fiance chapter 24

“…Yes,” Sophia finally admitted, unable to bear the pressure. She had hidden here to avoid the Duke, to keep this secret, but she couldn’t withstand the weight of his gaze. It felt like a slow tightening around her throat, freezing her to the spot.

“What kind of dream? A dream where you and I kissed?” The Duke’s voice was devoid of emotion, as if simply confirming a fact. Sophia blushed crimson and nodded.

“Is that all?”

Of course, it wasn’t. In the dream, the Duke had magically controlled a doll that looked exactly like her, and he had said many things. But somehow, she felt he shouldn’t know. It was a primal instinct, like knowing to be wary of a predator.

“What did I say in the dream?” the Duke asked, his interest piqued. It was as if her dream held the key to a puzzle he was trying to solve.

“…You… you…,” Sophia stammered, her face burning.

“Held me…,” she continued, her voice barely a whisper.

“….”

“And said you loved me….”

The embarrassing confession hung in the air. The Duke frowned, studying her, trying to determine if she was lying.

It was a lie, of course, but Sophia’s embarrassment at having uttered those words in her dream made her appear truthful.

The Duke wasn’t one to be easily fooled, but his inherent arrogance quickly dismissed the idea that Sophia could deceive him. He smoothly transitioned back to the persona Sophia was familiar with.

The persona Sophia knew—or rather, the one he wanted her to know—was this: a gentle smile that promised to grant any wish, overflowing kindness, and a touch of playfulness.

“It wasn’t entirely a false dream. We’re going to be married. Of course, that will happen in the distant future.”

The perfect demeanor for falling in love.

Sophia stared blankly at the Duke, who had changed his attitude in an instant, as if his previous intensity had never existed. Or rather, it hadn’t been anger. It was something far more potent, something beyond mere human emotion. It was like the divine power contained within the flames of Halas, the fire that had incinerated mankind.

“Sophia?” the Duke called when she didn’t respond. Sophia wanted to tell him that sometimes, he frightened her. That these shifts in his demeanor, or rather, his very presence, sometimes terrified her. But she couldn’t say those words.

Sophia covered her face with her hands, trying to hide her fear.

“Now that you know why I ran, please leave.”

“Are you embarrassed?”

“Of course, I’m embarrassed. Why would you persistently search for someone who ran away? A gentleman never chases a lady.”

“Where did you hear that?”

“I came up with it.”

A languid chuckle escaped the Duke’s lips.

“You came up with it?”

“Yes.”

“May I ask why you think that?”

“Because… obviously… if a lady runs away, there must be a reason. The most important qualities for a gentleman are patience and consideration. He should know how to wait until she returns.”

The Duke laughed again. It wasn’t a laugh of admiration for her virtuous ideals. It was the laughter of someone looking upon a child.

“Are you mocking me?” Sophia lifted her head sharply, unable to tolerate being mocked. Her smudged makeup and tear-streaked face, a result of her fear of him, made her look younger than usual. The Duke slowly raised his hand and poked her forehead.

“Ouch! What are you doing?”

“Sophia, you’re saying such foolish things.”

“What’s so foolish about…!”

“How can love not be possessive? Love is the desire to understand someone, to possess them, to essentially make them one with yourself.”

The Duke recited Liltz’s poetry in a quiet voice. Sophia wanted to argue that responding to practical etiquette with literature was a cowardly tactic. Yet, at the same time, she was curious.

Did the Duke, who seemed to desire nothing, truly believe those words?

“Do you feel that way too? Do you want me to become like you?”

The Duke laughed again, an enigmatic laugh.

“Sophia, you may not realize it, but you already have, a little.”