MHSGM 13

Chapter 13

“…Yes.”

Fortunately, Rosetta was not as stubborn an opponent as Melvin. Her lips, once vividly red, had turned pale, but she still nodded obediently.

“Miss Crimson, the viscount’s wife has just arrived.”

At that moment, a staff member informed Rosetta that the person she had been waiting for had arrived. Rosetta gave Chloe a slight nod before following the employee’s guidance and leaving the seat.

Chloe watched Rosetta’s receding figure and waved. The moment she disappeared from sight, her expression hardened.

“As expected, Chloe, you definitely have a talent for acting.”

“……”

“At this rate, why not consider becoming an actress?”

“……Be quiet.”

There wasn’t even a trace of teasing in his voice. Kaiden was genuinely impressed by her acting.

‘What on earth did I just do.’

Her face burned. Only belatedly did Chloe realize what she had done.

“I expected you to call me earlier, but I didn’t think you’d accept my proposal like this.”

“I-I never accepted it.”

“Is that not the case?”

Kaiden blinked his large eyes. His expression was sincere, devoid of mischief.

“Then why did you help me?”

“Well…”

She had gotten too emotionally involved in his situation. He reminded her too much of herself—his forced smile in front of a betrayed fiancée had looked unbearably pitiful. And…

“I was just repaying a debt from the hotel.”

Strictly speaking, Kaiden had never properly collected what she owed him. She had stormed off in anger after his sudden marriage proposal.

“I don’t like owing people. It bothers me.”

Yes. That was all it was.

“Then why did you come all the way here?”

“To return this.”

Chloe quickly shoved the jewelry box forward. She intended to leave immediately after delivering her message.

“I don’t want anything from you…”

But she couldn’t finish her sentence.

The box that was supposed to contain the blue diamond earrings was empty.

“…Huh? Where did it go?”

For a moment, her vision blurred. That was an incredibly expensive pair of earrings!

No—price wasn’t even the issue. She needed to return them in order to properly reject his proposal!

“Ka-Kaiden, what do we do?”

“…What do you mean?”

“The blue diamond is gone!”

Chloe jumped up from her seat. She checked under the chair, lifted the cushions, even peeked into the teacup.

“Did someone steal it? No, that can’t be. We’ve been here the whole time.”

Unlike the frantic Chloe, the rightful owner remained calm.

“Should we search more thoroughly? Or ask the staff?”

“……”

Kaiden stared at her with a cold, drained expression. More precisely—at Chloe’s ear.

Feeling his gaze, she reached up and touched it.

And what her fingers found was…

“…An earring?”

It was the very blue diamond she had been desperately searching for.

[“Come to think of it, it’s a bit too modest for a wedding dress. I’ll buy you a bigger, more dazzling one then, so wear this casually for now.”]

[“Oh my, really?”]

“…Ah.”

Only then did she remember why it was there.

“Cough, ahem.”

Chloe hurried to remove the earring. But perhaps because she was nervous, or because it was too large, her fingers fumbled repeatedly.

Kaiden reached out toward her at that moment.

“!”

“Don’t be surprised. I’m just helping you take it off.”

“But… my body just tenses up on its own.”

This was an extremely expensive earring.

Kaiden chuckled softly as he watched Chloe, her shoulders stiff and her breath held tight.

‘Acting so boldly in front of Rosetta, and yet…’

She was surprisingly flustered over something so small. It was almost endearing.

Earlier, when he met Rosetta, he had never expected Chloe to take his side. Even though they shared similar experiences, he knew she wasn’t someone who would easily interfere in others’ affairs just for something like that.

So he thought it would already be enough if she simply played along quietly.

But instead…

[“Ah, I remember now. You’re the cousin-in-law marrying Sir Harn?”]

[“We’re going to be family, after all. Please take care of me, sister-in-law.”]

Calling Rosetta “sister-in-law” while casually linking arms with Harn—it was absurd, yet strangely bold. It made him laugh.

He had long since realized that Chloe was projecting someone onto Rosetta. That her gaze toward him carried sympathy and pity.

And yet, he didn’t dislike that gentle gaze. In fact, he wanted to keep meeting it.

‘Wait. If Harn is the cousin-in-law and Rosetta is the sister-in-law, then what am I?’

Cousin-in-law is the husband’s cousin; sister-in-law is the cousin’s wife.

‘Then shouldn’t she be calling me “dear”?’

Why was everyone given titles while he remained just “Kaiden”? She had boldly acted as though she supported him, yet insisted she would never marry him.

For some reason, that irritated him.

And made him want more.

He wanted her to call him something different.

“Let’s get married.”

“No.”

Chloe and Kaiden had moved to a more secluded seating area. Now Kaiden could speak even more confidently.

“If you didn’t intend to marry me, then why did you help me earlier?”

“That’s…”

Even now, she regretted it.

“Because you looked a little pitiful. I’m kinder than I look.”

“That seems a bit excessive for just kindness.”

Honestly, I can’t win against her.

With a sigh, Chloe finally spoke her true thoughts.

“…You reminded me of myself.”

Kaiden overlapped with her past self. Standing there with clenched fists, trembling, reminded her of when she had been unable to speak in front of Melvin.

Normally, she would have simply thought they shared similar wounds and moved on. But this time was different.

She had already experienced something different—she had learned the refreshing satisfaction of breaking out of suffocating situations.

And the person who had first shown her that feeling… was Kaiden.

She didn’t want him trapped in the same suffocating state. She couldn’t just watch it happen.

“Anyway, you said you enjoyed that little drama I caused, but you still helped me when I was in trouble.”

So now it was her turn.

“….”

After a long silence, Kaiden finally spoke just as she was about to die from awkwardness.

“Then I really should marry you.”

“Why does it always go back to that?”

“Think about it, Chloe.”

He uncrossed his legs and leaned forward, resting his face on his hand as he brought his face closer to hers.

“Didn’t you already declare it yourself? That we were getting married?”

“….”

“And you even fabricated that I promised to give you something better at the wedding.”

Chloe looked down. There was no way to deny it—it was all true.

“If we do get married, that would naturally become reality.”

“….”

“But if you told Rosetta that we’re getting married… then there’s no way back now.”

“So why not just say we broke off the engagement later?”

“And make me the man who got dumped twice?”

Again—he had a point.

‘I’ve really done it now.’

Chloe blamed her own recklessness. She had essentially dug her own grave in a moment of impulse.

Kaiden watched her quietly, then smirked.

It was fortunate that Chloe Garrett was too kind.

Of course, he had no intention of letting her be kind to anyone else.

“Anyway, Chloe, I’d appreciate it if you considered my position as well.”

“You were the one who introduced me as your lover first.”

“You were the one who called Harn your cousin-in-law.”

“….”

“In that sense, I think you should keep the earrings.”

“…Why?”

It felt irritating. She wanted to throw the earrings at him and storm out.

As if reading her thoughts, Kaiden spoke again.

“It’s a symbol. Every time you see it, I want you to remember what you told Rosetta Crimson.”

“…How cruel.”

The only protest Chloe could manage was to stand up abruptly.

I’m leaving without looking back. That was her decision.

But once again, reality didn’t cooperate.

“W-why won’t this come off?”

Her stocking had gotten caught in the chair.