Chapter 30
“Edwin caught her with that face, so she’s not going to run away.”
Roman shook off his worries and entered the office.
He knocked, but Raynan didn’t pay any attention to Roman. He seemed uncomfortable and lost in thought.
Did the conversation not go well?
Swallowing his regret for not having asked Renee first, he cautiously called Raynan.
“Duke?”
“Yes.”
There was still no eye contact, but fortunately the answer came back.
“Have you talked to Renee?”
“Yeah.”
“Then why do you look upset?”
“Roman.”
“Yes, Duke.”
The call sounded awkwardly serious. Roman straightened up nervously and answered.
“What do you think Renee thinks of me?”
“Yes?”
It was a question that was completely unsuited to this situation. Besides, isn’t it too late to ask this question now?
“She freaked out when I asked her to marry me, it was quite sincere to think she was shy.”
“Marriage? Weren’t you trying to convince her not to leave?”
“Marriage is one way to convince her.”
It’s not hard to see how Renee would have reacted to the sudden mention of marriage.
Raynan looked quite taken aback.
“No matter what, marrying Renee is a bit…”
“It is. I thought it was perfect in many ways.”
“In what ways?”
“Edwin likes and follows her, and she obviously likes…”
Raynan stopped explaining and fell into thought again.
Roman, who seemed to know what he was talking about, waited quietly.
I kept my guard up with the intention of avoiding it if he suddenly got angry.
However, Raynan’s reaction was completely different from Roman’s expectations.
In fact, it was the opposite. His drooping appearance, as if he had lost energy, was unfamiliar even to Roman, who had been by his side for a long time.
Was it that shocking? Well, Raynan had always believed that Renee liked him.
This was the first time something like this had happened, so while Roman was thinking about how to respond, Raynan slowly opened his mouth.
“You said there were rumors about Rene before, right?”
“Yes.”
“I thought it wouldn’t be a bad idea to use this rumor.”
“Yes?”
“Yeah. Wouldn’t Renee be much better than Bella Krause? A nobleman who is blinded by love.”
It wasn’t a bad choice. No, maybe it would be even better than choosing Bella.
But the problem was Renee.
“Do you think Renee would do it?”
“She said she’d think about it.”
That was Renee’s answer after hesitating for a moment despite Raynan’s urging. She needs some time to think.
“Maybe she will.”
“Marriage?”
“No, engaged.”
As expected, Roman thought he should have been present when the two people were having a conversation. I couldn’t figure out what was going on.
“How did you explain it?”
“Simply, I need an engagement. I think Renee is the right person, and it will help Edwin too.”
At that point, everything that was needed was said. Of course, we will have to check later whether it was conveyed in a way that Rene could understand.
“I offered sufficient compensation, set a deadline, and then I told her she could go somewhere else if she wanted, or she could stay.”
Roman was rather relieved after hearing Raynan’s dry explanation. It would have been less scary for Renee to hear these conditions.
If he just asked her to get married or engaged, Renee might have planned to run away again.
In the meantime, I was surprised that Raynan was able to resolve the situation so favorably.
“It’s up to Renee to decide.”
“She probably will. But I didn’t tell her that she might be in danger…”
“I think it would be better not to do that.”
“First, let’s find someone to guard Renee without being noticed.”
“All right.”
“Actually, more than turning down a marriage or engagement….”
“Yes.”
“I’m quite shocked that she actually believed I was going to kill her.”
Raynan laughed weakly. I had a bit of an idea why Renee thought that way, but at the same time, I also understood Raynan’s feelings.
The rumors about Raynan and Roman were pretty vicious, but they weren’t really that vicious.
They didn’t really correct the stories when they were told. In fact, they used that image to make things easier for themselves.
“What made you think that?”
There must have been a clear reason why Rene suddenly decided to run away.
“She heard when I told you to deal with Erin.”
“Ah…”
It was a situation where Renee could easily have been mistaken.
“First of all, we will make preparations in case Renee says she will do it.”
“Okay. And on the surface, I want it to look like you’re against it.”
“All right.”
Even in the midst of his confusion, Raynan never forgot to give instructions.
Roman quietly left the office. Roman was not the one who could organize Raynan’s thoughts.
Above all, Roman was also quite confused.
Contrary to what he had feared, the conversation between the two went well, and there was an unexpected rewards.
“But somehow, it seems like things will get more complicated in the future.”
Roman shook his head and began to organize the immediate needs in his head.
*****
I don’t know if it’s because I was unable to let go of the tension for a while while preparing to run away? Or if it’s because I’ve failed miserably.
I staggered along for a long time, my whole body drained of energy.
Roman’s worry that I would be in trouble tomorrow seemed to have come true, and my body felt heavier.
I wanted to rest, but my feet naturally took me first to Edwin’s bedroom.
The letter containing the explanation and apology was still there where I left it. There wasn’t even a trace of tearing.
My expectation that they would have followed me immediately after seeing the letter was wrong.
Well, it was difficult for Edwin, who was already asleep, to wake up, read the letter, and show up there with Raynan.
“Then how on earth did he know?”
I should ask about that too. Today, Raynan seemed to be in a particularly leisurely mood.
When I thought of Raynan, my mind became complicated again.
