Chapter 10
“Um, could you please let go of me now?”
“No. You’ll just run away.”
“How can I run away in a dress like this?”
“I saw you do it just fine before.”
“I told you, that wasn’t me!”
“Regardless, the answer is no.”
Ian cut Lobelyn off firmly.
His right hand was still tightly gripping the fabric at the nape of her neck.
Because of that, Lobelyn looked a bit ridiculous—less like she was wearing the clothes and more like she was being carried inside them.
‘Oh, please!’
Lobelyn felt like crawling into a hole when she heard the sound of people snickering around them.
In the end, she had no choice but to try another tactic.
“Ow, ow, ow!”
“What? What is it?”
“I—I think I sprained my ankle. Ouch, it hurts! I won’t be able to run away like this anyway!”
“You really are something.”
Perhaps her effort was commendable enough, as Ian finally let go of his grip.
Lobelyn, who had been practically dangling, was finally able to stand firmly on both feet.
“If you run away again, I really will have your head this time.”
“…Ye-yes, sir.”
He must have been a mind reader to know she was looking for an escape route.
Since it felt like he might actually follow through on his threat this time, Lobelyn gave up on running.
“But why did you bring me here?”
“For an interrogation.”
“Pardon?”
“No matter how much I think about it, I’m certain you’re that woman.”
This man was relentless.
Lobelyn narrowed her eyes.
‘Go ahead and ask me a thousand times. I’ll deny it until the very end. It’s not like he can do a DNA test or anything.’
While Lobelyn made her resolve, Ian strode toward a coffee house.
“Why are we going in there?”
“I told you. For the interrogation.”
“We’re going to do that while sharing a friendly cup of coffee? I’m not really—”
“If you don’t like it, you’re welcome to go to the Crown Prince’s Palace dungeon instead.”
“I was born to drink this coffee.”
How did he know? A Crown Prince is a Crown Prince for a reason.
Lobelyn joked as she led the way into the coffee house.
A faint smile played on the corners of Ian’s mouth as he followed her in.
“Lobelyn Dines.”
As soon as the coffee arrived, Ian spoke with a heavy expression.
Hearing her full name suddenly made Lobelyn a bit nervous.
However, his next request was beyond absurd.
“Call me a bastard.”
“…Excuse me?”
“Curse at me.”
Has this man gone mad? Telling a lady to swear out of the blue!
Dumbfounded, Lobelyn looked around before leaning in and whispering.
“…Do you happen to have a preference that’s difficult to talk about? Is that why you’re doing this to me?”
“Do I look like I’m joking right now?”
But Ian’s expression was dead serious.
Only then did Lobelyn recall what Cornelia had said before.
‘I heard that lady even called His Highness a bastard and cursed at him quite a lot.’
Damn it, that’s how he’s trying to find her!
Lobelyn felt a cold sweat break out on her back, but she struggled to maintain her composure.
“I mean, what are you even doing this for?! In the first place, you don’t even have evidence—”
“The back of your head.”
“…Pardon?”
“The day of the accident, when I saw you running toward Lady Bennett from behind, I was sure. You’re the same woman who ran away that day.”
What? He remembered that?
Trapped by Ian’s certainty, Lobelyn felt as if her escape route had been blocked.
However, she had also prepared a backup plan since the last incident.
“I left the banquet early that day, you know? If you need proof, I can even show you the dress I wore. You can ask the other guests.”
There were plenty of women wearing white dresses anyway.
If she just showed him a similar dress and said she wore it that day, everyone would just nod along.
“Hmm.”
But Ian simply swirled his coffee cup with an indifferent expression.
After a brief silence, he spoke again.
“And home? Who took you?”
“Pardon? I… I went home alone.”
“Is that so? I suppose you aren’t very popular with the gentlemen. I heard all the other young ladies were escorted home by their partners.”
“No, what does that have to do with—”
It was at the moment the flabbergasted Lobelyn was about to bolt from her seat.
“Oh my, Miss Lobelyn?”
Suddenly, a shrill voice called out from the side.
Turning her head, she saw a young lady with green hair and sharp eyes standing there.
“Ah, Lady Preston. It’s been a while.”
Lobelyn greeted the unwelcome guest with a less than pleased expression.
Natalie Preston. In the original novel, she was a character who fell for Brian and picked fights with the female lead at every opportunity.
And in this life as well, she looked down upon Brian’s friends, Cornelia and Lobelyn.
‘But she doesn’t dare make a peep to Connie, since she’s a marquess’s daughter, so she only bullies me.’
Even now, wasn’t she being condescending by addressing her as ‘Miss’ Lobelyn?
She was already exhausted from dealing with Ian, and the thought of this woman joining the fray made her head throb.
Regardless, Natalie approached with a sly smile.
“To think we’d run into each other in a place like this. And the person across from you is…”
Natalie glanced at Ian sitting across from Lobelyn, then promptly turned her head away with a huff.
