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CHAPTER 09
For a moment, my mind went completely blank, and I couldn’t breathe as my chest tightened.
Just the fact that he was here made the air feel tense and suffocating.
“Your Grace… what brings you here…?”
My voice trembled in shock. Standing under the moonlight, he looked as though he had stepped out of a myth—mysterious and overwhelmingly imposing.
Ah, right… I forgot. This man was here too.
My fiancé, the man who returned with me from the Grand Duke’s territory to the south—the first person who altered the course of this original story. That person was now standing right in front of me.
“I came to see my fiancée for a moment.”
His voice was gentle, but there was a faintly teasing undertone to it, as if he understood everything yet was pretending innocence.
“It’s so late at night, and Lillian is alone in the garden. I got worried.”
Ariel’s gaze shifted from Leon to me. His expression softened slightly, but deep within his eyes, emotions I couldn’t decipher still swirled.
Leon, on the other hand, clearly shrank under Ariel’s appearance. Even if he was the captain of the knights, before the Grand Duke he was nothing more than a subordinate knight.
“Yes, I was looking for the young lady after she suddenly disappeared. It seems the person who took her was that woman from earlier…”
I stopped listening to Leon’s words.
Suddenly disappeared… he had no idea it was because of the madness I had just displayed.
Ariel only looked down at him coldly.
“I see.”
His voice turned even colder, like winter wind itself.
“I didn’t expect the captain of the knight order to be like this.”
There was sharp condemnation hidden in his words.
“I have no intention of allowing someone who threatened my fiancée to investigate a dragon with me.”
At that single sentence, the garden air froze instantly. Cold killing intent flickered in Ariel’s blue eyes, and even the flowers seemed to bow under his pressure.
Leon’s face turned pale. Overwhelmed, he quickly stepped back and knelt, bowing deeply.
“I greet the protector of our young lady.”
His voice, once arrogant, was now completely polite and formal. He was showing respect to a superior as a knight should.
“I did not expect Your Grace to be here. I apologize for my rudeness.”
His shoulders trembled slightly.
“You didn’t, by any chance, treat my fiancée rudely, did you?”
Ariel’s question was almost a threat. I didn’t miss the way his hand naturally moved toward his sword hilt.
I could only watch this unexpected situation in confusion. The tension between the two men felt almost physical.
What is going on…? Now even Ariel shows up?
I stood up awkwardly, brushing dust off my dress, trying to maintain elegance despite the situation.
Then I looked straight at Leon and asked calmly.
“Leon, where am I right now in your view?”
He looked momentarily flustered.
“Floriska…”
I immediately cut him off, my voice cold as ice.
“Correct. I am standing in Floriska. This is my home.”
I stepped forward, locking eyes with him.
“Is this a dangerous place? Am I in danger right now?”
Leon opened his mouth, but no words came out.
“And the person who safely brought me here was the very girl you were about to chase down with your sword.”
Each of my words struck like blades, draining the color from his face.
“And you just pointed a sword at my benefactor.”
My voice grew colder.
“If she had been even slightly injured, my reputation would have been damaged. Because of you.”
Leon was now completely speechless, head bowed.
As if I no longer wished to look at him, I turned away and smiled gracefully at Ariel.
“Your Grace, it’s cold outside. Please come inside.”
Inside Floriska’s luxurious reception room, candlelight and chandelier glow reflected off countless mirrors, creating the illusion of dancing stars.
I sat across from Ariel. The warm light made his grayish-blue eyes look even more mysterious.
“So, why did you really come?”
I asked directly, though my voice had already softened more than usual.
Ariel held his teacup in silence for a moment. His long eyelashes cast shadows in the candlelight, like a painting.
“To be honest, I came to see the captain of the knight order.”
His answer was exactly what I expected. But I didn’t miss how his gaze wavered slightly when he said it.
“I see.”
I nodded and brought the teacup to my lips. The fragrant aroma of tea brushed past my senses.
But Ariel slowly set his cup down and spoke carefully, as though preparing to confess something important.
“But…”
He stood and walked toward me. One step, then another. His footsteps were almost silent on the carpet, but my heartbeat grew faster in contrast.
“Lily… I also wanted to see you…”
He knelt in front of me. Now our eyes were at the same level. His gaze shimmered in the candlelight—beautiful beyond words.
“I would be lying if I said there was none.”
