HIFH | Chapter 3

Episode 3

Just as the coachman had said, it took less than an hour to arrive at the mansion.

It was a small estate, its pristine white bricks stacked neatly, just like its immaculate outward appearance. A well-maintained garden stretched out in clear view.

‘Lu Vansen has a good reputation in the capital, right?’

That meant the servants here would also be highly competent.

As I stepped down from the carriage, I glanced around, wondering if Lu Vantes would be outside waiting for me.

Then—

“Hello, Lady Charles!”

A middle-aged woman in a maid’s uniform approached and greeted me warmly.

“I’m Mardi, the head maid in charge of managing the estate. Please feel free to call me whatever you like.”

She gave instructions for my luggage to be carried inside, then continued speaking.

“As per the master’s orders, I’ll be giving you a tour of the mansion. Would that be alright with you?”

I had expected to meet Lu Vantes as soon as I arrived, but thankfully, that wasn’t the case.

So, I smiled brightly and nodded. Mardi’s face lit up in response.

“By the way, my lady, you are even more lovely than I heard from the master. Your pink hair is just like flower petals. How could anyone be so beautiful? I should blame the master for not describing you properly.”

I narrowed my eyes slightly.

“Did Lu say anything about me?”

Mardi beamed even more.

“Oh, my lady, please speak comfortably with me. You are Lord Lu’s fiancée and soon-to-be wife, so you are practically the mistress of this house.”

“Oh, uh… right.”

“And as for your question—of course! He spoke about you a lot. He said you’re an absolutely adorable person, praising you endlessly.”

“……”

Him?

Instead of calling me the craziest person alive, he actually gave me compliments?

‘As expected of Lu Vantes. He’s already been working behind the scenes.’

What a terrifying man.

I figured I should play along, so I forced a slightly flustered expression and said,

“Hearing that Lu spoke about me like that… it’s a little embarrassing.”

“Oh my!”

Mardi laughed behind her hand.

“You’re truly adorable, my lady. Now, come this way. I’ll show you around.”

She guided me through the mansion, explaining each area.

“This is the dining room. Meals are usually brought to your room, but if you wish to dine with the master, you can come here.”

Yeah, no. Not happening.

I mentally marked the dining room as the number one place to avoid.

“This is the study, where the master spends most of his time—”

Nope, I don’t read.

“This is the reception room, where the master’s guests—”

No guests for me.

By the time I had designated all eight places I absolutely needed to avoid, we finally arrived at the room that had been prepared for me.

“This will be your temporary room, my lady. Of course, you and the master will be using separate rooms for now, but after the wedding, you’ll be sharing the same room.”

My footsteps faltered slightly.

Wedding…

Just thinking about it made my stomach churn.

Ah, indigestion…

“Oh my, my lady. Are you embarrassed? You must be so flustered that you can’t even stand properly!”

I was clutching my stomach because of the pain, but she completely misunderstood.

Thanks for that…

“For now, why don’t you take a look around your room?”

Completely unaware of my inner turmoil, Mardi giggled and opened the door.

And then—she gasped and jumped in place.

“Oh my! Master, when did you return?”

…Master?

I slowly lifted my head.

Sunlight, golden like spun thread, spilled into the room, illuminating a lone figure.

Against the backlight, only his silhouette was clearly visible—

A tall and straight figure, well-structured shoulders, an air of quiet elegance.

The light wrapped around him like a white halo.

“…Lu.”

Without thinking, I spoke his name.

He had been gazing out the window, but upon hearing me, he slowly turned his head in my direction.

“You’re here.”

He smiled at me, glowing as if he were a man bathed in light.

“It took you a while.”

As his smile deepened, the light in his blue eyes shimmered.

At the same time, his softly tousled golden hair swayed gently.

I was about to wonder why he was smiling so much when I remembered—Mardi was still here.

Of course, he had to act like a devoted fiancé in front of others. That’s why he was smiling like that.

I understood it logically, but my body didn’t follow my reasoning.

“Charles? What’s wrong?”

I swallowed dryly and quickly lifted my chin.

“…Oh. Yeah. Lu.”

It had been a while since I last saw him, and his face was hitting me harder than expected.

I took a deep breath, ignoring my body’s involuntary reaction.

Lu’s gaze narrowed slightly before relaxing again.

“Mardi, thank you for your efforts. I need to speak with Charles, so could you leave us for a moment?”

