An Early Engagement - Chapter 9
“Shirley?”
A more serious expression crossed Damian’s face.
“Huh?”
Shirley flinched and looked at Damian.
“What’s wrong?”
“Nothing, really.” Shirley quickly shook her head.
“Let me go, that’s enough.”
When Shirley tapped his hand, Damian slowly released her.
An awkwardness lingered between them. Today was definitely different from usual. Shirley could feel it, and there was no way Damian hadn’t noticed. Whenever they were together, Shirley’s chatter never left a moment of silence.
She would talk, and Damian would listen. It was an unspoken rule between them.
“Hey, Damian.”
Shirley cautiously called her friend’s name. His beautiful blue eyes turned toward her. The ladies in social circles often whispered that his eyes were more beautiful than the blue diamonds adorning the queen’s crown.
Even the boys their age, who gossiped behind his back about how he looked too feminine and lacked masculinity, couldn’t look him in the eye when they actually spoke to him.
“I think I’m bewitched.”
The words muttered by the son of Count Calt after a formal conversation with Damian still echoed vividly in her mind. Damian was that extraordinary. So much so that she, his fiancée, felt insignificant in comparison.
“Miss Shirley, you’re so lucky.”
Everyone envied her, not knowing how she truly felt.
“Damian… we…”
She called his name, but the words wouldn’t come. No, she wasn’t even sure what she wanted to say. Seeing her expression grow increasingly serious, Damian anxiously gripped her shoulders.
“What is it, Shirley? Tell me.”
As if urging her to speak, he leaned his head closer to hers, not wanting to miss even a breath from his fiancée and childhood friend.
“We… we…”
“We?”
Damian was exercising as much patience as he could muster. His deep, ocean-blue eyes were fixed on Shirley’s trembling lips.
“We… we…”
Her wide, wavering eyes turned toward him. Seeing his brows furrow slightly as he focused on her quivering lips, Shirley finally let out a deep sigh.
“…Never mind.”
“Shirley?”
Her lips, which had clearly been hesitating to speak, pressed tightly together, and Damian’s expression turned grave.
“Shirley, is something wrong? Tell me everything. There are no secrets between us.”
“I said it’s nothing. I… I think I’ll go inside now.”
“Shirley.”
As she turned to leave, her body was caught and turned back around.
Shirley was startled by the unexpectedly strong grip on her arm.
She already knew Damian was taller and stronger than her, but he had always treated her with care. It was rare for him to grab her so tightly like this…
“Look at me.”
Damian’s eyes were filled with concern.
“Why have you been acting like this lately?”
“…Like what?”
Shirley’s mouth went dry, her heart pounding.
“You barely look me in the eye, and you keep avoiding me.”
“……”
“Even when I come to see you, you pretend to be asleep.”
“When did I ever do that?”
The words slipped out too quickly in her panic. Damian wasn’t oblivious—she had been avoiding him ever since the coming-of-age ball.
Ever since doubts about *us* had crept into her mind, doubts she had never entertained before.
It had always been natural for Damian to visit the Lafez estate to see Shirley, and vice versa. But recently, Shirley had stopped visiting the Elpart estate, and whenever Damian came to the Lafez estate, she had made excuses to avoid him.
Damian couldn’t have missed this change. Shirley, who had always chattered away about her thoughts, now avoided his gaze and kept her lips sealed. It must have been frustrating for him.
“If I’ve made a mistake, tell me.”
“A… mistake?”
“If I’ve done something wrong without realizing it, I’ll gladly apologize. You can even hit me until you feel better.”
Damian took Shirley’s hand and pretended to guide it toward his cheek, but Shirley yanked her hand back with all her strength.
“W-what! Why would I hit you?!”
Her flustered, stumbling tone only made Damian’s gaze grow more serious.
“Then tell me, why are you acting like this?”
“I told you, it’s nothing. Just let go…!” Shirley struggled to free her arm, but Damian’s strength was too much for her.
“You’ve been avoiding me. I can’t take it anymore, Shirley.”
His voice was unusually firm, something she rarely heard from him. Shirley felt increasingly cornered.
“I need to know. As your fiancé. And as your future husband.”
At the word *husband*, Shirley flinched. The worries that had been filling her mind were now being brought into the open, and she couldn’t hide her reaction. Damian noticed it immediately.
“I’m not letting you go like this today.” His determination was clear—he wasn’t leaving without an answer.
“Tell me what’s wrong. We’re going to get married, aren’t we? So your worries are my worries too. I want to help you.”
His earnest voice softened Shirley’s resolve, and a wave of guilt washed over her.
*Right, what’s there to hide?*
The thought echoed in her mind, snapping her back to reality.
Damian was going to be her husband. No one knew each other as well as they did. Sharing her worries with him wouldn’t be such a bad idea, would it?
Besides, wasn’t Damian known as a genius at the academy?
He’d probably handle this better than she could.
“Um… Damian.”
“Yes, tell me.”
Damian’s piercing gaze locked onto Shirley, waiting for her to speak.
