Chapter 94……………………………..
[Chapter 4: The Growth of Evil]
[Stage 3: Before the lecture, Adrian had tea with Leonhart in the parlor.]
As soon as the crow cycle ended, a new directive appeared as if it had been waiting. It put me in a foul mood.
The Molton family was practically finished.
“And yet… it says ‘growth’?”
Could it be that the trial I gave Bianca is what makes her grow into an even greater villainess?
The thought alone unsettled me — but the worst was yet to come.
“What did you just say? Repeat that.”
“Sir Digbyte has refused the engagement.”
Across from me, Leonhart stared into his teacup, as though studying it.
Is he… holding back laughter right now?
I clenched my teeth.
“…And his reason?”
“Well, he said the Duke was such an extraordinary person that he felt unworthy and couldn’t handle it.”
“He really said that?”
“I apologize. Actually… his mother told him not to go through with it.”
First his mother pushed him to propose, and now she’s the one telling him to refuse?
What a mama’s boy. I swear, at this rate, he’s never getting married.
“Who are the remaining candidates?”
“Sir Charles Dine, Count Joseph Frank, and Viscount Beric Thompson. Three in total.”
Sir Charles Dine was a psychopath — absolutely not. Beric Thompson wasn’t even a real candidate; he was an assassin, so that was out.
That left only one.
A male chauvinist with old-fashioned tendencies, but tolerable enough.
“Contact Count Joseph Frank.”
“I thought you might say that, so I’ve already reached out.”
“And?”
“He declined. Said he didn’t want to die by His Highness the Third Prince’s hand.”
My vision went white for a moment — blood pressure spiking.
I shut my eyes tightly and took a deep breath.
“…You may leave.”
“Yes, my lady.”
The butler bowed politely and exited the room.
“……”
“……”
A chilling silence settled over the parlor.
Bang!
I slammed my teacup down and shot to my feet.
“I told you to leave my house, didn’t I!”
“You must be happy, Duke — you’ve got plenty of people to blame.”
“So this is my fault now? He won’t marry me because he’s afraid of being killed by you!”
“Then don’t marry such a man. You’ll only suffer for it.”
“Ha!”
I laughed — hollow and disbelieving.
I dropped back onto the sofa and glared at Leonhart.
He was utterly calm.
Even now, he was sipping his tea leisurely, savoring its aroma.
[Stage 2: (mocking tone) Your Highness, isn’t this the last time to be so relaxed?]
For once, the damn script has a point.
If I suddenly went mad again and started chasing him like before, what would he do, sitting there so relaxed?
“Your Highness, isn’t this the time to be so relaxed?”
Leonhart tilted his head slightly, studying me.
“Do I have any reason to be impatient?”
[Stage 3: Think about why I’m rushing this engagement in the first place.]
“Think about why I’m rushing to get engaged in the first place.”
“I thought it was just the right time… Are you saying it’s because of me?”
[Stage 3: (angrily) Didn’t you know? Because you kept misunderstanding me, I had to get engaged just to prove I’d given up on you!]
…Really? I have to say it like that?
It was because of Leonhart, but did I really need to spell it out?
Still, it was a Stage 3 directive — I had no choice but to obey.
“Didn’t you know? Because you kept misunderstanding me, I got engaged just to prove I’d given up on you!”
Leonhart’s eyes widened in genuine disbelief.
“That doesn’t make sense. You were going to ruin your own life just to prove you had no feelings for someone else?”
[Stage 2: (smiling proudly) Do I look like someone who’d be ruined by a single failed engagement? Your Highness, I’m Adrian Ivrante.]
[Stage 3: And honestly, better a broken engagement than getting killed by Your Highness.]
“A failed engagement isn’t the end of the world. And honestly, better that than being killed by Your Highness.”
“……”
“You remember, don’t you? When you strangled me? Then left me unconscious on the ground?”
He tapped his knee lightly, then sighed deeply.
“I suppose I lost control of my emotions after seeing you for the first time in a long while. I apologize. It’s late, but still — I am sorry.”
[Stage 3: (magnanimously) I accept your apology. Anyway, given the circumstances, I suppose the engagement’s off.]
…What?!
That engagement had been the first thing I’d ever done entirely on my own.
The damn author hadn’t interfered back then — I thought the crow cycle had kept them from meddling. Turns out they had their own fix prepared.
