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CHAPTER~02
Elisha was flustered.
There was clearly nothing that should have been in her arms.
Thinking back, the whereabouts of the potion had become uncertain ever since Lila suddenly barged in.
It seemed she must have left it on the parlor sofa.
“Li-Lila, wait! Go to your room first!”
“I’ll change my clothes first… Sister? Where are you going?”
I need to brush Lila’s hair!
But Elisha was already running far ahead.
‘I can’t get caught!’
The potion was a drug forbidden by law.
Naturally.
Who would use a substance that artificially manipulates emotions for good intentions?
If Blaine found out, she would surely be punished.
‘B-But I was only going to use it on myself!’
Elisha frantically flung open the parlor door.
Forget about embarrassment for now, I need to recover the potion quickly―
“Ah, Lady Elisha.”
…But as soon as she opened the door, Blaine was standing right in front of her.
When Elisha lifted her head, his mysterious violet eyes looked down at her clearly.
An inexplicable heat flickered within that gaze.
“P-Prince Blaine…?”
“Perfect timing. I was just about to come looking for you.”
“Eh? F-For me?”
Why all of a sudden? We just met today.
While Elisha was flustered,
“Lady Elisha.”
“P-Prince Blaine! Why are you doing this?!”
Blaine dropped to one knee on the floor.
Elisha stumbled backward in shock, but Blaine grasped her hand firmly.
Yet what startled her even more were his next words.
“Please marry me.”
“Wh-What?!”
Elisha felt like she might faint.
Her mind was spinning wildly.
“Y-You’re not joking, are you―”
“Not at all. I sincerely wish to marry Lady Elisha.”
“My goodness…”
So the Lindbergh Viscount was proposing?
Seriously? To her?
Why all of a sudden?
“U-Um, w-well, it’s just that….”
Elisha’s flustered eyes wandered around, searching for an explanation.
At that moment, something familiar caught her eye.
‘Is that… my potion?’
Next to the teacup Blaine had just sipped from,
the little glass bottle Elisha had left was sitting all alone.
And… the bottle was completely empty.
It seemed Blaine had mistaken the potion for some kind of syrup and drank it all.
‘Oh no!’
Elisha finally felt as if the puzzle in her head had come together.
Otherwise, there was no way someone she just met today would suddenly propose!
“Ahhh!”
Elisha screamed right in front of Blaine’s face.
Feeling unladylike, she hastily covered her mouth, but the sound had already echoed throughout the mansion.
“What’s all this noise?!”
With a clatter, Baron Burns rushed in.
“Such a noble Viscount in my precious home, and what’s all this commotion… Oh!”
The Baron stumbled inside and gawked at the scene.
His gaze slowly traveled from Blaine to Elisha, and finally to their tightly clasped hands.
He could not hide his astonishment.
“V-Viscount? Did she commit some offense?”
“No, the offense was mine.”
“Ehh?”
“In fact, I was proposing to Lady Elisha.”
“…What?”
Baron Burns blinked in disbelief.
From behind, Lila came running, swishing her elaborate dress, screaming loudly.
She had already changed into a flamboyant gown.
“What did you say? You’re marrying my sister?”
The two women couldn’t believe their ears.
Who was marrying whom? That Viscount?
But Blaine just nodded calmly.
“No, this is impossible…”
“Hey, hey!”
Lila screamed, clutching the back of her neck, and collapsed.
The Baron hurriedly ran to support his daughter.
“Lila!”
Elisha, startled, tried to approach her cousin, but
“Wait.”
Blaine gripped her hand more firmly.
Even though a lady had collapsed, he did not flinch.
“….”
Seeing no reaction from Blaine, Lila peeked one eye open.
And when she saw that they were still holding hands, sparks flew from her eyes.
She jumped to her feet.
“Wh-How is this possible? Suddenly marrying my sister!”
“Is there any reason it shouldn’t happen?”
“…A fiancé?”
At that moment, Blaine’s expression grew icy.
