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After a while, her fork was put down.

"Did it suit your taste?" Regina asked.

"Quite nice."

"The chef here is very skilled."

"It seems so," I nodded and continued the conversation.

"How about the wine? Does it suit your taste?"

"Of course, it's the wine I like," Regina took a sip of wine and replied.

"Is that so? Then I made a good choice. I picked it because I was drawn to its refreshing taste."

I was used to acting like this by now. It seemed Regina didn't notice that I had deliberately chosen a wine to her taste.

It may seem like a trivial detail. However, I knew that such small things could accumulate and move one's heart.

"You apologized twice earlier."

Regina got to the point.

"Yes, because I was wrong."

"Wrong as in you crossed the line?"

"Yes."

"But you did it on purpose, right?"

I saw Regina's lips twist into a strange smile.

That's a smile of amusement. It means she's intrigued.

No matter what, I've piqued her interest, which isn't bad.

Getting answers is the problem, even if it hurts and is difficult.

"I can't deny it. I did it on purpose to provoke you."

I admitted it openly. The reason I gave for provoking her was made up on the spot, but it probably matched the psychology of that bastard Max.

A fiancée but an uncomfortable being that he could not do as he pleased with.

Given Max's character of openly showing interest in women, he would have wanted to crush Regina under him to satisfy his s*xual desires.

But that's not something one can do as they please. She is a lady of the Earnbert family, not yet married, so she would not have given in to such a person, especially not to someone like Max.

So, in his frustration, he would have blatantly frequented brothels.

Deliberately provoking her. Such a vile act is unparalleled. And because of that vile act, my situation has come to this.

"You're frank. So what were you trying to achieve by provoking me?"

"That's…" I paused in the middle of my sentence and scanned the surroundings.

It seemed Regina immediately guessed what I was thinking.

"Don't worry. They can't hear us."

"Ah, you must be surprised."

Surprised.

"A blockade of energy."

It could be used for defense, but it also had the effect of blocking sound.

Because it is formless, it didn't catch people's attention.

It's a technique that requires a high level of skill, but for a swordsman of her caliber, it was easy.

But then,

"You noticed that I used the energy blockade? That's unexpected."

It seemed I had caught her interest again.

"I just guessed from what you said."

"You guessed very easily."

"Not when it's you. Because it wouldn't be difficult for you to use an energy blockade."

"Is that so?"

Regina nodded once and propped her chin on the back of her hand.

"Continue with what you were saying earlier."

She wanted me to answer the question about why I deliberately provoked her.

I opened my mouth again.

"I wanted you to see me."

It was a direct answer, but one that came after much thought.

It was an answer derived from putting myself in the situation.

"You wanted me to see you? Why?"

"Because you're my fiancée. And a good one at that."

I threw a double entendre.

It could mean a good fiancée, but also a fiancée I like.

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I wanted to make her think a bit.

"Ha," Regina scoffed and then bluntly said, "The body?"

I almost faltered. I hadn't expected such a direct remark.

"It's you, the person," I managed to reply without hesitation.

"Interesting. I didn't know you were such an interesting person."

"Um... it's not a joke," I scratched my head and continued.

"From the beginning, you…"

I hesitated until the last moment whether to continue or not because it wasn't something I had experienced directly.

But thinking of the Max I knew and Regina, it seemed very likely that it had happened.

So, I brought up the rest.

"You've never seen me before."

What Regina wanted was some benefit from an arranged marriage.

Arranged marriages are like that by nature.

But Max's presence was probably not even a consideration for her.

More than a trivial existence, he was like trash.

But she probably didn't expect that this trash would go so far as to scratch her pride.

"If there are no expectations, there's no interest. Isn't that natural?"

A cold statement. But not incorrect. And it was the right approach.

As a fiancée, she would have strictly kept to the boundaries she needed to maintain, just as she wore a formal dress to this place.

The problem was that the other party was trash who couldn't even maintain those boundaries.

Thinking about that, it's clear she had no issue.

Anyway, this trashy Max.

"Of course. I understand. But it's not very nice for me. Because I wanted to properly catch your eye."

I said this while looking straight into Regina's eyes.

Of course, I wasn't talking about just making eye contact. I wanted her to see me not as a political marriage partner, but as a fiancé and the man she would spend the rest of her life with.

In other words, I was seeking her recognition.

"Do you think you deserve that?"

"Honestly, no. After all, I was a terrible person who did a huge wrong to you."

Max's despicable behavior was inexcusable.

So he acknowledged his mistake once again.

But just because there's a mistake doesn't mean one can't move forward.

Regina's walls had not yet become impregnable.

So there was a chance. Somehow, I had to close the distance between her and me.

I opened my mouth again.

"But now, haven't you become a little hopeful? That's what I thought when you called me."

Without expectations, there is no interest. Something Regina had said earlier.

In other words, if there are expectations, interest follows.

Her action of calling me proved that.

"I won't deny that."

Regina took a sip of wine and continued.

"Lately, I've become interested in your true colors. And your talk about needing to prepare to survive."

Words I had thrown out at our first meeting.

It seemed like the bait I had thrown out to look impressive was having a surprisingly good effect.

After all, she was one of the people who felt the ominous atmosphere that was to come.

"Ah, that topic," I nodded and was about to refill my empty glass with wine.

But Regina's hand moved first. She poured wine into my glass.

A very natural movement. Watching her, I suddenly realized something.

Her left hand holding the wine bottle.

That there was a diamond ring on the ring finger of her left hand.

It must be an engagement ring.

And that was definitive proof that she didn't want to break off the engagement now.

Was my speculation correct?

It was Max who had broken off this arranged marriage first.

His ignorant actions had cracked Regina's heart.

Until now, it was just speculation, but now it felt like a certainty.

'So that's why it wasn't there.'

The engagement ring.