So you lied to me after all!
I was pretty sure Adele liked hanging out with me. I knew that his contradictory rejection was suspicious, but I never thought that he would lie like that at all!
You fooled me with such a blank face!
I asked to nail it this time for sure.
“You told me I wasn’t special at all.”
“It was a lie.”
“You said I was just like everyone else.”
“I’m very good at lying, Anastasia.”
My male protagonist is gone…
No, I just realized that he was always like this.
Adele soothed me softly when I couldn’t continue.
“I’m sorry. But if I were to take my father’s opinion, it would have been better for you to stop feeling for me as soon as possible.”
What the heck, I didn’t know if I was talking to the Duke or Adele. I think a gear in my head just exploded.
“I don’t like the Duke, I like you. At least at this moment, I’m curious about your thoughts and want to know what’s on your mind.”
Adele opened his eyes languidly.
“Anastasia, despite all of this, I expected you to answer that.”
My heart throbbed.
Damn, I guess I’m destined to keep liking Adele…
It was fortunate that the party inside was noisy that’s why I’m not that worried that this conversation would leak. I could hear the beast crying very closely.
I withdrew because I didn’t want to continue this important conversation in such a crowded place. I also needed some time to think.
In fact, my answer has already been decided. As long as my lifespan is set, I’m on the verge of reaching the end.
Regardless of my heart.
“Let’s go in for now. The party is going to be over.”
I walked past Adele without listening to his answer and opened the door.
Then just in time, a giant leopard who was trending his back in front of the door found me.
“Wha-“
The leopard’s neck and feet were tied up in some kind of material that looks like a black belt.
But the device did not work at all while the beast was running at me.
I closed my eyes in a flash.
I heard a crackling, then followed by a very strange sound.
“Anastasia, are you all right?”
I gently lifted my eyelids at the faint voice. Before I knew it, Adele was in front of me.
I stared blankly at Adele. He was holding the creature by the neck with one hand, then he started adding pressure to his hand with strength when the animal fought back.
The pressure was so great that the animal’s head fell off completely, its bones sticking out.
Since it is an artificial animal with no fangs and has a lifespan of only one day, black liquid fell instead of red blood.
The liquid flowing down Adele’s hand somehow seemed bizarre.
“Ah, Y-yeah. “
I answered a beat late.
Adele turned away from the backstabbing beast at his feet and turned his attention towards Lynette who was standing side by side with Ash.
Lynette was holding the red button that could kill the beast instantly.
Adele spoke dimly.
“You had plenty of time to press that button.”
Only then did I notice that everyone was frozen.
Their faces had a completely different feeling than before. Their faces are covered in astonishment, surprise, and feeble fear.
Even if it was an artificial animal, it was certainly a wonder that he killed it with his bare hands.
But if Adele hadn’t saved me, I’d be… If I became its target, even though it doesn’t have fangs, with that heavyweight, I would not have been fine.
Lynette opened her mouth.
“Oh, excuse me. The party has just started and I didn’t expect anyone to be on the terrace already. Ash didn’t mean it either.”
Sister grinned as she spoke in a sweet voice.
Hey, you’re the one who has the button. What do you mean you didn’t mean it…
Somehow, I could still hear the beast crying loudly…
Why did it come towards me?
Adele didn’t smiled.
He murmured as he shook the black blood off his hands with an expressionless face.
“That’s interesting.”
I was frightened.
Did he just talk down to her?
There was a fierce tension in the air. I’ve never thought of Adele as frightening, but this situation was definitely different.
Adele’s sunken red eyes somehow gave an eerie impression.
His hands were covered with black blood, and the giant beast he killed without hesitating for a single moment had his head torn violently.
When his always noble face lost it’s smile and calmness, his atmosphere turned heartless and cold. It looked close, and it was dangerous. This was Adele’s real face.
Even though he only smiled, his impression had completely changed. Lynette tilted her head sideways.
“You look like you’re going to kill someone, Lord Magnus.”
Lynette looked rather surprised. I approached Adele and grabbed him by the arm.
“Adele, wash your hands,”
Adele immediately turned his head at my call. His gaze at me was no longer cold. He was as polite and gentle as he was before.
“Yes, Anastasia,”
Adele replied kindly, returning to the usual smiling face. Only then did the spectators sigh with relief.
I gave Adele a handkerchief.
“I’ll lend you my handkerchief, so go wash it.”
“I will.”
Once Adele focused on me, he didn’t pay attention to Lynette anymore.
A few seconds after Adele left the party, people began to talk.
“Lord Magnus is so amazing.”
