~ Chapter : 16 ~
“Mm…”
Caught off guard by Rosio’s directness and left at a loss for words, I swallowed what I was about to say while staring at his hands—hands so beautiful they could have been a hand model’s.
“Please, tell me.”
“I’m worried that being with me might be worse than not dating at all. I’m afraid I might ruin your future. What if you end up regretting it later and wish you could turn back time?”
Rosio fell silent for a moment, then began speaking in a gentle voice.
“I prefer things as they are now. I’ve always lived my life receiving systematic education and doing what was expected of me, so for quite some time I’ve wanted to grow closer to you. If it’s something I’ve wanted for so long, I won’t regret it, no matter what the future holds.”
“…For a long time?”
“Yes. Though I couldn’t bring myself to go beyond simply speaking to you.”
Even as he recalled the past, his gaze remained tender.
“We did grow close rather suddenly,” he added playfully. I let out another embarrassed sigh. Rosio was unfailingly kind—and skilled at stirring a person’s heart.
“Lady Esmeralda is an unexpected joy.”
So something unexpected could still be a joy. Little by little, I found myself being persuaded.
“If you had turned away from me at the graduation party, I’d be left with nothing but memories of never even managing a proper conversation at the academy. That would have been true misfortune.”
“Rosio…”
“So, if I may ask you respectfully—if Lady Esmeralda would choose me as well, I would be happier than anything.”
Seeing Camilla’s certainty in choosing the path she wanted, and sensing an affection in Rosio even greater than his feelings for me, my heart slowly began to sway.
I’d thought that anything unpredictable was bad. In my previous world, my mother always said my pregnancy had been unexpected.
Yet Rosio and Camilla didn’t doubt their own happiness. And their choices weren’t impulsive decisions made in a single moment—they were conclusions they’d arrived at little by little over a long time.
“Esmeralda. You may take even just my body, like that night.”
“M-My body?”
Reflected on the gleaming silverware, my face was red as a carrot.
Before I could even calm myself, Rosio brought my hand to his lips and slowly drew it down.
His fingers lightly brushed his lips, traveled downward, and came to rest on his chest.
“I don’t want to go back to the time when you avoided me. From now on, please let me stay by your side.”
If you look at me with those fragile, pleading eyes, how am I supposed to resist?
“Is that not possible either?”
Rosio’s voice grew faintly husky.
Those sorrowful eyes—combined with petals and leaves drifting sadly in the breeze—created a melancholic scene.
If someone captured this moment on camera, it would probably win an art award at a film festival.
‘Does he think his face alone can solve everything?’
Well, to some extent, it did. I’d been drawn in by the cover illustration, and every chapter I’d left perfect ratings while admiring his looks.
Now his fragility and purity were tearing my heart to pieces.
“Rosio, the truth is…”
I decided to acknowledge, at least for now, that the original story had been thoroughly derailed.
Even if I couldn’t stop the altered flow, I wanted to avoid creating enemies and suffering for it.
I wanted to survive safely, even if I got involved with the male lead. My goal in this world was to live comfortably and happily for a long, long time.
“There’s something I’m worried about. I can’t really talk about it yet because I’m afraid the Duke might worry.”
Trying to explain my situation, I must have looked just as pitiful as Rosio.
“Esmeralda, I dislike it more when you worry than when I do. Please, tell me.”
“It’s just that nothing is certain yet!”
In the original story, the first enemy Camilla meets after becoming involved with Rosio is Beatrice.
‘But when did Beatrice start spiraling out of control…?’
Her misdeeds crossed the line after Rosio and Camilla publicly announced their relationship.
When Camilla’s academy friends asked if she was dating Rosio, she fell into their leading questions and answered yes. That was the beginning of the tragedy. So the solution was simple.
‘A secret relationship!’
Why not do everything while making sure the villainess never found out? Once Rosio and I graduated from the academy, our paths wouldn’t overlap much anyway—if we were careful, it would work.
It was a sloppy plan, but I found myself wanting to do more with Rosio.
As soon as I tried to express my feelings, my heart began to race.
“Rosio, I like you too.”
I blurted it out quickly, afraid my trembling voice would give me away. It might have sounded emotionless, but my heart was full.
“Esmeralda! Really?”
It felt as though sparkles filled the air around Rosio. Color returned to his face as he covered his mouth slightly, smiling.
He was so unable to hide his happiness that it was unbearably adorable.
“Yes. But let’s keep our relationship a secret. A secret romance.”
“That’s fine. You and I know, after all.”
