Since earlier, the object that had caught Laila’s attention was, if she saw it correctly, a pass that proved one’s identity and allowed passage through any country on the Damvernent continent.

It was also known as the continental common identity card.

Damvernent had not achieved continental unification yet, and instead, countries like Hankin and Fitzroy were still competing for power.

Because of this, even though they were tied as one continent, there wasn’t a strong sense of a continental community. In fact, despite Hankin and Fitzroy dividing the power, many countries still used their own currency units.

However, this continental common identity pass was created decades ago, following a dramatic compromise by the leaders and the signing of a treaty.

The number issued was very limited, and its value was so high that it equaled the annual operating cost of a small country, making it an expensive pass.

Naturally, the number of people who could possess it was extremely limited.

Laila couldn’t believe the existence of the pass in front of her and inadvertently asked,

“Is it a forgery?”

It was an unavoidable reaction.

This was a very precious item that not even some royal families possessed.

Millei, amused by her reaction, smiled with his eyes.

“It seems I know what image I hold in the princess’s mind.”

“I didn’t mean to insult you. It’s just so unexpected…”

“I understand. But it’s not a forgery. Surely you don’t think this is also a lie of mine?”

Laila’s face flushed, feeling like her doubt had been blatantly exposed. While her ears turned red, Millei gestured to a servant nearby to pour tea into Laila’s cup.

Sipping the steaming tea, Laila once again harbored doubts about the man’s identity in front of her.

‘How does he have this…?’

Laila had firmly decided that the story he told her about receiving a dukedom was definitely false.

A continental pass wasn’t something a mere duke, who started as a count in the countryside, could possess.

“But if this isn’t false, your identity becomes more intriguing. …When will you tell me?”

Laila finally shifted her gaze from the pass. As she finished speaking and met Millei’s eyes, he readily gave an answer.

“On the day the princess leaves Filmore land.”

“I see…”

She was leaving in seven days, but the fact that Millei handed over the pass suggested he planned to send Laila back to Wessex much sooner.

When was he planning? Tomorrow? The day after?

Simultaneously pondering this, Laila realized that Millei was trying to do much more for her than she thought.

Though he masked his intent to annul their engagement under the guise of merely carrying out his own business, his involvement in sending Laila back to Wessex was a different matter.

Laila wasn’t naïve enough to think that a stranger would show such kindness without any reason.

As she pondered the meaning behind all his actions, Millei, who had lifted his teacup to his lips and then set it down, interpreted Laila’s expression.

“You seem to be regretting something.”

Laila shook her head this time.

“But I think I know why you’re giving me such an important item.”

“And what do you think that means?”

A clearly probing question.

Laila didn’t avoid Millei’s covert provocation. Looking straight at him, she accurately recited the message Millei was conveying through his actions.

“It means you’ll come back to find me. Probably very soon. Isn’t that right?”

A silence fell between them for a moment.

Millei relaxed into the sofa, gazing intensely at Laila with her ocean-blue eyes, as if trying to see through her.
“Yes, it’s a very important item.”

That important item was being handed over to Laila, a princess of a foreign country with whom he had no previous connection.

By giving Laila this item, she could potentially flee to a place other than Wessex if she desired.

Millei was not naive enough not to anticipate such a possibility.

Eventually, Laila blurted out the question she had hesitated to ask twice before, unable to resist the impulse.

“Do you like me, Sir Millei?”

She might regret hearing the answer.

But she was too curious.

What exactly was the foundation of his boundless goodwill…?

In Laila’s reasoning, Millei’s actions were neither logical nor rational. So, something beyond rationality was required.

Laila thought that the answer might be affection. In other words, love. A passion that still occasionally pained her heart, even after more than a decade.

Suddenly, Laila felt a sting in her heart.

Was she wrong to feel this way towards Millei while still not having forgotten Adrian?

Millei, upon hearing her question, looked around at those standing by and then asked Laila’s permission.

