Chapter 37
“I was really worried. I’m glad you’re safe.”
Not long after I got home, Richard came to see me.
The moment he saw me, he let out a long sigh of relief and rubbed his face, as if releasing all his tension at once.
Now I feel guilty…
Especially since I’d just experienced the happiest moment of my second life.
Long after the fireworks had faded, Theo and I finally pulled apart.
The moment our lips separated, I found it hard to meet his eyes. My gaze dropped—and landed on his lips.
That only made my face burn hotter.
Sensing my fluster, he smiled—the same smile that always made my heart flutter.
How can he look so calm?
I grumbled inwardly and turned my eyes away from his mouth… only to see that his ears were bright red.
That made me smile.
“We’re already here.”
Wait—what? Just a moment ago, we were in some dark alley near the square.
When I came to my senses, we were sitting inside a carriage.
Theo was still holding my hand, and the carriage had stopped right in front of my house, as if waiting for me to step down.
What? How did we get here so fast? Did we teleport?
“I’ll find out who did this,” he said firmly.
“It’s fine. You already saved me—that’s enough.”
Theo probably couldn’t track down the culprit anyway.
Someone had sent assassins to kill me. Which meant the person had to be someone connected to me. I’d have to investigate it myself.
“Goodnight. I’ll come see you soon.”
His lips brushed against my forehead, and I could feel the heat rush to my face again.
Even after I stepped out, he stood there watching me until I went inside.
“Go on, get home safe,” I said, waving.
He didn’t seem willing to leave until I was through the door.
He’d been saying how busy he was lately—standing out here wasting time would only exhaust him more.
As soon as I reached for the gate, it opened before I even pushed it.
That’s weird. It’s not an automatic door.
“Did you have fun, milady?”
It was Mary. She’d opened the gate from the inside, smiling knowingly between me and Theo.
That look on her face—she was clearly full of curiosity.
And judging from her expression, she was definitely misunderstanding something.
Or… was it really a misunderstanding?
“I’m going in first. Goodnight.”
Embarrassed that she might say something teasing, I hurried inside.
“See? I knew there was something going on between you two!”
I knew it.
The moment I entered the mansion, Mary shot me a sly grin.
“You don’t need to know. Don’t ask.”
I covered my ears to block any further questions.
But as I went up the stairs, a thought hit me.
So… what exactly are we?
We kissed. That should mean we’re lovers now, right?
But he never said anything about being together. Maybe he would next time we met.
Still, maintaining a relationship wouldn’t be easy.
If Father ever found out, he’d probably have Theo by the collar.
After all, Theo was just a commoner pretending to be a noble.
But what could I do? I liked him. I’d find a way to make Father understand.
I couldn’t stop smiling at the thought.
“…Sister? It’s been a while.”
I turned, startled.
Because I’d been covering my ears, I hadn’t noticed someone approaching.
It was Nathan, walking down the hall toward me.
“It’s been a while. I heard you were staying in the estate. How have you been?”
“I’ve been very well.”
Strangely, he didn’t look like someone who’d been doing well.
“You look healthy.”
“I am now. That day I suddenly fell into the water, I really shocked you, didn’t I?”
“Yes. You certainly did. And now you’ve returned healthy again.”
“Yes, I’m perfectly fine now.”
Nathan smiled at my cheerful tone.
But something about that smile didn’t feel… genuine.
It didn’t carry any relief at all.
Am I just being paranoid?
Maybe the encounter with those masked men had left me too jumpy.
Someone had tried to kill me—of course I was shaken.
Who would want me dead? I’d done nothing wrong.
“There was… nothing unusual at the festival, was there?”
“Unusual? No, not really.”
Well, technically, a lot happened.
I was nearly killed by assassins. Then I kissed Theo.
But that wasn’t the kind of thing you told your brother.
And I didn’t want to burden Nathan with the fact that I’d been attacked.
“…Really nothing unusual?”
“Nothing. Why, would you prefer if something had happened?”
I asked playfully.
Maybe it was just my imagination, but his question almost sounded like he was hoping for bad news.
“…No. I just found it strange.”
“Strange?”
“I heard you went with Richard. But it seems you came back with someone else.”
Ah—Richard. I had completely forgotten about him.
“What exactly happened? Were you hurt?”
Nathan had said “nothing unusual” earlier. Now Richard was asking the same thing.
I shook my head, pretending everything was fine.
Then it hit me—he’d proposed to me not long ago.
It would be completely inappropriate to tell him I’d kissed another man the same day.
No need to add guilt to injury.
