TTOSS 35

Chapter 35

“You’re the big one here.”

Liriope murmured, trying to hide her burning face against Theo’s firm chest.

At her words, Theo let out a low chuckle.

The vibration of it echoed right through her as she rested against him.

“Lipe.”

When Theo called her name, she answered without lifting her head from his embrace.

“Yes?”

“How about we move it up a bit?”

“Move what up?”

Perplexed, she looked up at him.

Theo’s sharp yet languid gaze met hers immediately.

Her heart, already beating wildly, began pounding even harder.

And she realized that his heart, pressed against hers, was racing just as fast.

The moment she noticed, embarrassment washed over her, and she tried to pull away from his arms.

But Theo’s strong arm tightened around her, trapping her securely in his embrace.

“Why are you running away?”

“I—I’m not running away…”

“I want to move the wedding up, Lipe.”

At his unexpected words, Liriope froze.

“What?”

“I want to take you to the Grand Duke’s castle as soon as possible.”

She hadn’t expected anything like this—her mind went completely blank.

Her cheeks squished against his chest as she blinked rapidly.

“Um, Theo…”

“If there’s anything you want, I’ll put it in your hands. Just become my wife soon.”

“No, that’s not… um…”

“If you want the Empress’s throne, I can give you that too. There’s nothing I wouldn’t do for you—”

Liriope suddenly lifted her head and clamped her hands over his mouth, blurting out in a whisper,

“I—I don’t want that!! So please, stop saying things like that! That’s a dangerous thing to say!”

The Empress already saw her as a thorn in the eye—if anyone overheard this, they’d both be in trouble.

Liriope looked around nervously, still covering his mouth.

Then—

“Oh my god!”

Theo’s tongue brushed against her palm, teasingly.

Startled, Liriope jerked her hand away with a shriek, nearly toppling backward—only for Theo’s arm to catch her firmly around the waist.

“What—what did you just do?!”

She stared up at him in disbelief as he smiled languidly, his handsome lips curving into something devastatingly sweet.

Her heart felt like it might just melt.

Clenching her hand into a fist where his tongue had touched, she sputtered.

“You—you’re like a pervert!”

“If you really want to see a pervert, I can show you right here and now.”

“Oh my. You’ve lost your mind.”

Her face flushed scarlet as she glared and averted her gaze, trying to escape the unbearable heat of the moment.

“A-anyway, I said I don’t want any of that, so please stop saying such things.”

“What exactly don’t you want? The Empress’s throne, or being my wife?”

Both! Both of them!

She wanted to scream, but she had no right to—she was the one who’d shoved the engagement papers at him in the first place.

Sure, the overly proactive duke had forced the situation, but still—she’d made him her shield.

‘Not that I ever had the slightest desire to become Empress anyway,’ she thought grimly.

“I don’t have even the tiniest bit of desire to be Empress.”

But Theo wasn’t the type to joke about things like this.

He nodded, deadly serious, and said,

“That’s a relief. Then I won’t have to stage a rebellion.”

Liriope sat at her desk, chin in hand, lost in deep thought.

Theo’s sudden suggestion to move up the wedding date had thrown her mind into chaos.

‘Where did everything start going wrong?’

Honestly, she couldn’t even understand why she’d agreed to the engagement so readily in the first place.

Before meeting Rosearin, Theo had shown zero interest in women at all.

Maybe he’d only gotten engaged to her to annoy Carden, since they were always at each other’s throats—and Theo knew Liriope liked Carden.

But somehow… this felt different.

It was hard to explain, but there had been something strange about Theo from the very beginning.

For a moment, she even wondered if she might be his childhood first love or something.

‘Though, of course, that’s impossible.’

In any case, she doubted the engagement or marriage would ever actually happen, so there was no need to stress over it.

Sighing, Liriope circled the latest possible date Theo had sent her for the engagement ceremony.

