fiance chapter 1

“Sophie.”

A cheerful voice rang clearly down the hall. Sophie shivered, turning a corner to evade the persistently pursuing voice. That madman. He actually came all the way here.

“Where are you, Sophie?”

The man’s voice was languid, dismissing her flight as a playful game. Even now, Sophie could picture the slow curve of his lips, the flash of blue eyes beneath his golden hair.

‘Isn’t he just marvelous?’ countless noblewomen had murmured, almost sighing. Sophie herself had once been among them, but everything had changed since she awoke from her “slumber.” Now, she was terrified of him, like a prey animal instinctively fearing a predator.

“Go back!” Sophie cried out, regardless of whether he discovered her hiding place. His footsteps, relentless just a few paces behind, betrayed no hesitation. He was clearly chasing her for sport.

As expected, the man stopped at the sound of her voice. After a moment of silence, as if considering, he asked in a light tone, “And why should I?”

Why should he? The sheer audacity of it almost made her bolt. But, always shrinking before him like a mouse before a cat, hiding and shouting felt safer. Scuttling into a disused clothes room, she yelled, “I told you the other day! This is where the Empress’s maids reside! No men allowed! Besides, how upset do you think Her Majesty will be if she finds out you’re here?”

“That’s why I told you then,” the man’s voice drew closer, as anticipated. Frozen in place, Sophie could only listen.

“What does the Empress have to do with anything?” He’d be wearing that arrogantly charming smile, the one she’d often admired.

“Sophie.” He said her name again, his voice now close, almost a whisper.

She lifted her head from between the ball gowns in the clothes room. Pushing aside the heavy fabric, the man stood silhouetted against the light, a smile playing on his lips. “Found you, my sweet fiancée.”

Fiancée. Sophie puffed out her cheeks in displeasure. She’d told him countless times that a betrothal made while one party was unconscious was invalid. Yet, he stubbornly continued to call her his fiancée, as if to remind her of a trap she couldn’t escape.

“Do you know how long I’ve been looking for you? You can’t just hide like that.” He feigned exasperation. Ignoring his theatrics, Sophie went straight to the point.

“Why are you here again today?”

“It’s only natural for fiancés to spend time together, Sophie.”

“Even fiancés should follow the rules. And you’ve even come into a restricted area…”

“Are you worried I’ll devour you?” he asked, kneeling and lifting the gowns to make room for her. The faint amusement in his voice, combined with the light playing on his face, made him seem even more unapproachable. Although they had been betrothed—including the time she was asleep—for over five months, Sophie had never truly considered him her fiancé.

When she remained silent, he lifted a hand to caress her soft cheek. Emboldened by the dimness, she spoke. “I still don’t understand why you’re engaged to me.”

“You confessed first that night, Sophie.”

“I don’t believe that.”

“So, you’re saying you didn’t have feelings for me? I could feel your admiring gaze from afar.”

“But…”

“When you act like this…,” he paused, his unnervingly blue eyes carefully scanning her face, “when you act like this, I start to think you doubt my feelings.”

“I…”

“And I want to prove them to you. What my feelings are. That I truly cherish you.” His long fingers lingered on her cheek. Suddenly, his proximity felt overwhelming. She tried to push his hand away, but his arm was firm, unyielding. His gaze intensified.

“Shall we kiss?”

“What?”

“Shall we kiss, my love?”

Sophie looked up at him, speechless.