ALL NOVEL Chapter 136
Only then could I meet Cade’s real eyes—stained with a madness I hadn’t seen before.
Thump, thump, thump. My heart raced as if it might burst out of my chest.
I tried my best to act nonchalant.
“Why are you here, Marquis?”
“Oh, I have something to discuss with you.”
“I see. But I have somewhere I need to go urgently. Let’s talk later.”
I tried to leave quickly, but Cade blocked my path again.
‘Ugh, I really don’t like this.’
I momentarily contemplated whether to call the guards stationed at the corridor entrance.
‘My fashion show…’I didn’t want to ruin the show I had painstakingly prepared.
“Juliet, I know you’re having a tough time, but you must endure it. These are the guys who stalked you even after getting investigated by the police. They’ve already given up on being normal. When pushed to the edge, you never know what they might do.”
The voice of my former manager from the past came to mind, and I couldn’t help but hesitate. Hadn’t I even been willing to face a knife-wielding stalker fan once?
Not wanting to provoke a crazy person for no reason, I spoke as kindly as possible, “It seems like you have something urgent to discuss. What is it?”
“…”
But Cade didn’t answer; he just smiled.
I hid my trembling hands behind my back and pretended to be casual.
Then…
“I prepared this gift for you, and if you don’t accept it, it’s useless to me…” Cade handed me a ring case. His gift, which I had already rejected earlier in the morning, a diamond ring.
“I’m grateful, but as I mentioned, I’ll just take your thoughts. It’s too much as a congratulations gift for the show opening.”
“It’s not a congratulations gift for the show opening. It’s a birthday gift. Your birthday is coming up, isn’t it?”
“…”
I was stunned. I stood there speechless, swallowing dry saliva.
January 7th.
The man I had seen only once knew the birthday of Rubetria Diollus. Shiver ran down my spine…
“I’m going crazy for real! I’ve moved dozens of times and changed my phone number hundreds of times! Because of that doorbell ringing in the middle of the night, I can’t even sleep properly!”
“Well, what can you do? I’m stressed out too, so stop being so irritated. It’s not just one or two of them; catch one, and a new one pops up, and there’s no way to put them in jail.”
“So, should I just keep living like this?”
“I’m exhausted, seriously. Why didn’t you live a normal life if you hated this so much? Isn’t this the life you chose? You have to handle what comes with it, for real. You can’t be a celebrity and suddenly decide to live like a regular person.”
I recalled the voice of my fifth manager, who had quit due to the stress caused by my stalker.
‘Seems like there’s no shortage of crazy people here and there.’
And then, from the opposite end of the corridor, I heard hurried footsteps, like a salvation.
Under the dim lighting, I was surprised and relieved to see someone approaching.
Familiar silver hair, dressed in a black mask.
It was Lark.
He paused and stared at me and Cade.
Sensing his presence, Cade turned to look at Lark, then quickly spoke to me, “Madame, and about the overseas branch investment…”
His out-of-place statement was meant to deceive Lark’s suspicions.
“Sorry for interrupting.”
As Lark approached, as expected, he slightly raised his head and passed us by without further interaction.
“Oh, hey.”
As I tried to grab Lark as he passed by, Cade suddenly grabbed my hand.
“Madame.”
“…”
His index finger slowly traced the inside of my wrist.
“Come with me for a moment…”
Speaking with a seemingly gentle demeanor, Cade suddenly lifted his eyes and stared behind me.
Unnoticed, Lark’s presence had returned behind me.
“Sorry for interrupting your busy conversation.” At the same time, a large hand pushed its way between the two of us and firmly gripped Cade’s wrist, almost to the point of crushing it. “It would be better if you didn’t hold hands.”
Lark’s grip on Cade’s wrist was so tight that the veins bulged.
“Ugh.”
Suppressing a groan of pain, Cade reluctantly released his arm with an unpleasant expression. Then, gently stroking his wrist, he said, “I don’t know who you are, but you seem quite impolite. I was having a polite conversation with Madame.”
“Yeah, I know. But don’t hold hands.”
Cade frowned.
“Who the hell are you—”
Before the question even ended, Lark removed the mask that had been covering his face.
‘Oh, this isn’t good…’
Revealing his identity and getting into a skirmish with a high-ranking noble.
“Did that answer your question?”
I was stunned, and Cade was equally surprised.
Soon, Cade burst into laughter and spread his hands wide. “It seems there was a misunderstanding. If you were uncomfortable, I apologize, Madam.”
“…”
Ignoring my lack of response, Cade gave a slight nod and walked away toward the opposite end of the corridor.
I silently watched his retreating figure, thinking, ‘In the end, we’ve annoyed the stalker fan…’
Feeling uneasy, I suddenly remembered Lark standing beside me.
