HIFH | Chapter 54

Episode 54

Thump. My heart dropped.

This perceptive bastard.

“Could it be that you hate choosing a wedding dress that much? To the point where you’d make such a miserable face and get angry?”

“No! It’s not like that!”

I hurriedly waved my hands, but Lu didn’t withdraw his suspicious gaze.

“If you don’t want to, you can tell me now. I can choose the dress alone, though it would be a bit lonely. Then people will ask, ‘Where’s the bride?’ And I’ll answer, ‘She’s resting due to poor health.’ Then everyone will say in unison: ‘Lu Vansen and Charles Courtney are about to break off their engagement.’”

“Why do you make it sound so extreme?! And I told you, I don’t mind going out!”

I flailed my hands and shouted. Lu raised his eyebrows and crossed his arms, then crossed his legs as if to say, “Go on, explain yourself.”

Sighing, I clicked my tongue briefly.

“It’s just… Marianne seems like such a good person.”

“And?”

“…Compared to her, I feel so inadequate.”

Lu didn’t respond.

I cautiously lifted my gaze to look at him.

And there he was, staring at me as if I were utterly ridiculous.

“What kind of nonsense is that?”

He snorted.

“Marianne must not have scolded you enough. That’s why you’re still saying such absurd things.”

“No, I’m being serious.”

“Seriously, I hope you recognize that what you’re saying is truly nonsense.”

Lu rubbed his forehead as if he had a headache, shaking his head vigorously.

Then, as if realizing something, he looked at me.

“Is it because I haven’t been praising you enough these past few days? Are you deliberately trying to provoke me?”

“No!”

I quickly shouted, and Lu chuckled. He adjusted his posture, resting his elbows on his thighs and leaning forward.

“Charles, you need to take better care of yourself. I’ve told you this before, haven’t I?”

“I think you might have…”

“It’s not just ‘might have’—I definitely did. Why do you never listen to me?”

Ugh, stop mocking me already. Can’t I say anything without getting teased?

Pouting, I turned my gaze away.

“Charles.”

Lu called me again.

“You are the most incredible and kind person I have ever met.”

Along with “incredible,” he even added “kind.”

For some reason, my heart fluttered a little, and I felt a strange ticklish sensation.

“So please, try to see yourself in a better light.”

“…Alright.”

“Very good.”

Lu finally seemed satisfied as he leaned back against the seat, interlocking his fingers.

“Then.”

He turned to me with a bright smile.

“Shall we have another enjoyable day together?”

Suddenly, a thought crossed my mind.

How long will we be able to be “together”?

It won’t be for much longer, will it?

“I choose this one!”

I shouted as I browsed through the dresses.

But Lu didn’t respond. He merely blinked slowly and pressed his lips together.

“Or… this one?”

I cautiously moved my hand to another dress, but his tightly sealed lips remained unchanged.

“Then this one! This one looks good! Let’s go with this!”

I saw Lu take a deep breath.

Huh. What’s with him?

“Suddenly, I had this thought.”

He continued speaking.

“The reason Charles’ fashion sense has been so terrible all this time might not just be because you’ve never had to choose anything before.”

“…Then what?”

“Could it be that your sense of aesthetics simply doesn’t align with this era?”

This bastard!

I narrowed my eyes and glared at Lu, but he didn’t seem to care in the slightest.

Instead, he used his long legs to stride over to me.

Then, he pulled me far away from every dress I had pointed at.

“Let’s leave it to the store staff.”

“….”

I smacked my lips in frustration. Was my choice really that bad? I didn’t think they looked terrible…

“I’m also rescinding my request for you to pick my tuxedo.”

“Why?”

“Because your aesthetic sense seems to belong to some distant future.”

“Hey!”

I couldn’t hold back anymore and raised my voice, just as a store clerk hurried over with tea and refreshments.

“You two have such a good relationship.”

The clerk smiled as they set the tea cups down in front of us.

Then, in a somewhat cautious tone, they added:

“How about the designs on this rack? The ones Miss Charles was looking at are… well, they were made for rather special occasions.”

The clerk trailed off, glancing at me hesitantly.

Ah.

So, I had mistaken cosplay dresses for wedding dresses.

I let out a short chuckle and turned to Lu.

“You pick.”

“An excellent decision.”

Lu stood up, and I clicked my tongue, slouching back into the sofa.

‘A wedding dress, huh.’

I had never thought I’d actually have a wedding.

That’s why I never had any romantic fantasies about it.

‘I never planned on having a family in the first place.’

Family.

The moment the word crossed my mind, I felt a sharp pain in my chest.

‘…Baylor.’

I had been deliberately avoiding thoughts of him these past few days.

I had been trying not to recall the fact that Baylor had used me and that, to use me better, he had even killed his own daughter.

But once the thought surfaced, it refused to fade.

— Who do I think I am?

Right. Who was I to think that Esmeralda… had died because of me?

— We were family.

How could he kill his own family?

How could he sever that bond himself?

Baylor…

‘Did he ever truly care for me?’

I lowered my gaze.

— The only reason you’re alive right now is because of me. Don’t ever forget that.

— You owe me. A debt you could never repay, even in a lifetime.

No.

He never cared about me.

To him, I was nothing more than a useful pawn.

‘Why am I only realizing this now?’

I clenched my fist.

‘Esmeralda is already gone.’

Because of me.

If I hadn’t existed, Esmeralda might still be alive. My very existence might have erased hers.

And so, I couldn’t help but feel an unbearable rage.

‘I hate him.’

I despised Baylor. I hated him. I loathed him, and at the same time, I felt miserable.

I want revenge.

I want to make him feel the same pain.

To do that…

— Kill Lu Vantes.

Gasp. I inhaled sharply.

The mere thought of a future that hadn’t even happened yet made my hands tremble.

I felt sick again.

Kill Lu.

Not only deceive and betray him—

But take his life as well.

…Could I?

“Charles.”

I lifted my head.

And there was Lu, smiling brightly as if he had never scolded me moments ago.

“I’ve picked one for you, so try it on. I’ll be waiting.”

As if he truly liked me.

As if he were genuinely happy to be with me.

— Kill Lu Vantes

I…

— Kill him!

I can’t.

I could never.