Chapter 14
“Um… Miss de Bermore? Well, it’s not quite that many.”
“So, maybe not that many, but it’s true you’ve had a lot of relationships?”
“Well… that is…”
He had never felt so flustered in front of a woman before.
“Yes. But I never gave them my heart. Please know that, at least.”
“So you can separate your heart from your body?”
Victor looked into Lilien’s innocent eyes and found himself unable to lie. What struck him was that she didn’t seem to judge him, nor did she look at him with disgust.
There was only pure curiosity about an unknown world in her gaze.
“…Yes, well. Most men do.”
“I see. That’s interesting. If there’s a chance in the future, would you mind if I ask you more about it?”
Victor blinked in surprise.
“Uh… as long as it’s not rude?”
Thinking he sounded like he was declining, he quickly added,
“No, it’s not! If you ever have questions, please feel free to ask me.”
“Thank you, Sir Regid. You’re a good person!”
The situation was getting strange, and Victor started to feel anxious. At least he’d confirmed she and Cairn Etienne Headington weren’t involved, but now she’d discovered just how much of a playboy he really was.
If he wanted their relationship to go anywhere, he’d need to be brave. Victor took a step closer to Lilien, swallowing nervously.
“Judging by your questions, you really haven’t dated before, have you?”
Lilien blinked quickly in surprise at his question. He’d expected as much, but her reaction confirmed the rumors were true.
In truth, men—regardless of their own experience—are often drawn to innocent women. For someone like Victor Regid, who had been with many women, that tendency was even stronger. It wasn’t fair, but that was a man’s instinct.
Bathed in the pink spring sunlight, Lilien’s cheeks looked especially sweet and childlike.
The Peach of House de Bermore.
It suited her.
“Um… well, Miss Lilien de Bermore, if you don’t already have someone… could I maybe have a chance…”
But before he could finish, a shout rang out nearby.
“Lilien!”
Heavy, angry footsteps approached.
“…Cairn?”
“Don’t you have something to say to me?”
Cairn strode over in long strides and pulled Lilien away. His grip was a bit rough, and she let herself be led behind his back without resistance.
“Yes, but I was in the middle of a conversation with Sir Regid. Let’s talk in a minute.”
“No.”
Turning his back on Victor, Cairn looked down at Lilien.
“We talk now. There’s no ‘later.’”
Even as he spoke harshly, Cairn made sure to shield Lilien from the sun, knowing how much she hated it. That small act of consideration made Victor sigh in disbelief.
Cairn Etienne Headington was the most two-faced man Victor knew.
‘This is what happens if you get greedy and push your luck too far—everyone, beware’.
Cairn was the kind who’d just click his tongue and ride away if someone fell off their horse, but when it came to Lilien, he was completely different. Even in a situation like this, he did everything possible to keep the sunlight from touching her.
Lilien poked her head around Cairn’s back to look at Victor, giving him an apologetic smile. Victor gave her a slow nod, signaling it was alright.
“You know, you’re being incredibly rude to Sir Regid right now.”
Victor, who had been blocked by Cairn, moved closer to address Lilien directly.
“Miss de Bermore, let’s talk again at the banquet. If you really feel sorry, perhaps you’ll give me the first dance?”
For a moment, Cairn’s cool gaze flicked to Victor—a look so icy it was like frost settling on sun-drenched leaves. Even Victor, who prided himself on knowing all of Cairn’s cold sides, had never seen him look quite like that.
“What? Absolutely not.”
Victor let out a sigh.
Did this small woman even realize that Cairn, who hovered around her like an overbearing brother, was the biggest obstacle to her marriage prospects?
But just then, Lilien, who seemed to have her hand on the leash of this stubborn wolf, spoke up.
Victor was startled to see Cairn’s face crumple at her words—and, oddly enough, found it strangely satisfying.
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