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Chapter 36
If he had blond hair and blue eyes, it wasn’t easy to guess who it might be.
No — maybe Idrian was lying.
Or perhaps Chester had given Idrian the wrong information.
If not, maybe Chester had simply been mistaken.
Everything was confusing.
There was no way to confirm anything, since none of this existed in the original novel.
“Couldn’t it be that Viscount Blair was mistaken?”
“Your Highness.”
“Yes?”
“I’d like to think it’s a mistake, but… in the past, Chester obsessively searched for a blonde noblewoman. He was almost fanatical about it.”
“…”
“And now that very same friend has suddenly become fixated on you — someone with completely different eyes and hair color, Your Highness.”
“…Why are you telling me this?”
His faint, unreadable smile made me uneasy.
“You remember how I said I’d found someone I loved?”
“…Yes.”
“Your Highness, I know I’m too late. I know I never even had a chance.”
Why was he saying this to me?
I couldn’t understand. His words, his actions — none of it made sense.
“The person I’ve come to love… is you, Your Highness.”
“…Me?”
If he had said that to me before, I might have been happy.
But now? At this point? It only made me uncomfortable.
Hearing such a tender confession from such a gentle man could have made my heart flutter — but at least right now, it didn’t.
Of course, he was handsome and kind, but his confession didn’t move me.
Not at all. It just startled me.
Maybe because I was already promised to marry Chester.
Or maybe because, even though Chester denied it, my subconscious still believed the boy I’d met when I secretly left the imperial palace was him.
Or maybe it was just because the male lead was confessing not to the heroine, but to me.
“Viscount Blair… I’m already promised to someone.”
“I’m not asking Your Highness to accept my feelings!”
“…Then why?”
“I just wanted you to know how I feel. That’s all.”
The heroine’s father’s death had reminded me that some things in the original story hadn’t changed —
but this confession from the male lead made me realize the original had changed.
For the male lead’s emotions to differ from the novel’s… that was a fundamental shift.
In the original story, the male and female leads fell in love — that was the ending.
But now, his heart belonged to someone else entirely.
That was an outright destruction of the original plot.
And what if, from the start, the heroine’s first love wasn’t the male lead, but my brother — a supposed extra?
And what if, contrary to the original, my brother hadn’t died and was still alive?
“I know I’m not someone worthy to stand by Your Highness’s side…”
“…”
“But it’s my selfish wish that you at least know that I love you.”
…Ugh. I hated myself for even thinking about it.
After hearing Idrian’s confession, the next thought that came to me — embarrassingly enough — was that Chester’s words… had been genuine.
“Viscount Blair…”
“I can wait, Your Highness.”
“How should I take that?”
“If your heart ever changes, please come find me.”
Change my heart? But I’d never loved Chester in the first place.
Wait — how did I feel about Chester, anyway?
He said he loved me… but what was he, really, to me?
“Viscount Blair, let’s pretend I didn’t hear any of that.”
“…”
“Forget it.”
“You’re… really cold, Your Highness.”
“I’m not just promised to Chester. We’re lovers.”
Because now I knew that all of Chester’s actions and words were real.
And the male lead’s confession confirmed that the story had gone completely off track.
I had worried so much — terrified that everything Chester did and said might have been an act.
But now I could believe him. Because the original was already broken.
“Viscount Blair, I’m sure you’ll find someone better suited for you.”
“Your Highness has the most beautiful smile in the world.”
He said almost the same thing Chester always said.
Kneeling on one knee, he took my hand and lightly kissed the back of it.
In that moment, I understood why he was the male lead — his face alone could remind anyone of a radiant angel.
Chester, on the other hand, with his dark aura, was more like a seductive demon.
Idrian’s face had a kind of warmth to it — beautiful, yes, but in a very different way.
Still, I pulled my hand back from his grasp.
“Well, I should be going.”
“…Will I see you again?”
“Next time, I’d like it to be at my wedding — with Chester.”
My task was to find the blonde woman with blue eyes.