His voice was almost a whisper. His usual cold authority was gone, replaced with sincere warmth.
Time felt as though it had stopped. Golden chandelier light wrapped around us, as if the world existed only for the two of us.
And then—
BANG!
The door to the reception room burst open with a force that almost shattered it.
“Lily! You’re safe!”
My older brother rushed in, breathless. But the moment he saw the scene, he froze.
“…Huh?”
His sky-blue eyes widened. He quickly took in Ariel kneeling in front of me and the strange atmosphere between us.
“Wait, wait a second.”
He waved his hands and walked briskly between us.
“Your Grace, I’m sorry, but this is a no-go zone for my sister’s personal space.”
He gently pushed Ariel back and elegantly made him step away.
“Please sit over there.”
Ariel stood up, flustered but smiling it off.
“You’re overly protective, brother. Don’t worry, we were just talking.”
Yes, truly a sister-obsessed brother…
“Talking? Kneeling while talking?”
My brother shot him a suspicious look and quickly sat beside me, pulling me slightly toward him.
“Lillian is still young and weak to sweet-talking men. Your Grace should be more careful.”
I couldn’t help but laugh at his overprotectiveness.
“Brother, I’m going to be an adult soon.”
“No. You’re still our youngest sister.”
Like a mother bird guarding her chick, he shook his head firmly.
But then his expression turned serious.
“By the way, Grand Duke Heber, weren’t you here to investigate a dragon?”
His tone sharpened.
“What are you doing in such a leisurely situation? Rumors say a dragon appeared in the southern region.”
Ariel hesitated, then answered carefully.
“Yes. But investigations take time… I was resting for a moment.”
“Resting?”
My brother gave him a doubtful look.
“Resting by kneeling and whispering with my sister alone?”
“It is rest. Being with my beloved fiancée.”
I nearly choked on my tea.
…Wait. A dragon?
There was no dragon in the original novel.
At least, I didn’t remember any. This was supposed to be a court romance—no fantasy creatures like dragons appeared.
Something was clearly changing.
I suddenly became curious. A dragon not in the original story? I had to see this.
“I want to go too!”
“What?”
My brother shouted in shock.
“Lily, what are you saying? Dragon investigations are dangerous!”
But I smiled sweetly at Ariel.
“Your Grace, I’m really curious. A dragon… doesn’t that sound exciting?”
I clasped my hands pleadingly.
“Please, I’ll be bored to death if I stay home. I’ve never even had an adventure before.”
My brother panicked.
“No! Lily, you absolutely can’t— and you’re a saint! A saint can’t go somewhere so dangerous…”
“But the Grand Duke, the Sword Master, will be with me.”
I looked at him confidently.
“The best swordsman on the continent will protect me. What’s there to worry about?”
Then I tilted my head toward Ariel and smiled sweetly.
“Right? You’ll protect me, won’t you?”
Ariel smiled warmly, completely falling for it.
“Don’t worry, brother. I will protect Lily to the end.”
My brother sighed deeply, defeated.
“…Lily…”
“Brother, don’t worry too much… just understand me.”
In the end, he gave in completely.
That night.
I sat by my bedroom window, staring at the silver moon.
The dragon investigation kept echoing in my mind.
There was no mention of dragons in the original novel Love With You.
So why now…?
I wondered if my presence itself had changed the story.
Or maybe I had already distorted this world.
If so… what was I supposed to do now?
My only advantage—knowledge of the future—was now useless.
If everything was changing, how was I supposed to survive?
The cold wind moved the curtains.
Or maybe… there was another possibility.
Maybe this world was always much larger than the original story.
Maybe I had only seen a fragment of it.
If so, maybe I wasn’t the cause of the distortion after all…
But I was still uneasy.
I sighed, looking at the moon.
Anyway, I had already agreed to go.
I’d have to see for myself.
If I was the cause, I couldn’t just ignore it.
And Ariel would be there too…
I froze.
Wait. What am I thinking?
Why am I thinking about him?
Ariel, who was only a name in the original story but never appeared…
Yet somehow I kept thinking about him.
My face grew hot.
Why do I keep remembering him? The way he knelt in the reception room, looking at me with those gray-blue eyes…
I covered my burning face with both hands.
Get a grip. This is not the time.
I lay down on my bed, but sleep wouldn’t come.
His presence kept lingering in my mind.
