I Reincarnated as the Daughter of a Runaway Sub Heroine - Chapter 72

“What?”

The Duchess looked at us with a surprised expression.

“You didn’t mention that he would be attending the banquet…”

We quickly moved to greet Persis.

When we arrived at the banquet hall, Persis was already surrounded by numerous nobles.

As he spotted us, he smiled.

“Duchess Montfort.”

The Duchess quickly approached and greeted him.

“It is an honor to meet you, Your Highness.”

The Duchess, having wiped away the earlier look of surprise, beamed at the prince.

“Thank you so much for making the difficult journey. If I had known you would be coming, I would have prepared the party with even more care.”

“Everything is already splendid; is there anything that could be better?”

“You flatter me, Your Highness. I don’t know how to respond.”

Next, the Duchess of Arcansus greeted him. Just as I was about to introduce myself, Persis spoke.

“Ar, no need for formalities. Those stiff greetings don’t suit us.”

I stared at Persis with a stiff expression. What do you mean by “us”? What kind of relationship do you think we have?

“I’ve already allowed you into my personal space, so you don’t have to act like a stranger anymore.”

…What are you saying right now? Personal space?

At his remark, the nobles around us began to whisper.

“What does he mean by that? Could it be…?”

“Weren’t they on bad terms? During the last debutante ball, it was clear…”

“See, this is why you can never understand matters between men and women…”

I soon realized Persis’s intentions. He was deliberately planning to spread rumors about me. Since it would take time for him to formally propose, he intended to create a scandal beforehand.

This way, it would be difficult for me to refuse his proposal.

I clenched my teeth, rage boiling to the top of my head.

Generally, a scandal was extremely damaging for an unmarried noble lady. Just being caught alone with a man for a moment would lead to a torrent of public condemnation. Of course, the lady would bear the full brunt of that criticism.

If her reputation fell to the ground, other suitors would turn their backs without hesitation. In the end, the lady would have to choose: either marry the instigator of the scandal or lower her standards and accept a man who would bring her disgrace.

Persis was playing that game with me right now.

He said he had allowed me into his personal space? That must refer to the library, but people would interpret it very differently. Persis knew that when he said it. It was very much intentional. He was trying to drag me into a web of ugly rumors.

The nails in my tightly clenched fist dug painfully into my skin. I was gathering all my patience to endure and avoid causing a major incident by slapping the prince in front of so many people. And soon, I forced a cold smile.

“Your Highness, if you say that, people will misunderstand. You must clarify that the ‘personal space’ refers to the library within the palace, which only direct royal family members can access.”

“Oh, I’m sorry. I made a big mistake.”

Persis chuckled, but of course, he didn’t look sorry at all. He looked around at the people and said,

“As the princess said, the personal space refers to the library within the palace. I’ve specially allowed her to access it.”

And I belatedly realized that I had fallen right into Persis’s trap.

Now people would only remember that the prince had granted me special permission. The rumors would flow toward the idea that ‘it seems they have a special relationship after all.’

That bastard!

He intends to use my weakness as a woman against me? No matter how much of a future king he is, he thinks he can bring me to my knees in a way that is fatal to a woman?

I was truly engulfed in a deep sense of betrayal.

And here I was, worried about you. If you had even liked me a little, I hoped that you wouldn’t get hurt too much.

But to think he would act so cowardly.

Persis approached me and extended his hand.

“I would like to have the honor of being your first dance partner today. You wouldn’t refuse again, would you?”

If I were to refuse this dance, it would publicly insult the prince. That would mean I had rejected him twice due to his recent comments. Considering the relationship between the royal family and the ducal family, I couldn’t do that.

However, if I accepted the dance, it would ultimately play into Persis’s intentions. To the people, it would seem as if I acknowledged our relationship. And while we danced, countless rumors would undoubtedly arise.

I glared at Persis with angry eyes.

Are you threatening me like this? Do you think I would fall for such a trick?

Just as I could no longer hold back and was about to completely crush Persis, a large figure blocked my way.

Hyperion took Persis’s hand and lowered it. Then he immediately released it and bowed his head.

“I apologize. I dared to touch the prince without permission.”

Touching a member of the royal family is a serious offense. If it had been anyone other than Hyperion, such a light apology would not have sufficed.

“However, before you dance with Lady Iskas, you must first ask for my permission.”

People looked at Hyperion and me with surprised expressions. Asking a specific man for permission before dancing with a woman could mean one of two things.

He was either her husband or her boyfriend with marriage in mind.

“Could it be…?”

Persis also realized the implication and wore a grim expression.

In the meantime, Hyperion slightly turned his body to face me. With a smile, he extended his hand toward me.

I placed my fingers on top of his. His large hand firmly grasped mine.

Then he spoke to the guests at the party.

“I must make a sudden announcement. Lady Arcadia Iskas and I are currently in a serious relationship with the intention of marriage.”

In that moment, countless people simultaneously took a deep breath. Just moments ago, the prince had openly shown interest in me, and then Hyperion immediately announced our relationship.

Everyone froze, their eyes darting between me, Hyperion, and Persis.

Then, slowly, applause began to echo from one side.

Clap, clap, clap.

It was Lady Montfort. She wore a bright smile, as if she hadn’t noticed the tense standoff moments before.

“Oh my, what an incredible event! I can hardly believe my eyes!”

Lady Montfort quickly squeezed her way between us and Persis. Then she embraced both Hyperion and me in turn, showering us with a flurry of words.

“When did you two start having feelings for each other? Ah, in fact, I had a feeling from the very first time I saw you both. I’ve never seen a pair that fits so perfectly together! Just seeing you together is so beautiful and radiant! I’m almost brought to tears by this wonderful and joyous news!”

Lady Montfort actually shed a tear. With her natural gestures, compelling voice, and rich expressions that could rival any actress, my mouth fell open in surprise.

When I saw her at the ducal residence, I thought she was just an elegant and demure lady, but now she was giving a performance worthy of a method actor.

“Once again, I truly congratulate you both! It is such an honor to have this joyous news announced right in my home!”

Soon, applause erupted from others. The duchess, who had been quietly observing the situation, began to clap.

Clap, clap, clap, clap, clap!

With that, the banquet hall filled with warm applause and congratulatory remarks. In an instant, numerous nobles surrounded Hyperion and me.

“Congratulations!”

“A union between the ducal family and the marquisate! Truly remarkable!”

“How long have you two been seeing each other?”

As I listened to the flood of congratulations, I smiled pointedly at Persis. Seeing his golden eyes burn with rage was more satisfying than I could have imagined.