I Reincarnated as the Daughter of a Runaway Sub Heroine - Chapter 73

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As the party reached a certain level of excitement, Persis called Hyperion and me out to the garden.

I instructed Derek to guard the door leading to the garden firmly. As soon as we stepped outside, Derek blocked the entrance, preventing anyone from approaching.

“I don’t believe you two.”

And the prince was filled with distrust towards humans.

I glared at him with a look that said, “What are you going to do if you don’t believe us?”

“Look. You’re not even standing close to each other right now, are you?”

As soon as those words left his mouth, I immediately clung to Hyperion’s side and crossed my arms. It was only after seeing the incredulous expression on Persis’s face that I realized my previous action had been too forced.

…Did it show too much?

Moreover, I was practically hanging onto Hyperion like a cicada on an old tree. It was clear that we didn’t look like a couple casually linking arms at all.

Just as I was trying to subtly distance myself, Hyperion wrapped one arm around my waist.

I looked up at Hyperion, caught off guard in his embrace. The way his hand skillfully and comfortably held my waist seemed too practiced and familiar, as if he had wrapped his arms around a woman thousands of times before.

What is this guy doing?

My instincts were screaming strongly. This guy was definitely not a lifelong single!

Hyperion spoke dryly to Persis.

“As I’ve already said, we are in a serious relationship. So, I would appreciate it if you refrained from making rude comments in the future.”

Persis let out a hollow laugh before sharply retorting.

“Do you know why I can’t believe you? Hyperion Acanthus, I’m the one who has been watching you closely for a long time. All this time, haven’t women just been lifeless objects to you? Have you ever looked at someone with genuine interest? You, of all people, claiming to be in love? Especially at this point in time?”

What a fool! Can’t he see that just moments ago, Hyperion was holding my waist with the skill of a notorious womanizer? There’s no doubt that Hyperion has been dating behind your back!

“That girl? You think I’ll propose to her, so you’re pretending to like her? Don’t be ridiculous. You definitely don’t like her. It’s all an act!”

“I love Arcadia.”

I stared at Hyperion in shock at his unexpected confession, then quickly composed my expression. I shouldn’t be surprised here. I had to smile naturally, as if I had expected it all along…

At that moment, Hyperion wrapped his other arm around the back of my head. With my face pressed against his chest, I no longer needed to force a smile.

I let out a low sigh. This situation was not a place for a novice in romance like me to interfere. It seemed that Hyperion was handling it better, so I decided to leave it to him for now.

“I have loved Arcadia for much longer than you think.”

His deep voice resonated in my ears, accompanied by the pounding of my heart.

“It’s unfortunate that your feelings have gone unreciprocated. But that doesn’t mean I can give up my own feelings. My love for Arcadia is real.”

Strangely, my heart raced at his lie.

I lifted my gaze slightly to look up. Hyperion’s deep blue eyes were filled with longing as they stared at Persis.

“This is already a matter of Arcadia’s choice, so step back.”

I couldn’t believe it. That gaze, that longing, was just a lie?

“Hyperion, you and I have been friends for a long time. During that time, I treated you as someone special. Even when others laughed at us, comparing you and me, I truly didn’t care. I considered you a real friend. But I can never accept you and Arcadia conspiring together to belittle me like this!”

Persis then ground his teeth.

“This is a clear insult to royalty. Hyperion, as your longtime friend and a prince, I’m telling you: you should stop interfering and step back.”

At that, Hyperion’s voice turned cold.

“Are you planning to abduct someone by spreading malicious rumors and ruining their reputation?”

“If there’s something I want, I’ll take it. By any means necessary. Besides, if I have that girl, the throne will follow. So why avoid it?”

“What the hell?”

That guy! How dare he treat someone like an object!

As I lost my composure and tried to lunge at Persis, Hyperion firmly pulled me into his embrace.

“Let go of me!”

I tried to push him away, but there was no way I could do it with my strength. I couldn’t kick him in the ankle like I did with Derek, either.

Trapped in his arms, I swallowed my anger, and Hyperion spoke.

“Even if you force a marriage with Arcadia, you will never become king. I will make sure of that.”

His next words froze my body.

What did he just say?

“Remember this: the Duke’s family and the Grand Duke’s family will always be loyal to the royalty, but you must also show us respect.”

I had never seen Hyperion use his authority to suppress someone before. Yet today, I witnessed it for the first time. And it was directed at the prince of this country.

The insult I had intended for Persis was nothing compared to this. It would have been less humiliating to take a hit from him. Because just now, Hyperion openly stated that he could change the throne if he wanted to.

As expected, Persis’s fierce voice rang out.

“You, born without magic! Do you really think you compare to the current Duke of Acanthus?”

“I know better than anyone that I currently have no magic, so there’s no need to worry.”

Hyperion remained completely unfazed by Persis’s provocation. His calm voice showed no signs of wavering. It seemed that Persis noticed this as well.

“…In the end, what people say is true. You’ve been looking down on me from above.”

With a cold expression, Persis glared at us before leaving roughly.

As Persis’s figure faded away, I let out a sigh. The moment I looked up, I locked eyes with Hyperion.

I suddenly realized that I was still in his embrace and hurriedly stepped back.

“…Thank you for helping me.”

In truth, I felt more apologetic than grateful. Just now, Hyperion had taken on the role of the villain on my behalf.

Normally, it would have been me who earned Persis’s hatred. If Hyperion hadn’t intervened, I would have certainly lost my composure and caused a major incident.

However, due to the recent conversation, Persis now harbored great anger towards Hyperion instead of me.

“You don’t have to turn against Persis because of me. Find a suitable opportunity to reconcile and get along like before.”

“Even now, Persis will soon realize that what he was about to do was wrong. He has enough discernment for that.”

Despite Persis’s harsh words, Hyperion seemed completely unfazed.

Just as I had grown up with the other children in the Grand Duke’s estate, Hyperion must have spent a lot of time with Persis since they were young. So, he probably knew him better than anyone else.

I hoped that Persis would acknowledge his mistakes, even if it was late. Then, perhaps we could maintain a decent relationship.

“But he might not be able to control his anger and cause more trouble. Until then, we have to keep pretending to be in a relationship.”

I nodded. I also didn’t think Persis would back down this easily.

“I’ll definitely repay this favor later. Thank you so much for today.”

Then Hyperion looked at me seriously and said,

“I want to ask you one thing.”

“What is it?”

“You could have been forced into an unwanted marriage with Persis just now. Are you aware of that?”

“I am.”

“When faced with such a situation, what is most precious to you?”

The sudden question took me by surprise, and I blinked.

“Precious?”

“Is it family, perhaps?”

“Maybe?”

“If so, if you had to choose between your family and yourself, which would you choose?”

I couldn’t understand why he was asking such a question.

When I didn’t respond, Hyperion closed his eyes and furrowed his brow in apparent pain. Eventually, he opened his eyes and spoke to me.

“Let’s make a promise. When that time comes, choose yourself.”