Rosio Agnes and Esmeralda Saint weren’t bound by fate from the start. I had to consider the possibility that Rosio might come to love someone else someday.
‘Maybe what he feels for me now is just a fleeting illusion. Maybe my avoidance only made his curiosity grow?’
That thought made my chest ache.
“Esmeralda. Then, when no one is around, please love me even more—enough to make up for what we hide in front of others.”
“More?”
“There’s no one around right now…”
Rosio smiled slyly, as if he wanted to confirm my feelings, and pointed to his lips.
“Um, Rosio. I wasn’t very good at it, was I?”
Despite having pushed things forward at the graduation party and the boutique, doing it now—right after baring my heart—felt awkward.
“You’re doing well even now. But I’ll make you even better.”
There was mischief in Rosio’s voice. H-How exactly was he planning to do that? He had no idea how dangerous this mature side of him was to my heart.
After glancing around to make sure no one was there, I lightly pressed my lips to his. Rosio smiled happily, but a few seconds later he looked dissatisfied.
“I’d like to do it again.”
“…Go ahead.”
At my reply, Rosio carefully wrapped an arm around my waist. He tilted his head to meet my gaze, and I comfortably looped my arms around his neck.
It felt like moving into another world.
‘No—now I shouldn’t be moving to another world anymore.’
Not wanting to lose Rosio, I tightened my arms around him. He slipped between our parted lips and led me skillfully, moving with me, until we gradually became one.
Slowly, Rosio pulled back, looking at me softly with his enchanting violet eyes—perfectly angled even then.
Where did he learn to ask for consent so gently and then do things so thoroughly?
After exchanging two more deep kisses with Rosio and catching our breath,
Camilla returned with Jenna in tow, apparently having delivered the news to Iris. Her cheeks were flushed, as if she’d run all the way back. Though I was seated, my face was just as red, which made her worry.
“Lady Saint! Are you feeling unwell?”
“…No. It’s just a bit warm.”
At my excuse, Rosio let out a low chuckle and quietly fanned me from the side. After getting me so flustered, his calm demeanor was somehow irritating.
“I’ll pour you some cool tea.”
Pure-hearted Camilla took my words at face value and filled my cup from the kettle. After a sip, I finally calmed down.
“Lady Saint. Would it be all right if I came to the count’s estate again tomorrow? Before entering the academy, Lady Iris kindly offered to give me sword training.”
Camilla spoke quickly, her voice brimming with excitement.
The image of Camilla being put through harsh training flashed before my eyes. I’d once seen the Second Knight Order practicing—locked in rivalry with the Third, they trained in full Spartan style.
“My sister’s swordsmanship is excellent, but wouldn’t it be better to learn from someone a bit more lenient?”
“Sir Iris teaches me carefully and kindly, even when I’m inexperienced.”
Kindly? Not strict and eccentric?
It felt like we were talking about a completely different person. He used to make people run thirty laps around the training ground, do five hundred push-ups, or unleash a lion’s roar over the slightest misstep…
It seemed the “beloved heroine buff” worked even on Iris.
“If it becomes too difficult learning from my sister, I’ll help you find another instructor.”
Thanking me for my concern, Camilla bowed deeply—but she remained determined to learn from Iris.
She added that Iris wanted to start training as early as this afternoon, practically overflowing with joy.
Seeing how happy Camilla was made my own heart itch pleasantly.
“Duke Agnes, I’ll train diligently and enter the academy. I’ll repay the trust of you and Lady Saint with pride and dedication.”
“I look forward to your growth, Miss Camilla. We’ll send the necessary admission documents shortly.”
The heroine and the male lead concluded their exchange in a perfectly wholesome manner.
As soon as Camilla left, Jenna—who looked like she had business—approached me.
“My lady, an invitation has arrived from the Erhen family.”
I couldn’t believe they’d really send a birthday party invitation. I mean, really…
Thankfully, I didn’t make a strange choking sound like before. Jenna handed me the letter and carefully placed the letter opener on the table.
Since an invitation had come, I found myself leaning toward going.
‘If the storyline is changing, I need to understand the villainess more accurately.’
Besides, the Erhen family was connected to magic stones. The problem was my relationship with Rosio.
I needed to observe Beatrice and the Erhen family while keeping my relationship with Rosio hidden.
‘When we met Beatrice in front of the boutique before, Rosio didn’t give a definite answer about attending the birthday party.’
I wondered if he’d made a decision since then.
“Will you be attending as well, Rosio?”
