Chapter 14

The carriage of Marquis Weiand arrived at the Tonz estate. When the door opened and Prillance stepped off the carriage, an unexpected person came to escort her.

“How come the Duke is personally escorting me?”

It was Roman who escorted Prillance off the carriage. Even from before, he had never met her at the outset of their dinner.

“Because I’m not busy today.”

Wearing his usual attitude, he claimed it wasn’t a big deal. It was as if he was passing by and decided to stop by because he had some time. But to the best of her knowledge, Roman was not a man who moved without calculation.

That is, except for one person – Cecia.

“I’ll take that.”

Prillance, whose mind was distraught with thoughts and feelings for Ver, did not want to react sensitively. She knew that if she started a war of nerves with him today, she would most certainly lose.

Roman politely escorted her to the dining room. He had no intention of explaining to the puzzled Prillance. After quite some time, the dinner between the two began.

“The reason we started having dinner dates was because of my engagement with Lady Royne, isn’t that right?”

Roman, who was eating quietly, was the first to open his mouth. He didn’t stop moving, but his sole attention was on Prillance.

“That’s right.”

It wasn’t an unusual conversation, so she answered without much concern.

“Or was it because of Viscount Grant?”

Roman spoke in passing and as expected, Prillance froze and looked at him. She stared at him for a moment but quickly erased her expression. Acting casually, he had always tried to grasp her intentions just like this.

“When did I say that? Why do you keep…”

“I heard you were trying to get the Viscount to become a knight for your house.”

Prillance could not continue with her usual excuse as Roman cut off her words. At the moment, Roman stared at her intently. With a very satisfied look.

Surprised by his words, Prillance had no time to think about her appearance.

“I was always curious.”

Roman grabbed the end of the wine glass in front of him and shook it. She watched as the liquid in the glass sloshed back and forth.

The wine swaying in his hands was red.

Her throat burned with unknown anxiety. Prillance tried to recover her senses by drinking the water in front of her.

“At the time, why did you propose?”

“That’s……”

Prillance, who became distracted by the glass of water, tried to speak.

“Why did you meet Viscount Grant before that? And what was the reason for constantly meeting him?”

At the end of his words, Roman’s eyes met hers. Like a prey caught by a predator, she felt goose bumps all over her body. She couldn’t move, as if her body had hardened into stone.

“Nothing was connected, so your reasoning was a bit hard to deduce.”

Then Roman got up from his seat. Prillance was seized with an instinct to run away.

However, her body did not follow. Instead, she just stared as Roman slowly came toward her.

Roman turned Prillance’s chair and made her look at him. Afterwards, he bent down in front of her and stood close to her face in line with her gaze.

“You were doing something very clever.”

Fortunately, he was not expressing his anger like last time. He was just looking at her with a smirk around his mouth. How far did he know? He would not have known that she knew the novel’s story and was acting on it. That was not what Prillance was worried about.

It was the fact that he knew she was trying to get Ver to become a knight of their house.

“Thank you for reminding me of a fact that I’ve completely forgotten.”

If he gives the same offer, just like in the original story, then everything would flow similar to the original story. All her plans would go awry, and everything would go back to its original place. Prillance thought, her eyes shaking in anxiety.

She had to think of a way. Or at least give some sort of excuse.

“Do you remember how last time I said you’ve become quite interesting?”

Prillance was no longer listening to him. She was trying to think as her eyes darted rapidly back and forth. Roman could guess that she was thinking about something else.

‘When did a puppy become a fox?’

Perhaps she was thinking of the person whom she was so eager to be next to. The thought led Roman grasp Prillance’s chin and make her look at himself. Only then did her eyes turn towards him.

Should she make excuses, or should she deny it?

Prillance’s eyes shook hard as she tried to think of something to say. He grabbed her chin. Finally, she focused on Roman.

But would this man believe her?

Prillance met Roman’s eyes.

“You seem to live up to expectations, so this time it is my turn to give back.”

She knew best that he wouldn’t believe it. Roman continued to talk, looking at her eyes as it shook anxiously at his words.

“I think you can look forward to it.”

Roman noticed her pupils for the first time. The subtle mixture of light brown and yellow colors caught his eye.

Then he smiled dangerously, wiping the water around her lips with his thumb. Prillance thought his eyes were predator-like eyes that kept its attention on its prey.

***

“See you again next time.”

Like Roman’s pick-up, his see-off was also perfect. His voice was more cordial than usual. Rather, hearing it made Prillance nervous.

What will he do?

“Prillance.”

Jack called for Prillance who did not get off the carriage. Only then did her gaze, which had been staring absentmindedly into space, turn towards him.

“Are you alright?”

Prillance nodded slightly, but it didn’t look like she was alright. What happened during the time she was with Duke Tonz? Jack’s hand became strained as he helped her out of the carriage.

“Perhaps, did you strike up some type of deal with the Duke?”

Jack asked as he led Prillance to her room.

“Huh?”

Prillance looked quite surprised. Her expression seemed to ask how he knew. Perhaps if Roman hadn’t mentioned it, she probably wouldn’t have told him.

“During your dinner with the Duke, did he perhaps…”

“Did Duke Tonz tell you about it?”

Prillance intercepted Jack’s question. Her inquiring face looked somewhat uneasy.

“That’s right.”

Jack admitted innocently. At the same time, Prillance hurriedly stepped back into the carriage.

“Where……”

“I need to go somewhere briefly. I’ll quickly come back.”

She shouted as the carriage departed. Even from a distance, he could hear her voice asking for the coachman to drive as fast as possible. He couldn’t understand what was happening.

In the place where the carriage once stood, only Jack’s sigh could be heard.