“May I send the others away?”

“Yes.”

It seemed an unusual request. They had been alone in the office the previous evening, and even danced there.

After receiving permission, Millei instructed everyone, including the following Lilburn, to leave the room.

As the drawing room emptied, Millei appeared to ponder his response, avoiding Laila’s gaze with his head bowed. With his hands clasped and a contemplative expression, he slowly began to speak as the door closed.

“Princess of Wessex.”

His call made Laila feel a surge of tension. She regretted rashly asking such a question.

Millei then lifted his gaze again. His blue eyes, devoid of humor, seemed quite sharp.

“If I said I liked you.”

Laila focused on his moving lips, not knowing how he would continue.

Then she noticed something. She had thought he looked a bit pale since earlier, and his lips were indeed pale, as if devoid of color.

Could he be seriously ill?

He had mentioned a terminal illness…

While she was pondering this, Laila was startled by a completely unexpected statement.

“Would you accept my proposal?”

“What?”

It was such an unforeseen remark that Laila blinked repeatedly, trying to comprehend what she had just heard.

‘A proposal.’

A proposal…?

It wasn’t a difficult word, but her mind seemed to reject understanding it.

As Laila remained dumbfounded, staring at Millei, he covered his face with his hands as if to perform a dry wash.

With a deep sigh escaping him, Laila cautiously spoke up.

“Sir Millei?”

Millei removed his hands from his face. Although she hadn’t seen much, his usually composed face seemed a bit flushed.

“It’s not a slip of the tongue. I mean it.”

“…”

“But I suppose it seems impudent to say such things right after an annulment.”

Laila was at a loss for words.

How could she tell him it was okay after such a confession? It could be interpreted in too many ways.

However, she couldn’t look away from Millei. Sensing her intense gaze, he once again bowed his head, then continued his confession.

“But from the first time I saw you, I wanted to protect you.”

“Is it because you find me pitiful?”

Laila barely managed to utter these words, to which Millei calmly shook his head.

“No, it’s because your eyes are beautiful.”

Laila flinched. Millei’s words instantly brought back memories of someone else.

〈Don’t hide behind your tears. Your eyes are the most beautiful in the world.〉

‘Don’t think about it.’
Laila inwardly exclaimed. Was it because their names were the same? She kept being reminded of him when looking at Millei.

Even while sleeping in this mansion, memories of the day she first met him haunted her dreams.

At this point, she was confused.

Was she projecting Adrian Laines, whom she perhaps still hadn’t forgotten, onto this man?

Was the reason her heart fluttered at his every action actually due to old memories?

If so, it would be a terrible thing. Both for Millei and for herself.

But amidst her emotional turmoil, unable to give an answer, Millei seemed to interpret Laila’s silence in his own way, once again brushing his hand across his face.

Millei, who seemed to have regained his composure, asked in a more subdued voice than before.

“Was that a sufficient answer to your question?”

Male lead first thought she played hard to get, only to realize she

really disliked him

Short intro:

What she can’t stand the most is the streets full of effeminate men, especially that so-called top beauty whom she avoids at all costs.

Shen Yaoxing looks at Jiang Mingyue, who keeps approaching her with coy shyness.

Shen Yaoxing: Bro, don’t be like this, I’m really about to throw up!

She fears nothing in heaven or earth, except for him getting close to her.

*

At first he thought she was just using the trick of feigning indifference to attract his attention. Later, he learned that she truly despised him.

This dealt a heavy blow to Jiang Mingyue, and he vowed to make her, like everyone else, fall at his feet in worship!

***

Synopsis:

Before transmigrating, Shen Yaoxing only wanted to find a reliable man to spend her life with. Who knew that after transmigrating, she would become a reliable woman herself…

A forced misandrist, highly skilled, and reliable female lead

vs.

An initially aloof and arrogant, later morbid, obsessed male lead

_____

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