Initially, Ricardo doubted his own eyes. But once he was certain he wasn’t hallucinating, he carelessly tossed his glass onto a tray.
“Go on, take a challenge. You’ve been avoiding women so much that there are odd rumors going around… Ricardo?”
Ignoring the Prince, Ricardo started to run. He could no longer enjoy the events unfolding below as if they were a mere play.
“Hey! Ricardo!”
Stuart’s calls faded as Ricardo hurried down to the first floor, feeling as though the distance was hardly closing. For the first time, he somewhat appreciated the Chaplin family’s ability to move freely through space.
Gasping for breath, Ricardo arrived on the first floor and immediately saw Lienne. And with her, the gaze of men pouring towards her.
Suppressing an inexplicable irritation rising in his chest, Ricardo ran his hand through his hair. He took a moment to catch his breath and then began walking toward Lienne.
Their eyes met instantly as she looked around.
‘Ah…’ Her red lips parted slowly in admiration, captivating his gaze.
He sensed a tangle of emotions in her eyes – confusion, surprise, joy, and finally, relief.
In that moment, Ricardo realized something.
Even while conversing with the Prince, he found himself intermittently thinking of her when hearing words like ‘God’, ‘death’, or ‘love’.
As she, glowing under the chandelier light, exposed her translucent neck and took a step towards him…
Thud. Suddenly, Walter collided with her, and the yellow rose she held dropped to the floor. Even though it wasn’t his fault, Ricardo’s body tensed.
“Stay there, just like that.”
He shouted, but in the noisy environment, it was uncertain if she heard him.
Walter picked up the rose and handed it back to Lienne. Their eyes met, and Lienne reached for the hand holding the rose. The moment their hands touched, Walter and Lienne vanished like smoke.
“Damn it.”
Cursing roughly, Ricardo hurried to Julian. He snatched Julian by the neck, who was smiling sweetly at the widowed Countess Sullivan as if he were about to melt.
“Hey, what are you doing?”
Julian protested, but Ricardo dragged him to where Walter and Lienne had just disappeared and pointed out the witnesses.
“Here, here, here, and there.”
Julian shook his head in disbelief. He too had seen Walter and a lady disappear like smoke.
Julian quickly turned away, pretending he saw nothing. Why involve himself in another noble house’s affairs when it had never resulted in anything good?
But fooling others was one thing; deceiving Ricardo was impossible. Julian was unnerved by how quickly Ricardo had pinpointed everyone who witnessed Walter’s disappearance.
“Erase it.”
Ricardo’s command to erase people’s memories sounded as deadly as a death sentence. He glared at Julian, furious and breathing heavily. The change in the usually emotionless Ricardo was dramatic, sparking Julian’s curiosity.
It was indeed a strange situation.
Why was Ricardo personally stepping in to protect Walter’s secret? The Chaplin family would intervene and manage the situation anyway.
Julian felt a growing curiosity about the whole matter.
True to his opportunistic nature, Julian didn’t miss the chance in front of him.
“Three thousand Denion per person.”
Ricardo looked at Julian with undisguised contempt.
“Bill it to Rochester.”
Julian immediately looked into the eyes of those Ricardo had identified, using his family’s power. The individuals who met his gaze instantly forgot everything that had just happened.
“And the Second Prince? He seemed to have seen it from over there,” Julian asked with a slightly excited voice.
“To him, ten times the amount,” Ricardo replied, his face tense with urgency.
“Fine.”
“Hurry. We need to go to the Chaplin house right now.”
“Now? I don’t want to. I’m just starting to enjoy the party.”
Despite Ricardo’s menacing look, Julian remained unmoved, sensing a big opportunity.
“I’ll salvage the ship you lost at sea.”
Of course. Julian smirked slyly and approached the Second Prince. After respectfully addressing him and quickly earning a fortune equivalent to the lost ship, Julian promptly followed Ricardo.
The maid who had accompanied me in the carriage for a long time hardly spoke. She was kind, but clearly had no intention of answering my numerous questions.
Still, I managed to learn the most crucial fact.
The meaning of carrying a handkerchief with a family crest to find a man.
That’s how I knew the Duchess was still quite serious about mine and Ricardo’s engagement.
‘I’m really sorry to disappoint the Duchess.’
Of course, it wasn’t entirely my fault that her son was so prickly. No matter how spoiled he was, why would he speak so cruelly?
Difficult to change one’s taste? How am I to blame!
Sure, it’s his preference, and it’s not my place to interfere. But to reject me so firmly when I’m merely playing the role of his fiancée for a while?
Well, he’s always been difficult since childhood…
“We’re almost there.”
While I was inwardly cursing Ricardo, the carriage reached the main gate without slowing down.
Turns Out He’s Been Secretly in Love with Me
One-line summary: He acts like he doesn’t like her but is actually playing hard to get.
Synopsis:
Xu Muzhou like her. He has liked her for a very long time, and through repeated schemes, he finally closed the distance with her.
But this is still far from enough.
He wants to be the one who stands out among her many suitors, to fight for her attention, and to make her take the initiative to pursue him.
_____
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