‘Well, whatever. It’ll probably become meaningless after the Harvest Festival anyway. But since he told me to choose, I might as well pick one.’

Just then, her communication crystal began to glow and buzz.

The sender: Theo.

“Why does this man call so often?” she muttered, reaching for it.

He was the type to message her the moment he arrived somewhere—even though he’d traveled by portal, meaning she already knew he’d arrived safely.

Barely three hours had passed since his last call, and here he was again.

Still, she couldn’t deny a tiny thrill as she answered.

“Yes.”

[What are you doing?]

“Choosing the engagement date.”

[Did you pick one?]

“Yes. This one.”

She held the marked date up to the crystal so he could see.

Theo tilted his head slightly.

[Isn’t that too late?]

Since she’d picked the very last date he’d suggested, the question wasn’t unexpected.

Liriope forced a smile and replied,

“Well, it’s a once-in-a-lifetime engagement. I should prepare properly.”

Theo studied her quietly for a moment, then nodded once.

[All right.]

“So… why did you call?”

It was her way of asking didn’t you just call three hours ago?, but instead of answering, he only smiled with his eyes.

Before that smile could completely melt her composure, she hurriedly added,

“I’m a little busy right now…”

[Lipe.]

“Yes?”

[Everything that happens in the Grand Duke’s territory reaches my ears.]

His sudden words left her blinking in confusion.

Theo’s sharp gaze softened into a smirk as he continued,

[Don’t meet that foolish crown prince while I’m away. Or the count’s daughter, either.]

“Wait—what? And the crown prince just barges in without warning! What am I supposed to do, throw him out myself?”

Flustered, she didn’t even register the “count’s daughter” part.

[I’ll send guards to block the entrance immediately.]

“What?! No! Don’t you dare!”

Her face went pale as she shouted, and Theo chuckled softly.

Then his smile vanished, replaced by that cutting look again.

[If either of them shows up—kick them out.]

“…Both of them?”

Finally, the phrase she’d missed earlier—the count’s daughter—clicked in her head.

Liriope frowned sharply.

“Wait. Why Rose?!”

Apparently, Theo had completely misread whatever strange feeling he had toward Rosearin.

“She just irritates me when she’s around you.”

Remembering what he’d said, Liriope sighed.

‘You’re really piling up karma, North Duke. How much are you going to regret these words later?’

Still, the fact that he was already affected by Rosearin—and vice versa—made her heart ache in a complicated way.

It was ironic.

Even though she wanted the male and female leads to end up together as in the original story, some selfish part of her was pleased to see cracks forming between them.

But every time Theo reacted to Rosearin, it reminded her that this was all just fate playing out—and her chest tightened painfully.

No matter how hard she tried to keep them apart, they would inevitably end up together in the end.

‘Right. My goal was just to save the people who would die because of the villain. I can’t let these stupid feelings distract me.’

She nodded firmly to herself, renewing her resolve.

Just then, a knock sounded, and Gemma stepped into the study.

“Lady Liri, Sir Gray has arrived.”

“Oh, really?”

Liriope jumped to her feet, her earlier worries vanishing instantly.

She’d only ever spoken to Gray through written messages and the communication crystal—this would be their first in-person meeting.

Through the crystal, he was always in full armor, his face completely hidden except for his eyes, which made proper conversation impossible.

They said he was a loyal knight willing to give his life for the Grand Duke’s house. She wanted to get to know him better.

From what she could see, his eyes—visible through his helmet—were beautiful, almost as striking as the crown prince’s.

Excitement fluttered in her chest as she hurried down to the entrance hall, where he should be waiting.

When she reached the lobby, she stopped short.

Gray was standing by the entrance, speaking with the butler as he removed his heavy silver helmet.

The moment it came off, a cascade of pale gray hair spilled down, shimmering as it fell to his waist.

Oh—so he’s a long-haired guy?

The thought had barely formed before he turned—and their eyes met.

Liriope froze, mouth falling open.