Chapter 16
‘For now… let’s just hold out until the social season.’
Lottie’s resolve to remain unmarried was firm.
And now, if she could, she wanted to protect her family with her own hands.
If she were to bring up such a thing out of the blue, the adults, including her great-aunt, would only feel confused.
When they were somewhat prepared, she would tell them her real plan.
Why she didn’t want to get married, and how she intended to live after that. Calmly, and clearly.
Lottie rationalized the guilt of deceiving Isabel in that way. Then, she smiled back at her.
As children who have done wrong often do, Lottie’s smile was a bit timid.
“If there are no more visitors, I think we can head out for a walk soon.”
Isabel finished tidying up her needlework and prepared to leave.
“Shall we go to Bates Square this time? If we’re lucky, we might be able to find a spot with a clear view of the Contra River.”
“I’m happy to go anywhere.”
To clear her stifling thoughts, the open air would be better than being indoors. Lottie promptly rose from the sofa.
Isabel, gazing at her flowing dress, remarked, “There will be many people at the square. You might get the hem of your favorite dress stepped on; wouldn’t it be better to change into something you’re less fond of?”
“No, I’d like to wear this. Wearing clothes I love makes me feel good, and since the weather is exceptionally bright today, I don’t think any other dress would make me shine as much as this one.”
Lottie playfully spun around once in her dress, which was a subtle blend of white and blue. At her innocent behavior, Isabel smiled and told her to do as she pleased.
Realizing that her great-aunt hadn’t had a proper tour of the Capital because she was busy taking care of her, Lottie decided to act as a guide today.
Though it was in the past, Lottie had been a Queen whose home was the Capital and the Royal Palace. There could be no better tour guide than her.
After thoroughly admiring the clock tower and buildings of Bates Square, Lottie and Isabel took a seat at an outdoor cafe.
She had been so enthusiastic about guiding that she hadn’t even realized her legs had grown swollen. Lottie wanted to lift her skirt and massage her calves.
Had it not been for her great-aunt sitting opposite her with a straight posture and not a hint of fatigue, she would have done so immediately.
“It would be best to take a carriage back. I’ll go call for one while taking a short stroll, so compose yourself in the meantime.”
Isabel stood up. She walked away slowly, crossing Bridge No. 1 over the Contra River.
Only then did Lottie relax. She slipped off her shoes, which were squeezing her feet tight, and hid them slightly under the hem of her dress, then absentmindedly looked around while basking in the gentle breeze.
Buildings under construction were lined up throughout the square in preparation for the World’s Fair, which was only a few months away.
Passersby dressed to the nines walked in small groups, and the Contra River flowed beneath Bridge No. 1.
The atmosphere was bustling yet peaceful.
Recalling when she had last been alone without her great-aunt, who had been by her side twenty-four hours a day, Lottie felt her eyelids grow heavy.
It would be fine to close her eyes for just a moment until her great-aunt returned.
Lottie closed her eyes while sitting upright. She wondered if she could fall asleep in such a noisy atmosphere, but surprisingly, she drifted off quickly.
The early summer breeze pleasantly wrapped around her freed bare feet.
Come to think of it, she felt like she had experienced a similar sensation once before. When had that been?
Why had she taken off her shoes then? Ah… she didn’t know.
“…….”
The slanted sunlight pierced through Lottie’s closed eyes.
Just as she was about to wake up, the sunlight that had been bothering her eyelids suddenly vanished.
Quite some time passed like that. Or perhaps, it was a mere moment that felt like a long time.
“…….”
When she opened her eyes, Calyx Valdea was there.
He was sitting there so naturally that for a moment, she thought it was a dream.
With one hand shading Lottie from the sunlight and the other propping up his chin as he looked toward the square, he sensed her gaze and turned his head.
When their eyes met, he smiled like a picture.
“Did you have a good dream, Young Lady?”
He slowly lowered the hand he had been holding up. The shadow cast over Lottie’s face disappeared.
Her eyes, filled with bewilderment, shimmered light green in the sunlight.
‘Why is this man here?’
She was confused. The lingering traces of sleep hadn’t fully vanished, and her thoughts weren’t properly organized.
What she was thinking only in her head slipped out of her mouth.
“By any chance, have you put a tail on me?”
“No.”
Despite the rude question, Calyx laughed instead of getting angry.
That couldn’t be right. Unless he had put a tail on her, there was no way they would keep running into each other like this.
“It seems you find meeting me again quite unbearable.”
“…….”
