TN: Thank Nepper for the chapter.

“Shouldn’t I say, ‘Who do you think you are to interfere…!'”

Pamela said, waiting for me leaning against the door as I came out after meeting with Marquis  Degrosis.

I smiled bitterly at Pamela’s words and shrugged as I began to walk.

Pamela also slowly followed behind me, seeming to know that the reason Marquis Degrosis called her to the mansion was not to talk with her.

She and I walked without a word. Until we left the Degrosis estate.

Click.

I silently got into the carriage and looked at Pamela while taking a long breath.

She looked at me with a small sigh as if I were telling her to speak now if she had anything to say.

“What, do I have to say something?”

“I thought you’d surely complain…”

Even if not, she might say, “Who do you think you are to interfere?” or “Who are you to mortgage my life?”

After all, Pamela’s dream was to be free from the Degrosis.

At the same time, it was to bring down the family.

“Just what do you take me for…?”

“An eccentric noble lady?”

“Do you really want to die?”

After teasing Pamela and lightening the mood a bit, I took another deep breath and slightly bowed my head.

“I’m sorry for acting on my own.”

Even if everything were for her sake, it wouldn’t be pleasant for things to happen without the consent of the person involved.

This would be especially true for Pamela, who had moved according to Marquis Degrosis’ will all her life. Therefore, I had no choice but to offer an honest and clean apology.

Thinking about the conflict that arose from not telling Helena in time, I had no choice.

So, it was better to clear up any misunderstandings right away.

“…What are you saying? You did that for me, didn’t you?”

Of course, if there was something I had misjudged, it was that Pamela was surprisingly clever.

“I think you just had a very rude thought…”

And she’s quick-witted.

Seeing Pamela narrow her eyes and look at me as if she had read my thoughts, I hurriedly shook my head and nodded again.

“…What are you doing?”

“The latter part is wrong, but the former is right.”

“Are you really an idiot?”

I smiled awkwardly at Pamela’s question.

I never dreamed she could read my inner thoughts.

Pamela, looking at me incredulously, shook her head and continued speaking.

“Anyway, you acted that way for my sake, right? I didn’t even think you’d be interested in me in the first place.”

“…Hmm.”

Somehow, Pamela’s words sounded sad to me, and I found myself smiling and saying softly,

“I’m not uninterested.”

Though not romantic interest.

Swallowing the latter part, I spoke softly.

“…You, you, you lecher!!”

Thwack.

I had no choice but to get hit once by Pamela.

***

[Now that you have his consent, behave well until you become his property.]

Felix didn’t notice, but Pamela had already received instructions from Marquis Degrosis.

Should one call it malicious that he gave instructions through a communication device so Felix couldn’t hear, or should one call it thorough?

Pamela tried hard to compose her expression and stared at Felix, who was looking out the window.

‘Just what…’

What is this person?

The more time she spent with him, the more questions arose.

At first, she thought he was a strange person.

Starting from how he noticed that she was wearing a mask to his reactions afterward.

Usually, when people realize that someone is dealing with others while wearing a mask, they tend to despise rather than sympathize.

Saying that the person is two-faced.

However, some people showed different reactions. People who tried to use her, the masked one.

People approached her, pretending to comfort her, as if they knew her secret, trying to use her somehow.

But Felix didn’t belong to either side.

He treated her as if it was the more natural thing to do. Thanks to that, she also stopped wearing her mask in front of Felix.

‘…Come to think of it.’

Suddenly, Pamela realized she had been comfortable around Felix for some time.

Realizing this, she couldn’t help but laugh hollowly and glare at him without knowing why.

‘Lecher.’

There were already three women around Felix.

In this society where polygamy was prevalent, it wasn’t such an unusual thing. Still, it was a different story when you look at who these people were.

First, there was Sylvia, who had been the talk of the academy from the moment she entered due to her outstanding beauty and had received countless confessions from men.

Then, there was Helena, his childhood friend, who was a beauty comparable to Sylvia.

Finally, there was none other than Ashillya Philippe Hamen Urlas, who had just been invested as the Crown Princess.

Felix’s existence became increasingly strange since each wasn’t the type to hang onto one man.

And yet…

[I’m not uninterested.]

To say such a thing so nonchalantly!

Pamela felt like she was about to burst. She was so frustrated that her face was heating up.

She let out a deep breath to cool down her heated face and shook her head as she turned to the window.

‘Just how many women are you planning to add?’

Although they say all men are wolves, wolves love only one female for their entire lives.

Why are all men so fickle?

As Pamela was letting out a sigh that wasn’t quite a sigh, she realized something and couldn’t help but contort her expression strangely.

‘But why am I thinking like this?’

To put it bluntly, Felix was far from Pamela’s type.

His face… was decently handsome, his family background was somewhat impressive, and his personality was okay, but…!!

Anyway, she preferred someone with a serious and affectionate personality, not such a playful character.

Of course, Felix was sometimes serious and affectionate too, but…!!

‘What am I thinking?!’

Pamela couldn’t help but blink her big eyes in surprise without even realizing it.

If someone could read her thoughts, they might think she was a girl in love, wouldn’t they?

Laughing hollowly at the absurdity, Pamela closed her eyes and opened them again to calm her strangely wavering heart.

“…Eek!!”

“Are you okay? Are you sick somewhere?”

Pamela couldn’t help but be startled when she opened her eyes to see Felix looking at her with concern right in front of her.

The wavy, glossy red hair.

The deep, serious black eyes filled with concern.

The contrasting white skin without a single blemish.

The straight nose bridge and the sharp jawline befitting a man.

Everything entered Pamela’s eyes.

Thump thump thump.

Her heartbeat was intense.

She thought she felt comfortable around him, but that wasn’t it. Her heart was beating so fast that her chest hurt.

“I’m, I’m fine…!! It’s nothing!! Yeah!!”

Pamela hurriedly pushed Felix’s face away and shouted loudly, turning her face away so he couldn’t see and biting her lower lip.

Was it the suspension bridge effect?

Was she wavering so easily because her situation was too tragic? Or was it possible that she really…

…liked him?

‘That’s nonsense.’

Pamela had met many more handsome people, from better families, and kinder than Felix.

She hadn’t wavered for them. It wasn’t normal to feel this way about him now.

‘Did the head of the family do something?!’

She naturally thought of Marquis Degrosis at this inexplicable phenomenon, but there was no way he could control her emotions.

He would have used it long ago if such a thing were possible. Then what on earth was this?

It was too ridiculous to think that she was feeling this way because of that one sentence just now.

It was just.

She had merely recalled the things he had done for her until now.

She had merely recalled the things he had done for others.

The moment she recalled this fact, Pamela couldn’t help but grab her throbbing head.

At the same time, she had to admit it.

Felix von Astria was.

A good man.

He was too good a man for a doll like her.

He was kind and would help someone like her even without knowing her.

He was affectionate and always appeared to take care of her when her emotions wavered, even while pretending not to care.

Like a teenage girl, Pamela secretly clutched her rapidly beating heart and had to squeeze her eyes shut.

They say love comes suddenly at some point.

They say it comes suddenly and shakes a person violently.

‘…But this is too sudden!!!’

Pamela was about to go crazy and jump around.