I Reincarnated as the Daughter of a Runaway Sub Heroine - Chapter 68

“Condition?”

“During the contract period, we need to act like real lovers. Otherwise, it will be difficult to deceive my parents or other nobles. Believe it or not, they are quite adept at recognizing affection between men and women.”

“Got it. I’ll do my best!”

Hyperion smiled at my firm resolve. Then he took my hand and kissed the tips of my fingers.

“Well then, see you later, my love.”

My mouth fell open involuntarily. He raised one eyebrow slightly as he noticed me frozen in place.

“That was just practice. This is how it’s done, so remember it well.”

My mouth opened even wider than before.

He smiled brightly and left the room, leaving me in a daze.

“Uh, I feel dizzy…”

Suddenly feeling lightheaded, I plopped down onto the sofa.

Earlier, I had told Bell that I was caught in a downpour while trying to avoid the rain.

And now, it felt like I had tried to dodge a fox only to run into a tiger instead.

☪︎ ִ ࣪𖤐 𐦍 ☾𖤓 ☪︎ ִ ࣪𖤐 𐦍 ☾𖤓

During dinner, the Duke and Duchess were genuinely delighted to hear about our relationship.

“Oh my, Arcadia! This is the happiest news I’ve heard in a long time! How wonderful!”

The duchess immediately hugged me.

“Actually, I’ve hoped from the very beginning that you would get along well with Hyperion. But I didn’t want to show it for fear of putting pressure on you. Yet, it seems that fate has brought you together after all.”

Contrary to her words, the duchess had been quite obvious about her feelings all along. Even I, who am usually oblivious, had noticed.

After kissing my cheek several times, the duchess held my hand and exclaimed urgently.

“When will the wedding be? We should start looking at dresses right away, shouldn’t we?”

I realized that the duchess was incredibly eager. Already talking about the wedding and dresses? We’ve only been dating for one day!

At that moment, Hypherion stepped in to stop the Duchess.

“Mother, it’s still too early to talk about wedding plans. And such comments will only put pressure on Arcadia, so please refrain from saying that in the future.”

I was surprised by Hyperion’s scolding tone and looked at him. Hey, why are you talking to your mom like that?

The Duchess seemed a bit taken aback as well, blinking in surprise.

Just as I was about to say something in the middle of this, the Duchess suddenly burst out laughing loudly.

“Hahaha! Oh my, Hyperion! I didn’t know you could say such things!”

The duchess laughed to the point of almost crying.

“Isn’t that right, Gerard? Hyperion has never once said anything unpleasant to us. I thought I had given birth to an adult without any human reactions, but look at him showing such feelings!”

The Duke also looked quite amazed.

“I share the same sentiment as your mother. Hyperion, it’s surprising that you can say such things.”

I stared at Hyperion. What kind of life has he lived that his parents are so pleased to see him openly supporting his girlfriend instead of being upset?

“Arcadia.”

I looked at the Duke as he called me.

“I am also very pleased that you are seriously dating Hyperion. It must have been a difficult decision, and I am grateful that you chose my son.”

“Chosen? I should be the one grateful to Hyperion.”

I answered with a smile, but I was also overwhelmed with guilt. They were so happy, yet all of this was a lie. When they eventually hear that we broke up, they would surely be greatly disappointed.

“I should let Karim know about this news soon.”

At his next words, I hurriedly replied, “Isn’t it okay to tell my parents slowly?”

If Persis changes his mind faster than expected, the contract relationship might end before the Grand Duke leaves. It was best for my parents to remain completely unaware of this situation for now.

However, Duke Acanthus was resolute.

“That won’t do. Once we make an official announcement, the rumors will spread uncontrollably. If they were to find out about your situation through gossip, how disappointed would they be? We would also feel ashamed. Write a letter and inform them right away.”

“Yes…”

In the end, I nodded. The Duke had a point, and there was no way around it.

“But how will Karim react to this?”

At the Duchess’s question, Duke Acanthus frowned slightly.

“It’s certain that he won’t take it well. He’ll be angry, saying that we didn’t send Arcadia to our house for this purpose. I wonder if he’ll come chasing after us immediately.”

“Probably, right? Would he really oppose it?”

“As long as it’s Arcadia’s will, he won’t oppose it, but he’ll be quite upset for a while. Still, I think the Grand Duchess might view it positively?”

