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Chapter 7
Elina almost stepped on his foot.
“What do you mean by that?”
“I’m saying—stop this ridiculous act. I’ll get engaged to you like you want and marry you as soon as possible.”
Verdin spoke calmly, not caring at all that she had frozen in place.
To others, they still looked like a loving couple dancing together, because he didn’t remove the gentle smile from his lips.
Was Verdin always this stupid?
For a moment, Elina thought about it—then admitted her own mistake instead.
She had been so focused on safely distancing herself from the Crown Prince that she had missed something important.
Verdin hated losing more than anything.
There was no way he would calmly watch a woman he believed belonged to him stand beside a man he despised.
The duchy that would have easily fallen into his hands—
was now turning toward the Ovilion family.
There was no way he could accept that.
“I clearly heard you would respect my decision, Your Highness.”
She spoke firmly.
She never expected someone so prideful and conscious of others’ opinions to shamelessly twist his own words.
Nor had she realized how impatient he truly was.
“No. I said I would respect your decision. It seems you misunderstood.”
“I didn’t know you liked such childish word games, Your Highness.”
Verdin smiled beautifully, but his voice turned cold.
“Then let’s learn what we don’t know about each other… and remember what we do know.”
Elina glared into his golden eyes.
“I’d rather stay ignorant of what I don’t know… and forget what I already do.”
She pushed away the terrible memories trying to resurface.
There was no longer any point in being polite.
“What?”
“This isn’t some act to get your attention. I truly want to end this relationship.”
She looked straight into his eyes.
Verdin narrowed his gaze, as if he truly didn’t understand.
“Why?”
Even then, his dancing remained flawless.
“Because I’m tired of it.”
“….”
For the first time, Verdin froze.
“I’m no longer interested in Your Highness. I don’t want to meet like this again.”
Feeling the attention of others, Elina naturally took over leading the dance.
It was slightly difficult because she was smaller than him—
but she had danced this countless times.
Soon, the second song ended.
After finishing the dance politely, Elina turned away without hesitation and went to find Kaian.
Verdin remained alone.
The nobles stared at him—
but he stood there like a statue, unmoving.
* * *
Kaian had already been feeling suffocated, wondering how long he had to keep acting on this flashy stage—
when, surprisingly, the Crown Prince stepped in and helped him.
For the first time in his life, Verdin had been useful.
But that relief didn’t last long.
Nobles gathered around him like bees, trying to pull out even the smallest piece of gossip.
After replying with polite, practiced expressions, Kaian quickly escaped to the garden.
He had even shaken off a count’s daughter who tried to follow him all the way.
Only then did he finally get some peace.
He loosened his tight bow tie and let out a breath.
Walking past a beautiful fountain filled with flowers and neatly shaped trees, he stopped near a lake and leaned against a tree.
A deep sigh escaped his lips.
If he hadn’t come this far—
he wouldn’t have escaped those persistent nobles.
This is awful.
The cool night air slowly washed away the suffocating heat of the banquet hall.
The second song had probably already ended—
but he didn’t want to go back yet.
Then suddenly, he remembered Elina dancing with Verdin.
His brows slowly tightened.
Even though she said things were over—
Verdin clearly hadn’t let go.
Kaian ran a hand through his hair, annoyed.
What does it matter?
As long as he could leave that annoying situation—
that was enough.
He just hoped the Crown Prince would keep her occupied long enough so she wouldn’t look for her partner.
To him, social events were harder than any training.
Do I really have to go through all this just to please one lady?
But he had no choice.
Because of his father—who had abandoned both his duties and sanity when Kaian was nine—
their family had nearly fallen apart.
Only recently had it begun to recover.
Kaian, as the young duke, had rebuilt it step by step.
Without royal blood, they would have already collapsed.
Just as he decided to return—
“Sir Kaian?”
He turned.
Pink eyes, wide with surprise, looked at him.
Under the soft moonlight—
Elina looked breathtaking.
Her dress revealed her figure, yet she looked elegant, not improper.
Kaian looked at her quietly before speaking.
“I stepped out for some air.”
He didn’t mention that she was the reason he felt suffocated.
“I thought you left because you were angry.”
She looked relieved—then lowered her gaze.
Kaian found it irritating that she kept assuming his feelings—
but he answered calmly.
“I’m not angry.”
It was a lie.
From the moment he received her shameless letter—
he hadn’t felt comfortable once.
Her confidence—that she could have anything she wanted—
annoyed him.
And so did his own situation, forcing him into this.
“I know you’re angry.”
She looked straight at him boldly.
Despite her gentle appearance, she wasn’t soft at all.
“I’m not.”
“I know everything.”
“What do you mean?”
What could a sheltered noble lady possibly know about him?
She no longer looked cautious.
Instead, she spoke with confidence.
“I know how you feel about me.”
Her pink eyes seemed to see right through him.
Kaian paused.
This is troublesome.
Maybe she wasn’t as naive as he thought.
She might be troublesome—
but she was still the only daughter of Duke Estria.
And—
the future head of the family.
He couldn’t afford to become her enemy.
“If you know… then why are you doing this?”
“Because I know. I can’t just leave it like this.”
His blue eyes trembled slightly.
“…Then what do you plan to do?”
Elina looked straight at him without hesitation.
“Let’s get married.”
Kaian’s expression clearly showed shock.
Then it slowly turned cold.
She’s not in her right mind.
Knowing he disliked her—
and still saying this?
He didn’t want anything to do with such a woman.
He suppressed his pounding heart and spoke firmly.
“I’ll pretend I didn’t hear that. Have a good night, Lady Elina.”
Frowning, he turned and walked away.
He almost stumbled—but managed to steady himself.
A strange, unfamiliar emotion shook his mind.
Shock from her sudden proposal—
and discomfort from facing her.
He pressed down his still racing heart.
He had almost made a serious mistake.
It wasn’t just about his family.
There was no way a life tied to a woman like her would ever turn out well.
He would never—
ever live a life like his father’s.
