IDIBC Chapter 62

Think Simply, If You Want to Seduce Him

As if my answer didn’t matter at all, she picked up the drink intended for me and continued speaking.

“But it’s definitely not easy. The guy who gave me the most trouble among all the men I’ve met was Jenok Schmitz.”

“Ethan Schmitz.”

“Right, that Schmitz was the most impregnable to me. But this Young Duke Paquin of the Dermeier Empire is even worse.”

‘An iron fortress, an iron fortress.’ I couldn’t help but burst into laughter at Sabrina’s playful teasing.

While I laughed at Sabrina’s jest, her words were also completely incomprehensible. These days, Julian sent Sabrina flowers and gifts almost daily.

“What’s your real goal in meeting Young Duke Paquin anyway?”

“What else? To love and be loved passionately. To see the face of a man who charges straight at me like a madman without calculating anything. Even if it’s just for one brief moment.”

What meaning could that possibly have? What do those moments leave you with?

“Don’t flowers like those have that meaning?”

Flowers that had filled one room and overflowed outside lay scattered haphazardly together.

“Those are Julian’s expression of a clear goal.”

“A goal? What goal?”

“To sleep with me.”

‘Ha.’ Is what comes first really that important? What meaning could that possibly have?

While I was thinking these pointless questions, Sabrina stretched her body long and leaned toward me. The rush of rose scent made my brow furrow slightly.

“You’re thinking ‘what meaning does that have,’ right?”

Not particularly inclined to deny it, I snatched the glass back from her and gulped down the cold drink. The beverage cooling me all the way to my chest felt like a momentary relief.

“Why would it have no meaning? The memory of having loved and been loved remains. Men can easily sleep with women they don’t care about, but I hate that. Well, coming from someone like me who likes just anyone, you probably can’t relate.”

“……”

“I think all those moments connect to complete one life.”

Is that so? Could that really be true? Listening to Sabrina’s words, I almost felt swayed by her philosophy. But that’s not something I can control either.

Sabrina’s low, mischievous voice penetrated my reverie.

“Lienne.” The fluttering way she called my name made me tense up.

“You treat men too difficultly, don’t you? Then men just become increasingly complicated beings.”

“What are you talking about now?”

“Think simply, if you want to seduce him.”

“Who, who said I want to seduce anyone?”

“That’s exactly what I mean. Clueless Lienne. And yet he does accept it when you make advances.”

“Make, make advances. You always have to phrase things that way.”

“Are you saying that’s not making advances?”

I wanted to strongly deny it, but I couldn’t find an appropriate word to replace “making advances.” I had already stolen Ricardo’s lips unexpectedly four times now.

And it was true that Ricardo was kindly accepting my lip-stealing.

It was undeniably true that I was running hard all by myself, even knowing he wasn’t a man who would give in to seduction.

I didn’t fully understand all of Sabrina’s words, but I didn’t want to let my one and only love in Dermeier slip away like this. Because it felt like the memories with him would come together to complete my life.

“Well, I’d have to be able to meet him to seduce him.”

“So next time you meet, absolutely……”

Sabrina scrunched up her face at me. “You know?” she smiled suggestively. At times like this, I could understand why men blushed despite hearing her reputation.

Her honesty and boldness were so very her.

I pushed her away and glared, but I couldn’t stop my face from reddening like the men who followed Sabrina.

Ah, I must be truly crazy. My face is turning red when I don’t even know what I’m supposed to know.

“I don’t know how this will sound, but my romances have always been sincere. That takes tremendous courage.”

I knew better than anyone that her words were true. Sabrina hadn’t always pursued only light relationships from the start.

The Sabrina who had been hurt and cried until the black night turned white was certainly her too.

‘Sincerity……’

Suddenly I recalled Ricardo’s black eyes drawing close to my face. Remembering the touch of his hand pulling my back firmly and sweeping through my hair made my face grow even redder.

Such moments came often. In the middle of eating, while walking and kicking a pebble.

