That night, Carl stumbled out of Sandra’s room, utterly drained. The moment he closed the door, he heard something shatter loudly. Crash!
“Then just divorce me! If you won’t cut ties with Windsor and transfer to Rolland, let’s end this marriage!”
They fought like that for hours. No, it wasn’t even a fight. It was just listening to accusations pouring down like a bombardment.
Is she serious? Does she really want a divorce? What would be the best way to handle this…
Carl pondered deeply about the future. But he soon realized that he had a task at hand that was far more important than any future with Sandra. It was playing the role of Dana’s counselor.
Oh, this is bad. That fragile girl must be anxious and uneasy after receiving a threatening letter. He had to go and reassure her quickly. Carl hurriedly entered his room and changed his clothes.
Hmm?
As he buttoned his shirt, he noticed something.
Someone’s been here. Not only that, but some of his belongings were missing. The intruder had cleaned up thoroughly, but Carl remembered every slight change in the angles of his things.
But that’s not what’s important right now. Dana was waiting for him.
Carl hummed a tune as he adjusted his clothes and ran a hand through his hair. After checking that his reflection in the mirror was perfect, he hurried to the first-class lounge.
“Oh my, it’s Lord Carl.”
“Come over and join us for a card game.”
He politely declined the clingy people with a nod and made his way through the crowd.
Dana, Dana, Dana, Dana, Dana. Where is she? Where could she be? Dana must be waiting for him desperately. He needed to get to her side right away—
It was at that moment.
“Ahaha!”
A burst of laughter, like a flower bud bursting open, echoed in his ears from somewhere. As if enchanted, Carl turned around. That voice—it sounded like Dana’s. No, it can’t be. On this ship, there shouldn’t be anything or anyone capable of making Dana laugh like that—except for him.
But it really was Dana. Dana, in a dazzling silver cocktail dress… She was smiling brightly, like a blooming flower.
* * *
It was a dinner party for first-class passengers. Dana had a wonderful time with Rumie. Laughing, chatting, and drinking just like before. And Rumie seemed to be having a great time too.
“Is it because of the crown prince?”
But he wasn’t fooled.
“I mean, you being so nice to me like this.”
As the party was winding down, Rumie asked. “Are you doing it to show off to the crown prince?”
Dana was genuinely taken aback by those words. “What do you mean?”
“What do I mean? You’ve been too nice to me today.”
“Huh?”
“Dana, you hate me.”
He was annoyingly perceptive. And he didn’t get fooled like usual.
“Because I’ve been mean to you.”
Dana was secretly surprised by his words. So he did know. She thought Rumie was like Allice—completely unaware of how horrible he had been. But he knew and still acted that way?
That realization made her just as angry, and her insides boiled. The more it did, the more Dana smiled broadly. After all, anger was a great motivator.
“Then would you apologize?”
“What happens if I apologize?”
“Things will go back to how they used to be.”
“By how they used to be, you mean when you treated me like your real brother?”
“Yes.”
Haha. Rumie let out a dry laugh. Under the lights, his face, smiling brightly, looked quite stunning.
“I don’t want to.”
“What?”
“I said I don’t want to.”
“…”
At that moment, Dana felt the temperature of the air around Rumie drops sharply. It was then she naturally realized. That until just now, Rumie’s world had been filled with a sweet warmth. And now, she had completely thrown his mood into disarray.
Why? How come?
What did she do wrong? Dana was so taken aback that she couldn’t even get angry. If anything, it was Rumie who had upset her, so why was he the one showing displeasure?
It was then.
“Kyaa!”
Something collided with her from behind. Then, all at once, something spilled onto her skirt.
“I-I’m sorry! Sister, are you okay?”
It was Allice. Allice had spilled wine all over her dress, staining the silver fabric bright red.
“Oh dear. You should have been more careful.” Raios clicked his tongue, looking at Dana with disdain. “Seems like you were too distracted by a man to watch where you were going, Danae Windsor. Why don’t you try looking ahead properly?”