“That’s right, Your Highness.”
“Sorry…”
“What?”
He closed his eyes briefly, took a deep breath, and apologized, “I know I shouldn’t have intervened, but I couldn’t help myself…”
“No!” I waved my hand vigorously. “Thank you. It was a difficult situation, and it would have been even more awkward if you hadn’t intervened.”
“What?”
I grabbed Lark’s hand, who was raising an eyebrow, and hurriedly walked.
“We only have less than 30 minutes left to start, so we must hurry. I’ll tell you all about it later. Did you bring the knights? I’ll give you tickets and—”
“Yeah, I know. Victor said they’d be selling tickets soon. Someone’s already in line at the ticket booth, waiting as the first in line, so I entered first.”
“Oh, really? That’s a relief.”
I sighed in relief and turned around to walk back.
Lark, who was following me, asked with a playful tone, “Wait, you came out for that?”
“Yes. His Highness Shane informed me that you couldn’t come in because you didn’t have a ticket. If you had told me in advance, I would have saved seats for the knights, so I’m sorry.”
“Haha, it’s okay. Why are you apologizing for something like that?”
“That’s true, but earlier, I was just so busy… I’m also sorry for not paying attention to you.”
“No, I understand. I know you’re busy.”
For some reason, he seemed to be in a good mood.
Why…
In front of Lark, who was smiling and saying everything was okay, I suddenly had a lot of thoughts.
During my time as Juliet Karenina, when I could do almost anything, the only thing I couldn’t, or rather, didn’t do was love.
Because of my busy schedule, it was evident that meeting anyone, let alone a lover, would make them feel lonely.
But I couldn’t afford to give up my work, so love was a luxury.
Suddenly, my steps slowed down.
‘It can’t go on like this…’
Every time something like this happened, I couldn’t just upset people and pretend nothing happened. I felt too guilty.
“Your Highness, wait a moment. I have something to say.”
“Hmm?”
“Well, you see… you’ve probably noticed… but my business has grown so much that I’ve become very busy. I’m going to get even busier in the future.”
“…”
“It’s not my intention, but there may be less time for us because of work, and I might upset you.”
“Princess?”
Lark looked perplexed at my strange words. “I understand everything…”
“Of course, I like you more than work, but I don’t plan to step back from the frontlines. I’ll hand it over to a professional manager when I’m over 70 and getting all wrinkly.”
“…”
“But if you still want to keep seeing me despite that, it’ll be my selfishness.”
“Uh, wait a moment.” Lark, looking somewhat surprised, grabbed my shoulder. “I get what you’re trying to say. I understand, but why all of a sudden like this—”
“So, Your Highness.” I momentarily set aside my modesty and looked boldly at Lark. “It’s a really selfish request, I know, but could you bear with it if something upsetting comes up occasionally? I’ll do my best to avoid such situations.”
“…?”
“I know it’s shameless, but I’m sorry. I can’t give up my work, and I can’t give up on you, either. We’ve only kissed so far. There’s so much more we need to experience…” I closed my eyes tightly and added, “I didn’t want to say all this because I felt like I was rushing things.”
“…”
“Sorry, but in my imagination, our kids have already been sent abroad to study at the academy…”
As I slowly opened my eyes, I saw Lark’s mouth hanging wide open.
It might sound absurd, but what could I do?
I didn’t want to give up on anything, not one bit.
Even when I was living as Juliet Karenina, I felt so frustrated watching everyone else fall in love! Moreover, Lark was, without a doubt, the closest thing to perfection among all the men I had ever met during the Juliet and Rubette eras.
I’d be a fool to let him go…
“I like children, you know. I really want to have a daughter and a son. It might come as a surprise, but leaving my bloodline in this world has been a long-cherished wish of mine.”
“Uh, I see.”
Lark bit his lip and trembled slightly. He seemed to be uncomfortable with my frank confession.
Despite feeling embarrassed, I had already decided, so I continued to express my intentions, “I’ll compensate for any areas where I might neglect parenting due to my busyness with money. Oh, and of course, I’ll shower our children with love so they never feel neglected.”
“…”
“So, it’s a selfish request, but…” I lowered my gaze, aware of his feelings. “Considering how understanding you are, can’t you make a little concession and keep seeing me?”
With clenched fists, I looked up and met Lark’s gaze, which I had been avoiding. “Your Highness?”
For some reason, he was covering one side of his face and holding back laughter.
“You fool. I was so surprised.”
“Yes?”
“I thought you were going to break up with me.”
“Oh, really? Did I say something that could be misunderstood?”
“Yes.”
Suddenly, Lark bent his waist, touched his forehead to mine, and gently closed his eyes, whispering, “I…like the idea so much.”