If it was considered a joke, that was a miscalculation.

In the end, I had come this far because of his socalled joke.

“I’m sorry. I’m sorry, Anette.”

An apology wasn’t necessary. I never intended to accept it in the first place. I coldly turned my back on him.

“It’s over. From the beginning, I wasn’t yours.”

“Anette! You are getting married to spite me now.”

My body twisted around. He had grabbed me at his will. The person who had just apologized was now trying to toy with me. For a moment, my teeth clenched in rage.

“Let go. There are many eyes on us.”

“Let’s talk separately.”

I spoke firmly.

“The only thing I had to say to you was an invitation. I don’t want to say or hear anything more.”

“You’re getting married forcefully because of me, right?”

“No? What delusion are you under?”

Even if that were true, Serdis and I were not close enough to care about each other’s marriages.

“Speak honestly!”

“Can’t you lower your voice?”

Attention was focused. The gazes of the others watching Serdis and me began to change. It was a perfect timing for misunderstanding. I couldn’t believe how dull and foolish he was to act shamelessly in front of others.

“There are many eyes on us, let go.”

I tried to free my arm, but he didn’t seem to let go. It was a sharp gaze that was determined to see the end.

He was always a man who didn’t understand even if he spoke moderately. It was a moment when I was thinking about how to avoid becoming a gossip with this man tomorrow.

“You cross the line when you’re told to see.”

A thick male voice came from the sofa in one corner of the dressing room. The newspaper he was hiding his face with was roughly cleared away.

“Duke Blanche, your highness……?”

Longlegged Hertian tilted his head. Hertian was here. Surprised by his sudden appearance for a moment, his sinister black pupils quickly moved. With the bad hand that had been holding me.

“Let go of that hand.”

I could feel the murderous intent that would cut off his hand just by looking at it.

Serdis’ face also twisted miserably as he discovered Hertian. It was a wellknown fact that the relationship between the two halfbrothers was not good. As if to prove that, the sharp gazes they had towards each other were tense.

“What are you doing here, behaving nobly, when you should be rolling around on the battlefield?”

“I came to see our Anette.”

Wow.

I was touched for a moment. He appeared at the right time and said these words.

He spoke so skillfully that it felt like a national loss that he wasn’t interested in women.

“What? Our what?”

“Do I have to report everything to you, including the fact that I came because I wanted to see our Anette? Your Imperial Highness.”

He, who had suddenly approached, forcefully took his hand off and politely switched to honorifics. But it sounded more sarcastic.

“Take care of your business. Let’s go, Anette.”

“This bastard…… how did you woo Anette.”

“I didn’t woo her. I fell in love at first sight and begged to get married.”

Even I felt embarrassed by his words. He did it without any problem.

“The brave gets the beauty. It seems that you couldn’t even have the courage to be decent.”

His red lips curled up mischievously.

“You…….”

Serdis couldn’t make a decent argument. It was Hertian’s perfect victory.

“It’s now our Anette’s turn to wear the dress. It seems you bought a lot of gifts. If you don’t want to hear about wasting the national treasury, you should donate somewhere.”

“What does a bastard child know…….”

He was about to reveal his ugly side. I blocked Hertian’s path.

“Let’s go in. Darling.”

At my decisive weapon, his grumbling mouth shut up.

There was no reason for Hertian to hear such a story, let alone deal with it.

“Dar, Darling?”

“Yes, our darling.”

I chuckled and patted Hertian’s thick arm. Hertian, quick to catch on, soon changed into a affectionate face and followed my rhythm.

“There’s nothing to back down now that our honey has sent out invitations.”

“What? Honey?”
He lifted me into his arms in a flash. My body floated in the air in an instant. Without any room for surprise, Hertian spoke. Everyone was watching a romance unfold with stunned faces. The embarrassment was theirs to bear.

“Please spread the word among the other nobles as well. How close and deep our relationship is.”

Unlike his reputation, his touch was careful. He held me and entered the fitting room in the costume chamber. As soon as the curtain was drawn, he let me down.

“Did I do well?”

Even after a perfect performance, he wore a worried expression. He, already handsome, looked especially dashing today.

“I thought I had become the protagonist of a romance of the century. Did you see the expressions of the others? Even if Serdis didn’t believe it, the others must have thought we were real lovers?”

I gave him a thumbs up. Only then did he relax his expression and smile, before asking a question.

“But, do you dislike the prince?”