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IGF 15
“......Yes. Thank you once again for what happened that day. I will never forget your kindness.”
“Never forget, indeed.”
The Prince slowly repeated Roselyn's last words. His sweet, low voice possessed a strange magic that seemed to cling stickily to her ears. He took another step closer to Roselyn as he continued.
“Then, will you repay me whenever and however I ask?”
Having approached her, he looked down at her with a smile. Without realizing it, Roselyn stared at him blankly. He was a man who truly lived up to the nickname of having a face sculpted by the gods. She wondered if it was even possible for a human to look like that. For a moment, Roselyn almost forgot the situation, but she barely managed to hold onto her reason. Before it was too late, she managed to nod.
“Ha.”
Aiden let out a bewildered laugh at the sight of the woman before him. Hearing his laughter, the tips of Roselyn Bluebell's ears flushed a deeper shade of pink. I haven't come to the wrong place, have I?
A fundamental doubt arose as to whether this woman, who couldn't even meet his eyes and seemed at a loss, was truly the rumored temptress. No, it was too early to judge. She might be a woman skilled in deception, capable of faking even such a naive reaction.
Aiden's decision to visit the Russell estate had been purely impulsive. It was immediately after he heard from Deimos that marriage talks between himself and the Russell family would soon proceed. He had two options. Since he hadn't yet grown the Adamant Merchant Guild to a scale that could rival the Russells, he could either pretend to comply and wait for the right moment, or he could sabotage it from the start so it would never happen.
The first option might have been simpler, but the more he thought about it, the less appealing it became. Just today, hadn't he wasted half his patience simply enduring Violet Russell's constant chattering by his side? His heart had been leaning toward the second option from the beginning. And to execute that second plan, he needed an accomplice. That was when the name Roselyn Bluebell, whom he had kept in mind for some time, came to him. Along with those blue eyes that had shone steadfastly even in a desperate situation.
Thus, as soon as he left the Imperial Palace, he sent word to the Marquess Russell's estate. There was the option of sneaking in to meet Roselyn, but since the security was so tight, he had to minimize any potential risks. Using the excuse that he had lost something at the banquet and had come to retrieve it, he shook off the clingy Violet as soon as he arrived and summoned Roselyn Bluebell through a guild member he had planted in the estate some time ago.
“I have a proposal. How about you repay your debt by doing this.”
The woman's eyes widened at the unexpected words. She looked like an oblivious prey animal, which sparked an inexplicable sense of sadism in him. He wondered what it would feel like if tears filled those deep blue eyes. Unaware of his inner thoughts, Roselyn nodded without a moment's hesitation.
“I will do it, if it is something I can do.”
How can she agree so easily without even knowing what I'll demand? Aiden let out a hollow laugh. Roselyn's face was now flushed red all the way to her cheeks. Has she been bewitching men with such a naive expression all this time? He was confused as to whether her acting skills were simply superb or if she was truly this innocent. Well, as long as he achieved his goal, it didn't matter. Aiden got straight to the point.
“I want you to be my partner for the time being. On the condition that you accompany me to every event I attend. As for the duration, let's make it until winter arrives.”
By then, his planned affairs would be mostly wrapped up, and since it would be the end of the social season, there would be no need to continue the act. Aiden added a final remark as if granting a favor.
“If the goal is achieved early, it could be shorter.”
“Pardon?”
Roselyn doubted her ears. What did she just hear? To be his partner. There was no way a divorcee riddled with scandals like herself could occupy the place beside the Prince. Moreover, she had heard that Prince Aiden was already in marriage talks with Violet.
“Your Highness. I don't quite understand what you mean....... A partner? I heard that marriage talks are already underway between Your Highness and the lady of Russell. Then how could.......”
At Roselyn's words, Aiden's brow furrowed. He himself had only found out today that the marriage talks were proceeding. Yet, even this woman, who was nothing more than a servant in the Russell estate, was certain about the marriage talks. At this rate, the topic must have been brought up numerous times by Marquess Russell and Violet Russell.
