I Reincarnated as the Daughter of a Runaway Sub Heroine - Chapter 74

“Why are you asking for such a promise?”

“You’re grateful to me today, right? And you’ll keep saying thank you to me in the future. Isn’t that so?”

Of course, there was a high possibility that I would continue to feel grateful to Hyperion in the future. After all, I had borne the prince’s anger all by myself.

“You can make that promise instead of saying thank you to me.”

But even so, I didn’t understand why he wanted to receive that gratitude in the form of a promise…

After a moment of looking at Hyperion, I spoke up.

“This is something you don’t even need to promise me about. I’ve already made a promise with someone else.”

“Someone else?”

“My father.”

I smiled at Hyperion as I said this.

“I promised my father a long time ago that no matter what happens, I would prioritize myself above all else.”

“…With His Grace the Grand Duke?”

I nodded.

“Yes, he said that’s what a child raised with parental love should do.”

After a moment of thought, I confessed a secret to him.

“Actually, I’m afraid of water. I fell into the water when I was young, and since then, I’ve been scared of it. If there’s one thing I fear in this world, it’s deep water.”

Ever since I jumped into the river to change my father’s mind, I had developed a fear of water. Just being near deep water would make me break into a cold sweat and my legs would tremble.

My father taught me everything I needed to survive, but in the end, he couldn’t teach me how to swim.

One day, my father called me and said,

“Ar, if a situation similar to that arises again, you must never let go of your life. That would be a path to death for all three of us.”

Then, we linked our pinky fingers, and I pressed him.

‘Promise me. No matter the situation, you will prioritize your safety. You won’t put yourself in danger because of someone else.’

“Did you think I might give in to Persis’s threats for my family earlier?”

I chuckled and laughed.

“I had no intention of entering into a forced marriage with him at all. I’d rather get a nosebleed again than do something as foolish as throw away my life. I promised my father, and I will definitely keep that promise. I’ve been thoroughly brainwashed since I was young…”

Suddenly, while I was speaking, Hyperion pulled me into an embrace.

I was momentarily stunned, tilting my head in confusion. Why is he doing this all of a sudden? Is this part of the fake dating practice too?

“Yes, Arcadia.”

Then Hyperion spoke in a low, calming voice.

“Live a life entirely for yourself. You deserve that.”

After a moment, he let me go.

His face, smiling at me, felt somewhat different than usual. How should I put it? He looked more relaxed? For some reason, I felt a great sense of relief.

As I stared at his face, I opened my mouth.

“Can I ask you something too?”

“What is it?”

“How many times have you dated so far?”

“…….”

Hyperion’s previously gentle expression collapsed in an instant. This time, he really looked at me as if I were crazy. What on earth is this? This was exactly it.

“What do you mean…?”

“Don’t lie and say you’ve never dated a girl. You’ve definitely been around women a lot. I’m sure of it.”

“How can you be so sure?”

I placed one hand on my hip and chuckled.

“Lucas is a playboy. I’ve seen him with women many times, so I know well.”

Hyperion narrowed his eyes for a moment, then his expression changed as if he remembered something. It seemed he had discovered that name from his stored memories.

“Are you talking about that scheming childhood friend? The one who acts like an older brother to you?”

“Yeah, Lucas definitely hugged women just like you did earlier. Like this.”

As I mimicked how he had wrapped his arms around my waist moments ago, Hyperion covered his face with one hand and let out a sigh.

“Lucas wasn’t like that when we were kids, but suddenly he became a playboy. Was it when he turned 18? He just started meeting women. And he kept changing his romantic partners. From then on, he started calling himself like an older brother to me…”

Hyperion crossed his arms and asked with a somewhat skeptical expression.

“So he started emphasizing that you were family from then on?”

“Yeah.”

“Did he avoid you or anything before that?”

“How did you know?!”

My genuinely surprised reaction made him mutter quietly. It seemed like he was thinking, ‘Who is calling whom a playboy?’.

Then he turned to me and said,

“From now on, talking about the Grand Duchy is prohibited in front of me. Every time you open your mouth, it’s all about men, seriously.”

“What?”

“Let’s go. If we stay here any longer, we’ll catch a cold.”

Hyperion took my hand, and I followed him as we walked. Then suddenly, I realized that he hadn’t answered my question about how many women he had dated.

* * *

“Did you hear the news? There are rumors that Lady Iskas is dating the Lord Acanthus.”

“I heard about it too. They announced it at Lady Montfort’s party yesterday.”

After the excited chatter, a disappointed sigh followed.

“Oh, I should have attended that! I can’t believe I missed such an interesting spectacle!”

“But what’s this talk about the prince? I heard there are rumors of a love triangle involving the Lady Iskas.”

“It’s not just a rumor; it’s the truth. The atmosphere was really tense yesterday.”

“Why?”

“The prince asked to dance with Lady Iskas, claiming they had a special relationship, but Lord Acanthus stepped in and blocked him. He said that anyone who wants to ask the Lady to dance has to go through him first.”

“Oh my goodness!”

Behind me, they were having an embarrassing conversation about me. I tried to hide my face as much as possible with my fan and lowered my head. I had come here to enjoy cake after a long time, but clearly, this was not the place for me.

At that moment, Derek’s voice rang out.

“Prince Persis, Lord Acanthus, and Lady Iskas, who is receiving passionate advances from two men. What will be the outcome of their deadly love triangle?”

In front of me, Derek started reading the gossip column from the newspaper without sensing the atmosphere. Bell was beside him, her eyes sparkling as she listened intently.

“…Are you not going to put the newspaper down?”

“Since I’m already looking at it, I might as well finish reading what I started. It’s clear that the top couple of high society has been born. The love story of these two will remind people of the scandal involving the Duke and Duchess that shook the social scene about 20 years ago…”

“I wonder if your ankles will still be intact by the time you finish that article?”

“….”

Finally, Derek quietly set the newspaper down on the table. He then began eating cake in silence. Bell rested her chin on her hands, looking dreamy.

“Oh my gosh, the Duke is so handsome! I thought I was reading a romance novel! Ah, I wish I could have seen that yesterday! What a shame!”

“Bell, adults should speak clearly. You shouldn’t drag out the ends of your sentences like that.”

“I’m not an adult yet. I’m only 16 years old.”

“Just because you’re 16 doesn’t mean you can speak like a child, does it?”

“No, it doesn’t… Yes, I understand.”

Only then did Bell sit up straight in her chair, and I shook my head.

Still, from what I had heard, there weren’t any particularly malicious rumors about me. The announcement of Hyperion and my relationship was such a shock that the rivalry between the prince and the duke, who were once friends, overshadowed everything else.

They say a bad smell can be covered by another smell, and it turns out to be true.

Anyway, Persis, you should consider yourself lucky. If it had become an unmanageable situation because of you, I would never have forgiven you.

“So, are you focusing on balls and parties for the time being?” Bell asked, and I nodded.

“That way, people will believe it’s real…”

Derek, who had been eating cake, suddenly widened his eyes and looked up. I instantly realized I had made a verbal slip and smiled sheepishly.

“…I mean, it means that others will know about our true love.”

“Ah, right! True love! That’s wonderful!”

Derek resumed eating his cake, while Bell, who had been looking anxious, let out a quiet sigh. I too quickly calmed my racing heart.

Be careful, Arcadia. You must never let anyone find out about this fake relationship!