“I, on the other hand, am glad to see you again.”
Whispering words that could never be sincere, he smiled again.
It had been a fortnight since the kissing incident.
Just as there had been no word for a while after he had stripped off one of her gloves at the Royal Palace ball, the man had not appeared even after sparking the worst scandal.
Even though the news of her broken engagement must have reached his ears, he remained silent. He didn’t apologize for the rudeness of that day, nor did he even demand compensation for the losses he had incurred.
Acting as if nothing had happened, he suddenly appeared before her, just as he had once appeared in the park holding a blue numbered ticket.
Back then, he had naturally started a conversation using the one lost glove, then turned her world upside down by asking for a date. And now…….
“If I had known we would meet like this, I would have brought the handkerchief I borrowed from the Young Lady that day. It is kept safely in my desk drawer along with the white satin glove, so I will be sure to return it next time.”
Calyx, who started the conversation with the handkerchief, naturally promised a next time once again.
With this, Lottie could be certain. Whether with good intentions or bad, this man was intentionally trying to approach her.
Why did this man, with whom she never wanted to be involved, linger by her side so persistently?
There could only be one answer.
Everything she had seen and heard in the secret room that day must never be discovered or tracked by an outsider.
In the midst of that, she had kept being evasive to his question about why she was in the secret room that day, and had even blackmailed him about the fact that he was there.
‘He’s trying to test how much I know, or… to silence me forever.’
Lottie looked at the man before her, having reached a chilling conclusion.
The man smiling under the afternoon sun now looked as cold as a beast lurking just before pouncing on its prey.
Should she tell him now that she saw nothing and heard nothing?
No, perhaps all of this was futile? What if this man had already decided how to dispose of her before coming here?
Just as the past life where he kissed her had repeated itself, if this man had finally decided to kill her to keep her mouth shut……!
“Conventionally, it would be proper to visit the house where the Young Lady is staying and bring up the subject after getting to know each other through conversation… but I heard a rumor that no gentleman has yet succeeded in staying at Blue Brick for more than fifteen minutes.”
Calyx’s words did not properly reach the ears of Lottie, who was beginning to fall deep into her own conviction.
After getting to know each other? After getting to know each other, what? To kill me after that?
“Please forgive me for bringing this up suddenly in an inconvenient place. Although the situation is inappropriate, every word I say is undoubtedly sincere.”
“Wa-Wait.”
“I understand my responsibility for the Young Lady’s broken engagement is great. Please, let me take the proper responsibility.”
Strength entered Calyx’s voice. When their eyes met, he gave a playful smile. If she could, Lottie wanted to grab that cruel man’s mouth tight so he could never wag it again.
“Please marry me, Young Lady.”
This unnecessarily kind man personally added a word, as if worried his counterpart hadn’t understood his words.
“I am proposing to you right now.”
The first impression of the woman who received a proposal from the man she thought was trying to kill her was brief.
‘What kind of bullsh*t is this.’
“Did you just say… a proposal? Are you speaking sincerely? Not as a joke?”
Lottie asked again. Her head felt dizzy because the conversation had jumped in an unexpected direction.
Seeing that her whole body started to ache, she must have been extremely tense until a moment ago.
“If I may say so, if you happen to consider me as some kind of seasonal fashion item to be worn for a while and then discarded….”
“If that were the case, there would have been no need for a troublesome courtship. It would be easier to just play with you for a season and throw you away.”
Calyx shut Lottie’s mouth with a confident tone. Then he looked down for a moment to observe her.
Lottie, in her lace dress of subtle white and blue with her orange hair flowing down, looked like a bouquet wrapped in packaging.
Amidst the vermilion flowers, her light green eyes, like tender leaves, reflected Calyx.
He couldn’t tell if her eyes were trembling, or if he himself, reflected within them, was the one shaking.
“This is not a proposal made because of some foul bet between men over a woman, nor is it one made because I was suddenly seized by a strong impulse one day. Right now, I am more serious and more rational than ever.”
As he said the last words, the inside of his mouth felt a bit bitter, like when he used to lie as a child.
“I am aware that your family is currently experiencing difficulties with the succession issue as there is no legitimate heir. Unless you take in a son-in-law or adopt an heir, your family will unfortunately fade into the mists of history, leaving the glory of your ancestors behind.”
“But, even so, that does not necessarily mean that is a reason for the Prince and me to marry.”
Lottie, who had been frozen, spoke out in a huff.
“What if there is a benefit that only I, and no one else in the world, can give you?”
