"Marquis"

I looked back at him with a little dazed look at his sudden words. Vinter calmly faced me and opened his mouth.

"Even when you didn't cry, you always had a sad face." ""

"SoFrom the first sight I couldn't take off my eyes from you, even when I suspected that you might

have been involved with Leila."

There was a mournful glow on his thin face. "ButYou don't look like that anymore."

I opened my eyes a little wide at his words, then slowly asked back. "What do you see now?"

"You look relieved."

He replied without hesitation.

Was it that obvious? I was inwardly surprised. Vinter who noticed my feelings, laughed bitterly.

"While I was trapped here, many things would have changed."

Come to think of it, I forgot that Vinter had been locked up here because of Yvonne. He was right. So much has changed.

But unlike me, who throw everything out and moves forward little by little, he is still stopped at that time.

"I know I have to be sorry and grateful to Lady for defeated Leila and even took over the soul of real Yvonne. But"

"....."

"Most of all, you came to save me from being trapped." ""

"I'm so happy."

When he said it there was pain passed through his blue eyes.

"If I say that I want this time to last foreverI think you'll say that I'm a ludicrous bastard."

Only then did I realize that he still had feeling for me.

Even after the game was over, it was really surreal to find out that one of male lead still liked me. 'Now it's real.'

With belated realising it, occurred to me that I had been quite harsh to Vinter.

I was so busy taking care of my self very time, so I didn't think deeply about what kind of mind he had. And Vinter has restrain his feeling and went to this place without a delay.

Now it was time for him to quit the lingering affection for me and move on.

"Marquis."

I managed to open my mouth. "I, I like the Crown Prince." ""

"More than I thought. Enough to give up trying to run away from Leila." ""

"I'm sorry I couldn't tell you in advance."

His eyes shook slighty.

I had no confident to facing his blurring face, and slowly look down.

Suddenly I had regrets. If I had refused so clearly back then, he could have shake me off more easily.

"Didn't you just say you were interested?" "-3orry I can't accept it."

At that time, I was honestly willing to hurt Vinter.

He also doubted that Leila was a bad girl who tried to kill Yvonne.

And it was ridiculous when he say he liked me so he betrayed his faith that he had kept for his whole life.

But now I was neither detest nor hilarious.

I said I was sorry I couldn't tell you in advance, but I wasn't really sorry to refuse. Just.

Vinter also need to be liberated from all his burden. "I see."

After looking at me for a long time at my words, he finally opened his mouth.

"That's not like I didn't expect it. Even back then, he said he was going to the north where you were. And"

"....."

"When Lady was run away from house, the Crown Prince visited my mansion three times." " What? Why Marquis's mansion"

It was the moment.

"-When I heard that you had disappeared from duke's house I struck the Imperial Palace Wizard and ran to the capital like a crazy man."

"- But I thought you were with that demon-possessed guy and the moment I saw his face I was... ! I"

When we were reunited on the ship to Archina Islands.

Suddenly the Crown Prince's voice who was shouting with an angry face, was vividly played. 'Crazy. Then that's'

I looked back at Vinter with a grim face.

He packaged it nicely as a'visit', but I was thrilled to imagine how badly it would be when Callisto went into his house after looking for me.

"I'm sorry for the inconvenience, Marquis. That crazyno, I mean I apologize on behalf His Highness"

I hurriedly apologized to him like saying 'go back and look'. It was then.

"I'm glad to hear that."

A low smile rang out at the bedside.

"Now, there is someone by yourside to make lady laugh." I slowly raised my head.

Whether he meant it or not, Vinter was smiling at me with warm eyes.

I stood there blankly for a moment, and then my gaze swept down his cheek and see his nail-biting once by hand.

Apparently he was frowning on Callisto's brutality, but I felt the muscles of his face loose. After avoiding his gaze for a moment in a sense of embarrassment, I soon look at Vinter. "I trust you now. So"

"....."

"You don't need to feel guilty anymore." Vinter has been silent for a long time.

Trying not to see the dark blue eyes wetting red, I waited for him to soothe his feelings. After such a long time.

"If we get out of here, the contract will be thoroughly fulfilled without any changes."

Suddenly, a huge hand reached out in front of me.

"I am confident that I will be able to carve and distribute the purest magic on jewelry." ""

"You trusted our top house."

I realized a step later that he was asking for a handshake as a top owner. "That's obvious."

Only then I smile and hold his hand.

"You owe me your life. You know I'm thorough with my calculations, right?" "Oh, my God."

Vinter groaned with a frustrated look. I said solemnly, glancing at him.

"You will have to be prepared to pay off all that debt." I gave him a good scolding for his handshake.

In my mind, my emerald and diamonds, which stretched to the world as well as to the Baien Hingdom, were depicted brilliantly.

Vinter replied as if he had lost to my nasty words. "Okay."

"Then let's go."

Without hesitation, I turned around leaving his hand behind.

I could feel Vinter staring at my hand, but I approached the 'mirror of truth' without knowing it.

When I stood in front of a fine mirror, unlike the broken ones on the other side of time and space, only then I realized.

Now I have a feeling that there will be nothing more to face this damn mirror.

'It was an awful encounter, let's never see each other again.'

I muttered to soul of ancient wizard who might be somewhere with a fresh mood.

"We can be caught between different time and space as we go out. It's a hassle, but please hold my hand tight."

At that time, suddenly he came up to the side and reached out his hand once again. I held his hand without hesitation. And we jumped into the mirror at the same time. The white light flashed before my eyes.

What I saw when I opened my eyes again. "Ugh"

The job site was filled with armed knights. "Your Highness?"

And in the middle of it, there was a figure of the Crown Prince standing with a distorted face.

How did you find it, the man who was holding the sword I had hidden in the bedroom as if he would hit the mirror right away, but slowly lowered it.

A cold sweat dripped down on his forehead. 'Are you sick or something?'

The moment I was about to approach him, with a sudden worry. His gaze glanced down somewhere.

"Penelope Eckart."

Suddenly he called me with a very low voice. And his red eyes glistened.

'It's X.'

I felt a chill when I realized the half-turned gaze was nailed at my hand against Vinter's hand. "Ah, Your Highness. This is, uh..... A little bit of tense"

I tried to shake it off and explain to him by shaking the hand. "Tie up."

A low voice was ahead.

His royal guards moved without delay at the crown prince's orders. They immediately surrounded Vinter and tied his arms with a thin rope. I've been tied up once before.

"Mar, Marquis!"

Vinter didn't rebel, and was taken away innocently.

I was dumbfounded and stammered, looking at the scene, then turned around and asked. "What are you doing now? What's wrong with the guy who just escaped?!"

"What are you doing? Princess Eckart isn't clunky either."

But he cut me off coldly, and made walked. "Your Highness."

'Why am I?'

It is instantaneous to be bombarded by the guards who flinched near me.

Blinking blankly, I stared down at the rope tied in my hand. "I'll personally escort this troublemaker."

Callisto who had took over the end of the rope proudly from the knight, chatted with a soft voice. So I was captured and imprisoned by the prince himself to the palace.