That day, was his not pushing me away also his sincerity?

“What could you be thinking to make your face so red?”

“Be, be quiet.”

“Oh my, our Lienne has become an adult.”

“Please, Sabrina. Shut that mouth.”

As I ground my teeth and growled, Sabrina shrugged her shoulders and lay back properly in her chair.

Behind her, the profusely blooming flowers were clamoring to be seen. Among them, one flower caught my attention and I became lost in thought for a moment.

The enormous bouquet, too large to hold even with both arms spread wide, was filled with bright yellow roses.

“Sabrina, if it were you.”

All noble ladies of Resotia long for the social circles of the Dermeier Empire.

“Would you…… wear a yellow rose? Even if it meant an opportunity?”

When I had previously talked about yellow roses, Sabrina, being a woman well-versed in society, already knew about those roses and the nature of the Enehaz evening party.

When I asked how such a vulgar and utterly rude custom could exist, she had merely shrugged.

“Absolutely not.”

“Right?”

“Yeah, do you know how much money it costs to get in there? I don’t take those kinds of risks.”

Ha……. Of course, it was my mistake to expect noble pride from you in the first place. Weren’t nobles supposed to be beings who lived and died for their pride? Thinking that way made nobility seem like nothing special.

“A woman never chases the bee. She has to make the bee come running. Fluttering its wings.”

As if she were a bee herself, she waved both arms, making me forget my exasperation and burst into laughter.

It felt like being back home in Resotia. If I told her I was so glad she was here, she’d scrunch up her face and make a strange expression, wouldn’t she? Instead of saying something embarrassing, I just laughed loudly.

Hoping my joy at being with her would reach her.

“Julian says there will be a summer hunt soon.”

“Summer hunt?”

It was the first I’d heard of it. Though I was at the ducal estate, being in the winter territory made me often forget I was living under Rochester’s protection.

It just felt like I was traveling somewhere a bit far from home.

Aside from going out becoming slightly more difficult after Ricardo received Schneider’s treasured sword from the Crown Prince, not much had changed. There was no need to go outside the mansion anyway since everything necessary was available.

I played with the chickens and took walks with Jonathan like before. Ricardo made sure Jonathan could receive basic education even here. My heart was moved even by such small considerations.

Time flowed cruelly fast even during the periods when I couldn’t meet him.

“Yeah, they do it every year, but this year the scale seems even bigger. I received an invitation from Julian so I’ll be going, and you’ll definitely go with our young duke.”

As Sabrina said, when there was a big event like the summer hunt, about a week before, Freddy would arrive at this house with a carriage full of things.

The Duchess would send over ten outfits so I could choose myself. Though I was embarrassed each time, it was also convenient to be able to wear clothes I liked.

“Will you be alright?”

“With what?”

“You can’t stand forests.”

Sabrina grimaced as if she’d heard something absurd.

“Lienne, what kind of forest are you imagining?”

“A forest is a forest, is there something special about Dermeier forests?”

“Don’t even dream of running wild like you did in the forests near home. At these hunting festivals, a woman’s purpose is to wear tight-fitting hunting clothes and boost the men’s egos.”

This time my expression naturally soured. I recalled the face of the young woman who had consecutively dropped a yellow rose on the floor. The awkward expression she wore, smiling as if painted on while being led away by an old man’s hand.

Every time I heard stories like this, I wanted to quickly escape this barbaric social culture.

I missed Resotia’s spring, the small festivals held in the village, the trivial conversations the neighborhood women shared together.

“Just hearing about it makes my vision go dark. Do I have to wear riding clothes when I don’t even know how to ride a horse?”

“Don’t worry. You’ll never be in a situation where you have to ride a horse alone anyway.”

Even so, did I really not need to know how to ride? Before I could fully worry about this new concern, I saw Freddy’s carriage approaching in the distance.

I glanced once at the flowers that had come to our house with a clear purpose. Not knowing that among them were flowers belonging to someone else.

At last, the season of the summer hunt had arrived.