Liar and Liar - Chapter 72

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 72

“I had no idea you played piano. You don’t even do orchestra. You should have applied for the Middle School recital. Oh, did you not apply because of me?”

“….”

Danielle kept her mouth shut.

“I want to hear you play other pieces too. What songs do you like? What genre?”

Danielle bit the inside of her mouth and forced herself to catch her breath.

I can’t get caught. I can’t get caught. I can’t get caught. The same thought spun blindly around her head. Like a crazy person.

“No, let’s get up. We were originally going to go to your room anyway.”

When Danielle spoke in an unusually firm voice, Frederick didn’t push further and obediently kept quiet. But the topic of piano remained.

“How about joining orchestra next semester? One of the keyboard instrument positions is currently a 12th grader, so there’ll be an opening. If you want, I’ll make sure you can definitely get in. I was already thinking about extracurricular activities you could do anyway.”

Danielle was overwhelmed with a sense of defeat. She mobilized all her nerves to speak calmly and composedly.

“…No, it’s fine. I appreciate you thinking about it, but there’s no need.”

Really.

But Frederick didn’t back down easily.

“Why? Still don’t have enough time? You know it’s a necessary activity when thinking about college admissions.”

Since when did you care about college admissions….

‘Why are you suddenly acting like you know?’

And of all topics, this one….

She could feel Frederick’s gaze scanning her face. Danielle tried to manage her expression, but it seemed too late.

Please don’t ask anything more….

“…You look like you don’t want to talk about it. Should we do something else then?”

Frederick’s hand gently wrapped around Danielle’s waist and pulled her close. In an instant, her body was caught and her legs and torso were completely pressed against his. Perhaps because the dress material was thin, Frederick’s legs felt overly vivid. The curves, the firmness, even the warmth.

The distance between their lips was now barely a span. Because of that intense emotion, the question she had tried so hard to hold back burst out.

“…When you and Stella were practicing together in Middle School, did you ever… kiss like this?”

“What? Not at all. I’m quite pure, babe.”

…Pure? …You?

It was only because he was still a student that his nickname stopped at ‘heartbreaker’—if he were an adult, wouldn’t it have been much worse? That was about the extent of Danielle’s assessment of Frederick.

Frederick pressed his lips to Danielle’s hair. He liked this action. Now Danielle knew that too.

“So please give me a reward, babe.”

Hm? His smile became warmth that settled on Danielle’s hair. Her heart fluttered.

“…What exactly did you do well.”

“I didn’t do anything well~? I only thought about you all the time. I even thought about whether we should figure out a way for you to join the track team…~”

“…Again.”

“I’m taking English literature class, and when they told us to write and submit a poem, I wrote a poem about you. The title was Danielland. I even matched the alliteration perfectly. It drew a standing ovation. Should I recite it?”

“Are you insane?”

It was something even the most lovesick couple cockroaches couldn’t bring themselves to do. What planet was this alien from anyway.

Babe. Frederick whispered softly in Danielle’s ear.

“When I kiss you, my heart tickles. Do you feel that way too?”

“….”

Danielle slowly moved her hand and placed it on Frederick’s chest. As if his heart was held in her hand, the small beating was completely contained within her palm.

‘How do you always….’

Make everything go the way you want. Without fail.

Having taken the bait Frederick threw, Danielle had no choice but to move closer and kiss him. Perhaps because her eyes were closed, her sense of touch became even more sensitive. Even when a gentle breeze brushed her forehead, the heat couldn’t easily subside.

Frederick, who had been waiting for Danielle to come closer, didn’t miss the moment their lips touched and supported Danielle’s cheek with one hand. At the same time, the thumb of the hand holding her waist pressed down. It looked like he was blocking something.

The other four fingers traced long lines between Danielle’s ribs.

The moment the kiss deepened, the irregularly pressed keys made a sound like wine glasses spilling. It was the sound made by Frederick’s right hand that had unconsciously touched the keys. Strong pulsing repeatedly tapped against Danielle’s left hand.

* * *

Heading toward the tea table set up in the garden, Mari, who had been linking arms with Marilyn, was startled.

“What? Ricky is learning Korean?”

“Quite diligently. It’s the first time he’s focused on something like this since golf.”

Good grief! Mari silently fumed in bewilderment.

‘If he likes her enough to separately learn Korean, why did he speak in a way that made Danielle feel awkward about the engagement?’

“The story about supporting study abroad is serious, right, Uncle?”

“Of course.”

“You really brought up the topic with marriage in mind too?”

Mari was just as surprised by the marriage talk. Mari’s parents always urged her to associate with selected individuals from the same upper class and continue the marriage connections. Mari also knew that was common sense in the world she belonged to.

But Uncle and Aunt were different. Why?

‘Do they like Danielle that much?’

Even though there’s already a fiancée….

As far as Mari knew, Frederick had a fiancée arranged between families when he was very young. Whether Frederick himself was aware of this was questionable.

‘Seeing how Uncle and Aunt talked like that in front of Danielle, maybe it’s a lighter promise than I thought….’

“Marriage would be fine.”

“You’re going to break off the engagement? Do you like Danielle that much? I’m not just saying this because we’re close, but Danielle is really sincere. And smart too.”

Sylvester replied with a gentle smile instead of words. In Italy, that would be interpreted as a negative response.

“It’s unfortunate for Martina, but it can’t be helped. What’s most important to us is that Amedeo chose that child. Enough to try to mobilize a million dollars.”

“…A million dollars?”

Marilyn patted Mari’s hand that was linked with her arm.

“His girlfriend amazingly caught that walk-off home run ball in the last game. Even if it were put up for auction, after deducting this and that, it would be hard for more than 500,000 dollars to fall into her hands, but he’s filling it up to a full million dollars, and on top of that, he even made up a story about the player’s sponsor paying the money so she could receive it comfortably. While listening, I wondered if I was really hearing about Amedeo or what….”

Marilyn let out a hollow laugh. Mari couldn’t interpret that reaction at all.

It sounded both exasperated yet pleased, and though the tone suggested being fed up, there was strangely a sense of relief. Sylvester picked up where she left off.

“Actually, there were signs. Since Middle School.”

“That’s enough. She’s Mari’s friend too, talking like that.”

What story is this now? Middle School?

A million dollars was a bewildering amount even for Mari. If it were a formal gift to a spouse upon marriage, that would be one thing, but for a high school student to ‘gift’ a million dollars to a girlfriend he’d been dating for a month.

“…It does seem excessive. But why did you approve it all?”

“….”

Sylvester and Marilyn avoided answering. Mari had no choice but to wait.

After a moment, Marilyn, who had lowered her gaze, opened her mouth weakly.

The moment she heard her answer, Mari’s eyes, sitting at the tea table, widened greatly.

“…What? What did you say?”

Mari covered her mouth with one hand in shock.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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