FGFM 37

Chapter 37

The tension was so extreme that I couldn’t even blink as I stared up at the sky, but the lights did not disappear.

“Ha, thank goodness. Looks like the party didn’t reset.”

Relief came with the realization that all the effort everyone had put into the party hadn’t gone to waste. But that relief lasted only a moment—because who knew what else might have disappeared?

I took a step forward to confirm with my own eyes—

“Ah…!”

Suddenly, a strong hand wrapped tightly around my waist from behind, holding me back.

“Fleu…”

Aidan rubbed his nose against the back of my neck and whispered in an overwhelmed voice.

Just a moment ago he had turned away coldly, and now he was acting affectionate? I was dumbfounded.

“What are you doing? Let go.”

The quest was already ruined, so there was no reason to hold onto Aidan anymore.

I pushed at his arms, but they didn’t budge. Instead, he only hugged me tighter.

“I said, let go.”
“I’m just… so happy.”
“What are you suddenly talking about?”
“My fiancée, who ran to me barefoot because she was afraid I’d leave… Who wouldn’t be moved?”

That again. Fleure didn’t even have the energy to scoff anymore.

“Are you still under the delusion that we’re engaged? How many times do I have to break it off before you’re satisfied?”
“…What?”
“I told you—if you keep pretending to be my fiancé like this, I won’t see you anymore.”
“……”
“Just how little do you think of me that you keep doing this…”

In the middle of my words, his arms loosened.

Right. This guy only listens if I’m harsh. Maybe earlier I should’ve been blunt instead of pleading. Too late now—the regret only sank my mood further.

“Go back to the Hauser estate, just like you wanted.”

I didn’t even look at him anymore and tried to walk away.

“Fleu, are you mad?”

But Aidan strode in front of me with his long legs, blocking my way.

“Move. I’m going back to the party.”
“I’m sorry… I was just upset that you weren’t paying attention to me.”
“Fine, I get it. Move.”
“I won’t try to get your attention like this anymore. Just… don’t ever say again that we’re broken off. Not even as a joke.”

He pitifully cupped my cheek.

Already on edge, the unwelcome touch made my irritation spill over.

“I told you not to touch me without permission!”

I slapped his hand away, gripping it as if to pinch. Aidan’s eyes trembled like those of a scolded five-year-old.

“…I’m sorry. I didn’t know it would upset you.”
“Stop crossing the line like this.”
“But… we are engaged.”
“What? Still with that…?”

I was about to snap again when suddenly, a chill ran down my spine.

Wait. Could the reset apply not just to objects… but to events?

Did the annulment vanish?

If the system wasn’t on my side, then it was entirely possible.

“Do you remember when I went to the Hauser estate recently?”
“Yes. You met Father too.”
“And what did I say back then?”
“Well…”

He opened his mouth, but his eyes rolled as if searching, then he tilted his head.

“…I’m sure you said something, but I can’t remember. Didn’t you just come because you missed me?”

As if!

This wasn’t something you could forget. He had resisted separation so stubbornly that I had barely persuaded him into a breakup.

Which meant—the memory itself was gone.

I was still frozen in shock when—

“Lady Fleure, you can’t just run off alone like that. If the host of the party disappears…”

Dylan was hurrying after me, holding the shoe I’d dropped when I ran.

But when he saw me with Aidan, he slowed and stopped.

“…Were you enjoying a secret tryst with Lord Aidan?”

At the word tryst, I let out a bitter sigh.

That was something no one would ever say about a broken-off couple.

Raking my hair back with a heavy sigh, I turned to Dylan.

“Dylan, what’s the relationship between me and Aidan?”
“Pardon?”
“I asked what our relationship is.”

Please. Please say what I need to hear.

After hesitating over the odd question, Dylan finally murmured,

“You’ve been engaged since you were ten years old.”

“Haahhh…”

The sigh escaped from deep in my gut.

All that time, all that persuasion to annul the engagement—and it was reset like nothing. Last time, when a quest failed, I’d felt regret and futility. This time, it was pure anger.

Fleure had never shown this much fury before, so Aidan nervously fidgeted with his fingers, watching her.

Dylan, too, wanted to urge her back to the hall, but her mood was so tense he held back.

Exhaling again and again, I forced down my emotions and rubbed my face.

“Aidan.”
“…Y-yeah?”
“Go back to your estate.”
“No, if you want, I can return to the party with you—”
“No. Go. And don’t come see me again until I send you a letter.”

My voice dropped heavy, like a warning of consequences if he disobeyed.

Aidan, who had wanted nothing more than to hasten the marriage, nearly refused. But realizing he’d already angered me with his childishness, he had no choice but to leave.

Watching him go, I turned back toward the party.

“Everyone’s still gathered, right?”
“Yes. Thankfully, Lord Colin is managing things for you.”
“Ha, I wonder how much he’ll brag about it later.”
“You really shouldn’t disappear with Lord Aidan like that.”

His reproachful tone made me bristle.

“You think I wanted to go?”
“Then why did you?”

Because of the damn quest! If not for that cursed quest, I never would’ve run barefoot after him, let alone hug him.

I couldn’t say that to another capture target, so I just sighed.

“Forget it.”
“Please, tell me.”
“I don’t have to explain everything to you.”

I drew a line, and Dylan’s expression hardened noticeably.

I knew what that look meant, but I had no intention of apologizing. I was about to walk off—

—when he reached out and blocked my path.

Why was everyone trying to stop me today?

“Are you really going back to the party like this?”
“I won’t take my irritation out on the guests, don’t worry.”
“That’s not what I meant.”
“Then what’s the problem now?”

I demanded impatiently.

He pointed at my feet with his eyes.

“They’re a mess.”

I’d run barefoot after Aidan, losing my shoe, so dirt and mud were all over them.

“What if you stepped on a stone and hurt yourself?”
“I trusted the servants to keep the paths clear.”
“Lady Fleure, you get scratches even on soft grass.”
“…That was an insult, wasn’t it?”

Already irritable, every word sounded like sarcasm to me.

But instead of replying, Dylan pulled a handkerchief from his pocket, knelt on one knee, and looked up.

“Excuse me, but allow me to touch you for a moment.”
“What?”

Before I could back away from the almost proposal-like pose, he caught my ankle.

“I’ll clean them.”
“What? You don’t have to go that far.”
“Any blemish on you is a stain on the household staff. Would you still just walk away like this?”

Dragging the servants into it, he left me no choice but to let him.

But standing on one leg in a heavy dress made me wobble, so he caught my hand and set it on his broad shoulder.

“Lean on me.”

It was firm and steady, and I managed to balance.

Only then did Dylan carefully wipe my foot with the handkerchief.

But the little taps of his touch tickled, making me twitch.

“Pfft—ha, that tickles.”
“Bear with it.”
“Haha, you’re doing it on purpose, aren’t you?”
“You’re finally smiling again.”

He looked up at me with a faint smile.

Meeting his blueberry-colored eyes, the anger that had flared to my scalp began to cool.

I realized I’d poured my frustration onto the wrong person. What a terrible boss I was.

Feeling awkward, I turned my gaze away, and Dylan lowered his head again, brushing off the dirt gently.

“Did you have a fight with Lord Aidan?”
“…Something like that.”
“This is the first time I’ve seen you two fight.”

So all the struggles I’d had to annul the engagement had been erased too.

Explaining would do no good, so I stayed silent.

Then, after finishing with one foot, Dylan whispered softly—

“What if I took you away and ran off with you instead?”