Chapter 16
Cough, cough—
“Ugh, my head hurts…”
In the end, she caught the flu.
‘It’s all his fault!’
Riette blamed Evan.
Fourteen years of solid immunity had crumbled.
Saying something outrageous like taking her clothes off had apparently wrecked her immune system beyond repair.
And that wasn’t the end of it.
Even yesterday, as they were parting, Evan had said something else that messed with her head.
“You can trust me. I’d never betray you.”
He must not have liked the idea of taking the uncle’s advice literally—“Don’t trust anyone.”
But Riette couldn’t accept Evan’s assurance. Knowing full well what he did in the original story, she had no choice. That’s why she had disliked him all this time.
Come to think of it, Evan was a bit brazen. How could anyone be so sure about someone else’s feelings? Human hearts are supposed to be fickle!
After hearing Evan’s confident words, Riette felt the need to say something.
“You… you asked me to get engaged to you, right?”
“Yeah.”
“If, someday, some girl comes onto you and confesses she likes you, can you promise you won’t change your heart?”
Evan let out a sigh, lowered his head, then looked back up at her.
“…Is that all I mean to you, Riette?”
She was momentarily speechless.
She had originally intended to say, like an adult:
“Don’t trust your feelings so easily. You might regret them later.”
But when she heard the suppressed emotion in Evan’s voice, she swallowed her words.
Thankfully, though Evan had a slightly wounded look in his eyes, he quickly collected himself and smiled faintly as usual.
“Riette, I didn’t confess to you lightly. Saying I like you, that took…”
“Stop!”
Riette quickly cut him off.
“You’re not allowed to say you like me.”
She’d already been forced to hear his first confession, but she couldn’t bring herself to accept hearing those words again.
It was like a virus—just like the flu she had now, she had no immunity to hearing those words. Every time she did, she broke into a cold sweat.
And… above all else, talking to Evan was becoming harder and harder.
His confession had changed their relationship too quickly. She wanted to treat him the same way as before, but it wasn’t easy.
Though Evan looked slightly disappointed, he nodded, as if agreeing to give her more time.
“Riette, are you in there?”
The voice of the Duchess of Meren called from outside the door, cutting short Riette’s recollection of yesterday.
“Yes.”
The door opened soon after.
“Oh my, Riette!”
Seeing her daughter lying weakly in bed, the Duchess of Meren approached in worry. She felt Riette’s forehead with a concerned expression.
“I came by since the carriage hasn’t left yet… but you have quite a fever.”
“Yes. I don’t think I’ll be able to go to the Duke of Croyton’s estate today.”
“That’s a shame. Your father and I are going out today, so we’ll be home late…”
The duchess gently brushed Riette’s sweat-soaked hair from her forehead.
“It’s okay. It’s not a deadly illness. And Natasha knows how I’m doing, so I’ll be fine.”
Natasha was the meticulous head maid of the house.
If she knew, there was nothing to worry about.
“Still… I’ll call the doctor, so rest well today.”
“Okay… And please tell the Duke of Croyton I’m sorry I couldn’t make it today.”
Instead of answering, the duchess kissed Riette’s forehead and quietly left the room.
Tick, tock—
Lying quietly in bed and listening to the ticking of the clock, Riette felt her fever rising again. Her eyelids slowly closed.
Before she knew it, she was asleep—and dreaming.
It was a sunny day. A wide field of green stretched endlessly, and people had gathered.
Ding—ding—
At the sound of bells, flower petals fell from above as if to bless someone.
“Riette.”
A deep, pleasant voice rang out.
She looked to the side—and there stood a grown-up Evan.
He was taller than he was now, completely breaking her assumption that he wouldn’t grow anymore.
But that wasn’t what made him so charming.
“You… your clothes…”
“It’s our wedding day, remember?”
That’s when she noticed why everyone looked so joyful, and what the decorations meant.
Looking down, she saw she wasn’t in her usual shirt and trousers—but a bright white dress.
The hem of a luxurious wedding gown spread smoothly across the grass.
“Now, the bride and groom will make their entrance!”
A voice from an unseen host boomed.
With a charming smile, Evan held out his hand to her.
Riette, too dazed to question the surreal flow of events, placed her hand in his.
“Shall we go?”
“Huh? …Yeah.”
There was no way to say no. Her uncle, parents, cousins, friends—even Natasha’s cat—were all gathered.
Riette swallowed hard and walked with Evan.
At the end of the long carpet, the officiant stood waiting.
Facing Evan, Riette found it hard to meet his eyes in this absurd situation. Every time their gazes met, Evan smiled with a sparkle in his eyes.
‘That smile of his… hasn’t changed even after growing up.’
As she got lost in thought—
“Groom, kiss the bride.”
Riette’s eyes widened.
“K-Kiss?!”
