The Person I Loved Hated Me - Chapter 37

Eivard invited Lady Lilia, daughter of Viscount Notoria, to the botanical gardens.

It was a standard dating route or rather, method of socializing for engaged noble couples.

Beneath the pleasant afternoon sunlight, the handsome Eivard smoothly escorted her, while Lilia, blushing with embarrassment, happily placed her hand on his offered arm. Her demeanor was entirely natural, the same attitude most women adopted around Eivard.

It was so convincing that he almost grew anxious, wondering if everything up to this point had been genuine and she was uninvolved.

Inside the botanical gardens, the gazes from other visitors especially the women were intense. They would stare dreamily at Eivard, only to notice Lilia beside him and shoot her jealous looks. Yet Lilia seemed perfectly content throughout, suggesting she had nerves of steel.

“Thank you for inviting me today,” she said, bowing as they prepared to part.

Eivard, however, proposed, “There’s one more place I’d like to go with you.”

Lilia exclaimed, “Oh!” in delight, but contrary to her words, her eyes darted away in confusion—a detail Eivard didn’t miss.

So, his suspicions were correct after all. Concealing his realization, Eivard maintained a calm facade, feeling as though he were facing a target for capture.

“It’s close by, so let’s walk. Your maid and attendants can wait in the carriage.”

“B-But…”

Lilia glanced back anxiously. In her line of sight was a young man who had accompanied them as her guard.

“I am a knight of the kingdom. Even if ruffians appear, I won’t let them lay a finger on you.”

“…Very well.”

Eivard led Lilia to a park near the botanical gardens. With its open views and sparse crowds, they would notice anyone approaching immediately.

He guided her to a nearby bench and sat down beside her, getting straight to the point. “We need to talk.”

“Lady Notoria. Do you truly intend to marry me?”

“Of course!”

Clenching her fists, Lilia leaned in eagerly. Eivard smiled faintly and replied, “Is that so?” before leaning close, bringing his lips near her ear. He could feel her body temperature spike.

Eivard wasn’t one to deliberately use seduction; he never had to. People always fell for him on their own. This time was no different. But…

“Even as the Trulin Marquisate faces ruin?”

The moment he said it, Lilia’s temperature plummeted, and she gasped. That alone confirmed everything.

“Viscount Notoria is under Duke Winslet’s thumb, isn’t he? What is your objective?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about. I am going to marry Lord Eivard!”

She tried to maintain composure, but her voice trembled. It was as good as a confession.

Eivard had been told by his subordinates that during interrogations, his handsome face took on a terrifying quality. He was certain he wore that expression now. Being feared was easier than being blushed at. He wanted to push this straight into an annulment.

“Where does that determination come from? Were you ordered by Viscount Notoria?”

“Because I love Lord Eivard!”

“I see. Then you wouldn’t mind spending the night with me right now.”

Lilia’s face turned ashen. It was pitiful, but Eivard was backed into a corner too. He couldn’t afford to hold back.

“…A lady should preserve her purity until marriage.”

“Is that the extent of your love?”

Lilia, using the expected noble daughter’s excuse, tried to retreat but only shifted backward on the bench.

To prevent her from falling off and to ensure she couldn’t escape, Eivard wrapped an arm around her waist. With his other hand, he cupped her cheek, holding her in place.

“You act as if I’ve disgraced you. Isn’t it a bit late for that?”

It was Lilia herself who had exaggeratedly spread rumors about being ignored by him.

After saying this, he brought his face so close their noses nearly touched and repeated, “Were you ordered by Viscount Notoria?” Lilia let out a small, frightened squeak.

“Viscount Notoria isn’t the type to meddle in internal politics. But he wants the Trulin Marquisate’s mining technology, doesn’t he? That’s why he’s helping Duke Winslet. The Trulin Marquisate, overconfident that they could secure the gold mine through our engagement, will pile up debts and go bankrupt—before the one-year engagement period is over.”

It was customary for noble engagements to last a year before marriage. That would be enough time for the Trulin Marquisate to reach a point of no return, long before Eivard would marry into the Notoria family.

Then, under some pretext, the engagement with Eivard would be broken off. With the ladder pulled out from under them, the Trulin Marquisate would go bankrupt and lose all credibility.

“Breaking off an engagement is a fatal flaw for a noble lady, even if the Trulin Marquisate is at fault. What I don’t understand is your attitude. Until you met me, you were a perfectly proper, well-mannered young lady. Why did you become so excessive? Is your goal to make me dislike you?”

Just then, a voice cried out, “My lady!” Lilia’s attendant reached out to separate them. Eivard, who had already spotted him, swept the man’s legs out from under him. To keep Lilia from tumbling, he seated her firmly on the bench before twisting the man’s arm and restraining him.

“Cissle!”

Lilia screamed the man’s name and tried to intervene, but Eivard didn’t release his hold.

“He’s my attendant! Don’t be rough with him!”

“If I’d allowed his actions, you would have fallen from the bench and gotten hurt. Attendant or not, he’s a ruffian.”

“No, that’s not true! He was trying to protect me!”

“From your fiancé? Did he think I was assaulting you?”

“That’s…”

Eivard’s status was both the son of the Trulin Marquis and a knight who defended the kingdom. Knights were appointed by the king and considered his property.

The attendant might have thought Lilia was being attacked given the situation. But in reality, she hadn’t been harmed in the slightest. This man, called Cissle, had lunged at the daughter of Viscount Notoria and a knight of the kingdom.

Even knowing they were engaged, and despite his lower status, he had attempted to use violence. Moreover, if Eivard testified that he had been “assaulted,” Cissle would be charged with attempting to harm the king’s property. The crime of laying hands on a knight was severe.

Realizing Cissle was at an absolute disadvantage, Lilia fell silent.

“My lady!”

The man seemed about to say something, but Eivard pressed his head down and covered his mouth. He probably wanted to argue that Viscount Notoria held a higher position or that Duke Winslet would pull strings from behind the scenes to get him acquitted.

Eivard understood that this man was concerned for his master’s daughter, and from Eivard’s perspective, the man’s actions weren’t worth prosecuting. He could have simply held Lilia and moved aside; he knew he wasn’t in real danger and didn’t need to restrain him. The man just wanted to separate Eivard and Lilia.

But Eivard deliberately handled him roughly. At this, Lilia burst into tears. “I’m sorry,” she sobbed.

“I’ll tell you everything honestly. So please, release Cissle.”

It seemed she was willing to confess everything just to free one attendant. Eivard could guess the correct answer: this man was important to Lilia.