I just got strangely relaxed and closed my eyes, but I didn’t fall asleep.

Soon after the song ended, huge applause erupted from here and there again. I woke up to the sound like it was an alarm going off.

When I opened my eyes, Aiden was clapping while looking down at the stage with a red face as if he had talked to me before.

It must have been good.

I turned my head and looked down at the stage. On stage, the singers bowed politely and greeted the audience. When the curtains were drawn, and the singers had completely disappeared behind the curtains,

“Selena,”

Lucas tapped my armrest and called me.

“Yes?”

Lucas looked at my face carefully and opened his mouth.

“You look tired, shall we go back?”

Tired… I was tired. But I was always tired. First of all, I couldn’t help it because my body wasn’t very healthy. I never really thought about doing exercise.

I was going to die in 4 years anyway… Ah, why did my thoughts suddenly flow in that direction?

In any case, I was mostly tired, so looking tired was just my general condition.

“No.”

If I was desperate to go home, I would have left everything behind, needless to say, but I thought it would be okay to stay outside for a little while now.

Besides, my goal today wasn’t just to watch the opera. Even just for that goal, I would not have already returned home.

When I said I wasn’t going back, Lucas’s eyebrows moved upward for a moment, as if in surprise.

“Alright, Selena.”

However, Lucas didn’t add another word, he just nodded his head and affirmed my words.

So after making the decision to return home a little later, I turned his head a little and looked at the important target of the day, Jacob. As soon as our eyes met, Jacob winked his eyes again to show that he was not tired.

(T/N: okay so i checked the raws this is winked 찡긋찡긋 0_{ this emoji hahaha) When will Jacob know that it’s not very attractive? (T/N: HAHAHAHHAH I LOST ITTTT XD)

***

“Do you like the cake?”

“Yes, it is delicious.”

It was true that the green tea cake was delicious.

To be honest, I had been eating better desserts than this at the Duchy… But that didn’t mean this cake didn’t taste good.

Above all, I liked the quiet atmosphere of the cafe because it was a bit of an ambiguous time.

“That’s a relief.”

Jacob said, raising the ends of his cheeks. Since we met today, he seemed to be in the best mood.

Well, of course. Because it was just the two of us at this table. From a formal point of view, wasn’t it the kind of date he wanted so much?

Aiden and Lucas would be enjoying cake and tea together at a table a little further away from ours.

Just imagining it would be comfortable and enjoyable.

To be honest, I didn’t want to sit alone with Jacob and eat cake like this.

However, in order to achieve today’s goal, there was no other way.

After a light meal, when I said that only Jacob and I would have tea, everyone had different reactions.

Jacob was so happy that he didn’t know what to do, his eyes blinking non-stop as if there were dust in them, and Aiden looked at me with a hardened face without saying a word.

Lucas whispered into my ear, saying it’s not going to happen.

“Are you going to deceive your family again?”

That speaking face was fierce. Wasn’t this the way he was growling at the peacock-like noblemen before? Looking at it directed towards me, it felt quite new.

Because of this expression, the peacock-like nobles quickly lowered their tails.

Feeling a little sympathy for them, I shook my head.

“I’m not deceiving them. I’m just going to have a private conversation. Don’t worry, I won’t run away.”

Even though I said it calmly, the color of his face still showed that he couldn’t believe it.

Oh my God, how did I become such an untrustworthy person?

Haha, even I wouldn’t trust a kid like me.

“If you’re that worried, you can sit down at the table over there and watch.”

And Lucas really did watch me from another table as I said.

Being watched was natural for me now… It was as natural as food, clothing and shelter, so there was nothing wrong with it.

As we ate the cake without a word, remembering what happened before, our Jacob opened his mouth again.

“When the Lady is here with me, the whole world looks so beautiful.”

I almost spit out the green tea cake I was chewing on.

No, to be honest, it seems like a very small piece had fallen under my feet.

This man must have a natural talent for making people very disgusted.

At least his outer appearance was fine… As expected, we didn’t know people just from looking at them.

‘I must quickly accomplish my purpose today and go home and go to sleep.’

The reason I came out to meet Jacob today, and that I had sent Lucas and Aiden to another table and sat alone with Jacob, was to solve a small question.

In fact, I had known Jacob before the greenhouse party when I first met him.

Because this ‘Jacob’ was also a character in the novel.

In the novel, he was clearly a character who appeared when Selena was 22, that is, when the novel was in full swing and Selena’s evil deeds reached their peak.

Because of Selena’s evil deeds, people moved away from Selena’s side one by one, along with the liked Lu… ugh.

Anyways, as Selena heard harsh words from Lucas every day, a man appeared in front of Selena, who was getting hurt.

