Chapter 5
A razor-sharp denial.
A face twisted as though he found the very idea unpleasant.
A voice tinged with faint irritation.
Liria’s formerly confident momentum faltered slightly. She quickly organized her thoughts with a troubled expression before opening her mouth.
“Let’s put this matter aside for now. That’s not what’s important at the moment. Please form an imprint with me as my Guide, Your Highness.”
He won’t refuse this, right?
Liria looked up at Ian with eyes full of expectation.
Avoiding her gaze, Ian answered firmly.
“No, Ducal Lady.”
“What? Why?”
“There’s no reason for me to.”
“Did you forget that the temple paired us together? They said your wavelength was the most compatible with mine!”
“And who was the one who threw that away?”
The sharp retort struck home, leaving Liria at a loss for words.
When the silence dragged on, Ian gave a dismissive tilt of his chin and turned away without hesitation.
Unable to stop his tall figure as he walked away, Liria stood there blankly for some time before she had no choice but to trudge back home.
* * *
A week passed.
‘No matter how much I think about it, there’s no way His Highness doesn’t like me.’
The more Liria went over and over the events of the original story, the less she understood Ian’s rejection.
If it wasn’t love, then why had he stayed by the villainess’s side at the very end?
‘See? You should’ve chosen me, you foolish woman…’
He had even said something like that.
Assuming that Ian was deliberately denying his own feelings, she diligently tried to reason out why.
Number one. He’s embarrassed that he likes me.
Number two. He doesn’t understand his own feelings.
Number three. He doesn’t like me yet and only falls for me later.
‘The last one would be the most troublesome. No, maybe the second one would be the biggest headache?’
While Liria was agonizing over how she could coax Ian into forming an imprint with her, news reached her that he would be attending a party.
‘Maybe this could be a chance for us to get closer…?’
She immediately announced that she would attend the party as well and sent Ian a letter.
She had asked him to accompany her as her partner, but he coldly rejected her without a single unnecessary word, using only two measly letters.
「 No. 」
She had more or less expected it, so rather than letting herself get hurt, she diligently prepared on her own.
“Make me look as pretty as possible.”
“Yes, Miss.”
She woke at dawn and devoted herself completely to taking care of her skin and hair, while several maids worked together to dress and adorn her with meticulous care.
Thanks to their efforts, the moment she appeared at the party, the eyes of everyone in the hall immediately turned toward her.
Hushed exclamations sounded here and there.
Her voluminous red hair, swept to one side and cascading down, paired beautifully with the off-shoulder dress that exposed her slender neckline.
‘Where’s His Highness?’
The moment she arrived, Liria’s eyes darted around busily as she searched for Ian.
Several noble ladies misinterpreted her behavior.
“Is she looking for His Highness the Crown Prince? He’ll be with Lady Rogers anyway.”
“Do you think she’ll fight Lady Rogers if they run into each other? That would be fun!”
Somehow managing to overhear them amid all the noise, Liria subtly knitted her brows.
After recovering her memories and awakening to the truth, she had come to dislike the protagonists.
Thinking about the original story only made her want to avoid getting involved with them ever again.
They can love each other all they want. She didn’t give a damn about the Crown Prince anymore.
‘The only person I’m interested in right now is His Highness!’
Liria found Ian with eyes blazing with determination and headed straight for him without hesitation.
“Your Highness!”
“…Ducal Lady Devlin.”
When she greeted him with a bright smile, Ian’s expression stiffened faintly.
Liria spun around once in front of him.
“How do I look? Do I look alright?”
“Why are you asking me that?”
“Because I dressed up like this to look good for you, Your Highness.”
“Your jokes have been crossing the line lately.”
“I’m serious.”
Liria put on a fairly earnest expression.
She understood why Ian couldn’t immediately trust her.
Until only recently, she had been running around after the Crown Prince, proclaiming how much she loved him.
It would naturally seem strange and suspicious for her to change so drastically overnight.
So she planned to keep pursuing Ian until she figured out his feelings and he came to trust her as well.
“Dance with me.”
When she held out her hand with a sweet smile, Ian’s expression turned peculiar.
“I’m not particularly sorry about it, but I already promised someone else.”
“Whaaat? No way… You hardly ever dance, Your Highness!”
He had rejected countless noble ladies who asked him to dance, earning himself the nickname ‘the Impenetrable Imperial Prince.’
And yet he had a dance partner?
Liria stared at Ian in shock.
He looked perfectly calm, as though wondering what the problem was.
“I rarely dance. I didn’t say I never do.”
“……”
“Excuse me, Ducal Lady.”
Ian left her side and approached an unfamiliar noble lady.
He took the blushing lady’s hand and led her toward the center of the hall.
Liria could only stand there and watch.
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