Seeing him with Lobelyn, she clearly assumed he was just some trivial man.
“Ah, I am—”
“H-he’s a Count from Newerie! He’s here on… on business!”
Fearing Ian might say something else, Lobelyn hurriedly intervened.
The last thing she wanted was a rumor spreading that she had shared tea with the Crown Prince in a place like this.
“Hmph, business?”
But at Lobelyn’s words, Natalie looked as if she had caught them in a trap.
“The timber distribution rights for Eight Hills have almost been finalized for our family. Where else are you planning to poke your nose in?”
“P-poke my nose in…”
“Who knows? If I find out in advance, maybe I can help ensure Viscount Dines doesn’t waste his efforts again.”
Natalie laughed mockingly.
As she said, until recently, the Dines and Preston families had been in fierce competition over timber distribution rights.
However, the situation had turned more favorable for the Count’s family, who had extensive political connections.
As a result, Viscount Dines had given up early and left for Newerie to look for other business ventures.
“To celebrate, my father even bought me three new dresses from Daphne Boutique. It’s all thanks to the Viscount. Ohohoho.”
At this point, it seemed like she had sought Lobelyn out specifically to brag about this.
‘I get it, so could you please just go now? I don’t have the energy to deal with you too.’
Just as Lobelyn was about to send Natalie away with some appropriate words…
“I can’t listen to this pathetic nonsense anymore.”
Ian cut off their conversation in a low voice.
‘What are you doing!’
‘What? Why.’
Fearing more trouble, Lobelyn signaled him with her eyes not to interfere.
But Ian seemed to have no intention of staying out of it.
“If your father bought you new dresses, you should go home and thank him. What are you doing here?”
“W-what? How could you be so rude—”
“Isn’t it the height of rudeness to squawk so loudly in a public place? I suppose your father bought you dresses but forgot to pay for your education. ‘Miss’ Natalie.”
At the kind of sarcasm she had never heard once in her life, tears quickly welled up in Natalie’s eyes.
But Ian remained indifferent, instead scanning her up and down with a chilling gaze.
‘Wow, he really has a nasty personality.’
Normally, a gentleman should laugh off any rudeness from a lady!
Even though she had just heard all sorts of spiteful words from her, Lobelyn actually felt a bit sorry for Natalie.
“How long do you intend to stand there? Why don’t you head back now, Miss Natalie?”
“Ha! I won’t forget what happened today!”
At Ian’s final words, Natalie turned around with an expression full of humiliation and ran out.
Lobelyn could feel everyone in the coffee house staring their way after the commotion.
‘Damn it, I was trying not to stand out.’
Lobelyn was anxious that someone might recognize Ian, but he, the culprit of this situation, seemed completely unconcerned.
Instead, he seemed a bit angry at Lobelyn.
Well, he was already angry at her, but the nature of it felt slightly different.
“Why do you just stand there and take it without saying a word?”
“Pardon?”
“She’s spewing such idiotic nonsense, so why aren’t you standing up for yourself?”
“…I’m a pacifist. I don’t really like fighting and things like that.”
That’s why I’m trying to set Connie and Bri up in advance so I can live in peace.
Lobelyn swallowed her last words and leaned back against her chair.
“Ridiculous. You have no trouble talking back to me.”
Ian took a sip of his now-cold coffee with a sulky expression.
The atmosphere was distinctly different from when he was interrogating Lobelyn moments ago.
‘Now that I think about it, Natalie showed up at the perfect time.’
Well, she decided to think of it as a good thing since Ian’s interrogation had fizzled out thanks to her.
To think even a person like that could be helpful one day.
Just then, Ian, who had been lost in thought for a moment, spoke again.
“…That Cannon Boutique place.”
“Pardon? Ah, do you mean Daphne?”
“Whether it’s Cannon or Daphne. Is it really that famous?”
“Of course. It’s the most popular boutique in the kingdom.”
Lobelyn shrugged as she answered.
It was so popular that regular reservations were fully booked until next year.
For Lobelyn, the daughter of a mere Viscount, it was hard to even dream of going there.
So she had often been satisfied with just looking at Cornelia’s dresses.
‘I was a bit envious back then, though.’
So she could understand why Natalie would want to brag about it.
“But why do you ask?”
“That crazy black-haired woman mentioned it earlier. I was just curious how great it could be.”
“…Lady Preston has green hair.”
“That isn’t very important.”
“…”
Giving up on understanding Ian’s thoughts, Lobelyn turned her head toward the window.
Before she knew it, the sky was turning red and the shadows were beginning to lengthen.
It was about time to head back.
“Let’s go back now.”
Fortunately, Ian seemed to have forgotten his original purpose of interrogation.
Lobelyn followed behind Ian, breathing a sigh of relief.
Hoping and praying that there would never be another meeting like this.
A few days later.
From early in the morning, the maid Sarah woke Lobelyn up in a flurry.
“Miss, you need to come out for a moment!”
