“Meeting parents…”
Chase murmured, momentarily dazed.
Meeting the bride’s parents.
It was a normal thing for couples preparing to marry, but it was something Chase had not considered. He found himself at a loss.
“I think a simple meal should be fine.”
Wilhazelle realized he never even thought about meeting her parents.
His slightly furrowed eyebrows proved it.
Was he nervous or worried?
Or maybe he was just annoyed that something bothersome came up.
She couldn’t read his expression at all.
‘Will this be okay…?’
Lizelle looked away from Chase and fiddled with her fingers.
She had thought lightly of the situation, convincing herself that she only needed to endure for one year. But now, the thought of explaining everything to her parents left her feeling overwhelmed.
Even though she had already signed the contract and there was no turning back.
In a way, it could be considered irresponsible, but perhaps due to the lingering memories of her past life, she still found the concept of parents unfamiliar.
She had lived as her own guardian and provider for too long.
Unlike her previous life, where she lost her parents early and had to become her own protector, this life came with parents who shared her concerns and a society where family decisions were more important than individual ones.
However, since it was natural for her to think and make decisions alone, she was not used to having to rely on someone and ask for permission.
While reflecting on herself for not considering things fully, Wilhazelle thought of Baron Frosier and his wife.
Based on how her parents had acted so far…
‘This contractual relationship must never be discovered.’
Even though the person she was marrying was the head of the wealthy Halos family, Wilhazelle’s parents would not celebrate.
They truly loved and cherished Wilhazelle.
Her father even cried when she left to stay at the duke’s estate for just a month.
Even though he knew it wasn’t permanent, he still cried so sadly…
But what if she declared her marriage so abruptly?
From her parents’ point of view, it would be a complete surprise. Literally like a bolt of lightning on a clear day.
Worse still, if they discovered it was a contract marriage based on money, they would believe their daughter had been sold off, and their hearts would break.
She needed to ensure they never found out the truth.
“I have a favor to ask.”
Lizelle spoke to Chase, who was just as troubled as her.
“What is it?”
Chase swallowed dryly and looked at Lizelle. What was she going to say while looking so serious? He became nervous.
“Please pretend like you love me in front of my parents.”
“…”
“If they find out it’s fake, they will definitely oppose it. Of course, they’ll be worried too.”
“Pretend…”
At the word ‘pretend’, Chase’s face momentarily stiffened.
It hit him hard. He was the only one truly sincere about this marriage.
“If I suddenly say I’m marrying Your Grace, they’ll suspect something. So, we need to convince them that we fell madly in love within a month.”
It was the only way to avoid their suspicions—by making it seem like they were marrying for love.
Fortunately, her parents knew that she and Chase had spent a month together at the Duke’s estate, making it a plausible excuse to say they had fallen for each other.
“What… do they like?”
“Sorry? What do you mean?”
“I mean, what do your parents like.”
Chase decided to match Lizelle’s rhythm.
Since he was going to meet her parents anyway, he wanted to leave a good impression.
It was also the perfect opportunity to earn points as a son-in-law.
“Are you planning to bring something?”
Lizelle’s eyes widened in surprise. She expected him to refuse or hesitate, not to agree so readily.
“Yes.”
“I think a small, heartfelt gift would be enough.”
Her cryptic words left Chase deep in thought.
A small, heartfelt gift—what on earth could he give to make a good impression on her parents?
“Then when do you want to meet them?”
“I’ll come visit you the day after tomorrow, at noon.”
“That soon?”
“The sooner, the better.”
Wilhazelle nodded.
In truth, he wanted to proceed with the wedding as soon as possible, but Wilhazelle interpreted it as his intention to visit her parents right away since the topic had come up.
“Alright. Then I’ll plan for the day after tomorrow.”
After glancing briefly at the clock, Lizelle stood up.
The time had gotten too late. Since she had told her parents she’d return to the family estate today, she had to hurry.
“May I see Raphel before I leave?”
Feeling guilty about leaving Raphel behind so coldly, she wanted to deliver the news before heading back to the Baron’s estate.
She wanted to tell him they could live together again.
“He’s probably in his room.”
Chase also stood up to follow Lizelle. He then walked ahead to open the door for her.
“Thank you for the jacket.”
