Chapter 85

If she showed it to Noel, he’d be very happy, right?

It would make anyone feel better when they saw the gift they used.

Rieta came out in front of the flower shop and waited for Noel.

“Noel.”

Not long after, Noel also left the flower shop.

As if something made him flopping around.

‘Is there a problem?’

She was worried and looked at him carefully, but again, he was hiding something behind his back.

Of course, hiding it was of no avail.

On the other side, Rieta’s favorite bunch of flowers was sticking their head out.

“Did you buy it as a souvenir?”

When Rietta asked, Noel walked up to her with thumping steps and held out a flower.

In a really insincere way.

Can’t you at least look at my face and give it to me?

How are you going to give flowers to the female lead later . . . !

Hugh McLean, who didn’t mind saying flowery and embarrassing words, would kneel down to offer flowers.

Still, you can’t ask for too much at once.

Even today, Noel made great progress.

Didn’t she see the cuteness of him handing out strawberries and secretly buying flowers for her?

Rieta decided to give Noel a bunch of ‘carrots’.*

“Did you buy it for me?”

“Hhh.”

“Thank you.”

Rieta accepted the flower with both of her hands.

She had already smelled a lot of scent, but she liked it nonetheless, and she buried her nose between the petals for a moment.

“I am really happy. Can you give it to me again next time?”

“You want more?!”

“Because of Noel, everyone will only send me food. Flowers should be given by Noel.”

Noel was about to tell her, ‘Don’t be funny!’, but then stopped.

Now is the time to tell Rieta her truth and make her apologize.

” . . . Okay. I will give you flowers.”

After answering with a face that seemed to swallow humiliation, he looked into Rieta’s eyes.

Fortunately, she looked pretty good.

She kept smiling as she touched the flowers and smelled it.

“Hey, well. I have something to apologize for.”

“What do you want to apologize for? What is it?”

Rieta raised her head.

As she put the flowers in her arms, the brooch on the scarf came into Noel’s line of sight.

He flinched and shivered.

“Ah, this.”

Had she noticed his gaze? Rieta laughed.

“How? Doesn’t it suit you really well?”

That . . . It was a good fit.

In particular, Rieta’s blue eyes and the color of the jewels on the brooch were strangely similar, making it look like something made just for her.

“Oh, yes. That’s what I want to say. That brooch.”

“Yeah, why this brooch?”

“Actually I.”

Noel’s story stops halfway through, as if something surprised him.

Any problem?

Rieta rolled her eyes and turned her head to where he was looking.

Hugh McLean?

There was Hugh McLean approaching this way with a wide smile.

“Don’t, don’t look!”

“Huh?”

“Don’t look, you stupid Princess!”

“At Hugh McLean?”

Noel looked at Rieta and Hugh alternately with a very anxious face.

In particular, whenever Rieta’s brooch caught his eye, his anxiety grew.

If she came closer to Hugh and said hello, he would surely inform her about the truth of that brooch.

Then Rieta will know whose gift the brooch was.

In the worst way.

What should I do?

If that happened, Noel would be so embarrassed that he would never lift his head again.

Noel decided to make a choice that was far from polite.

Running away.

He grabbed Rieta’s hand.

And he suddenly started running without any notice.

“Noel?!”

Rieta stumbled for a moment, but she immediately ran behind with him.

“Why all of a sudden?!”

She constantly asked him why.

“Noel! What . . .”

After a few minutes of running, Noel stopped.

Fortunately, Hugh McLean hadn’t seemed to follow them.

He couldn’t hear that stupid voice anymore.

Instead, a painfully heavy breathing sound came from right behind him.

Noel was startled and looked back quickly.

Rieta’s condition was miserable.

Her bangs were overturned as she ran through the cold wind, and her cheeks and forehead were all red.

“Huuu . . .”

It was difficult for her to breathe, so she squatted on the floor and exhaled quickly.

“. . .”

Noel wanted to say that he was sorry, but he couldn’t.

He was much more apologetic than he ever had been.

“. . . Noel.”

Rieta, whose breathing soon calmed down, raised her head and called out his name.

There were still the long stretches of the hand between the two of them.

“Why did you run away?”

In response to the sharp question, Noel tried to let go of Rieta’s hand.

“Don’t let go, answer me.”

Rieta squeezed his hand tighter.

“That is . . .”

He hesitated to answer.

But it was difficult for things to get much worse.

He should just speak the truth.

“Perhaps.”

*From the stick and carrot idiom; stick means punishment, carrot means reward.