"Answer me seriously, Ed."

"…"

Ethan Richard Blackwood was flustered.

First, because Lillis had brought up something completely different from the conversation they had originally planned to have in this situation, and second, because there was something chilling about the way she was suddenly interrogating him.

'This wasn’t what we originally planned to talk about…'

As far as he remembered, the content of their planned argument was nothing like this.

The plan was for Lillis to chase away the girl who approached him, then compare herself to that girl while getting angry, and for Ethan to rebut her as if he was tired of her behavior. It was supposed to give the impression that there had been growing tension between them for a while (though there hadn't been) and that this tension was finally exploding at this noble gathering.

If things didn’t go well and no other woman approached him, they had planned to repeat a conversation similar to the one they had at the Academy church. Ethan had prepared for both scenarios, but he hadn’t anticipated the question Lillis had just asked, so he didn’t have an immediate answer.

"Ed. I’m asking you."

"Lillis… Are you angry right now…?"

"I’m asking you why you didn’t move when that girl’s lips were getting closer to yours. I’m really curious."

A chill ran down his spine, and he felt a cold sweat trickling down the back of his neck.

Even though he knew this was part of the operation, Ethan had the strange feeling that if he didn’t answer this question properly, it might make things awkward between him and Lillis in the future.

"…I was going to move."

"But you didn’t."

"If she had gotten any closer, I would have moved. But since you stepped in, I didn’t need to, so I didn’t."

"…"

Her expression was ambiguous. It seemed like she was both angry and not fully convinced by his words.

Ethan felt incredibly frustrated. The reason he had pretended to be unfazed until the girl’s lips almost touched his was solely to avoid disrupting the plan he and Lillis had devised.

Ethan cherished and loved Lillis more than anyone, and he didn’t want to ruin the operation because of his actions.

If he had obviously tried to avoid the girl, it would have been like openly admitting that his relationship with Lillis was still strong. That would have disrupted the plan, and the McHart subjugation operation they had spent nearly a month planning would have failed.

That’s why Ethan couldn’t understand why Lillis was asking this question now. The Lillis he knew was always the one to make the right decisions and guide him to make wise choices.

Even when she acted on impulse, things always seemed to turn out for the best.

‘…Unless, maybe…’

What if Lillis’s angry question was actually part of the performance to start a fight with him?

Thinking that way, everything made sense. Of course, Lillis wouldn’t ask a question that would put him in a difficult position without a reason.

It seemed that Lillis intended to paint herself as the “possessive fiancée” at this noble gathering. The impulsive kiss they shared earlier was probably just groundwork for this plan.

It would have been strange for Lillis to suddenly kiss him in front of so many people without any ulterior motive. From Ethan’s perspective, Lillis wasn’t the type of woman to be overly possessive.

…Though that was only the “image of Lillis” that Ethan had in his mind; the reality might be a bit different.

Having grasped the situation, Ethan knew he needed to adjust his performance. The current situation wasn’t too far off from what they had originally planned; it was still suitable for creating the impression of discord between him and Lillis.

A combination of a possessive fiancée and a partner who’s fed up with it was a common enough dynamic. Considering their background, it wasn’t strange for Lillis to appear possessive of him, making it a brilliant choice of role.

In reality, it was Ethan who was possessive of Lillis, but he set that fact aside and began to play along with her act.

"So, what would you have done if I hadn’t moved away and kissed her, Lillis?"

"…What?"

"I’m getting tired of you constantly finding fault with everything I do. Is there any reason to get so worked up over something that didn’t even happen? Whether I was planning to move or not doesn’t matter, does it? It didn’t happen."

"W-what…?"

Ethan silently admired Lillis’s performance, watching her feign shock as if she hadn’t anticipated his response.

She had been so convincing when pretending to argue with Agnes before, and now, once again, Ethan was impressed by how talented Lillis was.

In reality, Lillis was genuinely taken aback by Ethan’s unexpected response, but he had no way of knowing that.

"I’m getting tired of your constant possessiveness. How long are you going to keep doubting your fiancé and pushing me like this?"

