The Circumstances of Being Chosen as the Villainess’s Favorite - Chapter 78

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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 78

 

“Excuse me for a moment.”

 

Long, elegant fingers gently caressed my cheek.

 

I unconsciously swallowed my breath.

 

Lord Claudius, who had lightly brushed away the hair stuck to my cheek, smiled with his eyes.

 

“You had some hair stuck there.”

 

“….”

 

Huh, what?

 

I froze stiff in place.

 

The sensation of his fingers brushing past my cheek was far too vivid.

 

At the same time, Lord Claudius asked me with concern.

 

“Your face seems a bit flushed. Are you alright?”

 

Really, why would my face be red?

 

It’s all because of you, Lord Claudius!

 

But I couldn’t very well confess that.

 

“Ah… I’m fine.”

 

I turned my head away, fanning my face unnecessarily.

 

“I think it’s just because it’s warm.”

 

“Shall I bring you a cold drink?”

 

“Yes, I’d appreciate that.”

 

I nodded eagerly.

 

I need to get away from Lord Claudius, even if just for a moment.

 

If I keep staying by his side like this, my heart might burst and kill me.

 

“Understood. Please wait here for just a moment.”

 

And so Lord Claudius left.

 

Left alone, I let out a long sigh.

 

“Haaaaah….”

 

Am I going crazy?

 

Making someone’s heart race with just a single gesture.

 

Of course, Lord Claudius probably didn’t mean anything special by it, but I’m far too conscious of it!

 

Just then, as I was reliving the sensation of those long, elegant fingers.

 

‘What should I do!’

 

My face heated up once again.

 

I quietly made my way toward the less crowded area by the window.

 

I wanted to avoid people’s eyes a bit until my face cooled down.

 

Just then, I happened to overhear the nearby noblewomen chatting quietly.

 

“Doesn’t Lord Claudius take very good care of Lady Ansi?”

 

“Indeed. I didn’t think he had such an affectionate personality….”

 

It seemed they hadn’t noticed my presence since I was standing behind the columns.

 

Feeling awkward, I stepped back a bit more to stay out of the noblewomen’s sight.

 

‘Lord Claudius takes good care of me…’

 

I stared quietly at my reflection in the glass window.

 

Despite the benefit of Lord Claudius stepping away briefly, my face was flushed bright red again.

 

‘So that’s how it looks to other people too?’

 

Even so, I couldn’t help but feel pleased.

 

I struggled to suppress the laughter that kept trying to burst out.

 

But then.

 

‘Hm?’

 

In the glass window, I saw the shadow of a man standing far away.

 

Startled, I glanced back over my shoulder.

 

A man with familiar features was staring intently at me.

 

That man was none other than.

 

‘Gregory?’

 

Instantly, chills ran down my entire body.

 

This place was Wilson University’s end-of-semester party.

 

It was an event that only patrons seeking talented individuals or young university students seeking sponsorship would attend.

 

Which meant.

 

Gregory had no reason to be here.

 

Yet Gregory had attended this end-of-semester party.

 

…And he kept staring only at me.

 

His gaze looked like he wanted to devour me right then and there.

 

‘This feels awful.’

 

I bit down on my lip.

 

For the first time in a long while, I felt like I’d returned to the past.

 

The past when I thought I had to unconditionally obey Gregory and Seraphina’s orders.

 

The oppressive feeling from those days when I constantly had to read the room came flooding back.

 

‘Let me get away from here first.’

 

I slipped into the crowd to hide.

 

At the same time, Gregory’s eyes sharpened as he began walking this way.

 

‘Don’t tell me he’s chasing after me?’

 

Anxious, I quickened my pace.

 

Gregory, who had been following behind me at a distance, clicked his tongue and began pushing through the crowd in earnest.

 

I clenched my teeth.

 

At that moment.

 

Tap!

 

Someone lightly grabbed my arm.

 

“Gasp!”

 

I swallowed my breath and turned around.

 

Blue eyes filled with concern were looking down at me intently.

 

“Lady Ansi?”

 

It was Lord Claudius.

 

“What’s wrong?”

