MTST 04

Chapter 4

Theodore was rather fond of his own face. It was a visage that could hardly be described as anything less than a divine creation.

Yet for reasons beyond his comprehension, not a single thing about himself felt right today.

Would his impression soften if his eyes possessed a golden glow?

Would his features appear more approachable if the bridge of his nose were just a fraction lower?

If his build were any smaller than it currently was, would that woman treat him as comfortably as she treated Betty?

Countless questions were cast toward the man reflected in the mirror.

Yet he already knew the answer. To the “Prince” rather than “Noah,” all of those things were utterly impossible.

Only by perfectly concealing his true identity would the woman continue to cross paths with him.

Not a single aspect of this is appealing.

Staring intently at his own reflection, Theodore suddenly ground his teeth.

No, wait. What business of mine is that anyway?

He was clearly suffering from a bout of heat exhaustion.

Or failing that, it was simply the weather’s fault.

It was a cursedly gorgeous day, with a gentle breeze blowing just enough to put anyone in a sickeningly good mood.

Yes, that was it. It was the weather.

That explained why he was acting so strangely and having thoughts he had never once entertained in his life.

Pulling himself together with a supreme effort of will, Theodore turned his head at the sound of stirring from within the room.

It was Beatrice.

Realizing the tiny creature had finally woken from her slumber, she began padding around his chamber just like any other day.

Watching her, Theodore let out a soft, trailing sigh.

……Do everyone a favor and grow up already.

Only then could he use taking her for a walk as an excuse to linger by that woman’s side a little longer.

A sudden flash of self-awareness shook him, but he quickly brushed it off as inconsequential.

I seem to be far more susceptible to weather patterns than I realized.

It was a newly discovered truth about himself.

[To Lady Laura,

I have a question for you. Do dogs normally cause this much absolute chaos?

She kicked up a massive fuss again this morning. Not content with chewing the rug to shreds, she went ahead and ruined the curtains, too.

And as if that wasn’t enough, she woke up at the crack of dawn and wailed endlessly until I hoisted her up onto the bed.

The funny thing is, the moment I actually put her up there, she starts demanding to be let back down again without a moment’s hesitation.

My desk is practically buried under books about canine care these days.

I looked into the matter, and apparently, I’m supposed to increase her walks, but going it alone is rather dull, which leaves me in quite a predicament.

Besides, this ungrateful little monster clearly prefers your company to mine, doesn’t she?

It’s a thoroughly troubling situation.]

I let out a soft snort of laughter as I read Noah’s letter.

He could just ask me to tag along, you know.

[—From Noah, whose eyes are growing sore from waiting for your reply.]

Written in a bold, sweeping script.

The man is genuinely hilarious.

A smile bloomed across my lips before I even realized it.

“Sister.”

At the sound of Edwin’s voice entering the room, I hastily tucked the letter away into my desk drawer.

“Are you finished getting ready?”

“Mm-hm.”

Today was the day of the monthly book club gathering.

Though I wasn’t typically one for high-society parties, there were a handful of regular gatherings I made a point to attend.

One of them was the Hwadam Association, a literary circle centered around the Marchioness of Pesacher.

Since attendance was strictly limited to young ladies and centered around reading, it naturally attracted only the quietest and most reserved maidens.

In other words, it perfectly matches the image I’ve cultivated.

That of an intelligent, sharp-witted lady.

A young lady who avoids decadent parties and sets a sterling example for high society to follow.

That was the external image I had spent a long time carefully and solidly building.

……Not that there was any monumental reason behind constructing such a persona.

I desperately needed an excuse to cloister myself away at home.

After all, I couldn’t very well claim to be sick every single day of the week.

Using the excuse of reading once, and the excuse of helping out with my father’s work twice, I turned down party invitations left and right.

Before I knew what was happening, when I finally snapped back to reality and looked around, my reputation had somehow morphed into that…………

I covertly tucked the letter addressed to Noah out of Edwin’s sight.

Approaching me in the meantime, he extended a hand.

“I’ll walk you out to the carriage.”

“Thank you.”

As we made our way down the hall, Edwin shot me a sideways glance and cleared his throat once.

“Um, Sister.”

“Yes?”

“I am going to find a way to stop your marriage, no matter what it takes.”

His gaze was fiercely earnest as he watched me.

The gesture struck me as genuinely endearing, and a chuckle slipped past my lips, causing Edwin to raise an indignant eyebrow.

“Wh-Why are you laughing?”

“Just thinking about how much you’ve grown.”

“I am fully grown. More than enough to put a stop to your marriage, at any rate.”

I paused for a moment of reflection before carefully choosing my words.

“Edwin. I appreciate the thought, but I’ll just take the sentiment. Since this marriage is an imperial decree, I know better than anyone that it can’t be stopped.”

Edwin’s lips parted, his expression practically screaming, ‘Are you honestly saying you’re fine with this?!’

Yet, I truly was fine!

I’m going to divorce him anyway.

Pocketing a fat stack of alimony was all that mattered. Besides, tangling with the emperor’s direct orders was a surefire way to bring disaster down upon our heads.

After all, the one who was going to fall out of the imperial household’s good graces wasn’t me, but Theodore.

“Even so, Sister…………”

“I promise you, I’m truly okay. And besides, didn’t Father say so himself? Once he takes a wife, the man will change for the better.”

Though I didn’t believe a single syllable of that nonsense!

