[CHAPTER 90]
“A marriage proposal has come in from the Devlin Ducal House.
They say they are offering an engagement gift far beyond your station.
What wonderful news.
You will marry.”
The Devlin Crown Prince, that insane man.
I stared blankly at the Count who had summoned me early in the morning just to spew nonsense.
Wonderful, my foot.
Seeing his eyes gleaming red at the thought of pocketing the engagement gift made the little affection I had left evaporate entirely.
“I have no intention of getting married.”
“Tsk!
Such childish talk!
The one who proposed is a Crown Prince, a Crown Prince!
If you marry him, you could become a Duchess!
Do you think an opportunity like this would come easily to a half-breed like you?!”
“Then doesn’t it strike you as strange that such an opportunity came so easily to an illegitimate child like me?”
I had met the Devlin Crown Prince exactly three times.
Just how fast did that man fall in love.
And people who fell fast usually cooled off fast too.
No matter how I thought about it, this proposal was anything but normal, but the Count, already blinded by money, refused to listen.
“Stop spouting nonsense and marry him, no matter what!”
“No!
If you want to get married so badly, you do it yourself, Count!”
Fuming, I stormed out of the Count’s office.
I needed to put an end to this situation immediately.
I contacted the Devlin Crown Prince and asked to meet him.
But the man who usually loitered in front of our house every day suddenly said he did not want to come to the Granger estate once I asked to meet face to face.
Instead, he replied that he had reserved a famous restaurant downtown and suggested we dine together.
Are you out of your mind?
Do you really think I can eat right now?
I barely restrained myself from writing that and politely declined, only to receive another reply suggesting we meet at a coffee house instead.
Hmm.
Wouldn’t meeting outside lead to unnecessary misunderstandings?
I really do not like that…
I pulled a wide-brimmed hat low to hide my face as much as possible and headed to the meeting place.
The moment I spotted the Crown Prince waiting there, I narrowed my eyes.
Oh, for heaven’s sake.
Unlike me, who was dressed plainly to avoid attention, he was decked out in dazzling splendor like a peacock.
His excessive adornment weighed down his otherwise decent features.
Too much of anything is bad.
“Good afternoon, Devlin Crown Prince.”
“Ah, Granger Young Lady?
I could not recognize you because your face was hidden by the hat.
Is it not uncomfortable?
Why not take it off—”
“I am fine.”
Sitting across from him, I got straight to the point.
“Please withdraw the proposal.”
“Pardon?
Why?”
Why indeed.
Watching him tilt his head with a genuinely clueless expression made my insides boil.
“I do not even know why you proposed to me in the first place.
What kind of relationship do you think we have?”
“I told you.
I fell in love at first sight.”
And what does that have to do with me?
I let out a deep sigh rising from my gut and recited the lines I had prepared.
“Crown Prince.
I am committed to remaining single.”
“Your feelings will change if you spend time with me.”
“I am also buried in secret debt.
I am addicted to gambling.”
“I have plenty of money.
I will pay it all off.”
“My biological mother worked as a maid.
Only half of noble blood runs in me.”
“Then I will dilute it with my far more noble blood.”
…That last line was really unpleasant.
The way he casually spewed such rude remarks and smiled confidently afterward made an invisible wall rise between us.
“Granger Young Lady, I am truly sincere about you!
Please accept my feelings!”
“Well, I said no!”
As the argument escalated, I lost my temper and grabbed the Crown Prince by the collar, shaking him.
“Cough, wait, my collar—!”
“I told you to let go!”
If you let go, I will too.
Just as I tightened my grip on his collar while he stubbornly clutched my wrist—
“That is enough.”
A low voice cut in abruptly.
A hand stretched out from behind me and seized the Crown Prince’s arm with crushing force.
“Aaaagh!”
“How many times must she say she does not want it.”
The Crown Prince screamed and released my wrist, and I reflexively let go of his collar as well.
I spun around with wide eyes and found someone whose identity I recognized from his voice alone.
Aizen.
“Are you unharmed?”
“Duke…”
The boiling anger inside me melted away the moment I saw his face.
Drooping my eyes, I quickly hid behind Aizen.
“I was so scared.
My wrist hurts too.”
“Ha…”
When I showed him my wrist, red handprints still vivid, Aizen’s brow furrowed sharply.
“How dare you do something like this.”
“…Duke?”
Huh.
He looks angrier than I expected.
The dark, ominous aura I imagined radiating from him made me flinch unconsciously.
As I cautiously clutched his sleeve, the Crown Prince butted in without reading the room.
“Wait…
Are you not the Duke of Kalad?”
“Ha!
What do you think you are doing all of a sudden?
You nearly broke my arm!”
Flustered by Aizen’s unapologetic reaction, the Crown Prince rolled up his sleeve and thrust out his already bruising arm.
Hmm, that looks worse than mine.
As I subtly hid my wrist and looked away, Aizen firmly yet gently took hold of it.
“Do you not see that Granger Young Lady is injured?”
He thrust it before the Crown Prince’s eyes, and the man raised his voice defensively.
“Th-that is just because her skin is delicate!
As for me—!”
“Pathetic and vulgar.
Is it something to boast about, being so rough to someone so fragile?”
Aizen spat the words coldly, twisting his lips, then gestured to me.
“Let us go.
To the physician.”
“Granger Young Lady, please wait!”
I hurried after Aizen as the Crown Prince called out from behind.
Why was he so persistent.
When I shot him an annoyed look, he spoke with a desperate expression.
“Young Lady, today was my mistake.
But my feelings for you are sincere.
Please do not doubt my heart.”
“Sincere?
This was no mistake.
It was intentional.”
“If you come to me, I will make sure you never have to lift a finger.”
“What, so I should not even wash myself?”
“I will offer you flowers and jewels every day!”
“How extravagant.
With spending like that, you would drain your fortune even if you married.”
To every heartfelt confession the Crown Prince made, Aizen’s dry remarks followed, quiet but unmistakable.
The Crown Prince clenched his lips and glared at Aizen, who lifted his chin and met the stare without backing down.
After their fierce eye contact, Aizen signaled me again to leave, and I trotted along at his side.
“Granger Young Lady!
I will never give up on you!”
The chilling vow echoed behind us, but I pretended not to hear it.
Outside the shop, I saw Greta standing by the carriage.
As Aizen escorted me over, he said,
“We are going to the physician immediately.”
“It is really okay.
It is not that bad.”
“What do you mean, okay.
Because of such a worthless man—”
Grinding his teeth, he glared ahead as I climbed into the carriage.
Just as I was halfway inside, he grabbed my hand firmly and asked,
“Did you accept the Devlin Crown Prince’s proposal?”
“Hmm, what do you think?”
“…”
His dark brows twitched.
Wait.
No, even earlier.
I had wondered before, but this reaction could not be…
I almost teased him further but stopped and answered honestly.
“Of course I refused!
First of all, it is suspicious that he suddenly proposed to an illegitimate child like me.
And I do not even like him.”
No matter how much he claimed it was love at first sight, it felt unsettling.
And I had not fallen for him anyway.
Most importantly—
“I want to marry a man I love.”
I winked one eye, making my resolve perfectly clear.
The corner of Aizen’s lips twitched faintly.
His expression softened, then hardened again with seriousness.
“The Devlin Crown Prince will not give up easily.
I can help.”
“How?”
He lowered his gaze, then lifted it again.
His eyes shimmered beautifully in the sunlight.
“How about entering a contract relationship with me?”
“Gasp, no way.”
“…Pardon?”
The answer that burst out of my chest rather than my head painted confusion across Aizen’s face.
