Chapter 77: 78

Garou pushed the basket towards me.

My hands were shaking, but I managed to hold onto my reason. 

‘Wake up. You’re no longer a child!’

“Why did you come to see me in person?” 

I turned my eyes to Crown Prince Garou instead of the sweets.

Garou tilted his head and replied as if it was natural.

“That’s because we’re now in a relationship to get married.”

‘The time has come.’

I recited the lines I had prepared. 

“If it’s a marriage proposal, I will politely decline it.”

“Why?” 

“I know I have a responsibility as a member of the Bauner family, but…”

“You don’t have to say something you don’t mean. Just be honest. I’m really curious.” 

Garou cut off my words and narrowed his eyes like a snake.

“Why do you refuse such an opportunity when you want to run away from the duchy?”

…This bastard, what did he just say? 

I got chills.

With the words he just uttered, the man in front of me felt completely different.

As he said, I plan to run away from the duchy soon.

How did the crown prince know about that?

Just like he was entering my dream, could he read my mind by magic? If so, how much did he know? 

My heart tightened. Silence fell in the white space. 

Garou glanced at me and smiled, going ‘Hmm,’ as if intrigued.

“You’re smart. Usually, kids your age dig their own graves when they try to make lame excuses.”

Garou chuckled playfully and shrugged.

“Oh, I didn’t dig into you, so don’t worry. I just felt that way when I saw you four years ago.”

“…You felt that?”

“It seemed like you wanted to get out of the masquerade and further out of the duke’s castle.”

What, was it just a feeling? When relief settled in my heart, Garou’s golden eyes pierced me like a spear.

“At that time, I thought it was simply the rebellion of a child who didn’t know the world… but it’s the same now. Rather, it’s more certain than then.” 

Garou brought his face closer towards me and asked as if he was determined to find out.

“You don’t want to be in the duke’s castle, do you?”

Garou’s prediction was half right and half wrong.

It was not that I didn’t want to stay in the duke’s castle. Rather, I really want to remain in the duke’s family and live there.

But I couldn’t do that

If I stayed like this, Alan would kill me, and it was impossible to imitate Lily forever.

I even got Benny involved in my plans, so I couldn’t back down any further.

There were so many reasons why it was impossible to continue living in the duke’s castle with the desire to have a warm family.

“Why?” 

I clenched my fists, both hands on my skirt, and stared at the crown prince. 

“Why did you feel that way? That I want to run away…” 

“Oh, it’s simple.” 

Garou shrugged lightly.

“I can see the past.” 

“…Yes?” 

No matter how much I thought about it, I couldn’t understand what he meant.

Garou pointed to his temple and continued.

“To be exact, should I say that I can read the past? It just feels like reading a book. By the way, have you ever heard of the reason why I, who was born only 16 years ago, became the Crown Prince?”

“…I haven’t.” 

As I shook my head, Garou muttered beneath his breath, “They don’t seem to say anything about the imperial family,” then he continued to explain.

“Just as it was mentioned. I can vividly recall events from the past that I have never experienced. I am the first person in the history of the Spirits to do this kind of magic.”

Garou looked away. As if reminiscent of a time far beyond his age.

“I can’t decide exactly what kind of memory I will recall. My abilities are so arbitrary…. Ah, but if it’s a civil war 10 years ago or a war 100 years ago, I remember it clearly.”

Garou had a mischievous expression like a boy who gave out riddles for an instant. 

“That way, I was able to recognize certain emotions with certainty. Do you know what it is?”

“…….” 

“Fear.”

He waved his hand in front of my face. A thick shadow instantly obscured my vision.

“You are scared of your dad, aren’t you?”

‘That’s right. I am afraid of Alan.’

At first I was afraid he would kill me, but now I was afraid because he was so kind to me. 

The kinder he was to me, the more anxious I became just thinking about how things would change if I leave. 

“We’re not close yet, so I won’t ask why you’re afraid. But be aware of this.”

Garou spoke as if it was a fact that we would get closer, and then he laughed politely. 

“If you marry me, you may leave House Bauner and never see your father. The Imperial House… No.”

Golden eyes stared straight at me. His eyes, which had always been playful, became serious in an instant.

“I will protect you.” 

He would keep me safe from the Bauner family, huh?

Garou’s proposal was something I had been waiting for ever since I became a fake princess.

“There is no need to think too hard about marriage with the imperial family. If you marry me, you will become the second strongest woman in the palace, so there is no need to look out for others.” 

When I didn’t answer, Garou got up from his seat and coughed loudly.

“…I’m done with the explanation here, and I really wanted to try something like this.”

Garou slowly stood next to me and went down on one knee on the floor.

“Lilietta von Bauner.” 

Garou looked up at me. His eyes, shining gold like a freshly carved amber, contained incredible charisma for a 16-year-old.

“Will you marry me?” 

To think it’s the crown prince’s proposal. Any woman in the empire would be thrilled.

But my situation was different from theirs. 