And now they’re just erasing it like that… What have I been doing all this time?
Was I still just a puppet?
No matter how I struggled, I couldn’t escape the author’s control.
A weary sigh escaped me.
“I accept your apology. Anyway, given the circumstances, I suppose the engagement’s off.”
But I couldn’t just give up.
The whole reason I’d pursued the engagement was to survive Leonhart.
So, at the very least, I needed a promise of safety.
“Your Highness, please swear that you’ll never attack me again.”
“Even with a spirit sword protecting you, you’re still uneasy?”
“Can a spirit’s protection stop a swordmaster’s attack? I’m not stupid, Your Highness.”
“…Fine. I swear never to threaten you again. Is that enough to reassure you?”
“No, there’s more. Don’t ever accuse me of stalking you again—or of being obsessed with you. I don’t like you, Your Highness. I’m even trying to get engaged to someone else, remember? Got it?”
“……”
There it is again — that frown.
Why did he always frown whenever I mentioned my engagement?
“You’re doing it again. Do you know how intimidating that is? You frown every time!”
“I didn’t think the Duke was capable of being intimidated. This is new.”
“I’m not joking. I get that you dislike me, but could you tone down how you show it?”
“How many times do I have to say it? I don’t dislike you!”
“Words are easy. Your actions say otherwise!”
“Then tell me what I have to do to make you believe me. I’ll do it!”
“I already told you — stop acting like you hate me. Then I’ll believe you!”
“I told you I don’t hate you—”
Leonhart broke off mid-yell, roughly loosening his tie.
The gap in his shirt revealed his throat, the muscles there moving sharply as he swallowed.
He ran a hand through his hair and met my eyes head-on.
“Duke, listen carefully. I’ll say this once more.”
“I’m listening.”
“I don’t dislike you.”
“Oh, how generous. You don’t dislike me. Then what’s with the frowning every time I bring up my engagement?”
“That’s…”
Leonhart fell silent, unable to continue.
When I scoffed at him, he covered his eyes with one hand.
“Maybe… I just didn’t like the idea of you getting engaged.”
“…What?”
“I said, I didn’t like it when you got engaged.”
I blinked. Twice. Still made no sense.
“Did I ever say I was getting engaged to you, Your Highness?”
“No.”
“Then why didn’t you like it?”
“Would you feel good watching someone like you get engaged to such pathetic men?”
“……”
“Since we’re being honest, let me ask — are your eyes on your feet or something?”
It almost sounded like jealousy.
Which only made me more confused.
If it were anyone else, I could’ve brushed it off. But this was Leonhart — the man who had once hated me enough to kill me.
He used to treat me like a deranged stalker. Why the sudden shift?
[Stage 3: (smugly) So you only realized your feelings for me once I gave up on you, is that it?]
Oh, come on. Does the author even understand human emotion?
[Stage 3: (smugly) So you only realized your feelings for me once I gave up on you, is that it?]
The directive flashed again. I forced my mouth to move, even as my face burned.
“So you only realized your feelings for me once I gave up on you, huh?”
Leonhart’s expression turned cold as ice.
“…What did you just say?”
“I mean, um… you know — that kind of thing. Like, you don’t want me, but you don’t want anyone else to have me either. That sort of feeling.”
Leonhart covered his eyes with his hand.
“…Ha. F***…”
“Excuse me — did you just swear at me?”
“Not at you… I admit I’ve been rough and disrespectful to you, Duke, but I’m not a degenerate. I’ve never had… that kind of thought about a woman.”
“Then what, are you just upset because I’m your only link to Adela Helsington?”
“No, that’s not it.”
“Then what is it?”
Leonhart suddenly shot to his feet.
“Can you just stop asking? I don’t know! I don’t know, all right? Are you happy now?”
“Wait—why are you yelling at me? You’re the one acting weird, not me!”
“Oh really? You’ve been acting far stranger than I have!”
“What did I even do?”
“Do you really not know?”
“Then tell me!”
Just as we were about to tear into each other like cats and dogs, the butler burst back into the room, looking tense.
“My lady! A royal messenger has arrived from the palace!”
“A messenger? From His Majesty?”
“Yes!”
Leonhart and I exchanged glances, both equally confused.
“What’s the message?”
“His Majesty orders that you enter the palace immediately.”
“…!”