How did things end up like this?
“Engagement.”
Naturally, my steps headed towards Edwin’s bed. Just seeing Edwin sleeping soundly made me feel a little at ease.
After tucking up Edwin’s blanket, I carefully left the bedroom and returned to my room.
“It’s also for Edwin….”
Thanks to Raynan’s kind explanation today, I didn’t have to worry about what he meant. That was a great relief, but I was filled with worries in a different way.
“No matter what, engagement.”
I tried to recall the original novel as much as possible. But it didn’t help much.
Raynan’s marriage wasn’t in the original anyway. Moreover, speaking of the engagement to me, isn’t he going in a completely different direction from the original?
Still, I knew one thing for sure.
This was the reason why Raynan was indifferent to Edwin. It wasn’t really about neglecting Edwin, it was about saving him.
“Well, I could tell by the way Roman treated Edwin. Why didn’t I realize?”
Roman wouldn’t have cared so much about Edwin if Raynan had really meant to neglect him.
As belated realization dawned on me, Roman’s words began to feel a little different.
Was he really asking me to come to him if something went wrong?
I felt a little sorry for only doubting his kindness.
“Oh, but would it be better to go to Roman and talk about the engagement? I can’t ask that.”
It seemed like the answer had already been decided, but it couldn’t be decided easily.
Suddenly, my body became as heavy as wet clothes. I never thought I’d fall asleep again in this room.
As I lay down on the familiar bed, everything that had happened a moment ago passed through my mind in an instant.
I hope it was all a dream.
I knew it was a wish that would never come true, but I prayed earnestly in my heart and then closed my eyes.
Contrary to my wish for a good night’s rest, the night I couldn’t sleep well passed and a new day began again.
But it was also the start of a completely different day from yesterday.
“Renee?”
Edwin turned to me as soon as he opened his eyes. Sitting next to him, waiting for him to wake up, I took his hand and answered.
“Yes, young master Edwin.”
Edwin, who was checking me out while rubbing his eyes for a moment, fell into my arms.
“I thought Renee was gone.”
“I’m sorry, young master Edwin.”
Stroking Edwin’s back, I reassured him for a long moment.
“This is a letter I wrote yesterday. It’s no longer needed, but please read it anyway.”
I’ve been thinking a lot about what to do with the unread letter. Still, I thought it would be better if Edwin read it.
“Letter?”
“Yes. I wrote it with all my heart. I never meant to hurt young master Edwin, it was just a difficult situation.”
“Renee…”
“At that time, I thought I had no choice but to leave, and it was my business that had absolutely nothing to do with young master Edwin.”
“I see.”
“I wrote to you in the letter, but I want you to know that I never did anything wrong or bad, Edwin.”
“Okay.”
Edwin cried and nodded at my words.
It was clear that if I hadn’t told him properly, he would have blamed himself the whole time.
“I’m sorry. As the Duke said yesterday, I made a big misunderstanding…”
“Then you don’t have to leave?”
“Yes.”
“That’s enough. You don’t have to be sorry.”
“Thank you.”
He smiled brightly while holding my letter in his arms.
It made the sleepless nights I’d spent worrying about all sorts of things seem worthwhile, and I was glad to have Edwin by my side.
If I had just left, Edwin would have remained in my heart for a very long time.
I felt very sorry for trying to leave Edwin for my own life.
As if he understood my feelings, he told me that if I didn’t leave, I could do whatever I wanted.
But Edwin’s kind nature made me feel more guilty.
“I’ll read the letter by myself later.”
“Yes.”
Although I started my daily routine as if I was relieved, Edwin checked me with his eyes whenever he got the chance, as if he still felt anxious.
“I-I was afraid that Renee would disappear if I saw you somewhere else for a moment….”
“I won’t. If I ever have to leave here, I will tell Edwin first.”
“Really?”
“Shall I promise?”
When I held out my little finger first, he hooked my finger with more force than before.
The power of the promise was quite great. He checked on me occasionally, but his anxiety was much less than it had been this morning.
“By any chance, did something happen last night?”
Marvin, who didn’t know what happened last night, looked puzzled at Edwin, who had no intention of leaving me since this morning.
He was too curious to ask, but finally spoke up after Edwin left to attend class.
“No? Why?”
I asked, trying to look as innocent as I could because I didn’t want anyone to know. Luckily, it looked convincing, and Marvin gave me a puzzled look.
“Young master Edwin seems to be sticking to you especially today.”
“Really?”
“Yeah.”
“Is that so? Nothing happened.”
“Really? That’s strange.”
Marvin still seemed unable to let go of his doubts, but he did not ask.
“Renee.”
“Roman?”
“It’s time to go see the Duke.”
“Why did you come in person?”
“We’ll talk on the way.”
I tried to explain it well, but it was all in vain due to Roman’s sudden appearance. Marvin’s eyes, which I saw just before leaving Edwin’s bedroom, contained suspicion rather than question.
How else should I take care of it? A sigh came out of my mouth.
“Why?”
As soon as I let out the sigh, Roman stopped and looked at me. Hearing his question, I looked around first.
No one was walking by, but just in case, I muffled my voice and asked him quietly.
“Did you come here on purpose because you were afraid I might run away?”
