It Seemed My Fiancé Hated Me, So I Distanced Myself—But for Some Reason, He Complained - Chapter 15

After Father, Mother, and Chelsea withdrew to the inner rooms, Lord Ryan grabbed my arm irritably.

“Clarissa, what exactly are you thinking?”

“Well, since you always seem to dislike being with me, I thought I’d let Chelsea take the partner position this time.”

“That’s not it! I’m talking about you being invited to a party by some acquaintance! What kind of person would so rudely invite an engaged lady to a party!?”

Lord Ryan frowned with clear displeasure.

“…He has a lovely smile.”

“…What?”

“Never mind. Lord Ryan, please enjoy the party with Chelsea.”

“Hey! Wait! Clarissa!”

Ignoring Lord Ryan calling from behind, I retreated to my room without even seeing them off.

Leaning against my door, I let out a breath.

I’d done something quite out of character. I always obediently followed Lord Ryan’s words without any objection.

“…So, I could do something like this too.”

Even though I had angered Lord Ryan, my heart felt remarkably light.

“Clarissa! Is it true you’ll attend the garden party with me?”

The day after meeting Lord Ryan, I sent a letter asking if I might join the party he’d invited me to earlier if it was acceptable. I received an immediate reply requesting I come to the royal castle.

The moment I visited the royal castle, Prince Lucas grasped both my hands and asked.

“If Your Highness permits…”

“Of course! Being able to attend the party with you is like a dream! But what about your fiancé?”

“I have a younger sister who hasn’t made her social debut yet, and since she’s unfamiliar with parties, she said she’d like to attend with the familiar Lord Ryan. So, I thought perhaps I might attend with Your Highness instead.”

“I see, how fortunate. Ah, I’m truly happy, Clarissa.”

Prince Lucas said with smiling eyes.

I hadn’t expected him to be so pleased, and I felt somewhat overwhelmed.

“Clarissa, could you come a bit early on the day of the party? Since the garden party starts in the afternoon, I’d be grateful if you could come in the morning.”

“Is there something you need? If so, I’ll prepare myself and visit earlier.”

“No, minimal preparation is fine. We’ll prepare the dress and accessories here.”

The Prince said with a smile. I found myself bewildered.

“I couldn’t possibly let you do such a thing.”

“Clarissa, I am royalty after all. Isn’t it natural to prepare an appropriate dress for the lady who will be the First Prince’s partner?”

Prince Lucas said with a mischievous smile.

Certainly, if I’m attending with the Prince, it might be problematic if I wore my usual worn-out dress.

“…Understood. I’ll take you up on your kind offer.”

“Ah, leave it to me!”

The Prince said with a cheerful laugh.