Chapter 7
Episode 7.
“I, I have to go with Lady Cornelia.”
Lobelin made a final, timid attempt at resistance, clinging to Cornelia’s arm.
But this time, Cornelia was not on her side.
“Bell, I’m fine.”
“Connie?”
“Our family carriage will be here soon. I can just take that.”
Whether she realized Lobelin’s inner turmoil or not, Cornelia gave her a cheerful push on the back.
‘Why? Why are you doing this?’
Pushed away with no other choice, Lobelin approached the imperial carriage feeling like a lamb being led to the slaughter.
As Ian watched her, the corners of his mouth twitched upward.
“I shall see you safely back to the Viscounty.”
Could he have recognized her?
Throughout the carriage ride, Lobelin curled her body inward, consumed by anxiety.
But contrary to her expectations, Ian said nothing.
He simply stared at her intently, as if observing her.
“…….”
“…….”
A suffocating, tense silence filled the air, but for Lobelin, it was actually a relief.
It was better this way than accidentally giving herself away during conversation.
“Your Highness, we have arrived at the Viscounty.”
“Thank you for the ride. I’ll be going now—”
As soon as the carriage came to a halt at the Dines estate, Lobelin sprang up as if she had been waiting for this exact moment.
“……Your Highness?”
However, her movement to exit the carriage was halted by Ian, who caught her arm.
Startled, Lobelin turned back to see Ian looking deep in thought.
After a moment of contemplation, he finally spoke.
“Let’s have a cup of tea together.”
“Pardon?”
“Get out.”
‘Excuse me, this is my house?’
Lobelin’s jaw dropped at Ian’s brazen attitude.
But he was already rising from his seat.
“I am the savior of your life today, am I not? Can you not even treat your savior to a cup of tea?”
“No, it’s just that I’m a bit of a mess today……”
“I suppose it can’t be helped. I’ll just have to spread the word through high society that the Dines family turned away the Crown Prince who saved their daughter’s life.”
“O-Oh, no! Tea! Tea sounds lovely! Right this way!”
“You should have said so from the start.”
Ian gave a light nod and stepped out of the carriage.
What a petty man.
She felt like she was being lured into a trap, but Lobelin had no choice but to trudge out after him.
“My Lady, you’re back… Gasp .”
The servants of the Viscounty, who had rushed out to greet Lobelin, all clamped their hands over their mouths in shock.
The identity of the man was immediately obvious from the imperial crest on the carriage.
‘W-What is going on? Is the Young Lady arriving with His Imperial Highness the Crown Prince?’
‘But why does our Lady look like that? Her clothes and hair are a total mess.’
‘She couldn’t have gotten into a physical fight with the Crown Prince, could she…?’
The servants whispered, unable to hide their curiosity.
It was their first time seeing the Crown Prince in person, after all.
And to top it off, their own mistress had appeared behind him looking like a complete wreck.
It was a rare sight that money couldn’t buy.
And for some reason, they all seemed to assume Lobelin was the one at fault…
‘What? Why is everyone looking at me like that?’
Lobelin looked around with a bewildered expression.
Everyone was looking at her with eyes that said, ‘My Lady, what kind of trouble did you cause this time?!’
But there was something more important than the servants’ stares right now.
“Your Highness, as you can see, I am in no state to host. I will go and tidy myself up quickly.”
“Ah.”
“Please wait in the drawing room, and I’ll be right back. I just need to fix my dress and hair, so it won’t take long.”
After rattling off her explanation, Lobelin hurried out of the drawing room.
She secretly hoped for the luck that Ian would just leave on his own before she returned.
However, the luck Lobelin hoped for did not favor her.
Even though she had stalled for as much time as possible while changing her clothes and brushing her hair, she felt a wave of disappointment when she saw Ian still sitting in the drawing room.
“…….”
He was looking at a family portrait.
The palm-sized portrait, housed in a small tabletop frame, had been made when Lobelin was still a young child.
‘Oh my, look at the Crown Prince.’
‘I’d only heard rumors, but I had no idea he was that handsome!’
Meanwhile, she could hear the maids behind her whispering with flushed faces.
Leaning back leisurely on the sofa with his long legs crossed, he was undeniably attractive.
He was relaxing comfortably, yet even in that posture, the innate dignity of the imperial family was palpable.
‘Well, he is handsome.’
As his sun-like blonde hair shimmered in the sunlight, the thought crossed Lobelin’s mind unbidden.
Small wonder that Cornelia in the original story had once been head over heels for him, given that face.
‘But it was this bastard who tormented my Connie until she wanted to die.’
I will never be fooled by this man’s face like the others.
With that vow, Lobelin took her seat across from Ian.
“Ah.”
Ian, who had been focused on the portrait until then, only looked up when he heard the sound of Lobelin sitting down.
