Chapter 69
Leila closed her mouth at words that sounded forced at first glance yet were impossible to refute. The past was crashing over her like a mirror.
She could allow him to keep coming, yet she felt self-loathing for making him suffer for no reason after already making him cry. She could not decide what to do.
She even considered meeting him occasionally as he wished and ending the relationship once his feelings cooled, but despite how she once could grant him anything he wanted, this alone she could not resolve.
So she merely paced around in the same place, waiting for him to give up first, and before she knew it three months had passed.
For some reason Bjorn did not come in front of the mansion today, and Leila felt relief, regret, and foreboding all at once.
Regardless of her troubled feelings, the carriage only continued toward its destination.
* * *
Leila fidgeted uncomfortably, clacking her shoes quietly together in her seat. It was the largest and finest room in an antique restaurant.
“So you understand how much I have always respected Count Bailey, correct? Enough that I decided to attend this meeting without hesitation upon hearing you were his daughter.”
The gentleman sitting across from her, unaware of her state, continued talking absorbed in his own mood.
“Of course, I was somewhat concerned about your… less than refined reputation. But after meeting you in person I see those worries were unfounded. Indeed, Count Bailey would never make a careless recommendation to me.”
The man who introduced himself as Viscount Coleman seemed to hold deep respect for her father for some reason.
His effort to pull out praise that barely sounded like praise for her was admirable, yet because he attached her father’s name to every sentence, it felt as though he had come to meet her father rather than her, which was exhausting.
“I simply could not pass up the opportunity to become related to Count Bailey. In truth, that alone was enough for me to overlook your unfavorable reputation, Miss Bailey.”
Considering he had already mentioned her reputation twice, he seemed more fixated on it than anyone, but Leila did not bother pointing that out.
This was the first formal meeting arranged personally by her father. Since she had decided to marry somehow, she needed to leave a good impression. Yet watching the gentleman chatter freely reminded her why she once ran from home without looking back.
This seems impossible.
Could she live her whole life facing a man she did not care for. Even sharing a brief meal like now was uncomfortable, how could she exchange greetings every morning, sleep in the same bed every night, and even bear this man’s children? The thought alone was dreadful.
Though it was an elegant restaurant with excellent food before her, she enjoyed none of it. With little appetite, Leila was already drinking her third glass of aperitif.
‘When I was with Bjorn, everything was enjoyable…’
It was rude to her companion, yet she could not help comparing. Even their first meal, where Bjorn deliberately showed terrible manners, remained not an unpleasant memory.
Now she knew it had been intentional, but she had truly thought trivial etiquette could be fixed.
Unlike that, the boredom of the man before her felt like an incurable illness. Only rude impressions circled in her head.
Things she believed absolutely impossible with this man felt possible if it were Bjorn… whatever it was. Naturally the memory of their kisses surfaced, and Leila lifted her glass again.
Even after escaping into wandering thoughts for a long time, the tedious meal continued for two more hours. It felt like torture.
After the meal ended and she stepped outside, Leila was completely exhausted.
“Miss Bailey, I had a very enjoyable time.”
…Enjoyable? It was probably half empty politeness, but she wondered what part of this meeting he could possibly have enjoyed, then soon gave up thinking about it.
She had drunk repeatedly and her head spun. She only wanted to return home quickly.
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