Lizelle stood in front of Chase and held out the jacket that had been draped over her shoulders.
“Keep it on. The Baron would be quite alarmed if he saw your bare shoulders.”
“Oh…”
Chase took the jacket from Lizelle’s hand and put it back on her shoulders himself.
In doing so, his hand lightly brushed her exposed shoulder.
For a brief moment, the warmth of his hand against her cool skin was noticeable to her.
“Please handle this naturally. I don’t want to worry my parents unnecessarily.”
That was it.
Without adding anything else, Wilhazelle held the jacket tightly and stood up.
“I’ll do my best.”
Chase replied looking down at Wilhazelle.
His red eyes were filled with regret at the thought of being apart for two days.
“Well then…”
As she lifted her head to bid farewell, her gaze met his serious eyes.
She intended to say her goodbye and leave, but her words wouldn’t come out.
It was the first time she had been this close to him, and his intense expression left her speechless.
His gaze was so transparent and deep, it was as if she could see through to his soul. His tightly pressed lips and serious eyes focused solely on her.
‘What is this?’
Unconsciously, Lizelle swallowed hard. The look in his eyes, which she couldn’t interpret, gave her a strange feeling.
The two stood at the open door, silently staring at each other for quite some time.
“I’ll be counting on you from now on.”
It was Wilhazelle who broke the silence.
Hoping to break free from the situation, she reached out her hand first.
His deep red eyes slowly moved down to look at her outstretched hand.
“And so will I.”
Chase replied as he grasped her delicate, pale hand.
The cool touch of her hand against the warmth of his own large hand made his heart beat slightly faster than usual.
“Master.”
At that moment, Rohan’s voice came from the door, probably looking for Chase.
Startled by Rohan’s appearance, Lizelle quickly pulled her hand away from Chase’s grasp.
The coolness she left behind disappeared in an instant, and Chase’s sharp gaze turned toward the intruder.
Rohan broke into a cold sweat under his master’s intimidating aura.
“Where is Raphelion?”
“He’s resting in his room after taking a sedative.”
“Then I’ll stop by his room for a moment before leaving. Excuse me.”
Lizelle bid the two farewell as she hurried to Raphel’s room.
Chase watched her retreating figure with longing in his eyes before turning to Rohan.
“Find a wedding venue. No, I’ll reserve a temple. Inform the high priest.”
“Is someone you know getting married?”
“It’s me.”
“Ah, I see… Wait, what?!”
Rohan, who had been responding nonchalantly, jumped in surprise.
“You’re getting married, Master? To whom? Surely… surely not…”
“To the lady.”
Rohan immediately understood that ‘the lady’ referred to Wilhazelle.
After all, Chase’s eyes were still locked on Lizalle’s figure, now distant to the point of appearing like a dot.
What in the world was happening? Rohan, his mind spinning, started bombarding Chase with questions.
“Marriage, all of a sudden? How did this happen? Was this agreed upon with Lady Frosier, or… was this something you decided on your own…?”
“Do you want to die?”
Chase asked, his brow twitching at the mention of acting alone.
“Forgive me, I was just shocked. But Master, you didn’t say anything about marriage just an hour ago.”
“That’s because it was decided just now.”
What on earth could have happened in that short time?
As each day passed, Rohan began to feel increasingly unsettled by this unfamiliar side of his master.
“She agreed, right? You two really made a promise to marry, right?”
“Yes.”
“Did you set any terms?”
Chase pressed his lips tightly together at the pointed question.
He neither confirmed nor denied, but Rohan, sharp as always, easily caught on.
“Ah, I see… You wanted to keep her close, didn’t you? Then wouldn’t it have been better to bring her in as the young master’s tutor instead!”
Rohan knew that his master had been thinking about how to approach Lady Wilhazelle for the past few days. He, too, had been trying to come up with solutions.
However… Marriage? Out of nowhere? This sudden decision was nothing short of shocking.
If he had to choose the most shocking day while working for the Halos Family, it was today.
“…I couldn’t.”
“What? Why not?”
“If she weren’t my wife, I wouldn’t have any say if she started seeing someone else.”
Chase’s ears turned red.
“…”
Rohan looked at Chase with his mouth wide open.
Good heavens, his master had been blinded by love.