“Of course! Libby really likes Hyperion. We’ve exchanged letters where we mentioned it would be nice if those two were dating.”

So that’s what my mother had been discussing in her letters. I nodded to myself, and the Duke looked at me with a gentle smile.

“I’m glad to hear good news before leaving for the Duchy of Farell. Let’s talk more when I return. If Hyperion gives you any trouble in the meantime, do tell me. I’ll make sure to give him a good scolding.”

I responded to him with a smile.

“Yes, I will. Thank you.”

The Duke is leaving for the Duchy of Farell tomorrow. And, as I expected, he would likely return with Duke Ashil Myura.

While he might not be able to decline the Duchess’s invitation, it wouldn’t be easy to refuse, given that the Acanthus family is one of the most renowned houses in the Empire.

“Oh, Hyperion.”

The Duke called for Hyperion.

“I’ve prepared the magic scroll I mentioned last time. Just tell the butler when you need it, and he will bring it to you.”

Hyperion replied, “Thank you, Father.”

☪︎ ִ ࣪𖤐 𐦍 ☾𖤓 ☪︎ ִ ࣪𖤐 𐦍 ☾𖤓

After the meal, I headed to the sitting room attached to Hyperion’s room.

Unlike my room, which was filled with warm colors, this place had a cold and heavy palette that created a sense of balance. The decor was so sparse that it was almost nonexistent, and there wasn’t a single common painting hanging on the walls.

For someone who had previously said they liked paintings, the walls were quite bare.

“This is your first time in my room, right?”

In truth, even though we had lived in the same house, I had never visited his room.

“Yes. Even though we’re in the same mansion, the atmosphere here is very different from mine.”

It was forbidden for unmarried men and women to stay in each other’s rooms unless they were family. However, since we had received our parents’ permission to date, this much wasn’t too problematic. Of course, our parents hadn’t officially granted permission yet, but still.

“Sit here.”

Hyperion pulled out a chair for me. Once I sat down, he walked around the table and took a seat in front of me.

It felt a bit awkward to face each other in such a confined space. I cleared my throat and said, “I was a bit surprised that neither of them suspected anything at all.”

Honestly, I had thought they might be a little suspicious when we announced that we were dating. It felt like we had dropped a bombshell after acting so casually, so I expected some doubt.

But I never imagined they would believe it entirely.

“I’m already worried that they will be very disappointed later. It would be the same if they found out this was a fake relationship.”

However, unlike my anxiousness, Hyperion seemed completely unconcerned.

“You don’t need to worry about that just yet. Right now, just focus on successfully carrying out this contract relationship. We still have many people to deceive. While our parents were easily fooled, Persis and the princess won’t be so easy.”

For now, I was pleased with how Hyperion handled things. Instead of worrying about the distant future, he focused on solving one issue at a time in the near future. That was also my favorite approach.

“There’s a small party at Lady Montfort’s house tomorrow, so let’s announce it there.”

Lady Montfort was the lady who had taught us the waltz last time.

It was a perfect opportunity. Where and how to make an official announcement was an important matter.

Since Lady Montfort was a close acquaintance of the Duchess, she would be happy to cooperate.

“How do you announce an official relationship in the capital?”

In the Grand Duchy, the social circle was so small that there was no formal announcement needed. If a man and woman stood together for just ten minutes, by the next day, it would be rumored that they were dating.

“They usually dance twice in a row.”

“Oh, I see.”

I nodded. Thinking about it, that was indeed the easiest way to let people know we were in a special relationship.

“Persis probably won’t come to the party tomorrow, right?”

“From what I know, he won’t. He hasn’t mentioned attending separately.”

“That’s a relief.”

I sighed with relief.

“I don’t want to hurt him if I can avoid it.”

If he wanted to marry me simply as a means to obtain the throne, I wouldn’t care if he got hurt or not.

But if, as Bell said, he had any genuine feelings for me, that would be a bit unfortunate.

But what on earth made him think I was fond of him? All I did in front of him was hit and threaten people. Wasn’t that exactly what he despised? He said he didn’t like violent women, right?

As I fell into such thoughts for a moment, I suddenly felt a hand on my cheek. Hyperion gently cupped my face and spoke.

“From now on, you’re forbidden to think of other men in front of me.”