“That’s really cool….”
All the nobles were busy pouring admiration at Adele. The image that he has accumulated so far seems to be something that cannot be ignored for sure.
Adele’s anger and the way he cruelly killed the beast seemed to have already been erased from their head. Are these people just mistaken, or do they just want to believe that they misunderstood it?
Someone shouted in a voice full of envy and affection.
“Ah, I think I’ve fallen for Lord Magnus again today!”
The party went back to eating, drinking, and chatting. At that time, a young lady near me whispered.
“But wasn’t that a little bit harsh earlier?”
Then the other young ladies became silent. The lady continued speaking.
“I actually got goosebumps. So Lord Magnus can also make such a scary face.”
“But if Lord Magnus hadn’t come forward, that lady might have been hurt.”
Before I could even look, a refuted opinion already came out, and others were also empowered to do the same.
I turned my head at the ladies and said my reply.
“I know. I didn’t feel bad because he was with me.”
The young ladies’ faces reddened as they looked at me.
I smiled lightly and looked back at Lynette. The villain sister, who I had no idea what was thinking, complained to me.
“Phew, you’re alive. I almost cried.”
“You did it on purpose, didn’t you?”
I asked without turning around.
Sister stared at me with her coy eyes.
“I can’t believe you came to my party and walked into the terrace without saying hello to me! That’s profanity, Anastasia. You should’ve at least winked at me!”
Anyway, the villain sister’s argument made sense. I became even more devastated because she did something really ridiculous with that anger.
“I’m sorry. I was so nervous that I felt like throwing up.”
And that’ll be bad. I always throw up blood whenever I get nauseous. If I do something like that at such a huge party, I wouldn’t have been able to socialize again.
I pretended to cry a little.
“Fine, you’re wearing a black dress, so I’ll let you slide. I didn’t think Confucius would really kill the offering. Are you glad there’s no stain on your dress? Lord Magnus was so good at controlling directions that he covered himself with the black blood instead.”
Ha-ha, this damn villain sister was going to send me a beast from the beginning. I see…
“By the way, Lord Magnus must be very fond of Anastasia. I’ve been teasing him a lot, but I’ve never seen such a reaction before.”
I frowned.
“Did you bully Adele?”
“It was just a little prank. There was a time when I pretended to have lost my footing and pushed him into a pond. Oh, there’s also that time when I waited in front of him to eat all the sandwiches with lots of pepper in them…And last year, Lord Magnus competed with Ash on Thanksgiving Day, and I told him to use a sword with magic that makes it 50 kg. But for some reason, Lord Magnus was never angry?”
As soon as I tried to protest, Ash, who was listening silently, opened his mouth.
“Wait, did you really give him such a heavy sword?”
“Did you feel that something’s strange that time, Ash?”
Sister smiled back, then Ash looked as if he had been hit on the head.
“You lost the match?”
Oh, no?
“That’s why it’s so funny.”
Now, the villain sister held her stomach and laughed. Ash’s face is distorted.
“You’re such a good talker*. Since when have you been so close to Anasta…, no, that woman, I mean that Count’s Daughter?”
(t/n: he meant she’s good at exposing him lols.)
He can’t even decide what to call me.
Is Ash’s inner self fighting against his beauty-loving self and the self that wants to take revenge on me?
Anyway, I’ll try finding out.
“If you’re going to do that, just call me by my name. “
I commented. I don’t want to use honorifics to you anyway.
Lynette suddenly stopped laughing at Ash’s words. Oh, she looks a little annoyed.
“Are you interfering? You should thank me you were able to see such a beautiful Anastasia up close thanks to myself.”
“What….”
As expected, sister also noticed why Ash did not respond to my face at that time.
Lynette stood behind me and hugged my shoulder with her arms, provoking Ash.
“What do you think? Doesn’t it feel different when you saw her at the tea party that day?”
Huh?
I looked straight at Ash and Ash stared at me, too.
Soon after, Ash’s eyes shook violently. That doesn’t look like a reaction of a person who was angry with me.
His beauty-loving ego finally won. Kuuu, my instincts are the best.
Unable to hold out for a while, Ash turned around. His ears were already red.
“Oh my, where are you going?”
Lynette called out to Ash with a voice that seemed to be holding back her laughter.
He replied without looking back.
“Someone should tell the guards that the offering is dead.”
“Good excuses.”
Sister’s musky scent wafts in my nose.
I grabbed Lynette’s arm regardless of whether Ash went out or not.
Then I looked straight at her.
“Lady Lynnetia Bliss.”