 

At that moment, all the tension left my body.

 

I moved my lips slightly.

 

“Ah, well….”

 

Following where my gaze was directed, Lord Claudius glanced back.

 

In the distance, Gregory, who had been glaring this way with an annoyed expression, flinched.

 

“….”

 

Lord Claudius’s expression turned cold, and he immediately moved close to my side.

 

Then he looked down at me and smiled with his eyes.

 

“Shall we go?”

 

At that moment, I realized.

 

‘He deliberately shielded me from Gregory’s gaze.’

 

I know.

 

The Lord Claudius described in the original work was someone with an upright and kind nature.

 

So he couldn’t just leave me alone when I was being threatened by Gregory.

 

But.

 

‘How could I not feel my heart flutter?’

 

Honestly, this was beyond my control.

 

Even excluding all external conditions….

 

‘He’s being so affectionate.’

 

I felt something hot surge up from deep within my chest.

 

I couldn’t help it.

 

Even knowing he was the male protagonist of this world, Seraphina’s destined partner.

 

So there was no point in harboring romantic feelings for Lord Claudius.

 

No matter how much I tried to control myself…

 

My heart kept wandering on its own.

 

* * *

 

‘Damn it!’

 

Gregory’s eyes blazed with fury as he glared menacingly at Larite and Lord Claudius standing side by side.

 

‘That Larite is doing this on purpose.’

 

Grind.

 

The sound of grinding teeth flowed ominously from between his clenched molars.

 

‘She’s deliberately getting close to the Duke just to upset me!’

 

Ever since what happened in the Southern Region.

 

Larite had no intention of even receiving Gregory’s correspondence.

 

He had sent dozens of letters but received no response.

 

She had even stopped visiting places Gregory frequently went to.

 

‘It’s fine, she’s just trying to make me jealous.’

 

At first, he tried to calm himself with such thoughts, but even that had its limits.

 

Larite continued to draw a line with Gregory.

 

Experiencing such cold treatment for the first time, he grew increasingly anxious.

 

Then Gregory heard shocking news.

 

‘What? Larite and the Duke attended an opera together?!’

 

That wasn’t all.

 

Visiting recitals featuring Claudius’s musicians, or going to art galleries invested in by Claudius.

 

Larite continued to appear at famous events related to Claudius.

 

And Dietrich was always by her side at such occasions.

 

‘Why does the Duke keep associating with Larite?!’

 

Honestly, a powerful figure like Lord Claudius had no need to associate with a mere heir of the Ansi Mansion, did he?

 

Though the Ansi Mansion was said to be well-established, they were still provincial lower nobility.

 

Compared to House of Claudius, they were less than dust beside the sun.

 

There was absolutely no benefit Lord Claudius could gain from being with Larite.

 

Then, the only other thing worth considering was…

 

‘Even if Larite has gotten prettier lately!’

 

Gregory clenched his fist, unable to contain his anger.

 

And for good reason, as quite a few noble young men had recently begun showing interest in Larite.

 

“Lady Ansi is quite decent.”

 

“I used to think she was gloomy, but she’s become much more beautiful lately.”

 

“Besides, isn’t she the heir to the Ansi Mansion?”

 

“There really isn’t another lady with such qualifications.”

 

Hearing their conversation, Gregory felt his insides boiling with rage.

 

Larite was my fiancée.

 

She’s mine!

 

Thus Gregory eventually scoured every event Larite was scheduled to attend.

 

He was determined to see the situation with his own eyes.

 

That’s why he ended up attending Wilson University’s end-of-term party, which he had no interest in.

 

‘What on earth is going on?’

 

Gregory doubted his own eyes.

 

Larite and the Duke were facing each other, smiling brightly.

 

The two looked truly intimate.

 

The Duke leaned his head toward Larite and whispered something.

 

Then he casually reached out and brushed away a strand of hair stuck to Larite’s cheek.

 

Larite’s cheeks turned as red as a ripe apple.

 

Her pink eyes gazing up at the Duke were filled with unmistakable affection.

 

‘Could it be… does Larite really like the Duke?’

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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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