping toward me, but Dylan swiftly raised an arm in front, blocking him.

“If you have more to say, speak to me. I’ll convey it to Lady Fleur.”

It was a classic noble tactic: use one’s aide to end a conversation. Dylan, well-versed in noble life, handled it perfectly without instruction.

Realizing this, Aidan bit his lip hard and glared at Dylan.

But seeing my downcast expression behind him, he reluctantly backed away.

“Fine. Once you’ve calmed down, let’s talk about our marriage again.”

Still denying the breakup, he left the parlor, glaring daggers at Dylan until the very end.

Dylan glared right back, unflinching.

Once the two of us were alone, my tension broke and I collapsed onto the sofa.

Dylan approached, checking on me quickly.

“Are you all right?”
“Thanks to you coming so fast. How did you get here so quickly?”
“I stayed outside the whole time, in case you called for me.”
“Knew I had a good eye for people.”
“I’ll escort you to your bedroom now.”
“No, I’ll rest here and go alone later.”
“Allow me to assist you.”
“There’s no need.”

I wanted to check something alone. After Aidan left, a quest failure message had been ringing in my ears.

Understanding my intent, Dylan stepped back. I shut my eyes tight, then opened them and checked the status window.

Surprise Quest
You failed to raise Aidan’s affection despite being in close proximity.
Since you did not fulfill the quest, some data will reset.

“What, I was supposed to kiss him while breaking off the engagement?! Our noses touched, doesn’t that count?!”

I punched the annoying status window repeatedly, but my fists passed through uselessly.

Only gentle physical affection will raise affection points.

The way it blamed me made me even angrier.

“Unwanted skinship is a crime! Got it?! You expect me to stay still when he tries to force a kiss?! He should be glad I didn’t punch him!”

Some data will reset.

The window vanished without another word, as if done talking.

I hurried to the window, expecting the field to disappear again.

“What the—?!”

But the field wasn’t vanishing.

“No earthquake this time?”

The first reset had shaken the ground so hard I could barely stand, but now there was no reaction at all.

Just in case, I scanned outside with sharp golden eyes.

But nothing happened, no matter how long I waited.

“Did something about Fleur’s body change instead?”

I went to the mirror on the wall.

Long, glossy brown hair, thick lashes, and buttery golden eyes—still beautiful as ever.

“Nothing’s changed… so what reset? Did a corn or tomato just vanish?”

Deciding it’d be best to check directly, I moved to leave. But before I touched the door, it opened and a maid entered.

“Young lady, were you about to go outside?”

She had come to clean the parlor.

“Yes, I want to check on the field. Tell Rike she doesn’t need to bring the parasol.”

At that, the maid tilted her head in confusion.

“Young lady, who’s… Rike?”
“…What?”

Fleur’s face froze instantly.