Even as other young ladies blushed and looked at him, he never once returned their glances.

It was then that Viare’s gaze met his indifferent blue eyes, framed by his icy silver hair.

Caught off guard, Viare involuntarily looked away, feeling a blow to her pride.

She assumed that being from the Duke of Verduum’s family, he would have a negative perception of the Luschev Ducal family.

Gaining his friendship would be a great achievement, but she wasn’t interested in a Duke who showed such a lack of interest in socializing.

Listening to Lady Ashitera excitedly praise the Duke’s appearance only increased Viare’s fatigue.

“Lady Ashitera, I’m going to step out for some air.”

Outside the banquet hall, Viare finally felt a sense of relief.

It was a quiet evening on a cloudy autumn day, with the chill of the autumn wind brushing against her arms.

Viare hesitated, shivering slightly. She could have returned to get a shawl, but then she would have to bring a knight with her to come back out.

Since she had already snuck out of the banquet hall unnoticed, Viare decided against returning.

It was already dark outside, with only the distant stars faintly lighting the earth.

Viare walked towards a place within the Ducal residence known only to her, lost in thought.

The banquet had been somewhat successful, but it wasn’t over yet, so she couldn’t let her guard down.
Smirking lightly and shaking his head, the Duke gently kissed Viare’s hand and added a few words before returning to his own estate.

“Happy seventeenth birthday, Via.”

Viare stood there, looking at her flushed hand, feeling embarrassed and experiencing confusion for the first time.

‘What’s with this man, what is he trying to do?’

He had presumptuously used her nickname without permission and even kissed her hand.

For Viare, such audacious behavior was unimaginable, and she spent a restless night, unable to sleep due to her anger.

‘Back then, I never thought we would end up like this…’

Viare let out a wry laugh. Now, her only solace was reminiscing about her memories with him.

Whether they were happy or sad days, her subconscious always brought back thoughts of Dension.

Was Viare longing for a specific moment in the past, or for herself from that time?

The setting sun filtered through the window curtains, and Viare quietly gazed at the colors soaked in the sunset light.

“Sion, are you also looking at this sky?”

Dension often lost himself in thought, gazing at the sky tinged red.

It was hard to take her eyes off him when he stared with such a deep sadness in his blue eyes.

She never really found out who he was thinking about, even to this day, but Viare didn’t want to disturb the memories he held.

Being lovers didn’t mean they had to know or reveal everything about each other.

She believed it was a form of consideration and respect for the other person.

Even though such misunderstandings eventually drove them apart.

In retrospect, during the two years she knew Dension, Viare realized she didn’t know much about him.

Even though she was the closest person in his world, she couldn’t penetrate every aspect of his life.

Every time she discovered a new side of Dension that he himself wasn’t aware of, Viare felt overwhelmingly happy.

Like how he would smirk when eating pudding made with orange marmalade, or frown and pout when he encountered a situation he didn’t like.

She had thought that someday, if she opened up completely to him, he would also fully open his heart to her.

They had so much time ahead and she had no doubt they would spend their lives together.

But in the end, all that returned to her was Dension’s cold body.

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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