So you lied to me after all!
I was pretty sure Adele liked hanging out with me. I knew that his contradictory rejection was suspicious, but I never thought that he would lie like that at all!
You fooled me with such a blank face!
I asked to nail it this time for sure.
“You told me I wasn’t special at all.”
“It was a lie.”
“You said I was just like everyone else.”
“I’m very good at lying, Anastasia.”
My male protagonist is gone…
No, I just realized that he was always like this.
Adele soothed me softly when I couldn’t continue.
“I’m sorry. But if I were to take my father’s opinion, it would have been better for you to stop feeling for me as soon as possible.”
What the heck, I didn’t know if I was talking to the Duke or Adele. I think a gear in my head just exploded.
“I don’t like the Duke, I like you. At least at this moment, I’m curious about your thoughts and want to know what’s on your mind.”
Adele opened his eyes languidly.
“Anastasia, despite all of this, I expected you to answer that.”
My heart throbbed.
Damn, I guess I’m destined to keep liking Adele…
It was fortunate that the party inside was noisy that’s why I’m not that worried that this conversation would leak. I could hear the beast crying very closely.
I withdrew because I didn’t want to continue this important conversation in such a crowded place. I also needed some time to think.
In fact, my answer has already been decided. As long as my lifespan is set, I’m on the verge of reaching the end.
Regardless of my heart.
“Let’s go in for now. The party is going to be over.”
I walked past Adele without listening to his answer and opened the door.
Then just in time, a giant leopard who was trending his back in front of the door found me.
“Wha-“
The leopard’s neck and feet were tied up in some kind of material that looks like a black belt.
But the device did not work at all while the beast was running at me.
I closed my eyes in a flash.
I heard a crackling, then followed by a very strange sound.
“Anastasia, are you all right?”
I gently lifted my eyelids at the faint voice. Before I knew it, Adele was in front of me.
I stared blankly at Adele. He was holding the creature by the neck with one hand, then he started adding pressure to his hand with strength when the animal fought back.
The pressure was so great that the animal’s head fell off completely, its bones sticking out.
Since it is an artificial animal with no fangs and has a lifespan of only one day, black liquid fell instead of red blood.
The liquid flowing down Adele’s hand somehow seemed bizarre.
“Ah, Y-yeah. “
I answered a beat late.
Adele turned away from the backstabbing beast at his feet and turned his attention towards Lynette who was standing side by side with Ash.
Lynette was holding the red button that could kill the beast instantly.
Adele spoke dimly.
“You had plenty of time to press that button.”
Only then did I notice that everyone was frozen.
Their faces had a completely different feeling than before. Their faces are covered in astonishment, surprise, and feeble fear.
Even if it was an artificial animal, it was certainly a wonder that he killed it with his bare hands.
But if Adele hadn’t saved me, I’d be… If I became its target, even though it doesn’t have fangs, with that heavyweight, I would not have been fine.
Lynette opened her mouth.
“Oh, excuse me. The party has just started and I didn’t expect anyone to be on the terrace already. Ash didn’t mean it either.”
Sister grinned as she spoke in a sweet voice.
Hey, you’re the one who has the button. What do you mean you didn’t mean it…
Somehow, I could still hear the beast crying loudly…
Why did it come towards me?
Adele didn’t smiled.
He murmured as he shook the black blood off his hands with an expressionless face.
“That’s interesting.”
I was frightened.
Did he just talk down to her?
There was a fierce tension in the air. I’ve never thought of Adele as frightening, but this situation was definitely different.
Adele’s sunken red eyes somehow gave an eerie impression.
His hands were covered with black blood, and the giant beast he killed without hesitating for a single moment had his head torn violently.
When his always noble face lost it’s smile and calmness, his atmosphere turned heartless and cold. It looked close, and it was dangerous. This was Adele’s real face.
Even though he only smiled, his impression had completely changed. Lynette tilted her head sideways.
“You look like you’re going to kill someone, Lord Magnus.”
Lynette looked rather surprised. I approached Adele and grabbed him by the arm.
“Adele, wash your hands,”
Adele immediately turned his head at my call. His gaze at me was no longer cold. He was as polite and gentle as he was before.
“Yes, Anastasia,”
Adele replied kindly, returning to the usual smiling face. Only then did the spectators sigh with relief.
I gave Adele a handkerchief.
“I’ll lend you my handkerchief, so go wash it.”
“I will.”
Once Adele focused on me, he didn’t pay attention to Lynette anymore.
A few seconds after Adele left the party, people began to talk.
“Lord Magnus is so amazing.”
