The bedroom was shrouded in a strange and eerie atmosphere.
Lizelle blinked her large eyes, unable to even think of how to respond, simply staring at him.
She was shocked by his unexpected words.
She thought he would call it a misunderstanding caused by the potion…
But misunderstand? Read into it? That it was something he wanted to do to her…?
Her heart pounded wildly, overwhelmed by an unknown emotion.
“It’s late. Allow me to escort you back.”
“No… I’ll be fine on my own.”
Chase let out a faint chuckle at her response and rose fully from the bed.
Lizelle was still in a daze, reeling from the unbelievable words she just heard.
It wasn’t that he hadn’t expected this kind of reaction. But now that he revealed his true feelings, he had no intention of backing down.
“I’ll assign knights to accompany you.”
“I’ll be leaving now.”
“Miss.”
Just as Lizelle grabbed the doorknob to make a quick exit, Chase, who had silently approached her, came up behind and placed his hand over hers on the knob.
His large hand completely covered hers.
“…”
Lizelle froze, startled by his warmth behind her and the scent of him that suddenly surrounded her.
Her body tensed as his steady breath brushed against the back of her neck.
Her heart pounded like crazy.
She feared he could hear it.
As she struggled to process her shock, her gaze fell to their hands.
His strong, firm arm pressed close against hers as they both held the doorknob.
The position made it seem as if he was embracing her from behind.
“I’ll be waiting for you on our wedding day.”
Chase whispered, lowering his head to speak softly into her ear.
Then, with a turn of his hand that was over hers, he opened the door.
As the door swung open, the cool air from the hallway slipped between them, cutting through the heated tension.
Lizelle suddenly came to her senses as she felt a cold wind blowing through her.
“…Rest well.”
She pulled her hand out of Chase’s grasp and started walking down the hallway, very quickly, as if someone was chasing her.
Behind her, a low chuckle, deep enough to tickle her heart, echoed softly.
Her ears burned red.
She had planned to check on Raphel before leaving, but now her thoughts were a jumbled mess.
Her heart raced, her face burned, and all she wanted was to escape as quickly as possible.
‘Why is this happening…?’
As she walked down the long corridor, she clutched at her chest.
His voice, the one that brushed against her ear, still echoed in her mind.
She stopped abruptly.
It was clear now. The reason her heart was pounding so hard was because of Chase.
It wasn’t the first time, either.
When he laughed in the physician’s office and said it was because of her, her heart trembled just as much.
When she thought his kiss was just a meaningless act caused by the potion, it left her feeling bitter and disappointed.
Lizelle realized she wanted to ask him something.
What was he trying to say to her when he was drunk?
What did all those words mean that she still couldn’t understand even until now?
To this point, she just ignored it and let it slide, but now she wanted to know what all of his actions and words mean.
She thought only then would she be able to clearly define the emotions she was feeling right now.
“I… him.”
Whether she liked him or not.
She wasn’t an idiot. She wasn’t a stone that couldn’t sense her own feelings.
However, she couldn’t accurately judge her own feelings because she wasn’t sure.
She wondered if she really likes him or if it’s just a passing excitement.
“Phew…”
Lizelle let out a long sigh.
His actions kept replaying over and over in her head.
“Hello.”
Startled, Lizelle turned at the voice from behind her.
“Oh, hello.”
There was a woman wearing a maid’s uniform standing there.
It was someone she recognized from her time at the Duke’s residence over the past month.
“Are you feeling unwell?”
“Sorry?”
“Your face is red. Do you have a fever?”
At her comment, Lizelle put the back of her hand to her cheek. She could feel the warmth radiating from her face.
She was extremely embarrassed by the fact that her face was so red other people could tell.
“It’s nothing.”
“…”
The maid looked at Lizelle’s hand caressing her cheek.
No, to be exact, the ring on her finger.
A diamond ring on the fourth finger.
It was clearly an ‘engagement ring’ to anyone who saw it.
The maid’s jaw tightened, and her face twitched as though she was clenching her teeth too hard.
“Well, then…”
Lizelle said, unaware of the maid’s reaction, and turned to leave. But the maid’s voice stopped her again.
“Congratulations.”
The voice was congratulating her, though the tone carried an odd edge that felt off.
Lizelle turned back to examine the maid’s expression.
But the maid smiled brightly. She must have been mistaken.
The maid was smiling so brightly that it seemed borderline excessive.
“Congratulations on your engagement to the Duke.”
Rumors spread quickly here. Of course, this was his mansion, so it’d be strange if his servants didn’t know.
“Yes, thank you.”
She nodded faintly to the maid and continued walking down the hallway.
She soon reached the end of the wide hallway where there were stairs leading down to the first floor.
Lizelle went down the familiar staircase.
The maid, left behind, followed the same corridor Lizelle had walked.
She stopped at the top of the stairs.
Her eyes were locked onto Lizelle’s retreating back as she descended the steps.
“How dare she do something like that to me.”
Her glare was so fierce and vicious it could burn a hole in the back of Lizelle’s head.
The maid’s eyes trembled with the anger boiling inside her.
She clenched her fists, suppressing the urge to run over and push Lizelle down the stairs.
An opportunity would come soon enough.
A chance to eliminate her neatly and claim the Duke for herself.
A chilling smile spread across the maid’s face as she continued to stare at Lizelle.
It was Regina.
She was fiddling with a vial in her pocket.
* * *
Time passed quickly and before she knew it, it was the day of the wedding.
Lizelle had been so busy that she didn’t even have time to properly think about her feelings for Chase.
Choosing accessories to match her wedding dress had taken an entire day. Another day was spent receiving massages and skincare treatments from morning till night.
Even when she wanted to decline, she couldn’t.
Because the person who prepared all of this was none other than her mother.
It seems that she was concerned that Lizelle’s marriage partner was the head of the Halos family.
“Well, I’ll see you soon.”
“Yes, Mother.”
After checking Lizelle’s attire one last time, her mother left the room.
“Phew…”
Finally alone, Lizelle let out a deep sigh.
Her legs trembled beneath the heavy wedding dress.
She sat quietly in a small prayer room within the main temple.
Since it was rare for the main temple to be used as a wedding venue, there was no suitable place to use as a waiting room, so they repurposed a prayer room.
Time had flown by after the birthday banquet. She didn’t even realize how fast it’d gone by.
She certainly hadn’t expected she’d be this nervous just two weeks ago.
Back then, she viewed the marriage as a mere contract, a mutually beneficial arrangement with no feelings involved.
But her feelings had completely changed since signing that contract.
“This is driving me crazy…”
Why was she trembling so much?
Nerves tightened her throat, leaving her parched.
Unable to sit still, Lizelle stood and paced around the small room.
Today was really the day.
Today, she and Chase would truly marry…
“Haa…”
Was this really okay? Was it right to proceed like this? There was no turning back now, but she couldn’t help but wonder.
People often said their minds were overwhelmed with thoughts before a wedding. They weren’t wrong.
She thought she wouldn’t be like that, but she was only human.
As her frantic steps brought her in front of a full-length mirror, she froze.
“…”
The woman in the mirror, adorned in a pure white wedding dress, was undeniably a bride.
And the dress in question…
Who could have guessed that when she left the decision to someone else, they’d decorate it with dozens, if not hundreds, of jewels?
She clearly told Chase that she wanted a small wedding, but this one dress ruined those plans.
It couldn’t get more luxurious than this.
“Lizelle!”
At that moment, a familiar voice called from outside. She opened the door quickly.
“Wow! An angel! A real angel descended from heaven!”
Standing there, Raphel clapped his small hands, eyes wide open.