And to accept Chester’s love — without doubt or fear.
When I reached the secluded place he’d chosen for our meeting, I saw him waiting.
“Chester!”
Even from a distance, he stood out.
Tall, with jet-black hair and crimson eyes — a terrifyingly handsome face that drew every gaze.
According to the original novel, the most handsome man in the entire world was the hidden villain.
The reason was simple: the villain had to survive to the end — because of his face.
My personal taste leaned toward my brother’s looks, but Chester’s beauty ignored everyone’s preferences altogether.
“Yulia. You’ll trip if you run like that.”
I ran straight into his arms. The warmth that enveloped me felt so good.
And his gentle whisper — knowing it was sincere — made my heart tingle.
“Yulia. Did something happen today?”
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
“…Tell you what?”
“That the person you were searching for had blonde hair and blue eyes.”
“…Who told you that?”
“Viscount Blair.”
“I see. Please don’t pay attention to other men, Yulia.”
His arms tightened around my waist.
If Chester truly loved me, then this must be jealousy.
And if it was jealousy, that meant his love was real.
“You don’t like it when I pay attention to other men?”
“I hate it when the person I love looks at anyone else — man, woman, or even animal.”
“…But you’re searching for a blonde, blue-eyed woman, aren’t you?”
“No.”
Chester suddenly lifted me up by the waist.
My feet left the ground. How could anyone be this strong?
“Chester?”
“How could I possibly be interested in anyone else when I already have you?”
“…Really?”
“Of course, Yulia. Do you think I’d lie to you?”
Looking up at him like this, I realized again just how handsome he was — and how sincerely his every action seemed to be filled with affection.
“Chester… do you really love me?”
“Yes. I love you very much.”
Those words — “I love you” — somehow made me feel happy.
So, impulsively, I kissed his cheek.
“Yulia?”
“…I just wanted to. Don’t read too much into it.”
He smiled languidly — a smile that made me feel strangely uneasy.
Even though my feet were on the ground, I felt… unsafe.
I knew Chester wasn’t someone who would hurt me — but I couldn’t shake the feeling of dread.
“Chester?”
“You started it, Yulia.”
One of his hands wrapped tightly around my waist — so tightly I couldn’t move.
The other brushed against my cheek, his crimson eyes filled with a dark, dangerous desire.
He looked like a wolf ready to devour its prey.
“What are you…?”
Before I could finish, his lips covered mine.
My breath hitched — I couldn’t breathe.
My mind went blank as his tongue claimed every bit of air between us.
My hands trembled as I clutched at his waist.
He deepened the kiss, not allowing even a gasp to escape.
It was dizzying — disorienting.
His hand slid along my waist, tracing fire along my skin.
My mind screamed that this was dangerous, but my body… wanted more.
“Haa…”
When he finally let me go, fresh air flooded my lungs, and I could think again.
“Breathe, Yulia.”
He was perfectly calm — while I was gasping for air.
The satisfied look in his eyes was chilling.
There was still a hunger there — as if he hadn’t had nearly enough.
“It’s only the beginning, and you’re already exhausted.”
“…What?”
“It’d be a shame to stop after just one.”
No, not a shame at all!
Thank goodness I’d decided to set limits before marriage.
“I’m not disappointed at all…”
“Well, I am, Yulia.”
He smiled mischievously — far too at ease for my liking.
Why was I the only one struggling here?!
“No, that’s not the point… our wedding—”
Before I could finish, his lips were on mine again.
It was another deep, suffocating kiss — as if he were trying to drink me in completely.
My head spun.
When he finally pulled away again, I sucked in air, dizzy and flushed.
“Haa… haa…”
“Yulia, are you okay?”
Was that even a question? I frowned, but let it slide — because I still had something to say.
And definitely not because he was such a good kisser.
After a few steady breaths, I spoke.
“Chester…”
“Yulia. Close your eyes.”
That bastard!
Still, I closed them — clutching my pounding heart.
