Chapter 38
‘Why is Leonar here?’
He was dressed in a formal uniform adorned with splendid gold decorations, befitting his status as the crown prince. Unlike the last time she briefly saw him, he had clearly taken time to dress up for the banquet and tidy his appearance. He had always been handsome—he was the main male lead, after all—but now that he had put in the effort, his looks stood out even more.
Whether it was because of his appearance or his status, Leonar’s presence alone was enough to bring a deathly silence over the hall.
Taking advantage of the quiet, Leonar swiftly approached Elijia. His expression was one of urgent concern, as if he truly cared about her.
But to Elijia, it was nothing but bewildering.
‘What? Why’s he coming over here?’
Why was he suddenly acting so familiar? He had to be scheming something. Besides, if she got tangled up with him, the duke was definitely not going to sit back and watch! Elijia instinctively took a step back, her expression wary.
But maybe others saw that as an opportunity. The nobles, who had been quietly watching for a chance, suddenly began to clamor toward Leonar.
“Your Highness! Lady Sempérion—!”
“She caused Lady Mayreni to collapse!”
“She used strange magic just now to ruin the banquet—!”
Like a floodgate had opened, the accusations came pouring out. Everyone was pointing fingers at Elijia. But Leonar only let out a snort, as if it were all too ridiculous.
“Hah… Do you all take me for a fool?”
“Pardon?”
“I have ears. And eyes.”
Contrary to expectations, Leonar didn’t even blink. He slowly swept his gaze over the crowd and spoke again.
“It looked to me like you were the ones harassing Lady Sempérion. Didn’t you pressure her to prove herself over some unbelievable rumor?”
One noble, the one who had first spoken, hesitated and stammered.
“T-that’s because… it seemed like Lady Sempérion was lying…”
“It was true.”
The reply was sharp and decisive.
Leonar spoke again in a loud and clear voice.
“Lady Sempérion beat me in swordsmanship.”
“…!”
Murmurs erupted.
The entire banquet hall buzzed with shocked whispers.
“Was that rumor true?”
“His Highness would never lie…”
“Could he be saying that just to defend her?”
Confusion spread rapidly.
Then Leonar raised his voice even more.
“So do not tarnish the lady’s honor. Tonight, Lady Sempérion is my partner.”
“What?”
The guests were flustered, Elijia frowned in disbelief, and the duke’s expression grew even more grim.
In a calm, composed tone, Leonar added,
“Well then, I have some important matters to discuss with Lady Sempérion. If you’ll excuse us.”
‘…What?’
Before Elijia could react—
Grab!
Without a word, Leonar took her hand.
‘Why are you grabbing me…?’
Then he began to pull her away.
“W-wait! What are you talking about? You never said anything about this!”
Elijia protested in a low, startled voice, but Leonar ignored her.
“His Highness is taking Lady Sempérion…!”
People murmured again, and from amidst the crowd, the duke was glaring at Elijia. His expression clearly showed how angry he was.
‘Am I going to get scolded to death when I get home?!’
Where were they even going?!
As Leonar continued to drag her, Elijia abruptly stopped in her tracks.
“Your Highness! Wait, just a moment!”
“…”
Leonar only stopped because he couldn’t overpower her strength—not because he intended to.
Now that they were standing still, Elijia glanced around. They had ended up in a secluded part of the garden. The duke hadn’t followed them, and no one seemed to be eavesdropping.
Elijia cut to the chase.
“What exactly are you doing?”
“Because you’re my partner.”
He said it like it was the most obvious thing in the world and continued in a serious tone.
“Protecting one’s partner’s honor is the least I can do.”
Elijia looked above Leonar’s head.
Interest Level: 30%
The number hadn’t changed.
Thirty might seem like a lot, but in truth, it meant nothing. It was just “interest”—and not even romantic interest.
In Remegol, filling up someone’s interest level didn’t end the story. Once interest was maxed out, affection would open. After that, love. There was a clear hierarchy.
Interest was merely the first and lowest tier.
It didn’t mean “romantic interest.”
It simply meant “curiosity”—human-to-human intrigue. And only 30% of that?
…That meant they were less than friends.
Elijia frowned. Come to think of it, Leonar’s tone was much stiffer now that they were alone compared to when they were around others.
He tilted his head slightly, as if displeased, and asked,
“By the way, that dress—did the duke buy it for you again?”
“Huh?”
The tone was vaguely unpleasant, and Elijia blinked in confusion. Leonar continued,
“You refused me so firmly before… and now you show up all dressed up. Who picked the dress? Did you choose it yourself?”
“I did pick it.”
Technically, she picked it with the help of her viewers. At her answer, Leonar’s tone softened a little.
“You’ve got good taste. You clearly put effort into it.”
‘My viewers do have good taste.’
“It must’ve been expensive. Isn’t it something worth saving?”
‘I wouldn’t know—I’ve never had to save anything before.’
This was her first banquet ever in this world.
When she didn’t answer right away, Leonar gave her a knowing smile.
“It’s alright, Elly. You don’t have to hide it.”
“Huh?”
Elijia looked at him in confusion, but Leonar pressed on.
“You drew everyone’s attention. You even got scolded by the duke. I get it now.”
‘What does he get, exactly?’
Before she could explain further, Leonar cut her off.
“No, Elly. You don’t have to pretend. What you did earlier made everything clear to me. Your feelings got through.”
He gave her a soft glance, as if everything made sense now.
“I understand now. You’re in a position where you can’t even attend a banquet or accept a partner without the duke’s permission, right?”
He had probably heard it from the imperial messenger—or maybe he saw her arguing with the duke earlier.
Leonar avoided her eyes as he spoke slowly.
“So… the reason you refused my proposal so rudely last time—just this once, I’ll let it slide.”
With the gentle breeze of the garden at his back, the crown prince stood slightly angled, exuding all the charm of a typical main male lead. He continued with a knowing smile.
“You even rushed over here despite the duke’s opposition… You made an effort for me, and I appreciate that.”
“What?”
Elijia barely managed to keep her face from crumpling.
‘…What is he even talking about?’
If he hadn’t said it with such gravitas, she might’ve just let it slide. But the more he talked, the more ridiculous it all sounded.
The crown prince had completely misunderstood!
Elijia had turned down his offer and nearly missed the banquet entirely because the duke opposed it—not because she had some secret yearning for Leonar.
Yet he thought she had defied the duke for him.
A tear-jerking unrequited love story—Leonar clearly believed in it wholeheartedly. He even smiled at her with what he probably thought was a sweet and understanding expression.
“I didn’t expect you to think of me so much, Elly.”
“Sigh…”
Elijia let out a long sigh.
Given the situation, she could see how it might look that way. But still…
She shook her head. As much as she didn’t want to burst his bubble, she couldn’t let this go on. She had a responsibility to clear things up.
She looked at him with a troubled expression and began carefully,
“Um… Your Highness, I think there’s been a misunderstanding. I didn’t come here to see you.”
“…?”
“Didn’t the messenger tell you? I refused your partner request myself. It had nothing to do with my father.”
Leonar nodded, his smile unwavering.
“Of course, I understand. In front of the duke, you had to pretend. It had to look like you rejected me.”
“No!”
Elijia shook her head firmly.
“I really didn’t want to be your partner. And I still don’t!”
“What?”
“I’m sorry! But it’s true!”
Elijia’s voice was desperate and firm.
And for the first time, the relaxed expression on the crown prince’s face cracked.