That was Jacob.

He seemed like a great character when it was explained in this way, but he was actually an ulterior-motived person who tried to seduce Selena with sweet words and flair, but had planned to hit Selena and quietly leave.

Vivian was quick to hear the rumors and news, so she may have heard of Jacob’s rotten strategy.

There were bad rumors, but nothing was certain, so it must have been difficult to convey.

Still, she was trying to tell me something… Vivian… you… Anyway, there was only one reason why I roughly matched his pace even though I knew Jacob’s dark plan.

It was because I had a very small question when I saw Jacob confessing to me every now and then.

The supporting character who appeared after Selena turned 22, appeared 3 years earlier now and was flirting with me… Why?

Well, the content of the novel started to change from early on. I think it was after Brother got engaged to the princess?

Still, I couldn’t help but have doubts.

If the novel had gone completely wrong, wouldn’t Jacob’s actions be so as well?

Yes, it was a question like that.

So, to find out the answer to this question, I roughly matched Jacob’s rhythm… It seemed like I had just been wasting my time.

Because, thinking about it, there was no way to find out the answer.

I couldn’t ask why he was seducing me now, and I couldn’t even ask when he decided to seduce me.

There’s no way he’ll be honest with me even if I asked.

I was strongly convinced that it was really a waste of time, so I stirred the tea with the teaspoon, and Jacob opened his mouth again.

“Lady Selena, have you thought about my confession?”

“I don’t know. The fact that it is between a noble man and a noble woman… Is it that easy?”

It was easy.

I didn’t know about other houses, but first of all, it was easy for me. If there was a man I liked, my family would say, ‘Oh my God! Selena has someone she likes…!’ and they would accept him as he was.

Of course, it would be different if that man had an ill-intentioned mind like this man in front of me.

I deliberately cut him off and didn’t say no, but Jacob’s eyes glistened with lust.

He seems to have glimpsed an opportunity or possibility in the ambiguous answer… Poor thing.

“Yes. However, true love eventually overcomes all trials and tribulations. Can’t you hear my heart cry out for Selena?”

What nonsense.

I was also a bit brazen compared to others, but this man seemed to have no face or anything.

I saw him spit out the cries of his heart in public places. So he must have an impressive memory of how long he had last eaten an orange.

T/N: this is the same sentences as the orange thingy in the tea part T.T

I was all shy, but Jacob was looking at me with blazing eyes without the slightest bit of embarrassment.

“The cries of your heart… I hear them. I can hear you enough. It’s a cry as strong as Bobby next door. That kid cried so much when he wanted something…”

I tried to speak from Jacob’s perspective, who liked to speak poetically… But he didn’t seem to understand.

It wasn’t just that.

“Bobby?”

“Bobby.”

Jacob’s face contorted as if he was looking at a strange person.

‘This Jacob. You have to keep a straight face no matter what. What is this? It makes people sad.’

If one did this, it would be romance, if someone else did it, it would be an affair… It seemed like that kind of scenario.

Well? Whatever… It seemed better to stay ignorant.

A question is more beautiful when left as a question.

Well, it was not like that.

Jacob was too big of a question for me to figure out.

It was clear that the male leads in romance novels around the world would also kneel in front of Jacob’s remarks.

I had just decided to give up on this formidable friend.

It was very tiring to talk in more nature-friendly terms, about the stars, the sun and the moon, and to keep blinking the eyes without rest as if a dust storm had come.

“I don’t know who Bobby is…… You’re joking with me, right.”

But unlike me, Jacob didn’t seem to give up yet. A swallow-like friend with great tenacity… By the way, the nobles were all a bit like birds. Peacock-like men, swallow friends. I was the magpie who repaid the favor.

T/N: so google the folktale of ‘swallow and the scholar or sth

Of all the birds, the magpie was the best.

Anyway, since I decided to give up on Jacob, it was a no-brainer to not get involved with this person anymore.

Like in the novel, it was also a good way to untangle people, and tell them not to approach again… It was the way Selena used before.

It didn’t suit me as a pacifist.

After shaking my head for a moment, I remembered the paper documents I had put in my small handbag.

It was prepared just in case, but I never imagined that I would really use it.

Jacob… In many ways, you are more than I imagined…

“Yes. It’s just a joke. Rather, I didn’t know that you thought of me that much. It’s hard to believe, as words just disappear when you hear it. ”

I shrugged, and Jacob nodded his head in empathy. But, contrarily, his eyes were trembling uncontrollably.

‘What are you talking about?’

That’s what the eyes were saying. Now, Jacob seems to be feeling a little bit of my feelings, so I was glad.

“So I mean… Could you please fill out a document? Then I will seriously think about it.”