Chapter 130…
Cynthia quietly gazed into Tession’s violet eyes. He did not avoid her steady stare; instead, he met it as he slowly opened his mouth.
“Cynthia, you’re cunning.”
“…What?”
What did he just call her? Cynthia blinked her wide eyes. Is this the kind of reaction someone gives after a confession?
Tession let out a sigh, lowering his head as he brushed back the strands of hair that had fallen over his forehead.
“You know exactly what to say to lift my mood in an instant.”
Thump—
It wasn’t as if she hadn’t intended that with her sudden confession… Cynthia rolled her eyes around awkwardly.
“It’s still true, though.”
“Hearing it now… it doesn’t sound very sincere.”
Still keeping his head lowered, Tession muttered brusquely. He was trying hard to look composed, but the words he had longed to hear made his neck and ears flush red, and his heart thumped so loudly he couldn’t raise his head. If he kept looking her in the eyes like this, he felt she might notice how foolishly flustered he was.
But Cynthia found this rare side of him—almost like a sulky child—so endearing that she couldn’t help smiling. She reached out and cupped his cheeks, lifting his face.
“I admit the timing was bad. And I can’t deny I did want to cheer you up a bit… but I just wanted to tell you.”
“…”
“I probably should’ve said it at a different time, shouldn’t I?”
Tession narrowed his eyes at her mumbling.
“It’s true, I swear! Don’t look at me like you don’t believe me!”
“Why say something like that now? Aren’t you supposed to be too busy researching the Bailey family to actually get to know me?”
Was he… being sarcastic?
The unexpected tone made the corners of Cynthia’s lips twitch upward.
“Well, you’re not wrong… but the Duke is right in front of me right now. So my heart kind of slipped out without permission.”
“This won’t make me help you.”
“I wasn’t asking for help, though?”
“Then what?”
Tession, looking far more relaxed than before, wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her close. Cynthia didn’t resist, stumbling lightly into his firm, warm chest.
“It’s a notice! That from now on, I’m going to—”
“Is Lady Elizabeth weighing that heavily on your mind?”
Tession’s hand gently slid along her back. Cynthia, distracted by the warmth lingering behind her, answered softly.
“I just can’t shake the feeling something’s wrong. That Elizabeth’s death might be… connected to the Baileys in a bad way.”
“Can’t you forget all that and think about a new life here? Imagine a future where you’re no longer entangled with the Baileys.”
“That’s…”
“If it’s uncomfortable being here in the capital with the Baileys and Lycaon around, then I’ll take you to the farthest part of my territory. Somewhere you’ll never meet them again.”
Cynthia shook her head.
Now that she was here, she couldn’t separate Elizabeth from herself. In a way, she had begun to identify with her. She needed to know who had pushed Elizabeth—someone who still had the will to live—into her death.
Only then could she understand why she had been brought here, not into the original novel’s timeline, but into this altered world where Elizabeth disappeared. Only then would she finally be able to shake off the lingering unease and start anew as Cynthia.
Tession sighed as he watched her firm expression.
“The Baileys are dangerous people.”
“I know.”
“You’ve already drawn many eyes. Lycaon’s among them.”
“I know that too.”
“And yet you’re still determined to give me a headache, is that it?”
That far?
Cynthia was speechless at the unexpectedly blunt accusation. Annoying Tession had never been the plan…
She glanced up. He still looked displeased. Now what?
But soon, he let out a small, defeated laugh—as if surrendering.
“Fine. Do as you wish.”
Cynthia’s eyes widened.
“Really?”
“You want to. And frankly, I don’t have the power to oppose something you’ve decided to do.”
“Duke…! Thank you!”
“But before I change my mind, tell me you like me one more time.”
“I like you!”
Cynthia shouted immediately. That was easy! She could say it ten times—no, a hundred!
“Since when?”
“…Huh?”
But the question that followed made her mouth snap shut. Since when?
Tession curved his lips into a playful smile.
“Since when did you like me?”
“Well, that’s… hmm…”
Cynthia fell deep into thought with a suddenly serious face. Since when did she like him? At first, he had been nothing more than one of the male leads in the original novel…
Even waking him from the curse hadn’t been because she liked him, but because he was pitiful—someone everyone used.
“Don’t tell me it was a lie.”
“No!”
Cynthia jerked her head up in panic. His violet eyes were overflowing with warmth and affection.
Cynthia stared blankly.
“…”
“So it wasn’t sincere after all? If it was just a lie to evade the situation… I’m hurt.”
Tession exaggerated a pout, looking intentionally pitiful. The playful expression was utterly charming.
Cynthia blinked slowly, then rose onto her toes. Placing her hands on his shoulders, she pressed her lips gently to his.
A soft sound echoed in the room as their lips met and parted.
“…”
When she stepped back, Tession’s face was bright red.
She couldn’t hide or ignore her feelings anymore. She couldn’t stop loving this man who blushed so easily.
Tession, stunned for a moment, touched his lips with the back of his hand.
“You really are cunning. You know that?”
“Maybe.”
Cynthia murmured and nestled into his arms. Resting her ear against his chest, she whispered:
“I don’t know when I started liking you. It just… seeped in before I noticed.”
“In that case, my plan worked.”
Tession’s low voice vibrated warmly through his body. Cynthia closed her eyes in contentment and hugged his waist.
“When did you start planning?”
“Since the moment I first saw you.”
“Then maybe you’re the cunning one, not me.”
“That may be true.”
Tession embraced her tightly.
Several days later, Cynthia stepped out in the carriage Tession had lent her, peering cautiously out the window.
Today I should visit my old house… and also check out that jewelry shop that trades with the Bailey family’s Retemper Company!
Tession still disapproved of her going out, but she couldn’t stay locked in the ducal estate forever.
‘You must stay with the guards I hired for you.’
With that strict promise, she finally received permission to leave.
“If my investigation uncovers the Baileys’ weaknesses, I’ll be able to use them as leverage. Then we’ll stop being enemies.”
She murmured quietly as the old neighborhood came into view. Dale’s brick house would be just around the corner.
But where had Dale gone?
As she approached the house he prepared for her, she naturally thought of him. Violet said he had simply quit his job, nothing unusual… yet Cynthia couldn’t shake a strange anxiety.
Hmm…
While she was lost in worry, the carriage stopped in front of the familiar brick house.
Cynthia pushed aside thoughts of Dale and carefully opened the carriage door, scanning her surroundings.
“Let’s see…”
This was where she first woke up, where she first met Elizabeth—the moment she realized she was inside the original novel. Maybe there were clues, feelings, or traces she had missed back then.
“I’m going to go back to where it all started!”
Cynthia took a determined breath.
Confirming that no one was around, she stepped down from the carriage, rummaged through her pocket, and pulled out the key. Unlocking the door, she slowly stepped inside.
