Chapter 76
I told her to look forward to it, but Sylvie was indifferent.
“What if Cedric thinks my heart has changed?”
“Let him think that. You need to show that you’re doing well with a better man.”
Sylvie hasn’t officially broken up with Cedric yet, but people think they’ve split up since Cedric appeared publicly with the saint.
‘If Sylvie shows up with a better man, everyone will take notice.’
Gossip attracts attention in any dimension. Such interest would help clarify things.
“Oh, I see. A plan to provoke jealousy? Cedric will surely take notice…”
“No!”
I made a big X sign with both hands.
‘I can’t leave things as they are. I have to make Sylvie completely let go of Cedric before the engagement.’
If Cedric appears in front of her now, Sylvie will immediately lose her mind.
Moreover, if Cedric apologizes and says he was wrong, Sylvie might forgive him for everything.
‘I can’t let that happen.’
I crouched down and drew Cedric in the soft desert sand.
“Sylvie Unnie, what’s this?”
“What? It looks terrible.”
Sylvie glanced at it and replied nonchalantly. Normally, I would have been hurt, but I had heard worse from Chris, so I didn’t think much of it.
“Yes, it’s terrible. And this terrible person is Cedric!”
I stomped all over the messy drawing.
“Sylvie Unnie, what kind of guy is Cedric?”
“A cute one?”
“No. He’s the one who made you cry. He used you to regain his status, and then cheated on you and only looked for you when he needed something.”
“…Cedric.”
Sylvie’s relaxed expression hardened sharply.
“Good. That look. Don’t forget that anger. He trampled on your pure love.”
I folded my arms and looked Sylvie straight in the eye.
“So, what should you do if you meet that scoundrel Cedric?”
“Thinking about it, I should have kidnapped and locked him up. Should I ask Rapunzel to vacate her tower?”
“Oh, Sylvie Unnie.”
I shook my head vigorously.
‘What is love?’
It’s truly a vicious emotion. What is it about love that makes someone as amazing as Sylvie go crazy over someone like Cedric?
Then a deep male voice suddenly came to mind.
“I’m asking you on a date.”
Could it be Johan loves me?
I hurriedly brushed aside that doubtful thought.
That can’t be. It must just be curiosity about my cocktails and a simple fondness.
Johan is mature, so he understands his emotions well and expresses his interest appropriately.
Thinking that, I put some sand in my pocket to make a sandbag. I hung it on a building wall to finish preparing.
“Sylvie Unnie. This is Cedric.”
When I threw a punch, the sandbag swayed limply.
“Put your anger into it and hit it!”
“Huh, what?”
“Go on! You need to be a bit more assertive, Unnie.”
When I clenched both my fists and spoke, Sylvie clenched her fist too in a daze. Then she stared at the sandbag for a while before…
“You jerk! After all I did for you!”
When Sylvie punched it, the sandbag made a bizarre sound unlike when I hit it.
Is this thing going to burst soon?
Though beginnings are tough, Sylvie soon started wailing on the sandbag without me prompting her.
“I picked you up when you were a nobody! Bought you nice clothes! Helped you regain your status! Bought you a mansion! Raised you up to be a proper prince! And you cheated on me?”
Thud, thud! The sandbag couldn’t withstand her powerful punches and started to spill sand.
“I even made room for your friends! Gave them all good positions!”
Even though the sandbag had already lost its original shape, Sylvie’s resentment didn’t stop.
Listening from the side, I couldn’t help but sigh. Damn Cedric. He really sucked Sylvie Unnie dry.
‘But looking at Sylvie Unnie, it doesn’t seem like people necessarily love someone similar to themselves…’
I got a little curious about what kind of love Johan would have.
‘Ah, why am I randomly thinking about Johan?’
I shook my head again.
“That’s enough, Sylvie Unnie.”
“Not done yet!”
“The sandbag is dead.”
I looked at the deflated sandbag and grabbed Sylvie’s hand to pull her away. I was afraid she might start punching the wall next and break the building.
“Alright, that’s enough. Now, the next step. Let’s practice smiling. Follow my lead and smile sweetly!”
I demonstrated with a bright smile.
Since Sylvie was infamously known as a terrifying witch, she needed to appear more approachable.
“That’s easy.”
Sylvie curled up the corners of her mouth. Her wicked, captivating smile made cocktail ideas bubble up in my mind.
“So coo—!”
No, no! This isn’t it!
Desperately clinging to my rationality, I forced a big smile on my face.
“Like this, raise both corners of your mouth! Now try it again!”
But no matter how many times she tried, the result was the same. Anyone seeing that beautiful yet malicious smile would believe her witch’s infamous reputation.
‘How can she look so much like a terrifying witch?’
In reality, she was an adorably naive person, almost to the point of being a pushover.
“How’s this one?”
“Um, let’s try about a million more times.”
It seemed we still had a long way to go.
🫧
At the northern edge, the place called the limit of humanity, stood the Winter Fortress.
This impregnable castle, which an ancient dragon had gifted to humans long ago, had never fallen to monsters.
Recently, however, the Winter Fortress had been noticeably disorderly.
Was it because some formidable monster had attacked? No, that was an ordinary occurrence, nothing to be surprised about.
So, had something happened to Johan, the one who could even scare off monsters?
Indeed, it was on his side that something had occurred…
“Lord Johan? Really?”
“Yes, he requested formal evening wear be prepared, saying he’ll attend a party.”
The knights guarding the hallway whispered, glancing at Youhan’s room with the door slightly ajar. Through the gap, Johan could be seen deftly being dressed up. Adorned in evening attire, he exuded an air of elegance like a black panther.
“I thought our lord looked best in armor…”
“It’s unbelievable, right? I can’t help but stare in awe.”
Even the passing maids peeked surreptitiously through the gap.
“Um, I brought some tea in case Lord Johan gets thirsty.”
“I came to see the butler on an errand…”
“Ah, I took a wrong turn!”
The reason the usually empty hallway was unusually crowded with maids was obvious to anyone.
The butler helping Johan dress felt proud of the showering gazes.
So far, Youhan had never been involved in even a small scandal. His sole interest was defending the north by eradicating monsters.
‘He never attended common parties.’
He didn’t even show his face at the New Year’s festival that all nobles attend.
The butler had recently arranged for a young lady to visit the mansion, hoping to stir some romantic interest, only to be rejected.
‘I did something unnecessary. Lord Johan already had someone in mind without my meddling.’
The butler who had served beside Johan since his youth was deeply moved.
Johan had been going out more frequently, even staying out overnight, and today seemed to be the culmination of his efforts.
The elderly butler couldn’t help but smile.
“Ahem, my lord. You must be escorting a beautiful young lady.”
“……”
Fiddling with his cufflinks, Johan let out a sigh.
“Why such a look?”
“The woman I want to escort…asked me to escort someone else.”
“Pardon?”
The butler’s eyes went wide. This was something he had never heard nor seen before.
Just what kind of romance is our lord engaged in?
🥂
Thank you for reading! ♡
