Chapter 57
He wore the face of a good man, but his attitude was anything but.
Ethan was smiling gently, as if playing the role of a fiancé deeply in love.
Yet his crimson eyes burned fiercely, as though he might devour me at any moment.
It was as if he didn’t even register Julius standing right in front of us.
“So,” he said softly, “while your poor fiancé was being eaten alive by worry, my dear fiancée was enjoying a cozy dessert date with another man?”
Sounding as though he’d steeled his heart for this, Ethan accused me in a wounded voice—like I’d committed some forbidden love.
Listening to that painfully earnest tone, I almost felt guilty, as if I truly had wronged him.
Did he notice me falter, even just a little, under his performance?
Seizing the moment I froze, Ethan leaned his cold face closer.
He tilted his head and smiled chillingly—it was terrifying.
The more my eyes trembled with unease, the stronger his presence became.
“Well?” he murmured. “Answer me, Eunice.”
His elegant fingers danced lightly against my cheek.
To anyone else, it might have looked like a tender caress meant for a beloved fiancée.
But I knew better. I knew what that touch really meant.
“This is uncomfortable… Could you step back a little?” I asked.
“And if I do?” he replied.
“…What?”
“If I step back obediently, will you start staring at another man again with that vacant look, like a screw’s come loose?”
“…When have I ever done that?”
He was doing this so I couldn’t escape his gaze—because I was already terrified.
“If you shamelessly claim you don’t remember…”
“…?”
“Should I ask the Crown Prince? He’s already been looking at you quite intently.”
“No—! H-How did you even know he was the Crown Prince? He even changed his hair and eye color!”
“Changing his hair color doesn’t make that obnoxious face disappear.”
Changing your hair color doesn’t make your handsome looks disappear either.
That was when I realized—it was a line I’d said to Julius just moments ago.
Ethan had repeated it verbatim.
At his brazen reply, I could only stare at him, utterly at a loss.
Someone, please save me— I thought desperately.
“…Duke Clovis?”
Julius, who had been silently observing Ethan’s bizarre behavior, finally spoke in mild confusion.
Even Ethan couldn’t ignore him this time and turned his gaze toward him.
“Haa…”
Only then did I let out the tiniest, quietest sigh of relief.
“You shouldn’t relax just yet.”
Before I could savor it, Ethan wrapped a firm arm around my shoulders.
It was the guarded grip of someone afraid I might be snatched away at any second.
His sharp, prickly behavior made me feel inexplicably guilty, and I stole a glance up at him.
As if he’d been waiting for it, Ethan looked down at me and spoke in an unusually gentle voice.
“Ah. My apologies for interrupting. Please, continue your conversation.”
“…?”
“It’s your turn now, isn’t it, Lady Servita?”
The fact that he was deliberately imitating Julius’s polite tone made it even more chilling.
I desperately wanted to smack that reckless mouth of his for spouting such nonsense.
Dragged around by the collar as always, I decided to give him the answer he wanted.
“H-Haha… W-Well, I am Duke Clovis’s fiancée, after all… Even if he’s grumpy like this, I do love—”
“Oh dear. That’s not it, Eunice.”
I’d thought long and hard before choosing a line I believed he’d like.
Unfortunately, Ethan interrupted before I could even finish.
With a wicked smile, he completely shed his pretense.
He raised one hand, coolly cupping my cheek, and pulled his lips into a confident grin.
Just as that boldness began to feel unsettling, he struck.
“You should call me Ethan, Eunice.”
“—!”
“So it doesn’t look like a bad-tempered fiancé bullying his sweet, lovely fiancée.”
“H-Hii!”
I couldn’t take this anymore.
I had tried to play the role of a fiancée in love. I really had!
But our utterly twisted fiancé kept poking at his soft-hearted fiancée, and I was losing my composure.
Ethan didn’t miss the opportunity and shifted his attention to Julius.
“Ah. My fiancée is quite soft-hearted. She even indulges my playful jokes.”
“……”
“She accepted my blunt confession without hesitation, yet now she’s suddenly shy and retreats.”
As if it only made him want to tease her more.
Ethan spoke in a voice that truly sounded like a man in love.
My expression twisted as I watched him.
Anyone would think he was the world’s greatest romantic.
“Honestly, showing such an adorable side of yourself in front of another man… I’m hurt.”
“……”
“We had a small argument a few days ago, and now she’s pouting again so slyly. I suppose I’ll have to soothe her properly today.”
…Why did that sound like a warning to quietly prepare for execution?
