"Umm…"
Elena's face turned as red as a beetroot.
On the table between us, there were only two empty teacups and some cookie crumbs left on a plate.
But as I mentioned earlier, I didn't really like sweets. I had cut a small piece of cake and barely manage to eat it.
So why did everything on my plate disappear completely?
Well, obviously, this Lady here ate everything.
Have you ever seen a hamster eating sunflower seeds? When you give seeds to a hamster, it chews them with its small mouth and it's so cute that you want to keep giving it more. To me, Elena Edelweiss was like that hamster.
If this world were a webtoon, there would definitely be a sound effect like "nom-nom" next to her as she ate the cookies. She picked up one cookie at a time with a fork and savored it slowly, resembling a small creature enjoying its meal.
Moved by her adorable sight, I transferred the desserts from my plate to hers, as if I were giving sunflower seeds to a hamster. She didn't notice and simply relished the treats on her plate, her face beaming with happiness.
Now, that same Elena was blushing, realizing what had happened.
"You seem to like sweet things more than I thought, Lady Edelweiss. I guess I did well to prepare in advance."
"Umm... Nnngh! T-Thank you... I'm sure these were things that Young Master also liked a lot, but you gave them all to me... When I come next time, there's a famous parfait shop in our territory, I'll make sure to bring one of each kind from there!"
'No, it's fine. I can't eat sweet things like that...'
She seemed quite embarrassed, but it was definitely a much better sight than before when she was stiff and couldn't say anything.
"It's fine, I appreciate the gesture from my heart. Instead of that, if you tell our chef that you liked these, he will be very pleased. If you want to have more, please let me know anytime."
"Really?"
Upon hearing that she could have them anytime, Elena burst into delighted laughter, looking even happier than before. As a result, strange emotions began to well up within me.
Was it the influence of the satisfaction and contentment that desserts bring? Her appearance became brighter to the point that she seemed like a different person from the one who was just holding a teacup without being able to say a word earlier. Maybe it was because she found something in common with each other, which was supposedly liking sweets.
'I shouldn't have said that I liked them.'
Anyway, this was a good development. Now we could have conversations with each other.
If she had remained in the same state as before, I might not have been able to listen to her opinion even if we stayed up all night.
Maybe I would have ended up talking to myself alone.
I wanted us to communicate, I did not want this to be one-sided.
My wish in this situation was for us to be of one mind and invalidate this engagement. In order to do that, communication between us was necessary. Frankly, if I simply wanted to break off the engagement, I could just say to her, "Let's break off our engagement," and it would be done.
She had a tendency to not assert her own opinions and be influenced by others, so unlike the original Damian, if I were to ask her to break off the engagement instead of getting engaged, she would probably be hesitant and do as I wish, even if it did hurt her pride.
However, that wouldn't be right.
I didn't know if this was an unnecessary overreaction, but I intended to avoid any methods that might have a negative impact on her, no matter how trivial they may be.
This was essentially the world of the novel I had been reading. And a novel tends to revolve around the protagonist. In other words, it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that she was the center of this world.
Of course, not all novels were like that, and there were differences depending on the genre and the author's tendencies. But at least in this novel, I had read, 'The Princess is Loved' it revolved around Elena Edelweiss as the central character.
This might be just my unfounded delusion, but if my actions were to be considered as the antagonist towards her, even in this world, it would probably lead to me experiencing some sort of misfortune. Maybe I would be defeated by the male lead candidate who loves her.
So, it was best for me to end things with her in a peaceful manner.
If we break off the engagement, she won't have any reason to meet me, and once the original story begins, I would no longer be her former fiancé, or rather, her past acquaintance, and events would unfold without me.
Moreover, the closer I get to her, the more it felt like my body was trying to break free from my control.
Perhaps it was luck that Elena Edelweiss was a barrier of sorts. It was clear that I would have been overwhelmed by such emotions.
For the past five years, my body had followed my commands perfectly, but from the moment I met her, something started to feel strange.
Especially my emotions. They started veering in a peculiar direction.
With Elena Edelweiss right in front of me, it was somewhat manageable. But if I were to act as freely as usual and these phenomena were to occur, I would undoubtedly be completely overwhelmed by those emotions.
The fortunate thing was that it seemed to be limited to Elena only.