"When… when have I ever doubted and pushed you…?"

"You’re doing it right now. Just moments ago, you grabbed me by the collar and forced a kiss on me, and now, not even a minute later, you’re questioning my feelings again."

"F-forced…? Did you just say forced?"

"What else would you call it when you grabbed my face and kissed me, acting like I’m your property? You’re starting to cross a line, Lillis."

"…"

Every word felt like he was driving a dagger into his own heart. Even though this was just an act to create the appearance of discord between them, it pained Ethan to say things that might hurt Lillis.

To protect Lillis, he had to make her look bad, and that tore him apart. After today, rumors would spread about her being an overly possessive baronet’s daughter engaged to a duke’s son.

Lillis had always said she didn’t care about her reputation as long as she could avoid marrying anyone else, but as someone who loved her, Ethan couldn’t help but feel regret over having to create this situation.

"…Do you really agree with what that girl said, Ed?"

"What do you mean?"

"Do you really think that those modest-sized breasts are better than these disgustingly large ones?"

"…Huh?"

"Do you agree with what she said, that these overly large breasts are inefficient? That they get in the way when I swing a sword, that they’re just lumps of fat that don’t even feel good to touch, and that I can’t feel anything properly because they’re buried in fat? Is that what you think every time you touch my breasts?!"

Ethan was once again thrown off balance by Lillis suddenly bringing up her breasts.

He could play along with the possessive fiancée act, but how was he supposed to respond to such a sensitive topic?

He knew he should say yes to provoke the argument they were aiming for, but the words wouldn’t come out. Denying it would mean comforting her, which would defeat the purpose of the argument.

Besides, he didn’t want to discuss Lillis’s body, especially in front of other people, including men.

To Ethan, Lillis’s body belonged entirely to him, from head to toe. He had always thought that one day he wanted to have both her body and heart completely to himself, so he didn’t want to evaluate her in front of others.

‘Maybe I could… change the subject…?’

Ethan thought it might be better to steer the conversation in a different direction, one that didn’t involve commenting on her appearance or body.

…He didn’t anticipate how Lillis would take his next words.

"So you really do agree with her?! That’s why you didn’t try to avoid her and let her get so close! Now, you’re taking her side instead of listening to me!"

"…You’re just a baronet’s daughter. Isn’t it presumptuous of you to act this way, especially as a member of the Blackwood family’s branch?"

"…What?"

"Did you think you were something special just because you got engaged to a duke’s heir? If you weren’t my fiancée, you’d be nothing more than a lower-ranking noblewoman with no real backing."

"…"

Ethan didn’t want to bring this up, but it was preferable to degrading Lillis’s body in front of others.

Arguments based on social rank differences often ended badly. It was the perfect way to make it seem like their relationship was already falling apart.

Lillis had originally been a commoner, so he didn’t think she would take offense to being called a lower-ranking noblewoman. From Ethan’s perspective, this topic was a safe choice…

"…Sob."

‘…Tears?’

Lillis began to cry for the first time since the argument started, and Ethan was taken aback.

Her unsettling response and the words that followed left him even more shaken.

"So you really did think that way."

"Wait, Lillis…"

"I apologize for acting so arrogantly, given my lowly status as a lower-ranking noblewoman. Goodbye."

Wiping away the tears that had welled up in her eyes, Lillis quickly fled toward the back exit of the palace. Ethan could only think to himself:

Please, let that reaction just be part of her realistic performance.

⁎ ⁎ ⁎

In the garden connected to the back entrance of the palace annex, a black-haired baronet’s daughter walked alone after the dramatic confrontation with Ethan.

"…Oh."

Lillis let out a single word laden with meaning as she looked up at the night sky. It was dark, without even a sliver of the moon in sight.

The cold night air calmed her heated emotions, the sharp edge of the brandy’s alcohol began to fade, and the excitement she had felt earlier subsided. Lillis covered her face with both hands and let out a deep sigh from the depths of her chest.

"Haah, this is so embarrassing…"