FGFM 18

Chapter 18

“Beep—!”

Startled by the warning alarm pounding inside her head, Fleur almost screamed out loud.

The faces of the Hauzer father and son, who couldn’t hear the sound at all, looked far too calm. So she pretended nothing was wrong and quickly read the message floating in her status window.

What the, not a reset this time, but an error? And loud enough to set off an alarm? This really must be serious.

Hmph. As if I’d stop over something like this.

She reached her hand past the translucent status window and shook Weil’s hand.

“Thank you for agreeing to the annulment. I’ll do my best to live well on my own from now on.”

The moment their hands touched, both the alarm and the window vanished at once. She braced herself for some kind of error to appear, but surprisingly, nothing happened.

“Then, let’s draw up the annulment papers.”
“Yes.”

Even after signing in the name of House Valen and leaving the reception room, everything remained quiet.

After all that noise and nothing happening, it felt like the calm before a storm.

Determined not to let her guard down, she kept her nerves taut as she walked toward the Hauzer estate’s front gate.

“Fleury, take care on your way.”

Aidan, using the excuse of a final farewell, crept closer, clearly intending to link arms with her again.

But before his hand even touched her, Fleur stepped back two paces to avoid him.

“You too, take care. And since we’re not engaged anymore, stop with all this skinship.”

He pouted.

“These days, even friends kiss whenever they want.”
“Don’t talk nonsense. Who says that?”
“All the young people do.”
“If that’s what counts as young, then I’ll gladly just be a granny.”

Just before the guards opened the gate for her to leave, Aidan suddenly thrust his hand out, blocking her face. She had no choice but to stop.

“Why didn’t you give me an invitation?”

She blinked at him in surprise.

“You said you’re hosting a big party at the mansion. Every noble around has been invited. So why not me?”
“Of course I couldn’t.”
“Why not?”
“We just broke off our engagement today. Word will spread soon enough. Wouldn’t it look strange if I invited you? Imagine how baffled the Count would be.”

Frowning, he stepped closer.

“Forget all that. Just tell me—do you want to invite me or not?”

Of course she wanted to.

Her ex-fiancé showing up at her party? That was instant gossip fodder—the perfect kind.

But she couldn’t use House Hauzer just for her own amusement, so she had deliberately left him out.

Unable to say that out loud, Fleur faltered. Aidan stepped closer again, until their toes nearly touched. He leaned down, meeting her gaze directly, his eyebrows drooping to give her the most pitiful, soulful look.

“Don’t you want to invite me?”

It was his special move—the killer cute act she hadn’t seen in a while. It hit hard, enough to make her breath catch. Panicking, Fleur quickly stepped back.

“I do want to invite you.”
“Then that’s enough. Send me an invitation.”
“If you come, people will definitely think it’s strange. And the Count might be upset too, so to bear all of that—”
“If I can see you, I don’t care about anyone else.”

His unwavering red eyes fixed straight on hers. Fleur couldn’t bring herself to refuse any longer.

“…Fine. I’ll send it as soon as I return to the estate.”

Only then did Aidan’s sulky expression fade.

“Then I’ll see you at the party, Fleury.”

At last, she left the Hauzer mansion and climbed into her carriage.

⚠ Error ⚠
Game progress has encountered an error. Fleur dislikes being alone.
To ensure smoother gameplay, a Double Event will now begin until the affection values of target characters stabilize.

During affection quests, affection points will be doubled. Please help Fleur so that she does not end up alone.

Her jaw dropped as she read the message.

What? A double event? Affection points… doubled?!

“I don’t want this kind of event! I don’t need it!”

She waved her arms furiously, refusing outright.

⚠ Error ⚠
The event will begin immediately. Please enjoy the game.

And with that, the system vanished, leaving only words that deliberately grated on her nerves.

“You called it an error! If it’s an error, you should stop building affection, not push it harder! This doesn’t count! I’m not doing it!!”

No matter how much she shouted, the status window never reappeared—as if to show that it, too, was annoyed.

In the end, Fleur stomped at the empty air in frustration.

“Fine. Let’s see who wins this.”

It was now a battle between the system—desperate to pair her off—and Fleur’s ironclad resolve to live alone.

The next day.

Fleur left the estate in much lighter clothing.

When visiting House Hauzer she had dressed with utmost formality, but today she deliberately wore her work clothes from the fields so no one would recognize her as a noble.

The hem of her navy dress was stained dark with dirt, the shoulder seams were slightly frayed, and the long sleeves were stretched out from being rolled up too often.

Her straw hat was so worn it had holes in it.

No one would ever guess she was a noble lady—she looked like a perfect farmhand.

“See, this is the best. Traveling alone is freedom.”

Even Dylan wasn’t with her this time, so her steps felt lighter as she headed toward the city center.

Since it was a weekend evening, the streets were already full of people.

As usual, she glanced at what passersby were carrying home, secretly pleased whenever she spotted one of her meal kits.

“Wow, he’s so handsome… Did someone like that always live around here?”
“He must be insanely rich. I saw the emblem of a luxury boutique on his jacket.”

The whispers of blushing young women drifted by, some even glancing back repeatedly.

A sense of dread crept over Fleur, and she quickened her pace.

“Ha… I told him not to dress like a noble.”

Soon, the large two-story building with the sign Crystal Tavern came into view.

Normally young people would be lining up to drink, but tonight the entrance was completely clear.

Because Colin was standing there.

Simply by holding himself straight, he projected such an imposing aura that no one dared approach.

“…That’s his idea of a disguise?”

Despite her repeated insistence that he dress like a commoner, he had chosen an outfit flashy enough to draw stares.

A checkered jacket of deep green and brown over a sleek black shirt—fabric so fine it shone even from afar. His trousers were crisply pressed, and his polished leather shoes gleamed.

Fleur stomped over, fuming, as he casually checked his pocket watch.

“You’re here.”

Colin greeted her with a polite business smile, clearly aware of all the eyes on him.

“Did you read the letter I sent?”
“Of course. Why else would I be here at this tavern, at this hour, with no attendants?”
“Then what’s with those clothes?”
“You told me to dress like a commoner. These are the cheapest clothes I own.”

He even tilted his head slightly, pointing out that he hadn’t bothered to style his navy-blue hair.

But Fleur’s face scrunched up in disapproval.

“This is exactly why you and I don’t get along.”
“…What?”
“When I said dress like a commoner, you only thought of ‘cheap.’”

His smile stiffened.

“And you’re just wearing dirty clothes.”
“I focused on realism. Ordinary people have to wear what’s comfortable to move in.”
“No one else here looks as filthy as you. Honestly, even the commoners probably think you look shabby.”
“When you work the fields, clothes get dirty fast. But you can’t throw them out after one use—that’s the point I’m showing.”
“You make it sound like you do all the farmwork yourself.”

As soon as they met, the two were already bickering. Fleur quickly reminded herself of Colin’s affection meter.

Currently at –18%. If it dropped to –20%, the system would reset. She had to be careful.

“Let’s just go inside.”

When she pointed toward the tavern, Colin sighed lightly, glancing at it.

“Are we really having dinner here?”
“Yes. It’s hard to get a reservation these days, and I managed one with great difficulty.”
“If it’s just about drinking, we should’ve gone to a proper restaurant.”
“We wouldn’t be able to talk there.”
“What kind of grand conversation requires such a noisy place?”

Ignoring his obvious disapproval, Fleur beamed at him.

“I’m here to settle things with you—without ranks, no titles, just man to man.”