Actions driven by uncontrollable emotions were no different from madness. Of course, it was not to the point where I had no control at all. It was just bothersome and disturbed rational thinking, but as long as I focus, I could somehow manage it.
However, if I continued to pay attention to these various things, there might come a time when I suffered from a mental disorder. From that point on, I would become a true lunatic.
I didn't want to become a psychopath, and I especially didn't want to bring harm to her and fall into despair due to this madness. So, unless I was going to live as an instinct-driven beast, I must not get closer to her.
After organizing my thoughts completely, I asked her.
"Um, Lady Edelweiss. Pardon me, but would you allow me to address you by your name?"
"Ah, yes! Of course! Then, can I call you Lord Damian?"
"Yes, go ahead. Although it's not official, we are still engaged. So long as it's not a curse word, it doesn't matter what we call each other."
"E-Engaged… That's right, we are engaged."
As if remembering what kind of relationship she had with me and why she was here, Elena lowered her head and replied in a hushed voice.
Well, I understand her feelings, but it was a bit disheartening to see her like this right in front of me.
....
'Just tie her up and lock her in the room... where she can't—'
-Grip
'Go away, you devil. Do you think I'm your slave?'
....
'Damn Damian, your craziness to die always pops up unexpectedly.'
'Ugh! Thanks to the marathon you ran, my thighs are suffering!'
It was understandable why Elena looks so downcast.
Marriage is generally a once-in-a-lifetime event. Whether it's a man or a woman, everyone has their own romantic notions about marriage, but that might not apply to her right now. However, unlike a typical arranged marriage, both she and I had a choice in this engagement.
Now the question was whether we would maintain this engagement and proceed with a formal marriage or return to being nothing more than acquaintances.
I would naturally choose the latter, and judging by her recent reaction, it seemed like she wanted the same. However, considering Elena's personality, she won't be able to say it directly in front of me. So, I had to guide her to express it herself.
"Elena, I understand how you must be feeling right now. It's natural that you're reluctant to be engaged to someone like me, who's as good as a stranger."
"Oh, no. Th-that's not it!"
"You don't have to force yourself to say it that. I feel the same way."
"Huh?"
Elena showed a stiff expression as if she had been stabbed.
Her face says it all, did she really expect me to believe it was not like that?
"No, I mean, does it mean that Lord Damian dislikes the engagement with me...?"
"No, of course not. How could I dislike the engagement with you? Marrying you is like a dream come true for every man in the Empire."
Of course, I was thrilled about it. If this were a world without the original story, I would have done three somersaults in mid-air right here. Who wouldn't be pleased to marry a beautiful woman known as the most beautiful in the world?
The problem was that we were in a novel with a predetermined story, and our separation was an unavoidable fate within that story. There was no way our engagement with such a destiny would proceed normally. All I could do was, as much as possible, deviate from the original and end this relationship.
I carefully chose my words, trying to convey my values regarding marriage without hurting her feelings.
"However, I desire a marriage where both of us are happy together, rather than just my own happiness. Please be honest. Elena Edelweiss, do you love me?"
"That's…"
She couldn't give a clear answer to my straightforward question.
This was our first meeting today, and we had never exchanged stories about each other through letters before. Unless she was an extremely impulsive person, she couldn't possibly say that she loved me.
"I don't believe that a marriage will be unhappy just because the couple doesn't love each other. My parents did, and it's probably the same for other noble families. However, unlike them, we have the power of choice."
"What do you mean?"
"Choosing a stranger whom you have never mixed words with as a lifelong partner is a challenging task. Even though strategic marriages may be prevalent among nobles, our relationship is not a simple strategic marriage, is it? Elena and I have the right to choose, unlike those who were bound by family obligations."
'So, there is no need for you to choose someone you don't even know well.'
'Elena Edelweiss...'
'This engagement is not something dictated by someone else. It's a matter for you to decide. So, choose the answer that you truly desire.'
I spoke to her while contemplating these thoughts.
"I will respect whatever answer Elena gives. Please feel free to speak up. Our current meeting is not only for getting to know each other before the engagement, but also for expressing our thoughts about this engagement."
The answer was already predetermined, but I even forced her, who hesitated to speak, to make a choice.
Eventually, she seemed to gather her thoughts and with a determined expression, she spoke to me.
"Then, shall we proceed with our engagement? Officially."
"What?."