My Second Engagement: Loved by the Duke’s Son and Thanked for My Healing Magic ~ My Selfish Sister Took My Fiancé, but Gave Him Back Because She Didn’t Want Him Anymore~ - Episode 14

The Fourth Day of Our Temporary Engagement

I woke up completely before the sun had even risen.

Nene and Coco weren’t in the room yet, so I took the chance to change into my old one-piece dress.

“I’ve grown quite a bit, haven’t I…?”

The last time I wore this was when I was twelve.

Back then, it reached my knees.

Now, it’s a mini dress that only goes above my knees.

“It was my favorite, and I hardly got to wear it…”

Unfortunately, healing magic couldn’t change the length of the dress.

Showing this much of my legs felt a little embarrassing.

But I really loved this dress, so I decided to wear it anyway, even if it was a bit shameful.

This dress was a gift sent to me.

However, I never knew who gave it to me.

Since it was the only decent piece of clothing I had, I cherished it and wore it carefully.

Now then, what should I do…?

As I was thinking, I heard a knock at the door.

It was probably Nene or Coco.

But then, I heard a voice from outside the door.

“Good morning, Miss Falrune. If you’re awake, may I have a moment?”

“Huh!? Lord Gress!?”

“Ah, good. You’re awake. May I come in?”

“W-Wait!”

I never said he could come in.

But since I only responded with my voice, he must have assumed it was a yes.

The door opened.

“Ah, ah, ah…”

“That dress is…”

Lord Gress widened his eyes in surprise.

Oh no… I had shown him such an embarrassing sight with this revealing outfit!

I felt both apologetic and mortified.

But instead of looking away, Lord Gress stepped closer and held my hands, stopping me from moving.

“I’m so happy.”

“H-Huh?”

“You’ve been wearing it all this time!”

“Wait… What do you mean?”

“I was told that you threw away my gift, but that was a lie!”

Lord Gress gave me this dress!?

I had no idea.

“Yes, that’s right… But you didn’t know?”

“I only knew that it was sent to me as a gift…”

After all, my father had tossed it to me and said, “Someone sent you a present. Now we don’t have to spend money on your clothes, so just wear it.”

He never told me who it was from.

“But… why did you give me this?”

“Wait, you don’t know that either?”

“No…”

Lord Gress’ expression stiffened.

I couldn’t read the situation, but I started to feel uneasy.

“May I confirm something? When we were first engaged, I was told that you hated me and wanted to switch with your sister, Almia…”

“What!? That’s not true at all! In fact, I thought you were very polite and likable.”

“What…? That’s completely different from what Viscount Falrune told me…”

“Almia begged my father, and he demanded that you change the engagement. It was forced onto you. I was devastated, but I never understood why you agreed…”

“Unbelievable… I was deceived!”

Lord Gress clenched his fists, grinding his teeth in frustration.

I felt the same way.

From this conversation, I understood one thing: The engagement change was not something Lord Gress had wanted either.

“I was told that you found me unbearable and that it was mentally exhausting for you. That’s why I had to take responsibility and switch the engagement to your sister.”

“You just believed what my father said…?”

“I investigated, of course. But you never left the house, and you never attended social gatherings. If it was true, I had no choice but to accept his demand and find a way to make it up to you. I’m truly sorry.”

Lord Gress bowed deeply.

He was incredibly humble and kind.

My father had kept me locked inside the house, so no matter how much Lord Gress investigated, he must have believed it was true.

And yet, he had felt so responsible…

“Thank you for caring about me…”

I placed my hand on Lord Gress’ arm.

I had always thought he was slender for a man, but his arm was firm and strong.

“I finally understand now. I wanted to ask you earlier, but I was afraid of hearing that my engagement would be changed again…”

“I feel relieved too. I kept wondering if I did something wrong to make you reject me.”

“Not at all. From the first day we met, I have always thought about you, Miss Falrune—no, Reina.”

“Huh?”

“I don’t want this to be a temporary engagement anymore. I want to be engaged to you for real.”

His sudden declaration left me speechless.

I could tell that Lord Gress had been cautious, which was why this engagement had been temporary.

“I’m happy! Please take care of me from now on!”

“Thank you.”

“By the way, this dress… It was before our engagement, right?”

“Yes, I sent it to you years ago as an apology for our first meeting.”

“Huh?”

As far as I remembered, we had only met once—when the engagement was first arranged.

At that time, my father had spent the entire meeting trying to gain favor with Lord Gress, and I barely got to speak.

“From now on, can I call you Reina?”

The distance between us suddenly felt much smaller.

And to be honest, hearing him say my name made me really happy.

Of course, I had no reason to refuse.

But I was too embarrassed to say anything, so I just nodded.

“Then, I would be happy if you called me Julite.”

“That… is too difficult for me…”

That was quite a bold request.

Calling him by name might be inappropriate for our status.

“At least, can I call you Lord Julite…?”

“That would make me happy. Thank you.”

Our engagement change had been a waste of time.

We had misunderstood each other.

We couldn’t take back the time we lost.

But from now on, I wanted to make up for it by learning more about Lord Julite.

Looking back, both my father and mother were skilled at deception—enough to fool a duke.

I would never forgive my father’s schemes, and I wanted nothing to do with him.

But more than that, I was excited for my real engagement.

I wanted to know Lord Julite more and more.

And at the same time, I wanted to work hard and become a wife who would suit him.

I was going to enjoy this new, happy life.

“Reina.”

“Y-Yes!?”

“Haha, what a cute reaction.”

Lord Julite’s deep blue eyes shone brightly as he looked straight at me.

His playful smile made me feel like I had finally found my place.

“By the way… I have something to discuss with Viscount Falrune…”

Lord Julite looked very, very angry.