TCBCVF 78

~Chapter 78~

“Excuse me for a moment.”

Long, elegant fingers lightly brushed my cheek.

I involuntarily gasped.

The Duke gently removed a strand of hair that had stuck to my face and smiled with his eyes.

“You had some hair on your cheek.”

“….”

Uh—w-what?

I froze in place, stiff as a board.
The sensation of his fingers grazing my skin was far too vivid.

He looked at me with concern.

“Your face seems flushed. Are you alright?”

Really, why did he think my face turned red?
It was all because of him!

But of course, I couldn’t admit that.

“Ah… I’m fine.”

I fanned my face with my hand and turned away.

“I think it’s just the heat.”

“Shall I fetch you a cold drink?”

“Yes, that would be wonderful.”

I nodded quickly.
Even a brief separation from him was necessary.
If I stayed by his side much longer, my heart might burst.

“Understood. Please wait here a moment.”

With that, the Duke left.

Alone, I let out a long sigh.

“Haaaah…”

Was I going insane?

With just a touch of his hand, he made my heart race wildly.

Of course, he probably hadn’t meant anything by it—
but I was far too conscious of him.

The moment I recalled the feel of those graceful fingers—

Oh no!

—my face heated up again.

I slowly drifted toward a quiet window, hoping to cool my cheeks out of sight.

That was when the voices of nearby noble ladies drifted to my ears.

“Doesn’t the Duke take such good care of Lady Ansie?”

“I know, right? He never struck me as the warm type before…”

They hadn’t noticed me behind the pillar.

Feeling embarrassed, I stepped even farther back.

The Duke takes good care of me…

I gazed at my reflection in the glass.
Even though the Duke had only just left, my face was still flushed red.

So others notice it too?

The thought made me unreasonably happy,
and I struggled to hold back a smile.

Then—

Hm?

In the reflection, I noticed the silhouette of a man standing at a distance.

Startled, I turned.

A familiar figure was staring straight at me.

It was—

Gregory?!

A shiver ran down my spine.

This was the semester-end party of Wilson University.
Only sponsors seeking talent, or students hoping for sponsorship, had reason to be here.

Which meant—

Gregory had no business attending.
And yet, here he was.

And he was staring only at me.

His gaze felt predatory, as if he meant to devour me whole.

So unpleasant.

I bit my lip hard.

Suddenly, it felt like I’d gone back in time.
To when I thought I had no choice but to obey Gregory and Seraphina’s every command.
To the suffocating days when I lived in constant fear of their moods.

I need to get away from here.

I slipped into the crowd.

Gregory’s eyes sharpened as he began walking toward me.

He’s… following me?!

Panic surged, and I quickened my steps.

He clicked his tongue, then pushed through the crowd more aggressively.

I clenched my teeth.

Just then—

Tap!

Someone lightly caught my arm.

“Ah!”

I gasped and turned.

Blue eyes filled with concern looked down at me.

“Lady Ansie?”

It was the Duke.

“What’s the matter?”

In that instant, all the tension drained from me.

I parted my lips faintly.

“Ah, well…”

The Duke followed my gaze behind me.

Gregory, glaring in irritation, flinched.

The Duke’s expression cooled sharply.
He immediately stepped closer to my side,
blocking Gregory’s line of sight,
and smiled down at me.

“Shall we go?”

That was when I realized—

He’s shielding me from Gregory’s gaze on purpose.

I knew it.

The Duke, as described in the original story, was a man of upright and kind character.
There was no way he would stand by and let Gregory threaten me.

But still—

How could I not feel my heart race?

It was irresistible.
Even setting aside his status and looks…

He’s just so kind.

Something hot welled up inside me.

I knew it was pointless—
he was the male lead of this world, Seraphina’s destined partner.
Even if I felt something for him, it would come to nothing.

Yet no matter how much I tried to rein myself in,
my heart kept straying toward him.

Meanwhile—

Damn it!

Gregory glared daggers at Larit and the Duke, standing side by side.

She’s doing this on purpose.

His teeth ground audibly.

She’s flaunting her closeness with the Duke just to drive me mad!

Since that incident in the South,
Larit had refused to answer any of his letters.

Dozens had gone unanswered.
She had even stopped frequenting places she knew he often visited.

At first, he tried to convince himself—

She’s just trying to make me jealous.

But even that excuse was reaching its limit.

Larit kept drawing a line,
and the unfamiliar coldness made him restless.

Then, he heard shocking news.

What? Larit went to the opera with the Duke?!

And that wasn’t all.

She had been seen at a solo recital by a Claudius musician,
at an art museum sponsored by Claudius,
at various famous events tied to the Duke.

And always—
Dietrich was at her side.

Why is the Duke constantly with her?!

A man of Claudius’s stature had no need to associate with a mere heir of the Ansie viscountcy.
Even if the Ansies were respectable, they were still low-ranking provincial nobles.

Compared to Claudius, they were dust next to the sun.

There was no gain for him in being with her.

Which left only one explanation…

Even if Larit has gotten prettier lately…!

Gregory clenched his fists in rage.

After all, many young noblemen had recently started showing interest in her.

“I suppose Lady Ansie is quite a catch.”
“I used to think she was gloomy, but she’s become so beautiful lately.”
“And she’s the Ansie heir, isn’t she?”
“There’s hardly another lady with such fine prospects.”

Hearing such talk made Gregory’s blood boil.

She was my fiancée. Mine!

So he dug through every event she might attend,
determined to see for himself.

That was why he came to Wilson University’s semester-end party—
a place he had no interest in before.

And what did he see?

What the hell is this?

He could hardly believe his eyes.

Larit and the Duke, smiling warmly at each other.

They looked truly close.
The Duke leaned down to whisper something to her.
Then brushed a lock of hair from her cheek.

Larit’s face flushed like a ripe apple.
Her pink eyes, gazing up at him, brimmed with unmistakable affection.

Don’t tell me… Larit actually loves the Duke?!