Chapter 23
The three of them all spoke to Liriope at once.
“Liri, I spoke first!”
“Life. If you’re going to wear a couple’s outfit, it should be with your fiancé, me.”
“W-with me?”
If she went in a friendship dress, then surely the eyes of those who had shunned Rosaerin until now, out of deference to Liriope, would change.
After all, even the young ladies who had originally liked Rosaerin had no choice but to cold-shoulder her and pretend to ignore her, because of Liriope and her followers.
‘It was consistent bullying since the Academy days.’
Clever or sly, they never openly harassed her outright, but their subtle treatment was enough to make Rosaerin feel everyone was ganging up against her.
She hadn’t done anything wrong. The sole reason she had earned Liriope’s hatred was because the Crown Prince, Cadin, had once offhandedly asked, What’s that young lady’s name?
So now, Liriope thought, perhaps it wasn’t too late to give Rosaerin some kind of recompense.
Of course, no matter what, it would never erase the pain of her school years.
Ignoring Theo and Cadin’s words, Liriope smiled brightly at Rosaerin.
“Mm. Let’s go to the Feroce atelier together, Rose.”
Knowing how much Rosaerin adored Feroce’s designs, Liriope decided she would keep up this show of generosity to win her favor.
As Rosaerin’s eyes sparkled at the mention of Feroce, Liriope added:
“I’m ordering from Madame Feroce so we can wear matching dresses. Since they’re not ready-made but custom pieces, no one will dare criticize you for wearing them. So relax, and let’s go together.”
“……”
But Rosaerin, though clearly pleased, fidgeted uneasily as if something about it bothered her.
Liriope wondered if Rosaerin disliked the idea of pairing up with her and asked carefully:
“Oh… do you not want to wear a matching outfit with me? You can say no. I just thought—”
“N-no! Not at all! Absolutely not! I’d be so, so happy!”
Startled, Rosaerin frantically waved her hands and shook her head.
Relieved she wasn’t opposed to it, Liriope smiled.
“Life, reconsider. Your fiancé is right here.”
“Milady—no, Liri! Didn’t you hear me?! I said I’ll wear the same design as you!”
Theo and Cadin chattered noisily from the side.
“Why would you wear the same design as my woman? Did a demon eat your brain?”
At Theo’s remark, Cadin’s face turned bright red.
“She’s not your woman! Liri likes me! And my brain is fine!”
“If you can’t say her nickname naturally, just stick with ‘Milady.’ You’re pitiful, really, with that dim head of yours.”
“You—!”
The two started bickering again, so Liriope ignored them, picked up the freshly poured tea Gemma had brought, and said to Rosaerin:
“Let’s have some tea, Rose.”
“Ah, yes.”
“Then… when shall we visit Feroce?”
She pressed for an answer, eager to set things in stone.
After tea time ended, Liriope sent Rosaerin back with five boxes of tea, with Cadin accompanying her.
Theo, after finally driving Cadin out who had stubbornly refused to leave, naturally stayed behind and entered the reception room with Liriope.
The moment he sat on the sofa, he blurted out something that made her blink.
“Life, I’m quite a greedy man.”
“…Out of nowhere?”
As Liriope tilted her head in puzzlement, Lynix suddenly swooped down, chirping, and landed gracefully on Theo’s outstretched arm.
It almost seemed the creature now considered Theo its real master after only a few days together. Well, it had clung to him unusually well from the very first encounter.
“Must you wear the same outfit as the Count’s daughter?”
“Ah, that’s…”
“You know what it means, in a ballroom, to wear matching clothes. Life, you can’t be ignorant of that.”
“Well, the dress Rosaerin and I would wear isn’t exactly the same. It’s more of a… coordinated look, like a friendship dress.”
“And I’m supposed to stand by while my woman wears matching clothes with someone else?”
Theo frowned.
Liriope stared at him, dumbfounded.
‘Isn’t this a little off the mark? Rose is a girl. Even if I’m his fiancée, is it really something to get worked up over, me wearing a friendship dress with her?’
Come to think of it, in the original work, the Northern Duke’s keywords were indeed [Possessiveness/Jealousy/Obsession].
‘But that was supposed to apply only to the heroine…’
Flustered, she fiddled with her ear as she tried to explain.
“It’s not the same outfit. Just similar. And it’s with another woman, not a man. It’s more like showing we’re close friends.”
“You know how important the Imperial Palace ball before the Hunt Festival is.”
“Of course, I know.”
Of course she didn’t, but she nodded anyway. No one had told her, and the original novel hadn’t mentioned it either.
“But as I said, Rosaerin is not a man. She’s someone I truly want to be close to. When His Highness mentioned it, I thought it would be a good idea to have matching dresses with her…”
“Why do you want to be close with the Count’s daughter?”
‘Why? Obviously…’
“She’s beautiful. Kind, thoughtful, gentle. The sort of person you’d want as a lifelong friend to share joys and sorrows with. Honestly, I’d love for us to stay close until we’re old and gray.”
“……”
Being best friends with the heroine would smooth over every obstacle in Liriope’s future.
Granted, she had roped Theo into her life to avoid Cadin and ended up engaged in the process.
And—if she admitted it—his overwhelming charm was starting to sway her heart. Irrational feelings toward him kept growing.
But that was her problem.
Rosaerin smiling at Theo wasn’t something to sadden or annoy her, because ultimately, Theo and Rosaerin were meant to be together.
She just needed to keep her own emotions in check.
‘Even if Theo calls me his woman now, once he falls for Rosaerin, he’ll want me gone.’
So to avoid future awkwardness, she needed to draw a line early and keep some distance.
“…Fine. This time, I’ll allow it. But next time, no.”
Theo rose to his feet.
“I don’t like my woman giving her heart to someone else.”
‘…Huh?’
“Anyway, I’ll be going now.”
He headed toward the door. Liriope hurried to follow.
But after only a few steps, Theo stopped, turned, and fixed her with a cool gaze—tinged with some inexplicable warmth. It muddled her thoughts.
“When are you coming to the North?”
“Ah, soon. I can’t tomorrow because I promised to go to Feroce with Rosaerin… but I won’t be too late.”
She figured it was wise to prepare in advance for life in the North.
Theo nodded once, turned, and resumed walking.
Then, almost muttering to himself, he said:
“I don’t much like the Count’s daughter, Life.”
Liriope’s eyes nearly popped out of her head.
‘What now?’
The male lead not liking the heroine?
She couldn’t begin to guess what this meant.
Liriope sat at her desk, chin propped in hand, lost in thought.
Theo had said something utterly unthinkable, and she was deeply unsettled.
‘Could it be because I pulled him into this to avoid my engagement with Cadin? Did that ruin his dynamic with Rosaerin…?’
She had twisted the original story to survive, yes—but this was not the outcome she wanted. Anxiety churned in her.
Could she have displaced the heroine’s role onto herself? She considered it, then dismissed the thought.
When disaster struck the North, it was Rosaerin’s holy power that would save it.
Liriope had no such power. So there was no way the heroine’s role had shifted to her.
“Then what on earth is going on…?”
She rubbed her face slowly with both hands, muttering.
Just then, a message arrived from Theo, even though he hadn’t been gone long.
[So, have you thought about it?]
“…Thought about what?”
[The price for sending Lynix to me.]
“Ah.”
Liriope smiled awkwardly.
She hadn’t expected any payment—she hadn’t sent Lynix with that in mind.
“There’s really no need for a price. I wasn’t asking for anything in return.”
But then Theo’s next words made her face flush crimson.
[And… whether you’ll allow me to hold you.]
