Chapter 45
“Lily, don’t you have any feelings for Lou?”
“Ehh?”
I looked at Chris with a frown, pretending I hadn’t avoided his gaze. I had heard this question dozens of times back at the duke’s mansion.
I had just managed to escape the maids’ harassment, and now it was the royals’ turn?
They were clearly desperate to connect Lou and me somehow.
Seeing my disgusted expression, Chris laughed.
“Why? Lou’s handsome.”
“He’s not really my type.”
I said firmly. Lou was handsome, yes, but that was all.
I only feel attraction if someone matches my personal taste.
“Then who is your type?”
“Hmm……”
I wasn’t sure why we were having this conversation in an old-fashioned art gallery, but I paused for a moment to think.
Actually, there was no need to think. I stopped pretending and answered.
“Damian.”
In terms of looks, Damian was my type.
I had liked him easily from the first meeting because of his appearance.
Like Lou, Damian had a gentle expression, but somehow I felt more attached to him.
It was similar to how I felt about Deriksha.
There was no special reason; at some point, I just started to give my affection sincerely.
“But it’s not like I like him or anything… I just like the way he looks.”
I hurriedly added that, just in case Chris misunderstood.
Liking someone and finding them attractive are different things.
I tried to explain by giving an example.
“Like Damian likes Young Master Lou.”
“Ah, Emily?”
Chris seemed to know about Emily too. He probably heard about it when Damian had confided in him. Hearing her name again made him smile.
“What’s funny about Damian is that the reason he liked Lou was just because of his looks.”
I didn’t remember when, but I had once asked Damian during tea what part of Emily he liked.
He answered immediately—without a second thought—that it was her face.
I choked on my tea back then. It was reasonable to like someone for their appearance, but hearing Damian say it so plainly felt strange.
He was a naive young master, but at that moment, I felt worry mixed with disbelief.
“I’m worried he might fall for a pretty noble girl with a terrible personality later.”
Seeing Damian, I knew he would give endlessly to someone he liked. Chris smiled at my worried comment.
“Like me?”
“Eh?”
I frowned and looked at Chris. Was he implying Garnet’s personality was bad? I didn’t know what Garnet was like in the past, and he was someone else, but somehow it annoyed me.
Chris chuckled and said,
“Why are you annoyed?”
“I don’t know. I just feel irritated inside.”
“Hahaha!”
Chris laughed out loud. I was irritated, and he was laughing beside me—it made me feel even worse.
“Was Garnet really that bad?”
“Terrible.”
Chris answered immediately. He claimed he liked her, yet he spoke so harshly. If someone still likes a person after saying that, it must have been a really terrible personality.
I didn’t understand, so I asked again.
“Then why did you like her?”
“She was pretty!”
Ugh, really…
He was no different from Damian. Feeling my disdain, Chris waved his hand and smiled.
“That was only at first. Now, it doesn’t matter what she looks like.”
“But you liked her for her looks, right?”
“Not wrong… but in the end, I liked her because it was Garnet.”
Chris said something I didn’t fully understand, smiling with his eyes.
“If the only reason I liked her was her appearance, I probably wouldn’t still like you.”
“Ah.”
That made sense. I nodded in understanding. Since Garnet and I looked the same, it was natural.
Chris continued, still smiling.
“At first, there were many reasons I liked Garnet, but living with her, all that disappeared. Just being Garnet was enough.”
I still didn’t fully understand.
How could someone just like a person because of who they are? I could understand liking certain traits, but liking everything simply because it’s them was unimaginable to me.
I stared at the painting in front of me again. In the large painting, two people were standing. A man was kissing the back of a noblewoman’s hand.
The man and woman looked at each other with love in their eyes. It was just a painting, but I could tell their emotions clearly.
I had never felt that kind of emotion in real life.
“In novels, it’s always so complicated—papers rustling, time stopping.”
In romance novels I liked, love was always the center. The story revolved around love, and love was the most important thing.
Since I had never felt it, it seemed overly emotional, almost irritating.
Why would liking someone make people act so desperate, clingy, or heartbroken?
Isn’t that just another human relationship?
I only read romance novels in Able’s room, but every time the protagonist sacrificed everything for love, I felt frustrated.
Chris, who had been listening quietly, spoke in a slightly serious tone.
“Love isn’t as grand as in novels.”
Looking at him, I realized he was staring at the painting too. His mouth smiled, but his green eyes reflected many emotions.
I had seen that look before, when we first met, watching pink flowers fall from the sky.
Then Chris smiled brightly at me, as if he had never been serious.
“Don’t overthink it. Those feelings don’t really make sense unless you experience them yourself.”
“Hmm……”
That explained why I never really related to romance novels. I stared at the painting again, frowning.
“This isn’t fun.”
“Uh, but these are expensive paintings… do you want to see the pond instead?”
“Yes.”
Chris smiled awkwardly but led me toward the pond.
I followed, glancing back at the painting.
Honestly, it didn’t move me at all.
Time passed quickly while we played, and soon the sun had set.
I refused Chris’s offer to escort me and hurried to Lou’s room.
I was supposed to return before sunset.
I had been distracted feeding the fish in the pond and had completely lost track of time.
I trusted Chris completely, focusing only on feeding the fish, but I hadn’t expected him to be so absorbed too.
I could already imagine Lou sulking, and I felt overwhelmed.
How would I calm him down this time?
Passing the hallway where my room was, I reached the stairs leading to Lou’s room. I entered the corridor where the maids’ rooms were.
The maids were busy preparing for the ball, so the hallway was quiet.
As I walked quickly, I saw someone standing by the window with their back turned.
A familiar face.
“Damian?”
I called out in surprise.
I had thought he would arrive a day late, since his assigned room was empty, but there he was, standing alone outside my room.
When our eyes met, Damian gave a faint smile. I walked up to him.
“What’s the matter? Aren’t you getting ready?”
By now, the ball should have started, and he should have been in his formal suit.
Before I could ask further, I noticed his expression.
He was smiling—but it was a dark smile, not his usual cheerful one.
“……Is something wrong?”
Only then did I realize his state.
Damian had never made that kind of forced smile. He was either bright, crying, or honest with his emotions, but never like this.
He spoke to me, still smiling faintly.
“Lily, I… my father called, so I think I have to go now.”
“……What?”
I immediately frowned. Did I hear him wrong?
Why would his father call him back from the palace ball?
Damian spoke again, as if to explain.
“He said I might have to go to another territory. I think I need to take over the household duties for him.”
“No… what does that even mean?”
My voice reflected my disbelief.
I couldn’t understand why he would suddenly leave at this time, and why his father would make him take over duties when he was already attending the ball in the capital.
It didn’t seem like work-related travel. Otherwise, he wouldn’t need Damian to take over.
I remembered when Damian had told me he was taking heir training seriously. He had seemed happy then.
I thought the baron had finally gotten his act together, but it seemed this was his real plan all along.
Damian seemed to think the same as I did.
He had every reason to be angry, but he was still smiling.