Completely oblivious to my inner thoughts, Edwin’s eyes only grew more glossy and tearful.

“Let’s get going.”

“Don’t you worry. I will find a way.”

I keep telling you, I’m fine!

Yet Edwin repeated his vow with absolute resolve.

“No matter what method I have to use.”

He wouldn’t find anything. There was no power on earth—short of a miracle—that could overturn an imperial command.

Still, I swallowed back the rest of my retort.

Truthfully, I didn’t have the luxury of dwelling on that right now anyway.

Father’s words echoed quietly in a corner of my mind.

“Lilian, His Highness the Prince is scheduled to visit the Hwadam Association today. Make sure to greet him warmly, and I hope this meeting serves as an opportunity for you to open your heart to him and return.”

………………And just how on earth was I supposed to open my heart to that monster?

Not only was he the empire’s notorious brute, but he was also a second male lead hopelessly obsessed with the female protagonist!

Merely thinking of Theodore gave me a throbbing headache.

The Hermont Museum, venue for the Hwadam Association.

Let’s just exchange a quick, perfunctory greeting with Theodore and get it over with.

I didn’t particularly want to, of course, but I couldn’t bring myself to completely ignore my father’s wishes.

Especially given Theodore’s terrifying reputation for having a miserable temperament!

What if he took offense and decided to vent his frustrations on our family just because he was forced to make a pointless trip?

With a heavy internal sigh, I dragged my feet forward.

Judging by the fact that the members of the Hwadam Association were acting as relaxed as ever, his arrival must have been kept strictly confidential.

Which meant he was highly likely to be taking a secluded, low-traffic route.

Perhaps the museum gardens.

Concluding my train of thought, I pivoted and headed in that direction.

Honestly, I’d prefer to miss Theodore entirely.

Clop, clop.

Had I been walking for quite a while now? Fragmented voices began to drift out from a nearby thicket.

“…………From what I hear, she is a remarkably sharp and brilliant lady.”

“That reputation alone tells me she’s bound to be a dreadfully boring woman.”

A boring woman?

A strange sense of foreboding made me slam on the brakes. Without wasting a second, I scrambled to conceal my body behind the brush and cautiously peered through the leaves.

A man with jet-black hair stood with his back to me, engaged in conversation with someone.

Specifically, the exact shade of hair belonging to Theodore as described in the original work.

I barely managed to hold my breath.

“Brilliant? I’ve seen plenty of those women. They say they’re wise and virtuous, but do you honestly not remember how they used to swarm me like wild dogs?”

………………No matter how I spun it, that sounded entirely like me.

“What guarantee do I have that Lilian Carpena won’t be any different?”

Ah, right. He was talking about me.

Theodore was working himself up over imaginary problems.

Terrified that I might fall head over heels for him and cling to his coattails.

It was such an utterly preposterous delusion that it felt as though someone had struck me across the back of the head. Instantly, a wave of scalding fury consumed me.

Talk about a world-class narcissist!

As I desperately tried to choke down my rage, Theodore showed no signs of shutting his trap anytime soon.

“I’ll eat my hat if that woman doesn’t start yapping about love the moment she lays eyes on me.”

A dry, incredulous snort slipped past my lips.

Oh, I am going to remember this exact sentence, you jerk.

Before I die, I am damn well going to live long enough to watch that arrogant bastard eat his words……!

I curled my trembling hands into tight, white-knuckled fists.

The original novel hadn’t exaggerated a single bit when it called him an insufferable prick.

Any lingering notion of playing the dutiful fiancée and exchanging polite pleasantries with Theodore, as per my father’s request, had just been thoroughly obliterated.

Exchange pleasantries? With him? Why on earth should I?

Showing up right now and giving the back of his head a firm smack was the absolute pinnacle of restraint I could possibly muster.

Right on cue, I caught sight of the other young ladies gathering in the distance.

Open my heart, my foot.

If anything, my heart had locked itself away and thrown the key into the abyss.

Taking a deep, grounding breath to vent my fury, I forced my feet to carry me toward the other ladies.

My fists remained stubbornly clenched, trembling with residual rage.

[To Noah,

So Betty prefers me to you? That easily ranks as the most delightful thing I’ve heard all year.

Still, I hope you aren’t too heartbroken over it. Since I happen to be quite popular by nature, I suppose it couldn’t be helped!

Even so, hearing about Betty isn’t enough to quell my jealousy toward you. After all, you get to gaze at sleeping Betty to your heart’s content, don’t you?

Not to mention you can take her out for walks whenever you please.

Perhaps that’s why your letter complaining about the difficulty of walking her alone brought such a smile to my face.

It even crossed my mind that I might be able to help you out. (Though perhaps that’s overstepping my bounds? If so, please feel free to disregard it.)

Still, since the topic has already come up, let me make one thing crystal clear.

I have plenty of free time!

—Yours, Laura.]

Theodore read through the letter, letting out an involuntary chuckle.

Even her handwriting is pretty.

They say handwriting reflects the owner’s soul, don’t they?

Perhaps that was why it was handsomely the neatest penmanship he had ever laid eyes on.

That must have been the reason he found himself reading the exact same letter over and over again.

He gave a sharp, feigned cough to stop the corners of his mouth from curling upward yet again.

Why, why on earth is he acting like that…………..?

Meanwhile, Victor stood off to the side, watching Theodore with wide eyes.

At present, his face was drained completely white by a nameless, creeping dread.