I pursed my lips and raised my eyebrows.

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‘This person…’

There was only one thought in my mind right now. 

‘Does he think I’m a fool?’ 

I worked hard to manage my expression and opened my mouth. 

“Crown Prince.”

Then Garou smiled. As if he already knew my answer. I spoke firmly to him, who was confident.

“I don’t want to.”

Silence passed for a moment.

Garou stayed silent, then stood up on his knees with a ‘Huh?’ expression.

“Did I… get dumped?”

“Um… I mean, yes.” 

I wanted to turn it around like a dignified princess, but I couldn’t think of anything else to say.

“You were dumped.”

Garou scratched his cheek as I hit the wedge firmly.

I was truly embarrassed when I looked at him.

“If I ask why, it won’t be cool, right?”

‘Beyond being cool, you’ll look like an idiot.’ I wanted to reply like that, but I barely endured and stopped it from coming out of my throat with dry saliva.

The reason for refusal was simple. 

Garou wanted to strengthen the alliance between the imperial family and the ducal family by marrying me. 

It must have been because the duke’s prestige had risen in the midst of the recapture of the Western Continent.

Thus, he would exert himself to achieve his goal.

‘How do I know if it’ll all be lies after we get married? Who knows if he’ll really protect me.’ 

From the age of nine when I was fooled by Thomas, that bastard, I have been faithfully adhering to just one principle in my life – ‘Don’t trust people you don’t know.’

How could I be fooled by the candy of a person I just met for the first time, which led to my twisted life ever since?

Additionally, this round, the opponent was a member of the imperial family, and not just that, but he was the crown prince.

Garou, who was stunned as he felt my firm will, took a step back.

“That’s too bad! I thought you would definitely agree.”

‘Because you’re a crown prince, you may think that way. But this time, you are overly assured.’

….It seemed like I would be seen as sarcastic if I said that, so I swallowed it inwardly and spoke only polite words.

“I’m sorry I couldn’t give you the answer you wanted.”

“Huh? No, it’s going to be whatever I want it to be.”

Garou’s tone was full of certainty. It was surprising to me how he could be so confident.

“I have no intention of giving up on my marriage to you.”

“Ah, yes…” 

“Make it a bet. From now on, you and I will be terribly entangled.”

“Yes, well…” 

“Do I have to deal with that monster first?”

“…What?”

After listening to Garou’s words with one ear and letting it flow out through the other, I suddenly turned my eyes towards him.

“I’m talking about the evil spirit boy. If it’s not me, he’s the one who’s most likely to marry you.”

Garou made a vicious smile as if my reaction was funny.

“…Just because Benny is the guardian of the Duchy does not necessarily mean that he will marry me.”

“Whether he’s a guardian or something, I’m not interested in that either.”

He tried to sneak in an interest in Benny, but it was useless.

“The important thing is that you care about him. To the point where I can hear rumors.”

Garou tilted his head. White hair resembling the emperor’s fell across his forehead.

“I have to get rid of potential enemies, right?”

No malice was felt in the smirk. That was even more annoying. 

This was what Garou meant, ‘If you don’t agree to form a marriage alliance, you won’t know what will happen to the person you care about.’

It was complete intimidation. 

I clenched my fist involuntarily. Trimmed nails dug deep into the palm of my hand.

‘This brat…’

I had been distracted since earlier. The more I looked at the crown prince, the more intense emotions rose.

‘Why do I want to hit him so much?’

The crown prince in front of me was so disgusting that I wanted to break his nose.

Even before Garou threatened me, the feeling of disgust that had sprung up exploded in combination with his brazen attitude. 

I frowned as if I had bitten an insect, and he smirked as if he liked my cheeky attitude.

“You’ve come to hate me a lot, haven’t you? That’s good.” 

Garou licked the cookie crumbs that covered his lips. It was like a snake testing how powerful the venom on its tongue was.

“We’re already like a married couple who speak ill of each other and hurt each other.”

“Don’t touch Benny.” 

I growled like a beast. My voice was so low that I surprised myself.

“You should see the look in your eyes now.”

Garou clenched his chin with a smile of joy.

“Why do you care so much about that monster?”

I didn’t answer right away. The reason I cared about Benny had always been one of these – Benny was the protagonist of this world, and he would help me.

‘But… is that really all?’

If I cared about Benny simply because of his help, there was no need to threaten the crown prince now.

It would be better for me to butter him up. But I couldn’t.

When the person in front of me insulted Benny, I was offended. To the point where I couldn’t stand it.

“Benny is… my friend.” 

I finally came up with a good answer. It was an old saying, but it was true. 

Benny was the only person who helped me when I was in a tight spot. And he cherished ​​me too.

If I had to give this relationship a name, it would be a friend. 

“Friend, huh?”

Garou stirred the tea with a teaspoon, like my answer was not interesting. 

As the vortex of red liquid subsided, he spat out.

“Lilieta, or is it because you’re a monster like him?”

To be continued…

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