I Reincarnated as the Daughter of a Runaway Sub Heroine - Chapter 67

“What? No way. He just wanted to get revenge on me, so he thought of the best way to torment me!”

“Can you really keep someone you dislike by your side for life just out of revenge?”

I thought for a moment and then shook my head.

“No. I don’t think I could do that.”

“See? How could you keep someone you dislike by your side for life just for revenge? I told you before, you’re not good at reading other people’s feelings. In the end, you caused this mess.”

I let out a long sigh. Bell was right. I hadn’t properly read Persis’s feelings. I had acted based on my thoughts alone, and now I was in this chaotic situation.

“Isn’t it possible to just refuse the proposal if it comes?”

“Normally, the moment a proposal arrives, my father would tear it up immediately. He would never force me into a marriage I don’t want. He has ignored the king’s orders many times before.”

Until now, my father had often disregarded royal commands unless it was a serious matter that could lead to treason. He ignored invitations to come to the capital and requests to lend money.

“But now the situation is a bit different. Since the prince is being so proactive, the king will try to make this marriage happen by any means necessary. Plus, the situation with the Grand Duke is not good due to the counterfeit money issue. To resolve that matter, the king’s cooperation is absolutely necessary, and what if he uses this as an excuse to let it go?”

“That’s the worst…”

“It really is.”

I looked at Bell with a glimmer of hope.

“There’s still time. It will take a while before an official royal decree is issued. We just need to find a way before that. Bell, do you have any good ideas? A way to prevent the prince from proposing to me.”

But she simply shook her head calmly.

“How can you stop a prince who says he wants to propose?”

In despair, I pulled at my hair. Seeing me like that, Bell cautiously suggested, “How about telling His Grace the Grand Duke everything and asking for his help?”

“By the time my father arrives here, I’ll probably have already been proposed to. And if he learns the whole story, he might try to kill the prince. Then the problem would only get bigger.”

“Hmm, if it’s His Grace the Grand Duke, he could definitely do that…”

After thinking for a moment, Bell’s eyes suddenly lit up.

“I just thought of a really good idea!”

I lowered my hands, which had been pulling at my hair.

“What is it?”

“No matter how much of a prince he is, he can’t propose to a married woman, right?”

I gasped in shock.

“Are you telling me to marry someone right away? To avoid the proposal?”

“No, not that, Lady Ar. Just calm down and listen to me carefully.”

Bell adjusted my messy hair as she continued.

“What I mean is that we need to create a situation similar to being married. If there’s someone you’re seriously dating with the intention of marriage, it would be hard for the prince to propose. It’s just not something you do morally.”

“You’re saying we should fake a relationship?”

“Whether it’s real or fake, the prince won’t know, so it doesn’t matter.”

I stared at Bell in amazement and then hugged her tightly.

“Bell, you’re really smart!”

“Ugh! I… can’t breathe!”

After struggling to escape my embrace, Bell said, “But there’s one problem. To fake a relationship, we need to find someone who can pretend to be your lover while knowing everything about this situation.”

I realized what Bell was worried about. If I were to have a fake relationship with, it could incur the royal family’s wrath. Would there be a nobleman willing to take that risk and go along with this?

“A nobleman who is powerful enough to stand up to the prince, understanding enough to accept your circumstances, and whose status or looks are impeccable enough to not get caught in a fake relationship…”

At that point, a certain face popped into my mind. It seemed Bell had the same thought.

“I can think of only one person.”

Hyperion Acanthus. It was him.

☪︎ ִ ࣪𖤐 𐦍 ☾𖤓 ☪︎ ִ ࣪𖤐 𐦍 ☾𖤓

That evening, I had Bell deliver a message to Hyperion, asking him to come to the art studio because I had something very important to discuss.

Before long, there was a knock at the door.

“Come in.”

As Hyperion entered the room, I swallowed hard. It was no exaggeration to say that everything depended on him now.

“You said you had something to tell me…”

I quickly rushed over and grabbed his arm, pulling him to the far corner of the room. There shouldn’t be anyone eavesdropping, but just in case, I wanted to avoid the door.