Though they had Wijena's backing, their arrogance had exceeded all bounds. Perhaps because he couldn't fully suppress the cold anger surging within him, a chill permeated Aiden's tone.
“The marriage talks. Yes, it's because of those marriage talks that even I was unaware of, Roselyn. I need a scandal.”
“......A scandal?”
In the end, her heart plummeted. Roselyn looked up, her face pale. Unlike her, the expression of the man who had delivered the shocking news seemed perfectly serene. Without a change in his face, he spoke again as if to confirm.
“I need a scandal to break the engagement. Once the goal is achieved, I will compensate you sufficiently.”
Only then did Roselyn fully understand the meaning of Aiden's words. He did not want the engagement with Violet. No, it seemed the marriage talks had been proceeding without his knowledge from the start. Even so, he couldn't call off the talks with the Russell family without a reason, so he wanted to create a scandal to break the engagement.
And as the method to create such a scandal, she had been chosen. A foolish Prince who had fallen in love with Roselyn Bluebell, a woman divorced after playing fast and loose. That was exactly what he wanted.
“You intend to use me as a shield.”
“So to speak.”
She's smarter than I thought, he added with satisfaction, while a sense of despair flickered in Roselyn's blue eyes. She instinctively stepped back, looking at Aiden. His heartless gold eyes stared intently at her, as if urging her to answer quickly.
She barely suppressed the surge of emotion. She didn't want to show tears before a man who didn't care for her in the slightest. What were you expecting, Roselyn Bluebell? Did you actually think the Prince had fallen for you? A voice mocking her echoed in her head. The heart that had fluttered for a brief moment now felt terribly humiliated.
“Your Highness. The rumors about me, actually.......”
She opened her mouth to correct the misunderstanding first, but before she could explain, her lips closed on their own. It was because of a repeated sense of helplessness.
If she said she wasn't a temptress, if she told him that the groundless rumors were unfair and painful, would he believe her? The answer to that fundamental question was 'no.' Everyone was condemning her as a lewd and dissolute divorcee. Thanks to the reputation Selena had diligently tarnished since she was practically locked away in a convent as a child, the recent scandals had spread like wildfire. No matter how much she explained that it wasn't true, people only viewed it as an excuse. Therefore, the Prince would likely believe the rumors over the plea of a woman he had met for the first time today.
Perhaps wondering why Roselyn had stopped speaking mid-sentence, Aiden's handsome eyebrows rose slightly. Thinking that the story she tried to tell was a form of refusal, he let out a sigh.
“Think carefully. This won't be a losing deal for you either.”
“What do you mean?”
“If you accept my proposal, I promise to grant you one thing you desire, whatever it may be.”
“......And how do you know what I would want?”
A sharp remark escaped her lips involuntarily. However, Aiden tilted his head as if there was nothing difficult about it, his lips curving into a smile.
“Whatever it is, it won't be difficult. For me.”
Aiden frowned for a moment. Her more stubborn-than-expected attitude was grating, and it seemed his neuralgia was acting up. After signaling Betty, who was waiting at a distance, he took out a pack of cigarettes from his pocket and picked one. As soon as he lit it, the scent of calming herbs wafted up, slightly soothing his frayed nerves.
As he exhaled a long breath, Roselyn turned her head away to avoid the cigarette smoke. Seeing this, Aiden, feeling considerably better, continued in a condescending tone.
“I also promise to guarantee your personal safety while you act as my lover. From what I saw that day, it seems staying here isn't exactly easy for you. You wouldn't want to keep living like this, would you, Bluebell?”
Roselyn's lips stiffened with a sense of insult. By 'that day,' he was referring to the incident where she had almost been violated at the banquet. Roselyn felt that Prince Aiden's proposal was not much different from the attitude the nobleman had shown that day. Both were similar in that they sought to realize their own desires by exploiting her reputation. She struggled to steady her trembling voice before she spoke.
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