Unable to react properly, I could only laugh awkwardly.
Julius, who had been silently observing, finally hardened his expression.
“Hm. If that’s the case, Lady Servita doesn’t look very well. Can’t you see that she’s frightened, Duke?”
“Frightened? When we love each other so much?” Ethan replied coolly.
“Isn’t that right, Eunice?”
He threw me another cynical smile.
Smile. Prettily.
You’re a monster. A terrible person.
Thanks for the compliment.
That wasn’t a compliment.
To a villain like me, it is. To the Crown Prince, I must look like the villain who stole you away, no?
Threatened once again through his gaze, I forced an awkward smile.
Apparently unsatisfied, Ethan frowned slightly and turned back to Julius.
“My fiancée is quite sensitive. It’s not easy to soothe her once she’s upset.”
“…Duke Clovis.”
“So wouldn’t it be best to take your leave for today? It’s hardly appropriate for the Crown Prince to neglect the palace for leisure.”
He’d wrapped it in polite words, but the message was clear.
Stop hovering around and get lost.
Was it really acceptable for Duke Clovis to speak so bluntly to the Crown Prince?
I could only watch the strange tension between them.
The silence finally broke when Julius stood.
“If you put it that way, I suppose I have no choice. I’ve kept an engaged lady for too long.”
He countered Ethan smoothly, with his signature courtesy.
Truly—unlike someone, he was refined and dignified.
Ethan didn’t even bother replying, only giving a slight nod.
Ignoring Ethan entirely, Julius looked straight at me.
“I enjoyed today as well, Lady Servita.”
“Huh? Ah… I did too—”
“I’m sure we’ll meet again soon. Lady Servita. And Duke Clovis.”
“…What?”
Meet again?
That sudden, loaded remark made me turn toward him.
“W-Wait a moment!”
At least explain before leaving!
Unbothered by my frustration, Julius walked away.
And in his place—
“Don’t get distracted, Eunice. You’re starting to annoy me.”
—came Ethan’s cold voice.
The moment Julius left, Ethan stepped directly in front of me, as if claiming the space.
Normally, he wouldn’t spare me a glance no matter how much attention I begged for.
Yet today, he reacted sharply to every little thing I did.
I would’ve brushed it off as usual, but I felt guilty—so I obediently backed down.
Right now, calming the mad dog baring his fangs in front of me mattered more than the cryptic words Julius had left behind.
“H-Haha… Ethan, why do you look so scary? Did something bad happen?”
“…Yeah.”
“…Huh?”
Ethan muttered something incomprehensible—something I never expected him to say.
I tilted my head, confused.
He simply stared down at me, utterly serious.
“Why am I in such a bad mood?”
Why are you asking me that?
Then, suddenly, Ethan leaned in.
Anticipating my retreat, he caught my chin lightly and pulled me toward him.
I had no choice but to face his fiercely burning red eyes.
“Well?” he asked again. “Answer me, Eunice.”
“Y-Yes…?”
“No matter who you meet. No matter what you do.”
“……”
“No matter how prettily you smile in front of the Crown Prince, or how sweetly he flirts with you.”
“……”
“I shouldn’t care.”
His grip on my chin tightened.
I could tell he was forcibly suppressing something.
But not knowing why only made it more suffocating.
With a crooked, cynical smile, Ethan spoke again.
“So why am I angry, hm? Eunice?”
“H-How would I know…?”
“You’re the one who shook me.”
Ethan’s expression was unusually serious.
He wasn’t teasing.
“You made me care. So you should fix it. Right?”
Something dangerous lurked in his low voice.
This wasn’t his usual playful threat—it carried real intent.
My instincts screamed at me to run.
It was a different kind of danger than the Forest of Beasts.
If I stayed like this—
My thoughts turned red, just like his eyes, and I shook my head frantically.
Even as I struggled, Ethan only stared at me with burning intensity.
Thankfully, he didn’t act—yet.
I seized the opening.
“H-Haha… I don’t know what you mean, but I’m sorry, okay? So please let go of my hand—”
Tap.
“Ah—!”
My shallow trick didn’t work on this sharp-eyed mad dog.
In an instant, Ethan released my chin and caught my wrist instead.
“See? I get closer, and you try to run.”
“……”
“You smiled so sweetly for the Crown Prince—so why are you like this with me?”
He trailed off deliberately, closing his mouth.
I found myself waiting for his next words.
Before I could push him away, Ethan leaned in and whispered coldly in my ear.
“You’re driving me crazy.”
