Chapter 116: A Battle of Sincerity
“You can stay here if you just want to sleep while holding my hands.” Read the translation only on itsladygrey.com.
“I have no hobby of being tortured voluntarily.”
Somehow, he looked a bit better than before, despite rejecting my offer. Wait—was he sulking because I didn’t let him kiss me? That can’t be it, right?
“Fiona,” he called out.
“What?”
Sigren was gently stroking my fingers, as if he regretted something. Then, out of the blue, he said, “Tell me you’re annoyed.”
“Huh? Annoyed by you?”
“No, not me. By that woman who came into my room and tried to seduce me.”
“Aren’t you more annoyed than I am?” I replied.
I tried to imagine myself in his position. If a handsome man had been lying on my bed, trying to seduce me, begging for me to hold him while gazing at me sweetly…
Oops. Imagining that, it didn’t seem so bad… But no, this wasn’t the point. Read the translation only on itsladygrey.com.
I quickly shook my head. Basic manners were necessary between people.
“Right, that lady definitely lacked common sense,” I concluded.
“I expected a stronger response from you, though…” Sigren murmured
Sigren kissed my palm and sighed. “I guess, for now, I should be satisfied with this.”
He stared at me, his dazzling eyes locking onto mine as if he wanted to capture me entirely. Feeling a bit embarrassed by his intense gaze, I quickly covered his eyes with my hand.
“Don’t look at me like that,” I mumbled.
“Why?” Sigren asked softly. “Are you embarrassed? Or do you hate it?”
“Neither.”
“Then?” he pressed gently.
“Well…”
I suddenly felt emotional, and tears nearly welled up in my eyes. Sigren is precious to me. He always has been, from the very beginning. It was only natural that I wanted him to be the happiest. But after spending so much time together, I realized something—rather than me bringing him happiness, he was the one who gave me the most love in the world. In this moment, it was clearer than ever how sincere his feelings were. And all this time, I was the one who kept leaving him alone.
If I were sincere with him too, I strongly believed he would be incredibly happy.
But this was a first love between two people, both around college age. Sigren told me he liked me, but for me, he was my entire world. If I gave him my whole heart, I’d be completely consumed by it. And I’d be terrified of losing him. If we ever broke up…
A broken heart was what led Fiona into darkness.
Like her, I, too, would be left with wounds beyond healing. Yet, it was becoming harder and harder to keep my distance from Sigren.
Honestly, the moment I accepted his confession, I knew the barrier I’d put between us had blurred. And deep down, I knew I didn’t accept his confession just to date him. I was vaguely aware that my feelings for him had been tangled up in something deeper all along.
‘So please leave while I can let you go without either of us getting seriously hurt. So that you can meet someone who can make you happy, someone who can give you a more noble love.’
I removed my hand and lightly kissed Sigren’s neck.
Ah, if I let myself immerse in that feeling, that sincere feeling…
Right. All this time, I wanted to have him.
***
Originally, we were only supposed to stay for a day, but our plans were delayed due to the rain. It was difficult to move in such weather, especially with a large group, so Sigren ultimately decided to leave a day later. Read the translation only on itsladygrey.com.
As a result, I received an invitation to a tea party from the Viscount’s daughter—the same lady who sneaked into Sigren’s room last night. Should I go? Why hesitate? There was no reason for me to care; she was the one in the wrong.
The tea party was to be held in the greenhouse. With the rain falling outside, I thought it wouldn’t be bad to accept the invitation.
“Please tell her that I accept with pleasure,” I said to the maid who had brought the invitation.
As I walked down the hallway, I ran into Eunice. Read the translation only on itsladygrey.com.
“Lady Fiona,” she said.
“Did Lady Eunice also receive an invitation?” I was pleasantly surprised; I couldn’t see Eunice often.
“Yes, I have been in the same entourage as Lady Fiona, but I haven’t had the chance to see you very often.”
“I was riding a horse.”
“Is that so? Still, would you ride in the carriage with me? I’m bored by myself.” Eunice’s cheeks turned rosy as she said this. Read the translation only on itsladygrey.com.
“Alright. You must have had a hard time on this trip.”
“Well, it’s my duty….”
I felt a little saddened seeing Eunice’s expression dim at the end of her words. It must be difficult to suddenly shoulder the expectations of so many people.
Our conversation came to a halt when we arrived at the greenhouse.
“We’ve been expecting you,” said Lady Heather Arden, the eldest daughter of the viscount and the organizer of this tea party. It was said that she was the most beautiful woman on this estate, and she certainly was. With her dark brown hair and blue eyes, she exuded glamour. Her red lips were plump and attractive. Read the translation only on itsladygrey.com.
“Thank you for accepting the invitation,” she continued.
“Don’t mention it.”
As we stepped into the greenhouse, we discovered that we weren’t the only ones invited.
“These are the young ladies from the nearby estates,” Lady Heather introduced.
Their eyes were fixed on us as we suddenly appeared, and the atmosphere grew stiff as they abruptly stopped talking.
I smiled awkwardly. “It must be hard to come here in the rain.”
The young ladies finally spoke up. Read the translation only on itsladygrey.com.
“It was not as difficult as you might think, my lady. Nice to meet you.”
“It’s an honor to meet two esteemed individuals.”
I could feel a peculiar awkwardness in the air, like the sensation you get when joining an already-formed group.
Eunice and I sat down next to each other, and then a casual conversation began to unfold. For some reason, they seemed very interested in me.
“I heard that Lady Heilon lived in the North before.”
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