I Want To Die One Day Before You - Chapter 18
When he came to his senses, he could see nothing else but traces of her.
He couldn’t escape, even though he tried to. He felt addicted, and there was no antidote.
All he could do was to reach for her with all his might.
“It doesn’t have to be complicated.”
Rufus gently stroked Sarubia’s hair.
“Let’s call it fate.”
Saying that, Rufus held Sarubia close. The ceiling swayed gently.
Rufus was endlessly gentle.
***
Following her governess’s advice, Princess Sordid invited Rufus to her palace.
‘He’s probably a rugged and unsophisticated man.’
While being dolled up by five maids simultaneously, the princess grumbled.
‘I’ll just treat him decently and send him back. The public opinion is still in turmoil, so let’s decide on the marriage later.’
Thinking this way, the princess went to the garden in the backyard of her palace.
“Where is that man?”
“He’s waiting inside.”
The palace maid replied, nodding her head.
The body of the maid who had been beaten in place of Sarubia the day before was swollen.
Behind that battered maid, she saw a familiar face.
Ivory-colored hair, golden eyes, and that constantly grinning face.
“Tsk.”
The princess frowned, looking at the maid with displeasure.
‘Annoying.’
She didn’t like that face. Sordid was suffering, having to marry someone she didn’t like at all, and yet that woman, why couldn’t she stop smiling?
Sordid wanted to tear that woman’s lips apart with a knife if she could just have the same feelings as her.
‘What does she find so enjoyable in life? That cheeky wench.’
The princess grumbled as she headed to the garden.
The young man, dressed modestly, rose from his seat when he saw the princess.
“Your Highness, I have the honor of meeting the noble princess of the kingdom.”
This man was Rufus, the hero who had killed the Demon King Audixus and ended the war.
The princess greeted Rufus dryly.
‘Hmph, look at him, acting all noble with his empty title.’
Inwardly mocking the man, the princess sat down across from him.
‘He’s not totally unfortunate looking though.’
Glancing briefly at the man’s face, the princess elegantly raised her teacup.
Rufus, the man, had never appeared in the capital until he turned eighteen. Nobles in the kingdom valued their honor, and whether a family was wealthy or poor, they were all eager to introduce their offspring into society.
However, Rufus had never shown himself in society until now.
When she had heard about it, the princess had expected him to have facial scars or be an extraordinary man.
But the man sitting across from her was surprisingly decent.
“Thank you for inviting me.”
No, rather, he quite looked better the more she scrutinized him. That little twist intrigued the princess a little.
“May I address you as Lord Rufus?”
The princess spoke in a slightly coquettish manner, just as she usually did with other young noblemen.
“Yes.”
“Very well, Lord Rufus. I’m delighted to meet you. Are you living comfortably in the royal palace?”
“Indeed.”
The man replied curtly and didn’t say anything more.
A chilly silence settled in the garden.
‘What is this guy doing?’
The princess was baffled by the man’s reaction.
Princess Sordid was known as a stunning beauty, and every man would vie for her favor.
They would go to great lengths to engage her in conversation, doing everything in their power to make an impression.
But not this man.
This man remained as tight-lipped as a locked door.
As a result, an awkward atmosphere lingered.
‘Is he nervous?’
The princess glanced briefly at the man.
Right. Perhaps he was so overwhelmed by nervousness that he couldn’t even open his mouth properly. Such things happened often.
Many noblemen had been so nervous that they had sweated profusely and stumbled over their words when trying to converse with the princess.
In an attempt to ease the atmosphere, the princess gestured toward the table.
“Please, have some refreshments.”
“No, thank you.”
The man didn’t touch any of the refreshments prepared by the princess. And not just that—he didn’t even make eye contact with the princess.
‘Look at him!’
The princess was at a loss due to the man’s unyielding demeanor.
No man had ever treated her like this before. The princess was used to being adored. She had received love her whole life, and she believed it should continue that way.
She couldn’t fathom the idea that there might be a man in the world who didn’t love her.
Therefore, the princess never realized.
That the man’s gaze was directed at a maid standing in the far corner of the garden.
