MLBR 12

Chapter 12

Heraise reached out. His long, slender fingers brushed past my cheek and gently held a strand of my purple hair. Seductive, leisurely.

Before I knew it, Heraise had straightened his upper body and was standing in a half-crouch.

“Your hair is purple, isn’t it? That’s why I chose this color.”

“…So it was a question I couldn’t possibly have answered.”

“I never asked you to guess, did I? I just wanted to hear your thoughts.”

When I looked at him, clearly not understanding, Heraise asked nonchalantly,

“So tell me, right now, do I look cool or not?”

“Even rationally speaking, you fall into the ‘cool’ category.”

Without a hint of hesitation, I answered. Heraise pressed his lower lip, as if trying not to laugh.

Calling my hair a rose, holding onto it—both made me feel strangely unsettled. Not wanting to prolong this feeling, I gently pushed Heraise away.

In that moment, Heraise staggered backward and barely managed to land in his chair. With a loud noise, the chair wobbled dangerously.

“I didn’t push that hard.”

I said evenly, but Heraise shook his head, clutching his chest and making a pained face.

He was really overdoing it.

“I hardly exercise, and I don’t even watch my diet, so I don’t have much muscle. Don’t act like I hit you hard.”

Lowering his face as if catching his breath, Heraise soon met my eyes again. Our conversation continued as though nothing had happened.

“I can’t wait to see how dazzling my girlfriend looks today.”

“If I storm out of here crying, I’ll definitely draw attention.”

When Heraise almost toppled over earlier, the place had gone utterly silent. Even now, the nobles were sneaking glances at us while pretending not to.

Part of it was Heraise’s influence, part of it the gossip articles, but the biggest issue was our seating. Placed in such an isolated corner, like castaways on a deserted island, it was impossible not to draw stares.

Just then, servants entered carrying desserts and drinks.

“As requested, we’ve prepared fragrant lemon tea.”

I did like lemon tea, but I hadn’t asked for it. Heraise, however, smiled sweetly and added,

“I’m looking forward to it. Make it extravagant, please.”

While I was still confused, delicious desserts filled the table—apple pie, raspberry tart, orange pudding, even biscuits. For someone who loved sweets like me, it was bliss.

Most importantly, there was apple pie! I tried hard not to look too excited for the sake of appearances. Calmly, I reached for the pie—only for my plate to vanish in an instant.

“…Heraise.”

He had taken my dish. Trying to use two plates at once—that was just bad manners. I tried several times to get it back, but he avoided me with obvious playfulness, clutching the plate to his chest.

Not exactly the kind of behavior that looked affectionate in front of nobles. If anything, it looked like he was just hogging attention.

“…Give me back my plate.”

“Of course, I will.”

Heraise placed a slice of apple pie on the dish but didn’t hand it over. Instead, he held out a fork. The strong aroma of cinnamon drifted up to my nose.

“Aren’t you eating? I was going to use my wish ticke—”

I quickly stuffed the forkful of pie into my mouth. The crisp texture and sweet flavor of apple burst across my tongue.

“—but I wasn’t actually going to.”

Oh no, I’d misunderstood. I resolved to let him finish speaking next time as I chewed. The pie wasn’t at fault, after all.

“Here, another bite.”

Heraise kept feeding me apple pie, and reluctantly, I kept accepting.

Because the pie itself wasn’t at fault.

Nom, chew. After several bites, I suddenly tilted my head back. Wait—our “fighting” cover story aside, we now looked far too affectionate.

“Well then, this tart is all yours to eat however you like.”

“Yes, let’s do that.”

Pulling my plate toward me, I whispered,

“Let’s cut the conversation short. Keep your expression cold too.”

“Mmm…”

Heraise tilted his head silently from side to side.

At that moment, Baron Haines stepped forward and stood near our table. He looked around and clapped lightly.

“Everyone! Thank you again for sparing your precious time today.”

All eyes, including mine, turned to him. And subtly, his gaze landed on Heraise.

Something wasn’t right.

This feels dangerous.

Maybe the compliment he’d given earlier had actually been sarcasm. I hadn’t thought so at the time, but people were hard to read.

My heart thumped nervously. But Baron Haines raised his voice regardless.

“Before the real tea party begins, the one who made this gathering possible, Duke Grey, has something to say.”

My brow furrowed. This party was possible because of Heraise?

“Then, let’s begin!”

As if on cue, Heraise rose from his seat, pushed in his chair, and walked slowly toward me.

A sense of déjà vu from the Saintess Selection Ceremony washed over me. My insides twisted, and my breath caught. Sirens screamed in my head.

“Here, I mean, Duke—”

“Yes, Filena!”

Heraise spread one arm wide in theatrical fashion. At once, the sound of rapid footsteps echoed.

In the blink of an eye, Baron Haines’ servants surrounded us, each holding a single rose.

Music suddenly filled the air, as if performers had been waiting for their cue.

“What is this?”

Unable to hide my expression, I muttered, but Heraise leaned close and whispered as he bent down.

“The scenario was stimulating enough, but one part bothered me. Plus, I realized I have more influence than I thought.”

A teasing yet tender smile curved his lips, just like during our very first, dangerous encounter.

“So I changed the setup. We’re not having an affair. Instead, I’m desperately clinging to you. That should be dramatic enough.”

Dropping to one knee, Heraise wore an achingly earnest expression.

“Filena!”

His booming voice filled the space like an advertisement.

“I’ve been too clingy, haven’t I?! I’m sorry! But truly—I mean it this time!”

The music grew louder, dizzying me. Violin, piano—wait, piano?! How had they even dragged one in here?

“I don’t care if you have Wissler! I don’t care if you have another man, or anyone else at all! The moment I saw you again at the Selection Ceremony, I fell head over heels! Without you, I feel like I’ll die!”

Heraise swept a hand through his hair. His glasses slipped and fell with a soft clink.

They’d never matched his outfit anyway. Without them, his handsome face shone brighter than ever. The nobles, seeing his looks rival Wissler’s, let out unconscious gasps.

“I don’t care if I’m your second choice—please, won’t you go out with me?”

His eyes glimmered as he pulled a bouquet of roses from behind his back and thrust it toward me.

“…Ah.”

How on earth was I supposed to react? None of this had been planned, and I was utterly flustered. Yet Heraise continued smoothly, as if even my reaction was part of his script.

“You’re shocked, of course. You already have Wissler—this must be hard. But Wissler is too busy looking after everyone else to really care for you, isn’t he?”

He smiled triumphantly, driving the point home.

“I’ll only ever look at you.”

His gaze wavered with desperate intensity, pleading with me.

“I’ve decided. You’ll be my first and my last love.”

The music swelled to its climax. Behind Heraise, roses lifted into the air, their petals falling like snow to settle softly in my lap.