Chapter 18

‘Is this man truly… the Black Lion Bartman?’  

At first, Raphael thought it might just be a look-alike. But then, Rivera called Duke Bartman’s name so familiarly.  

“Oh, right. Adrian, let me introduce you. This is His Highness, the Crown Prince of the Kingdom of Lenin, whom I mentioned before.”  

As Rivera introduced him first, the Crown Prince’s expression brightened.  

“It’s a pleasure to meet you. I am…”  

“I already know. You’re the man who said it was fine even though she has a boyfriend, right?”  

“That…”  

Raphael was at a loss for words.  

Standing next to Adrian, who was looking at him as if he found it ridiculous, Rivera grew coldly angry at the Crown Prince.

– Get the Crown Prince of Lenin out of my sight.  

– I won’t ask what happened. Judging by your expression, it clearly wasn’t anything good.  

Adrian agreed to her request without asking any questions.  

– How should I deal with him? What would make you feel better?  

Rivera hadn’t sent any messenger to the Crown Prince for their meeting. Since the tardy Crown Prince wouldn’t have known this, she had also bribed the shop staff to say someone had come on her behalf if he ever asked.  

Afterward, she had worn a dress and jewelry made by the continent’s most renowned designer, summoned by Adrian, and attended the ball. Adrian had told her to signal him at the right moment during his conversation with the Crown Prince.  

And now, this situation was unfolding as planned.  

‘It seems like it was a good idea to go public with our relationship for revenge.’  

Raphael was flustered and at a loss.  

“By the way, I heard you wanted to talk to me. What business do you have? Surely, you didn’t come here to tell me you want to take my woman, did you?”  

Unless you have a death wish, that is.  

Raphael glanced around, conscious of the people watching.  

“Well… This is a bit difficult to discuss here. How about we move to a different location?”  

“Is that really necessary? I’d like to hear it too. I’m curious about what you have to say.”  

Rivera wanted to cut to the chase, skipping any long and dull conversation. More than anything, she didn’t want Adrian to be alone with the Crown Prince. Spending time with someone like him could only bring bad influence.  

‘Why is he dragging this out so much?’  

Adrian seemed to be deliberately prolonging the conversation, watching the Crown Prince squirm in discomfort.  

‘Tsk, if this were a drama, this is where the boyfriend would dramatically step in, kiss me, and declare, “This woman is mine.”’  

Rivera wished Adrian would kiss her right now, making it clear to everyone that he was hers. He was just that amazing and handsome.  

Secretly, she also wanted to dispel the rumors about her being under the Goddess’s Curse, which people whispered about behind her back.  

“Rivera.”  

At that moment, their eyes met.  

“You’ve got something on your lips.”  

“Where?”  

Rivera turned her head to check her reflection in the window.  

What could possibly be on my lips…  

“Mmmpf!”  

Adrian pulled her head toward him and covered her lips with his. The soft sensation against her mouth made her gasp, her eyes widening in shock.  

Rivera cursed inwardly.  

‘This crazy…’  

She could hear the gasps of the nobles around them. They rubbed their eyes in disbelief, their jaws dropping as they stared at Adrian’s lips pressed against Rivera’s.  

As everyone around them froze in shock, Adrian shamelessly remarked, 

“Is it honey? It’s incredibly sweet.”  

“…”  

“What did you eat today?”  

“You… You…”  

She had imagined it before—what it would be like if he kissed her in public.  

But she hadn’t considered the shock it would cause the nobles or the rumors that would spread through society afterward.  

Why?  

‘Because it was something that could never actually happen.’  

As Rivera stood frozen in shock, Adrian pulled her closer, wrapping an arm around her waist. His confident voice echoed through the room. It was likely the first time anyone in the hall had heard such a gentle tone from him.  

“Ah, I’d like to take this opportunity to make an important announcement.”  

The murmuring crowd fell silent. No one could have predicted what he was about to say.  

“I have a woman I’m seeing with the intention of marriage. As you can see, it’s the young lady of the Iaron family, someone I’ve been friends with for a long time.”  

His shocking confession left the entire ballroom in stunned silence.  

“From now on, anyone who dares approach my woman will have to be prepared to face the entire Bartman family as their enemy.”  

Crash.  

The sound of a glass breaking startled everyone. Several people felt their hearts drop as they turned to glare in the direction of the noise.  

At first, their gazes were harsh, but when they realized the one who had broken the glass was none other than the Earl of Iaron—Rivera’s father and potentially Adrian’s future father-in-law—they quickly cleared their throats and composed themselves.  

The person most shocked by the announcement wasn’t the Crown Prince of Lenin or the nobles of this country.  

“D-Dad?”  

Why was my father here?  