He looked at her with a slightly intrigued expression.
“It may not compare to the imperial tea, but please enjoy it. It is an honor for the Dines family to host Your Highness.”
What are you looking at? Just drink and get lost.
Lobelin poured the tea, filling less than half the cup, and handed it to Ian.
Her intention for him to drink quickly and vanish was glaringly obvious, but Ian took the cup without much concern.
“Where are the Viscount and Viscountess Dines?”
“My parents are currently in Newerie on business.”
“Ah, I see.”
Ian nodded and smoothly slipped the portrait he had been looking at into his coat.
His manner was so natural that Lobelin almost missed it.
“……Why are you putting that in there?”
“I’m keeping it.”
“Pardon?”
“Why? Is there a problem?”
‘Excuse me, that’s a portrait of my family?’
Lobelin’s eyes went wide with shock, her mouth hanging open.
“Th-That has my face on it, so it’s a bit embarrassing to give away. If you want a painting, our family has a collection of artworks—”
“No, I like this one.”
But why?!
Lobelin felt like she was being robbed in broad daylight.
Yet Ian calmly tucked the portrait away and even patted his coat flat.
‘Hah, fine. I’ll just ask Bri later.’
Feeling once again that she was being drawn into his pace, Lobelin decided to stop arguing over the ownership of the portrait.
It was likely just a momentary whim anyway, so she figured she could just ask Brian to bring it back once things settled down.
Meanwhile, Ian was drinking his tea, even humming a little tune.
‘I really want to smack him just once. Is there no way?’
Watching him, Lobelin clenched her fists.
But she had to endure.
No matter the circumstances, she was at an absolute disadvantage, and there was the matter of what had happened before.
‘Based on our conversation so far, it doesn’t seem like he’s recognized me, right?’
Lobelin sipped her tea while surreptitiously watching Ian.
When she had overheard Brian, it sounded like Ian intended to punish the person on the spot once he found them.
Seeing as he hadn’t said a single word about it from the square until now, perhaps he just thought of Lobelin as someone involved in the accident?
Just as Lobelin felt a slight sense of relief and carefully set down her teacup—
“Does Lady Bennett have anyone who holds a grudge against her?”
Lobelin froze at Ian’s question.
A grudge against Cornelia?
Setting aside the original story, the current Cornelia was absolutely not the type of person to earn anyone’s resentment.
Lobelin could personally guarantee that.
“There is no way Lady Cornelia would have earned someone’s grudge. May I ask why you would say such a thing—”
“Because it’s highly likely that this incident was targeting Lady Bennett.”
“……What?”
Hearing Ian’s words, Lobelin felt her heart drop.
‘Come to think of it, that carriage accident…….’
She hadn’t had the presence of mind to think about it earlier, but reflecting on it now, it was remarkably similar to the accident Lobelin had planned to harm Cornelia in the original story.
Tracking Cornelia’s movements was easy for her friend Lobelin.
She had bribed the driver of a public carriage to stage the accident.
If Brian hadn’t happened to be passing by and saved Cornelia, Lobelin’s plan would have been a success.
But she hadn’t done anything this time, so she couldn’t understand why this was happening.
Filled with a sense of dread, Lobelin asked cautiously.
“Are you saying it wasn’t just a simple accident……?”
“Correct. The fact that the driver was missing from the scene is proof enough.”
“Oh, heavens.”
Lobelin reflexively clutched both her cheeks with her hands.
She had naively thought that since she, who committed the evil deeds in the original story, had changed, Cornelia would no longer be in danger.
But was that a complete delusion?
“D-Do you happen to know who is behind it? Or have any suspicions?”
Lobelin asked urgently, her hands still pressed to her face.
Beneath her fingers, her pale cheeks were turning even whiter.
‘She’s desperate when it comes to her friend.’
Ian, meanwhile, watched her trembling green eyes with a relaxed gaze.
The feeling of having caught this woman’s weakness wasn’t bad at all.
“Do you want to know?”
“O-Of course I do! Connie—no, Lady Bennett is my best friend!”
Seeing Lobelin speak with her fists clenched, the corners of Ian’s mouth twisted into a smirk.
He quite liked the way she whimpered like a little Maltese.
“If I tell you, what will you do for me in return?”
“Pardon?”
“It’s unfair, isn’t it? For me to be the only one giving you the information you want.”
‘What about taking my portrait just a moment ago!’
Lobelin barely suppressed the urge to scream in frustration.
Watching her with amusement, Ian elegantly gripped his teacup.
“I’ll tell you if you answer my next question honestly.”
“What? What kind of—”
“The Count Cale estate.”
Lobelin’s eyes flew wide at the words that came out of Ian’s mouth.
His cold, sharp blue eyes didn’t miss her reaction, meeting her gaze directly.
“That woman… it was you, wasn’t it?”