She could accept the dream-wedding part, maybe, but skipping everything and jumping to the kiss?!
As she panicked, Evan quietly looked into her eyes.
A kiss? With someone she’d grown up with like a sibling?
“Evan… you’re not actually going to, are you?”
“I am.”
“You’re misunderstanding something.”
“You said that last time too. But we’re getting married anyway.”
“Th-That may be true, but…”
As Riette hesitated, Evan let out a soft chuckle.
“We have a lot to do as a married couple. If you’re flustered by just a kiss, how will you handle the rest?”
“The rest…?”
“Look forward to it. I’ve been holding back until now.”
Ahhh!
She wanted to run. But it was as if her feet were chained—she couldn’t move.
All she could do was glare at Evan.
“You’re not getting away with this.”
“Shhh. Save the rest for the bed.”
The officiant’s voice urged again.
“Groom, please kiss the bride.”
Realizing she couldn’t escape, Riette tightly shut her eyes.
Smack—
A warm, soft sensation touched her lips—then left.
‘Why does this dream feel so real…?’
She gently opened her eyes and touched her lips. The unfamiliar sensation still lingered.
“With this, the two are now husband and wife under everyone’s blessing.”
The wedding ended quickly. Applause erupted from the guests.
‘Did I… really marry Evan in this dream?’
What kind of ridiculous dream was this?!
As she was being magically pulled along, Evan suddenly stopped walking.
Riette followed his gaze.
A woman was standing there.
“Evan…”
A faint, tearful voice. Riette instantly recognized her.
The original female lead—Merrius.
“…Merrius.”
Evan looked at her longingly.
‘What’s with this atmosphere…?’
In a flash, the spotlight shifted to Merrius.
“Evan, I misunderstood. I realize now—it’s you I truly love!”
Excuse me?!
Sure, it was a desperate moment—but who crashes someone else’s wedding?!
“Merrius…”
What was worse was Evan’s reaction. Just moments ago, he was talking about the bed and kissing—and now he was looking at Merrius with hearts in his eyes?!
“Ugh, I can’t take this anymore!”
Unable to hold back, Riette threw the bouquet she was holding to the ground.
“Even in the original, you broke up and moved on fast! Some people never change!”
“…What are you talking about, Riette?”
She knew Evan wouldn’t understand, but yelling at him was the only way to ease her fury.
“Never mind! Go back to Merrius! I don’t need a guy like you.”
“Riette, I’m sorry… But I meant it when I said I loved you.”
“You bastard!”
In a burst of rage, Riette grabbed Evan by the collar.
“Riette…?”
His startled face was just inches away.
“Riette.”
Wait…?
The voice sounded way too clear.
It made sense—it was right in front of her—but it echoed differently than before.
“You’re awake?”
It felt like he was really right there.
After blinking a few times, her vision cleared.
Grown-up Evan had disappeared. And the Evan she knew was back—
“Aaaahhh!”
Realizing it was the real Evan, Riette let go of his collar and screamed.
“Riette! Are you okay?”
“W-Why are you here?!”
She looked around—was this still a dream? But no, it was definitely her room. She was back in her own bed.
“The duchess asked me to look after you. And…”
“And?”
“I was worried, too.”
Evan answered cautiously, watching her reaction.
Maybe it was because she reacted so badly to sweet talk, but he looked hesitant to express himself.
To cover her embarrassment, Riette quickly changed the subject.
“How long have you been here?”
It was already dark outside. She must’ve slept deeply.
“Hmm… about six hours?”
“Six hours?! You stayed that long?”
She looked at him in surprise. There were multiple wet towels beside him.
Now that she thought about it, her fever had gone down quite a bit—was it thanks to him?
“Did you take care of me this whole time? You could’ve asked a maid.”
“I wanted to do it myself.”
Riette sighed at Evan’s dedication.
But she also felt worried.
What if Evan’s feelings lasted longer than she expected?
They’d be seeing each other often, and if he kept acting like this, she’d feel bad, awkward… and maybe, just maybe—
‘What if I end up falling for him…?’
It was something that mustn’t happen. If it did, it would be the worst possible ending.
She’d just seen that tragic fate in her dream.
No matter which path she took, Evan was the male lead of this novel, destined to end up with the female protagonist.
His feelings for Riette were just a passing breeze.
It’s common for a first love to be someone familiar from childhood—like an older brother’s friend, a teacher, or a neighborhood buddy.
‘Yeah… Evan just sees me too often.’
They met every weekend for the uncle’s lessons, and on weekdays they’d ride horses or train in swordsmanship. She’d spent more time with Evan than even their parents.
Like a chick following its mother, Evan had been tagging along since they were little.
Which meant… once they stopped seeing each other, his feelings would fade.
Having reached this conclusion, Riette made a decision.
Starting tomorrow, she’d keep her distance from Evan.