Lila hesitated.
Only then did she recall that Blaine was a Sword Master.
‘He doesn’t have to glare that terrifyingly!’
While Lila hesitated, Baron Burns stepped forward.
He rubbed his hands together submissively.
“Yes, Viscount. Unfortunately, Elisha is already in talks to marry Marquis Montis. She is about to depart for his estate―”
“Marquis Montis?”
Blaine’s gaze sharpened even further.
He released Elisha’s hand and turned toward the Baron.
“You intend to sell my niece to such a pitiful man?”
“I-I-I didn’t mean to sell her… Eek!”
As Blaine stepped closer, the Baron backed away in terror.
No words could escape him in the intimidating presence of Blaine’s large, solid frame.
“How dare you try to deceive anyone?”
The notorious reputation of Marquis Montis was known throughout the Empire.
It was widely known that a marriage-obsessed Marquis would publicly set outrageous conditions for a bride.
Blaine’s eyes glimmered sharply.
Baron Burns and Lila clung to each other, trembling, unable to speak a word.
Blaine grabbed Elisha’s arm and pulled her along.
“Eek?!”
“Let’s go. I no longer wish to keep my bride in this house.”
“M-My bride? N-No, w-wait!”
Flustered, Elisha braced herself on her feet.
Of course, she didn’t want to marry Marquis Montis!
But this was just too sudden!
“I-I need time to think! Marriage is too sudden! And why me…?”
“W-We’ve only met for less than an hour…”
“…Do you really think that?”
Blaine’s gaze turned icy.
Elisha shrank inside, terrified.
‘Scolding me for falling in love in less than an hour?’
She shivered like a soaked puppy, watching Blaine carefully.
“Anyway, I need to prepare my heart too…”
“Prepare your heart.”
Blaine repeated her words thoughtfully.
After a moment of reflection, he admitted that he had been hasty.
“Indeed. I let my emotions get ahead of considering your position, Lady. I apologize.”
“It’s, i-it’s okay!”
As Blaine bowed, Elisha hurriedly bent her waist in return.
Blaine watched her quietly for a moment and then nodded.
“Then I shall leave for today. We will discuss matters of marriage step by step.”
* * *
“Sister! What on earth happened? You have to explain to Lila!”
After Blaine left, Elisha headed to her room in a daze.
Beside her, an excited Lila followed closely.
“When did the Viscount seduce you? Huh? At the banquet, at the salon, he was always in a corner!”
“….”
“I just can’t understand. Lila needs to hear the truth from her sister… Ah!”
Lila had been chattering for a while but froze as she bumped her nose hard against the closed door.
Elisha had slammed the door without realizing Lila was following.
“Sister! Where on earth is your head… Kyaa! L-Lila! Nosebleed!”
As Lila tried pounding on the door, she screamed at the blood running down from her nose.
She slumped to the floor, and the maids rushed over frantically.
The mansion was in an uproar from Lila’s fuss.
“Haa…”
But none of it reached Elisha in the room.
She collapsed face-first onto the bed.
“Ugh… what do I do!”
Elisha tore at her hair with both hands.
She hadn’t expected the Viscount to drink the potion!
Not a single drop remained…
It had been completely consumed.
Elisha glumly looked at the empty bottle.
It was the one she had secretly taken from the parlor earlier.
‘I’m doomed. If I get caught, it’s immediate execution…’
Elisha buried her head in her arms.
In her mind, a horrifying future played out automatically once all the truth was exposed.
‘No matter how wonderful the Viscount is, how dare he use a love potion.’
‘He acts polite on the outside, but inside he’s completely black.’
‘He could spend that time improving his looks or manners instead. What a nuisance.’
Amid the whispers and cold stares of the people, Elisha was dragged to the guillotine.
The executioner forced her to lie down, trembling.
And soon, the heavy blade…
Thud!
“Noooo!”
Elisha jumped up from the bed.
She could not remain still like this.
“The antidote! I have to get the antidote!”