Rivera distinctly remembered her parents saying they wouldn’t attend the ball today. That was why she and Adrian had decided to make their relationship public—because it would be too embarrassing to do so in front of her parents.  

But for some reason, her parents had decided to attend the ball, standing side by side, despite their usual dislike for such events.  

‘I’m doomed.’  

The Earl, who was staggering and being supported by his wife, pointed a trembling finger at Adrian and Rivera, his face a mix of disbelief and fury.  

“D-Duke Bartman, what is the meaning of this?”  

Adrian, acting like the perfect son-in-law, firmly shook the Earl’s hand.  

“It’s exactly as you heard, Father-in-law.”  

Smack.  

The Earl of Iaron pushed Adrian’s hand away, his face contorted in an expression he had never worn before in his life. Rivera wanted to cry.  

“D-Daughter, you explain. What is the Duke talking about?”  

“Well, that is…”  

Just as she managed to utter a single word, Adrian interrupted, feigning hurt.  

“Why are you being so formal, Father-in-law? Isn’t ‘son-in-law’ a much nicer term to use…”  

“I refuse.”  

The Earl’s rejection was firm and absolute.  

He quickly grabbed Rivera’s arm, intending to leave the ballroom. But just as they were about to exit, Adrian dropped a bombshell.  

“Earl of Iaron, did you know? Rivera has been seeing the Crown Prince of Lenin behind my back.”  

The Earl froze, his shoulders trembling as if he were a candle flickering in the wind.  

“Yes. What you’re thinking is correct. Rivera cheated on me.”  

Adrian, seemingly enjoying the Earl’s distress, suppressed a laugh as he finished his sentence.  

“What nonsense are you spouting…?! Dad? It’s not true. Please, listen to me!”  

The Crown Prince of Lenin had no place in the heated exchange between the three of them.  

* * *  

[Is this a boyfriend or an enemy?]  

Rivera desperately tried to calm her father, who was reeling from shock. Though she had dated many men, this was the first time she had formally introduced someone to her parents, so she was just as flustered as he was.  

‘She’s so adorable.’  

Adrian found the sight of the distressed father and daughter pair utterly endearing.  

He recalled the time Rivera had told her father she would marry him.  

[My daughter, who said she’d marry me until she was five years old… is now marrying that scoundrel Bartman! Oh, my poor grandchildren, who will undoubtedly take after that wicked Duke Bartman!]  

Adrian smiled to himself, imagining the children he and Rivera would have together.  

‘This is why I love the Iaron family.’  

The Earl, picturing his daughter marrying and having children, and Rivera, acting like a mischievous child caught doing something naughty, were so alike it was uncanny.  

What a delightfully innocent family.  

[Adrian, do something!]  

Rivera signaled to Adrian, begging him to step in and help with her father. But Adrian merely watched from the sidelines, refusing to intervene.  

He casually picked up a champagne glass from a servant’s tray, raised it slightly as if to toast, and took a sip. The crisp, fizzy sensation filled his mouth, washing away the unpleasant taste left by the Crown Prince of Lenin.  

‘From the start, the Earl of Iaron never intended to marry Rivera off to the Crown Prince.’  

The Earl, who cherished his daughter deeply, had only arranged the match with the Crown Prince because he couldn’t resist his power.  

The Earl had sensed something was off when the Crown Prince sent a formal proposal letter and had investigated him, uncovering his true nature.  

[That worthless, arrogant Crown Prince of Lenin… I hoped he’d back off on his own. But why, of all people, did it have to be that man…!]  

The Earl cursed under his breath, glaring at Adrian.  

‘You shouldn’t have let him see your precious daughter.’  

A weak family couldn’t even protect its own children. The Earl of Iaron couldn’t bear to marry his daughter off to the promiscuous Crown Prince of Lenin.  

But he also didn’t have the power to reject an official proposal from the kingdom. Left with no other options, he and his wife had hoped the Crown Prince would lose interest in Rivera within a week.  

The so-called “Goddess’s Curse” that claimed Rivera broke up with every man within a week seemed absurd, but the evidence was undeniable. They prayed the Crown Prince would give up on his own. If not, they planned to find another solution after the week passed.  

‘I bet they never expected me to show up.’  

The Countess was truly remarkable. She had been willing to beg Adrian on her knees to protect Rivera if the Crown Prince didn’t back off.  

Despite everyone else being too terrified to even look Adrian in the eye, she was ready to do anything for her only daughter.  

‘If they’d known I liked Rivera, this would’ve been resolved much more easily.’  

Well, the Earl was clearly in shock now, foaming at the mouth, precisely because he hadn’t known.  

For the record, the Earl of Iaron absolutely despised Adrian. It all stemmed from something he had said when he was just thirteen years old.  

– I want to marry Rivera.