Chapter 2.8

Prillance’s hand stopped its movement.

“Perhaps…”

She naturally became nervous at the sudden pause of his words.

“Did your feelings for me fade[1]?”

“Huh?”

He laughed as he looked at Prillance, who seemed taken aback by the unexpected remarks.

“I mean, I was quite confident about the Lady liking me in her own way.”

“Ah.”

At Roman’s words, she uttered a single word sarcastically. In the novel, even though Roman knew he would never accept her, he didn’t push her away. Hence, Prillance clung to him in hopes that he might feel the same way someday.

‘So you did those things on purpose?’

The original Prillance, was she nothing more than a pawn to Roman after all? Before Cecia appeared, she had driven away most of the women he couldn’t settle with his hands.

Certainly, those actions were not what she did now. But that didn’t mean his words sounded pleasant.

“But looking at the Lady now, you’re like an entirely different person.”

His words seemed to ask ‘why are you no longer interested in me?’. Prillance thought Roman’s words sounded sarcastic.

“There isn’t any law that says I should have someone in my heart, is there?”

Her feelings were conveyed by the sharpness of her words.

“That’s right, but the Lady has a person like that these days, right?”

“What…are you trying to say? ”

The playful smile on Roman’s lips made her nervous again.

“The hottest person these days. In social circles and in politics.”

Roman looked at Prillance as he quenched his thirst with wine. She looked at him with wide eyes. It was strange to see her showing her feelings without even trying to hide them. She was always filled with emotions, but this was new.

When he thought about it, Roman didn’t know much about Prillance. At best, she was Marquis Weiand’s daughter. Other than that, she was good at socializing but had a terrible personality. He had thought the information James would bring would not be any different.

But there was something unexpected. She had ties with the Grant family, which she didn’t have any connections with previously. There was a reason they seemed quite close back then. Of course, it was a recent connection. It was not long ago, but soon after the decline of Grant’s title.

That was even more surprising to him. Prillance, who valued rank above all within the nobles, reached out to Ver first. So it was necessary to doubt for a moment whether there was a political relationship between the two families.

In any case, she was constantly meeting Ver. In the same place, at the same time.

‘She was wearing his coat last time.’

Ver’s coat hung on Prillance’s shoulders as if for a lover.

He watched all of Prillance’s actions – from being flustered, to drinking water, to laying down the tableware, and even looking irritated as she ate her food.

If it were in the past, she would have immediately asked why he didn’t visit – if he knew she was sick. But today she didn’t mention anything. It seemed she had no intention of telling Roman at all.

By the time Roman was lost in thought, Prillance also got lost in her own thoughts. She was in a state of mental shock[2]. She had overlooked that Roman was a person who could gather information whenever he wanted.

Moreover, Prillance had been proactively asking for an engagement. But it had never even crossed her mind.

Her head must have stopped working for a while since she was sick for several days.

If Roman hadn’t been in front of her, she would have chastised herself and tried to tear her hair out.

“But I really wanted to ask you because it’s strange that you like him but you want to be engaged to me.”

Roman inquired indifferently and looked at her.

“I…never said I like him.”

Prillance responded calmly, trying to keep her mind organized as much as possible. She almost fell for his play. It would not be strange for her to meet Ver. She settled her agitated mind and decided to be brazen.

“However. I heard you meet him often.”

“…Meeting him often doesn’t mean I like him. Just like how having dates together doesn’t mean you’re engaged.”

She looked nervous, but she didn’t get caught easily. Hence, Roman thought that it wasn’t to that extent yet.

“Oh, I thought the Lady was such a person.”

He had a smirk around his mouth. As he said, the original Prillance held such views. That’s why she ostracized women who stood next to Roman at least once.

“I recently changed my views about many things.”

“Oh, Is that so.”

“Yes. I’m ashamed, so please forget about the me from before.”

She said calmly. She didn’t look ashamed at all. Her appearance was quite interesting.

But he never thought it was a coincidence for her to meet Viscount Grant. He was, after all, Cecia’s former fiancé, who was now about to be engaged to him,

‘For Prillance to visit Viscount Grant.’

His intuition was saying it was not a coincidence. She was approaching him in a rather interesting way. And Roman found her new approach quite amusing.

“Are things going well with Lady Royne?”

Prillance deliberately changed the topic.

“Not quite.”

Roman replied without worry.

“That’s why I sent an invitation to the Lady. Because you’ve set the terms of inviting you for dinner as many times as I would invite her.”

It was obviously a spiteful remark. She resented that she couldn’t refute it. It was her condition, and Roman was faithful in keeping it.

“Are you saying this will continue?”

“If your terms are valid.”

That meant he will continue to weigh Cecia and her as his options. There was still a chance. She knew it wouldn’t be easy from the beginning. She settled her mind.

“So, how was our first date?”

She asked, deliberately putting all her strength into a gracious smile.

“You have become a much more pleasant lady than you used to be.”

Roman replied with a satisfied smile.

“I’m looking forward to our dates in the future.”

And unlike her, he had a sincerely pleased expression.

[1] Could also be translated as “cool down”

[2] 멘봉(Menbong) – literally means mental collapse. A korean expression that is more casual than it sounds.