Distracted by a man? Me?
“I was looking ahead just fine, Your Highness. Unfortunately, I don’t have eyes on the back of my head,” Dana retorted irritably.
“I-I’m fine. Please don’t be too harsh, Your Highness.”
“You’re always so kind.” Raios shot a sharp, reproachful glance at Danae, then eventually pulled the flustered Allice into an embrace. “Let’s go, Allice.”
“Yes.” Allice glanced at Dana but soon leaned into Raios with a smile and walked away leisurely.
Dana glared at the backs of the cockroach-like couple. She was itching to spray them with insecticide.
What kind of sudden disaster was this?
“You look a mess. Why don’t you go clean up?” Rumie sighed and handed her a handkerchief. But this wasn’t something a handkerchief could fix.
“Yes. I’ll be back in a bit.”
“That’s probably for the best.”
Rumie’s voice was gentle, but his red eyes were still filled with coldness. Dana didn’t even want to know why he was so upset.
* * *
Did I pull it off naturally?
Thump, thump. Allice’s heart was racing.
Spilling wine on Dana’s clothes just now was intentional! Because—
“This is the perfect chance to put her in her place.”
Miona had advised her just a little while ago!
“Pour wine on her dress during the party. Make sure she has to go to the bathroom alone.”
“Wi-Will that really work?”
Isn’t pouring wine a bit childish? When Allice voiced her doubts, Miona got serious and snapped.
“A-Are you doubting me?! Do you really think I have some other motive?!”
“It’s not that…”
“Use this opportunity to embarrass her. There’s no one here who will take her side!”
It didn’t seem like Miona’s usual advice, but still. Miona’s been acting a bit off lately, but her advice has never steered me wrong… Even though something about Miona’s expression lingered in her mind, Allice pushed that thought aside.
Well, it was a bit satisfying. Seeing Dana’s pitiful figure leaving the lounge made Allice feel just a little better.
* * *
Dana headed to the nearest women’s restroom from the lounge. Whoosh. As she turned on the faucet, water gushed out. She dampened a handkerchief and roughly wiped the wine off her skirt. It looked a bit better, but— I should just change. Yes, going back to her room to change seemed like the best option.
Dana let out a sigh. Suddenly, a wave of fatigue washed over her.
Rumie was really hard to deal with. How did she manage to treat him so casually before? Back then, he was endlessly kind, like a real older brother.
And when will Raios and Allice get off this ship? She hoped they would reach the stopover soon. Being in the same space as Raios and Allice was unbearable…
“Can’t get it clean?”
It was then.
“Want me to wash it for you?”
Dana felt a chill run down her spine.
“Take off your clothes.”
A voice filled with exaggerated concern. This voice…
Overwhelmed by a sense of déjà vu, Dana slowly lifted her head. And the moment she faced the mirror,
“Hurry up and take it off already.”
In the mirror, like a ghost, she locked eyes with a large man standing behind her.
“Or should I take it off for you?”
“…!”
Before she could even scream, the man reached out. He grabbed her body and swiftly covered her mouth.
“Aah, finally caught you. My pretty little b*tch. Do you know how much I’ve wanted to meet you?”
She could feel the strange shiver of excitement radiating from him as if he’d been waiting for this moment all along.
Dana struggled, but his arms were like steel, not budging an inch.
“What? Didn’t you expect me to come?”
Let go of me! She kicked his shin with her shoe, but he just laughed as if it didn’t hurt. Instead, he seemed even more excited by her actions.
“I told you, didn’t I? To wait for me.”
The man—Ignis—roughly lifted her face, forcing her to look at him. His fierce eyes gleamed with delight.
“I’ve come to propose.”
Hi, now you can purchase 10 advance chapters in here.
Why is there no chapter this Monday 🥹
Hi, the update schedule for this novel is every Tuesday and Friday