episode_0234

“Answer seriously, Ed.”

“….”

Edan Richard Blackwood was taken aback.

Firstly, it was because Lilith brought up a different topic than the conversation they had planned to have in this situation, and secondly, there was a strange chill in the air with Lilith’s sudden probing question.

‘This wasn’t the conversation we had planned to have…’

As far as he could remember, the original argument between him and Lilith was not supposed to be like this.

They were supposed to argue in a way where he would express his anger after rejecting the woman who approached him and comparing her to Lilith, as if he was repulsed by Lilith’s appearance. It was initially planned as a conversation where the deepening emotions between him and Lilith would explode as if the emotional tension between them had been building up gradually (which wasn’t the case) and finally erupted at this noble social gathering.

If things didn’t go well and another woman didn’t approach him, he had planned to repeat a similar conversation to the one they had at the Academy Church. Therefore, Edan had prepared both conversation styles for this occasion, but he had not anticipated Lilith’s unexpected question, so he couldn’t come up with an immediate response.

“Ed. I’m asking you.”

“L-Lilith… Is the reason you’re angry right now because…”

“Why didn’t you avoid it when that woman’s lips were getting closer to your nose? I’m genuinely curious.”

A chill ran down his spine, and suddenly cold sweat dripped from his neck.

Even though it was a question asked as part of the plan, he had a strange intuition that if he didn’t answer it properly, his relationship with Lilith might become awkward in the future.

“I tried to avoid it.”

“But you didn’t avoid it.”

“If she had come a little closer, I would have avoided it. I didn’t need to avoid it because Lilith intervened.”

“….”

It was a subtle expression, seeming like he was angry and didn’t quite believe what he was hearing.

Edan felt unjustly accused and was on the verge of losing his composure. He had acted brazenly until the woman’s lips were about to touch his, all to avoid disrupting the plan he and Lilith had set up.

As someone who cherished and loved Lilith more than anyone else, Edan didn’t want to ruin this plan with his actions.

If he had openly avoided it, it would have been like openly declaring that his relationship with Lilith was good. This would have jeopardized the meticulously planned MacHeart retribution operation that had been in the works for almost a month.

Therefore, Edan couldn’t understand why Lilith suddenly asked such a question. The Lilith he knew always made the right decisions and guided him to make wise choices.

Although she sometimes acted impulsively, the results were always positive.

‘…Or maybe.’

If Lilith’s angry questioning was just an act to engage in a verbal battle with him?

As he thought about it, everything seemed to fall into place. After all, Lilith wouldn’t ask a question that would embarrass him without a reason.

It seemed like Lilith was portraying herself as the ‘overly attached fiancée’ at this noble social gathering. The impromptu kiss they shared earlier was probably just a prelude to this operation.

It was strange for Lilith to kiss him in front of so many people just to show off. At least from Edan’s perspective, Lilith wasn’t the type to be so obsessively attached.

“…Of course, this is just the image of Release seen from Ethan’s perspective, and the reality may be a bit different.

Regardless, now that Ethan understood the situation, his next action was to match his words. Although the original plan had changed slightly, the current situation itself was not a bad one for fueling discord between himself and Release.

The combination of someone obsessing over their fiancée and the other getting angry due to that obsession was a common sight in human society. Especially considering their backgrounds, it wasn’t too surprising that it seemed like she was obsessing over him. It was truly an excellent role choice.

In reality, while subtly hinting that he was the one obsessed with Release, Ethan began acting in accordance with Release’s performance.

“So, what would you have done if I hadn’t dodged and just taken the hit, Release?”

“…What are you talking about?”

“You seem to be getting tired of nitpicking at me all the time. Is there a reason to get mad over things that haven’t even happened? Whether I had plans to dodge your attack or not, isn’t it irrelevant since it never happened?”

“Uh, um…?”

Watching Release, who seemed bewildered as if she didn’t expect his response, no, as if she was acting bewildered, Ethan quietly admired her.

When they had acted out a fight with Agnes before, her acting skills were truly surprising. Indeed, Release was quite talented.

Although Release was simply taken aback by Ethan’s unexpected response, he had no way of knowing that.