“I’m sorry I left so suddenly. There were too many people, so I decided to come home. I thought you’d have trouble finding me. Did you see the fireworks?”
“I didn’t. I was too worried about you. Louise and Gerard even helped me look, but we never found you. I didn’t even get to thank them properly.”
“I’ll thank them for you.”
I should probably stop by the cake shop soon and bring them something nice.
“I’m just relieved you’re safe. It’s late, so I’ll take my leave for now.”
Richard gave a polite bow, as if his only purpose was to confirm my safety, then turned to go.
Watching his slumped shoulders, I felt another wave of guilt.
I’d forgotten all about him while I was with Theo.
“Wait.”
When I reached out and caught his sleeve, his whole face lit up.
That hopeful look was… honestly a bit too much. Maybe I shouldn’t have stopped him.
But I had to set a date.
“Are you busy in ten days?”
“No. I’ll make time for you, no matter what.”
“Then I’ll see you then. I’ll give you my answer.”
“I look forward to a positive one.”
Why did he sound like he was applying pressure again?
He left soon after, and I finally turned toward my room.
I had a quest to complete—something that would require my full focus.
My Doomed Love Is Entertaining — Episode 77
“How absurd.”
Theo’s cold voice made the entire room fall silent.
Even Mael, who usually joked around freely, couldn’t bring himself to speak.
“They cleaned up the bodies already. Faster than I expected.”
The three men who had attacked Yvonne—he had to find out who had sent them.
Just before escorting her home, Theo had secretly contacted Luca through his communicator.
He’d ordered him to investigate the assassins’ corpses for any clues.
But by the time Luca arrived at the scene, the bodies were gone.
Theo’s chest tightened. The longer it took to find them, the greater the danger to her.
“Did you notice anything unusual about them?” Mael asked.
“Unusual…”
Theo touched his chin thoughtfully.
They’d been masked, dressed all in black, and even wore gloves. No markings on their swords. Whoever hired them had planned this well.
I won’t let them go unpunished.
He clenched his fist.
Late that night, after everyone had gone to bed, Nathan slipped quietly out of the mansion.
He made his way to a small general store in the city.
At first glance, it looked ordinary—but hidden within was a secret meeting room where certain people traded in darker dealings.
“I didn’t pay you for this kind of work.”
Nathan’s voice was sharp as ice.
“I’m sorry, sir. We were… unlucky.”
“Unlucky?” His lip curled. “So she just happened to walk away alive because of luck?”
He crossed his arms, eyes narrowing as he looked the man up and down.
[Take over the Duke of Lambert’s estate.]
That was his mother’s dying wish.
Everything had been proceeding according to plan—until now.
Worse, his father’s trust in his sister was growing stronger by the day. That made him nervous.
“She’s been absurdly lucky,” he muttered.
She’d survived poison. She’d even lived through being pushed into the river.
And now, even after hiring skilled assassins to strike during the crowded festival, she’d come home without a scratch.
“I sent three assassins to make sure it was done properly,” the man said. “But when we returned to the scene, only their bodies were left.”
“Strange.”
Nathan rubbed his chin, deep in thought.
Richard didn’t have the skill to take on three assassins at once.
And Yvonne? Not a chance.
Then who had done it?
Gerard’s face crossed his mind.
Louise’s ex-fiancé, a swordsman good enough to join the Imperial Knights.
“So she happened to be with him at that moment.”
Of course. She always had fortune smiling on her.
“This dagger was found lodged in one of the corpses’ backs,” the man continued.
Nathan examined it closely.
“The accuracy was perfect. Whoever threw this was a master. And judging from the way the others were cut down…”
He hesitated to mention that one corpse had been stabbed through after being struck in a rather… humiliating place.
“It wasn’t Gerard,” Nathan murmured. The crest on the dagger’s hilt was completely unfamiliar.
“Who could it be?”
It wasn’t any noble he knew. Too ornate for a baron or viscount, too obscure for a high-ranking house.
That only made it more unsettling.
“Find out—now.”
Whoever it was, he’d destroy them.
If someone was protecting Yvonne, he’d make sure that shield was torn apart.
A few days later—
“Did you identify the crest?”
“Yes, but… well…”
The answer came quicker than expected.
[Comments]
→ “Nathan, you idiot, that’s the royal crest of the neighboring empire! 😂”
→ “This brother has zero morals.”
→ “He’s working overtime just to kill his sister… what a psycho.”
→ “Author, where’s Raphael?? 😭 It’s boring without him!”
→ “Nah, it’s better without Raphael 😆”
