Chapter 10

“It’s sweet.”

“Leah, what are you doing?”

“It’s delicious. The peach.”

His face turned red as he looked at me. He called my name with a half-smile face.

“Leah.”

“I never said you could call me by name.”

“Yes, you did. Sorry for calling you by name. I apologize.”

The way he apologized without hesitation was also cute. He seems a bit different from my prejudice.

When a person is really good-looking, they look a bit cold. Besides, Julien Renal completely ignored my existence during my two lives.

I had been thinking all along that he would be reticent, cold, disingenuous, and blunt. But even if we talk for a moment like this, I know that he is not that kind of person.

He is polite and well-mannered.

He is easily surprised and shy, but he’s not the type of person who gets angry at the pranks that come his way.

I like the way he happily accepts it and smiles willingly.

Instead of getting angry with me even if I shot back sharply for no reason, he admitted his fault and apologized right away.

It is a virtue that is hard to have as a person of higher status.

“There’s no need to be sorry.”

I said calmly.

“It’s late, but I’ll ask. May I call you Leah?”

He smiled again and asked.

“If you like it, do it. It’s better than ‘my jewel’.”

He frowned slightly as if trying to hold back his laughter. It was a cute frown. That expression made his face even more beautiful.

“You’re handsome, by the way.”

“Sorry?”

“You are handsome, Duke Renal.”

“You are beautiful too, Leah. However……”

“Duke, you can’t add ‘however’ after ‘beautiful’.”

He burst into laughter. I feel a little proud of myself for making a man, who had not spoken to me a few words in two lives, laugh.

“Am I funny?”

“Rather than funny—”

Those deep eyes that look at my face have an unknown love or sorrow.

“I am more cute than funny, right?”

Julien Renal burst into laughter once again when I responded like that.

“Am I right?”

“What?”

“Do you think I am cute?”

“You are a very candid person, you know.”

“Do you hate honest people?”

“There’s no reason to hate it. However, I’ve heard something.”

Having said that, he smiled and took a light breath. With such a beautiful appearance, I wonder if even the breath he exhaled will be fragrant.

While I was mesmerized by his beauty, he opened his mouth.

“You’re not going to get married.”

“Did it even reach the Duke’s ears?”

What does my saying that I’m not going to get married have to do with Julien Renal talking to me with a strange look on his face like now?

As if he had read my curiosity, he said, “There was a lot of talk about that in the castle. After all, am I not one of your suitors? Of course I know. I just added ‘however’ because I was wondering if you were being so candid as to try to break my will to propose.”

I complained, “You’re not going to ask me out anyway, so what kind of a suitor are you?”

Hearing my muttering, Julien Renal asked again, “I beg your pardon?”

“Nevermind.”

“I thought you were a person who said everything that comes to mind, but there are words you can’t say.”

“Yes, you thought I was just cute, but I’m also thoughtful, right?”

Julien Renal smiled slightly. Then he asked politely again.

“May I ask why you made the decision not to get married?”

“Duke Renal.”

“Call me Julien.”

“Julien, I did not say that to prevent you from thinking about marrying me.”

“Did you realize that you were just saying random things?”

This time I laughed.

“Sure. You’ve probably met a lot of people, but noble girls don’t usually say that, do they?”

I shrugged. He looked at me warmly as if he were looking at his sister.

“Whatever you say, probably no one is going to miss the opportunity to propose to you.”

“You don’t even put saliva in your mouth[1], and you’re talking like that. After all, the Duke has no desire to propose to me.”

[1] Speaking without any hesitation.

Hearing my words, Julien frowned as if in doubt.

“How can you be so sure?”

“I can assure you.”

He might not like my flat answer, but he smiled again, shining deep eyes without showing any signs of displeasure. He smiled generously and spoke to me as if he were talking to a child.

“Leah, you are beautiful and—”

“Cute.”

With a smile on his face, he continued.

“Yeah, so cute…… you’re also witty and honest. If you get close to someone, it is only natural that they will fall in love with you soon. But why are you so sure that I won’t propose to you?”

“Because you didn’t.”

“Sorry?”

“You’ve never done it before, a proposal.”

“What didn’t I do?”

“I don’t blame the Duke for that. And the Duke has never actually had any interaction with me that would make me fall in love. I won’t be able to chat with the Duke anymore after today, no, after you peeled the peach. You will avoid me. I don’t know why.”

“Leah, you are a special person. You speak as if the future and the past were jumbled up.”

Julien was no longer frowning. He didn’t even look puzzled.

He was rather looking at me with a very interesting expression. Just like someone who knows what I’m talking about.

Now it was my turn to live up to his expectations.

“Julien, do you want me to tell you something interesting?”