As I pushed him into the corner to talk, I suddenly realized I was in a rather awkward position, almost pinning him against the wall.

Hyperion was trapped between me and the wall, blinking in surprise.

“Oh, sorry!”

I quickly stepped back a foot. My impatience had gotten the better of me.

“Actually, I have a favor to ask you. It’s a bit of a difficult request, but I hope you’ll agree.”

“What is it?”

“Well…”

I looked at him with pleading eyes. I was about to ask him to pretend to date me, but I just couldn’t get the words out.

A fake relationship. How would Hyperion react to hearing that?

He might think I was crazy. From what I had seen of him so far, he definitely had a very healthy view of relationships.

“……”

As I continued to say nothing, Hyperion slowly opened his mouth.

“I don’t know what this is about, but let’s sit down and talk…”

“Please pretend to date me!”

The moment I blurted out the words I had been holding back, Hyperion’s eyes widened in shock.

I realized today just how wide his eyes could get. No, that wasn’t what mattered right now.

“To be precise, I need you to pretend to date me for a while. I’m sorry, but there are some circumstances.”

“What circumstances?”

“…Persis is going to propose to me.”

I let my shoulders slump in defeat. I truly hated myself for letting things get to this point.

“We had a bit of a fight earlier today, and I think he’s feeling prideful about it. He said he would send me a formal proposal. As you know, I don’t want to marry Persis. I also don’t want to complicate things further by accepting a formal proposal.”

I looked at him with pleading eyes.

“If I’m seriously dating someone else with the intention of marriage, he won’t be able to propose to me. I’m sorry, but could you pretend to be my lover just until Persis changes his mind?”

“……”

A long moment passed, but there was no response from Hyperion. Was this really an unreasonable request beyond the realm of normal thinking?

Just as I was about to give up hope, his voice rang out.

“So, you’re saying you want to have a contract relationship.”

Contrary to my expectations, there was no trace of disdain or mockery on Hyperion’s face. Instead, he looked very serious.

“A contract relationship with a defined purpose and duration. Am I understanding this correctly?”

“Y-yes. You can think of it as a kind of contract.”

“Who else knows about this? I mean, does anyone else know that we’ll be pretending to date?”

“Oh, Bell knows about it.”

Bell was the one who came up with this idea, and I was planning to tell Derek soon.

“Then, it’s best to keep it a secret from everyone else.”

“Are you saying we should keep it a secret from your parents too?”

Honestly, while I didn’t plan to tell anyone else, I intended to be truthful with the Duke and Duchess. I didn’t want to deceive them, and I thought they would understand the situation once they heard my side of the story.

“There’s a saying: two people’s secrets are God’s secrets, but three people’s secrets are everyone’s secrets. There are already three people who know the secret. If you don’t want the truth to be discovered, you need to reduce the number of people who know.”

“That’s true…”

“Then let’s tell your parents today.”

“Huh?”

I looked at him in surprise. What did I just hear?

“Let’s tell them that we’re dating.”

I stared at him blankly.

Wait, why is this happening so fast? I was the one who proposed a contract relationship, yet Hyperion was way ahead of me.

“Persis is the type who will stop at nothing once he has a goal. He could show up here with a proposal tomorrow, so it’s best to hurry.”

“Oh, right…”

“We can tell your parents today and make an official announcement tomorrow. Let’s mention it during dinner later.”

“Wait a minute! Let me catch my breath!”

I took deep breaths, inhaling and exhaling repeatedly. Once I finally calmed down, I looked up at him. Amidst all the chaos, Hyperion wore a very calm expression.

“But are you okay with this? I appreciate it, but you’re getting dragged into something troublesome.”

“This is beneficial for me too.”

He smiled at me warmly.

“If Persis is a burden for you, then the princess is the same for me. If I’m dating you, the princess won’t be able to push for marriage with me anymore. In the end, this is a contract that benefits both of us.”

“Oh, if that’s the case, I’m really relieved.”

As I nodded, having gained a new understanding, he took a step closer to me.

“However, there is one condition.”