“You seem to be getting tired of your obsession too. How long do you plan on suspecting and accusing your fiancé like this?”

“W-When did I ever suspect and accuse Ed…?”

“You’re still doing it. Just a moment ago, you grabbed me by the collar and forced me to take the hit, and now you’re doubting my feelings again, aren’t you?”

“Uh, forced…? D-Did you just say forced?”

“Then what do you call forcibly grabbing my face and making me kiss you? Saying things like I belong to you? It seems like you’re crossing a line, Release.”

“….”

With each word he spoke, it felt like he was stabbing himself in the heart. Even though he had started this act to fuel discord between himself and Release, he resented having to say things that could hurt her.

To protect Release, he had to make her look bad. After today, she would probably be known as the fiancée who obsesses over the Marquis, rather than the Viscount who is marrying someone else.

Although Release had told him not to worry about his reputation since she had no intention of marrying anyone other than him, as someone who loved her, Ethan found it heartbreaking to have to create such a situation.

“By any chance, are you also thinking like that noblewoman said, Ed? Do you really prefer a decent-sized chest over this disgustingly large one?”

“….Huh?”

“Do you think, like that woman said, that this unnecessarily large chest is inefficient? That it’s just flab, and you can’t even properly feel anything when you touch it, that it’s a chest buried in fat, and every time you touch my chest, you think like that?”

Ethan was once again taken aback by Release’s sudden talk about her chest.

He could somehow play along with the act of a possessive fiancé from earlier, but how was he supposed to respond to such sensitive comments about her body?

Releasing had to say that in order to provoke a dispute, but the words just wouldn’t come out of his mouth. He couldn’t deny Releasing’s words, as that would only end up comforting her, so he couldn’t say anything.

He never wanted to judge her body in front of others, especially men.

Releasing’s body had to belong to him from head to toe. Ethan, who had once thought of wanting her body and heart in his hands, didn’t want to criticize what was his in front of others.

“Maybe it’s better to change the subject rather than criticize Releasing’s appearance or body,” Ethan thought.

…He couldn’t predict how his words would be received by Releasing from now on.

“Did Ed think the same way?! You agreed with what that woman said, so you didn’t even try to avoid her when she approached you! You’re even siding with a woman whose name you don’t even know….”

“…Isn’t it too arrogant to talk back to a Marquis like that? Especially, when it’s a branch of the Blackwood family, not just any other family.”

“…What?”

“Did you think you could say anything just because you became engaged to a Marquis? If you’re not my fiancée, Releasing, you’re just a low-ranking noblewoman with no backing.”

“….”

Ethan didn’t want to bring up such issues, but he thought it was better than criticizing Releasing’s body in front of others.

Arguments using the class difference between nobles always ended badly. Bringing up such stories would be a good topic to show that his relationship with Releasing was already falling apart.

Releasing was originally a commoner, not even a noble, so she wouldn’t take the term “low-ranking noblewoman” as an insult, at least in Ethan’s opinion. This topic was definitely…

“…Sigh.”

‘Tears?’

Releasing, who showed tears for the first time during the argument upon hearing the term “low-ranking noblewoman,” left Ethan flustered.

And even more so in Releasing’s unsettling response and actions that followed.

“I see, so that’s what you were thinking.”

“…Wait, Re…”

“I apologize for acting arrogantly as a low-ranking noblewoman who doesn’t even know her place. Goodbye.”

Watching Releasing quickly run away with tears in her eyes, Ethan thought to himself.

Hopefully, that reaction was just part of Releasing’s realistic acting.

⁎ ⁎ ⁎

The back garden connected to the rear gate of the Imperial Palace.

Releasing, the black-haired Marquis who had just finished her confrontation with Ethan and fled through the back gate, walked alone.

“Ah.”

Releasing, who uttered a meaningful remark, looked up at the night sky. It was a dark night with no moon in sight.

As soon as she stepped outside, the cold night breeze brushed her face, cooling down her heated emotions. Along with the dissipating scent of brandy and the calming of her fleeting emotions, Releasing quietly cupped her face in her hands and let out a deep sigh from the depths of her chest.

“Ugh, how frustrating….”