“That’s really cool….”
All the nobles were busy pouring admiration at Adele. The image that he has accumulated so far seems to be something that cannot be ignored for sure.
Adele’s anger and the way he cruelly killed the beast seemed to have already been erased from their head. Are these people just mistaken, or do they just want to believe that they misunderstood it?
Someone shouted in a voice full of envy and affection.
“Ah, I think I’ve fallen for Lord Magnus again today!”
The party went back to eating, drinking, and chatting. At that time, a young lady near me whispered.
“But wasn’t that a little bit harsh earlier?”
Then the other young ladies became silent. The lady continued speaking.
“I actually got goosebumps. So Lord Magnus can also make such a scary face.”
“But if Lord Magnus hadn’t come forward, that lady might have been hurt.”
Before I could even look, a refuted opinion already came out, and others were also empowered to do the same.
I turned my head at the ladies and said my reply.
“I know. I didn’t feel bad because he was with me.”
The young ladies’ faces reddened as they looked at me.
I smiled lightly and looked back at Lynette. The villain sister, who I had no idea what was thinking, complained to me.
“Phew, you’re alive. I almost cried.”
“You did it on purpose, didn’t you?”
I asked without turning around.
Sister stared at me with her coy eyes.
“I can’t believe you came to my party and walked into the terrace without saying hello to me! That’s profanity, Anastasia. You should’ve at least winked at me!”
Anyway, the villain sister’s argument made sense. I became even more devastated because she did something really ridiculous with that anger.
“I’m sorry. I was so nervous that I felt like throwing up.”
And that’ll be bad. I always throw up blood whenever I get nauseous. If I do something like that at such a huge party, I wouldn’t have been able to socialize again.
I pretended to cry a little.
“Fine, you’re wearing a black dress, so I’ll let you slide. I didn’t think Confucius would really kill the offering. Are you glad there’s no stain on your dress? Lord Magnus was so good at controlling directions that he covered himself with the black blood instead.”
Ha-ha, this damn villain sister was going to send me a beast from the beginning. I see…
“By the way, Lord Magnus must be very fond of Anastasia. I’ve been teasing him a lot, but I’ve never seen such a reaction before.”
I frowned.
“Did you bully Adele?”
“It was just a little prank. There was a time when I pretended to have lost my footing and pushed him into a pond. Oh, there’s also that time when I waited in front of him to eat all the sandwiches with lots of pepper in them…And last year, Lord Magnus competed with Ash on Thanksgiving Day, and I told him to use a sword with magic that makes it 50 kg. But for some reason, Lord Magnus was never angry?”
As soon as I tried to protest, Ash, who was listening silently, opened his mouth.
“Wait, did you really give him such a heavy sword?”
“Did you feel that something’s strange that time, Ash?”
Sister smiled back, then Ash looked as if he had been hit on the head.
“You lost the match?”
Oh, no?
“That’s why it’s so funny.”
Now, the villain sister held her stomach and laughed. Ash’s face is distorted.
“You’re such a good talker*. Since when have you been so close to Anasta…, no, that woman, I mean that Count’s Daughter?”
(t/n: he meant she’s good at exposing him lols.)
He can’t even decide what to call me.
Is Ash’s inner self fighting against his beauty-loving self and the self that wants to take revenge on me?
Anyway, I’ll try finding out.
“If you’re going to do that, just call me by my name. “
I commented. I don’t want to use honorifics to you anyway.
Lynette suddenly stopped laughing at Ash’s words. Oh, she looks a little annoyed.
“Are you interfering? You should thank me you were able to see such a beautiful Anastasia up close thanks to myself.”
“What….”
As expected, sister also noticed why Ash did not respond to my face at that time.
Lynette stood behind me and hugged my shoulder with her arms, provoking Ash.
“What do you think? Doesn’t it feel different when you saw her at the tea party that day?”
Huh?
I looked straight at Ash and Ash stared at me, too.
Soon after, Ash’s eyes shook violently. That doesn’t look like a reaction of a person who was angry with me.
His beauty-loving ego finally won. Kuuu, my instincts are the best.
Unable to hold out for a while, Ash turned around. His ears were already red.
“Oh my, where are you going?”
Lynette called out to Ash with a voice that seemed to be holding back her laughter.
He replied without looking back.
“Someone should tell the guards that the offering is dead.”
“Good excuses.”
Sister’s musky scent wafts in my nose.
I grabbed Lynette’s arm regardless of whether Ash went out or not.
Then I looked straight at her.
“Lady Lynnetia Bliss.”