“Yes! I’ll come back during dinner. Please rest comfortably, both of you.”

Mardi giggled at me before leaving the room.

Click!

As soon as the door shut, Lu Vantes’ expression twisted slightly.

“Sha— No, Charles. What kind of reaction was that?”

Gone was the smiling man from before—he now frowned as he scrutinized me.

“Anyone would think you were meeting a complete stranger. You haven’t forgotten that we’re madly in love, have you?”

“I remember. I was just… tired for a moment. A little dizzy.”

“You’re unwell?”

Lu Vantes widened his eyes slightly.

Hmm, faking it might be the best move here.

I couldn’t exactly say, I blanked out because your face was too much to handle.

I’d bite my tongue off before saying that.

“Yeah. A little. No, actually… a lot.”

I deliberately grabbed my forehead and swayed slightly.

Lu Vantes’ lips curled into a grin as he stepped closer.

“Charles.”

He casually rested a hand on my shoulder.

“Let me diagnose you. How about ‘Lack of Will Syndrome’? Or perhaps ‘Failure to Properly Understand the Mission’?”

“……”

His nickname suddenly popped into my head.

Wasn’t it ‘Viper’…?

Some even called him a rabid dog.

Either way, both names implied he was a nasty piece of work.

I wanted to punch myself for being momentarily dazed by his face.

I quickly shook my head.

“Lu Vantes.”

“Here, it’s Lu Vansen.”

“Right. Lu.”

I swatted his hand off my shoulder and glared at him.

“If you keep this up, one day I will hit you.”

“Haha. Such jokes.”

“Who said I was joking?”

Lu shrugged and withdrew his hand.

He then guided me to the sofa.

“Sit down for now. Since you said you’re unwell, I should at least let you sit.”

“Wow, how considerate of you.”

Before I could even lean back against the sofa, I quickly spoke.

“There was something I really wanted to ask you when we met.”

“Did you miss me that much?”

“Why did you call for me?”

“You won’t even acknowledge what I said.”

Lu, who was sitting across from me, rested his hand against his temple and tilted his head slightly.

Ignoring his remark, I continued.

“No, but really. If you’re struggling with women constantly proposing to you without knowing the full situation, couldn’t you just pick someone suitable and keep her by your side? That way, both you and the woman benefit. So why me, of all people?”

Lu blinked slowly. Seizing the moment, I pressed on.

“We’re not even close.”

At that, Lu’s eyes widened. He looked at me with a genuinely surprised expression.

“I thought I was closest to you, Charles.”

“What? Based on what?”

Instead of answering, he simply tilted his head slightly, a soft smile playing on his lips.

Why is he smiling like that? Suspicious.

‘Do we even have any kind of bond that would make us close?’

I thought about it carefully—but no, we didn’t. If anything, our relationship was bad enough to be considered strained.

Which was why the butler’s words had been so baffling.

We weren’t on good terms, yet Lu Vantes was acting like we were close.

“First, let me answer your question. There is only one reason why I didn’t just choose a suitable woman and marry her.”

Completely oblivious to my thoughts, Lu continued.

“That woman would genuinely fall for me, but I wouldn’t be able to return her feelings.”

His answer was so reasonable that I momentarily had nothing to say.

I hadn’t expected Lu, of all people, to say something like that.

“But Charles, you’re different. You dislike me, so there’s no chance of you falling for me. That’s why I called for you.”

“…….”

“Of course, I like you, Charles.”

Instead of responding, I let a smile curl at my lips and slowly leaned forward.

“Lu.”

“Yes?”

“If you’re going to lie, at least try to make it believable.”

“Haha, you don’t believe in my sincerity.”

Lu’s eyes widened for a brief moment before he let out a helpless laugh, scratching the back of his head.

“Anyway, our personal feelings don’t matter for this mission.”

Still looking directly at me, he smiled with those beautiful eyes of his.

To an outsider, it would seem like a breathtakingly charming smile, but knowing him as well as I did, it only made me uneasy.

“What I mean is, there’s no need for you to wonder why I called you here or why I want you by my side.”

See? He was deliberately dodging the question.

It felt as if he was planning to keep me close under the guise of this mission while also monitoring me.

“So, Charles.”

“…….”

“Let’s work well together from now on.”

I don’t want to work well with you!

I’m terrified of you!