Chapter 10

Dante rode his horse to the women’s dormitory. The dorm supervisor said Chloe hadn’t returned yet. 

‘Had she met someone else? What if Chloe, still under the potion’s influence, clung to another guy like she had yesterday? What if she ran into someone strange?’

Just imagining it made Dante’s stomach twist. He ran without thinking. He wanted to grab anyone and ask if they’d seen Chloe, but since vacation wasn’t over, there were few people around. He stopped whenever he saw hair the same color as Chloe’s. He ran past the annex, through the shopping street, and finally arrived at the park.

Like a miracle, Chloe appeared, sitting on a bench. Next to her was Pierre, her last boyfriend. Pierre held a bouquet much larger than the one Dante had given her. He opened a gift box for Chloe, and she laughed at what was inside. Dante’s head filled with heat.

‘So she’s relaxing and chatting with another guy right now? After kissing me and even pulling down my pants? She liked me so much, yet now she’s with someone else?’

Dante had truly endured a lot. He kept repeating to himself, “Just until graduation,” feeling more foolish each time. But the result of patience was just more patience. If he kept holding back, the same thing would happen again. He didn’t want to endure any longer.

“Chloe.”

Dante slowly walked toward them. Chloe’s smiling face froze at his voice. Dante clenched his teeth.

“You right now…….”

His barely restrained voice made Chloe turn pale. Pierre seemed just as surprised.

“D-Dante……”

“What are you doing here?”

‘Don’t get angry. Don’t raise your voice. Instead of yelling at Chloe.’ 

Dante glared at Pierre beside her. Pierre stared back, then turned his head away.

“Is this the person you mentioned before?”

“Well…… yes.”

When Chloe answered cautiously, Pierre slowly looked Dante up and down. Was he picking a fight? Was he confident enough to challenge him? Dante wanted to throw him to the ground right now. Not only had Pierre hurt Chloe, now he was trying to take the seat beside her. There was a limit to shamelessness. As Dante’s face twisted with anger, Pierre simply smiled as if nothing was wrong.

‘……He’s smiling?’

He wanted to grab Pierre by the collar, but Chloe was watching. 

‘Should I tell Pierre to follow me? No, then Chloe would be left alone. Or maybe…’

Before Dante could decide, Pierre stood up. He bowed politely to Chloe.

“Thank you for your advice, Chloe.”

Pierre picked up the bouquet he’d left on the bench. After a brief nod to Dante, he walked away slowly. Dante was left bewildered by Pierre’s completely unconcerned attitude.

‘Why did he just leave? Why take the bouquet and present without giving them?’ 

But chasing after someone who was already leaving felt wrong, so Dante turned back to Chloe. She was awkwardly smiling, shifting her body as if she might run away.

“Chloe.”

“…Dante.”

Chloe answered, head lowered. Dante struggled to calm the anger boiling inside him.

“Why did you run away?”

After liking him so much yesterday, why did she run away? And of all people, why meet someone like Pierre? Dante wanted to ask so many things, but he couldn’t get angry at Chloe, who looked so frightened.

“You slept with me…… and now you’re meeting someone else?”

His displeasure was obvious, but Dante never raised his voice. Was he angry, or hurt? Chloe couldn’t lift her head. She felt relieved he wasn’t yelling, but also couldn’t bear to see his face—how cowardly she was.

“I left because being with you made me want to do it again. I was afraid…… I might do that to you again.”

Chloe finally spoke. Even saying it herself made her face flush. Facing Dante, the potion’s effect, which had seemed to fade, surged back up. To feel like this even now, she really felt like a beast in heat, no matter how much she blamed the potion. At least she felt some shame, so maybe she was more clear-headed than yesterday.

“I just wanted to go back to the dorm and wait for Chacha. But Pierre said he was going to confess to Chacha…… so I just helped him check his gift for a moment.”

Every word brought back memories of the previous night. In the morning, she’d even thought about climbing on top of him when she saw him standing there. Chloe glanced at Dante. She’d felt nothing in front of Pierre, but with Dante here, her body heated up again—how pitiful and embarrassing.

“What are you talking about?”

Dante’s face twisted. He glanced at where Pierre had left, sounding incredulous.

“He met you and then wanted to confess to Chacha? That bastard is just playing with people……”

“It’s all a lie, Dante.”

Chloe’s voice trembled. Dante looked at her, stunned.

“…What?”

“I lied to get your attention. All of it…….”

With a shaky voice, Chloe confessed everything she’d done: asking Chacha for advice, pretending to date fake boyfriends, all of it. Each word made her feel pathetic, but she also felt a bit relieved, as if something stuck in her chest was finally clearing.

“…But you still seemed uninterested, so I got a love potion from Chacha. She gave me the wrong thing by mistake……”

It wasn’t Chacha’s fault. She shouldn’t have accepted such a potion in the first place. She shouldn’t have tried to win him over with it. Whether he accepted her or not, she should have just been honest about her feelings. No fake boyfriends, no potions.

“I’m sorry, Dante. I’m sorry.”

Was it lack of courage, or too much greed? Chloe wanted a deeper relationship with Dante, but didn’t want to lose him as a friend. She was afraid of rejection, afraid things would get awkward, so she never confessed and just waited for him to like her. Now, with everything exposed, she finally spoke.

“I like you, Dante.”

Why did her face burn so much just to say those few words? Chloe couldn’t look at his wide, surprised eyes and bowed her head again. Dante was silent for a long moment.

“Look up, Chloe.”

His voice was incredibly gentle. Chloe shook her head instead of answering. She couldn’t bear to see his face. Regardless, Dante knelt before her. Chloe flinched, but kept her face hidden in her hands.

“Chloe.”

“……”

“Did you know I sent a marriage proposal to the Belain Earldom?”

“What?”

Chloe finally looked up in shock. Dante took her hand.

“But the Countess put it on hold—until after you graduate.”

The Belain Count and Countess, betrothed at fifteen, had always had a good marriage. But the Countess regretted living as a fiancée from such a young age. She wanted her beloved daughter to enjoy the freedom she herself never had, at least until marriage.

Dante nodded at her words, but he’d been anxious that Chloe might fall for someone else at the Academy. He worried that while he graduated and returned home, she’d meet some unknown man and forget him. So he’d stayed by her side, even advancing to an unnecessary upper class, just to be near her. He didn’t want her to drift away.

As Dante spoke, Chloe’s expression grew blank. She couldn’t believe what she was hearing. What had she even been doing all this time? Why fake boyfriends, why potions from Chacha……

“I like you too, Chloe. I’ve always liked you.”

Chloe blinked stupidly. She’d finally heard the words she’d always wanted, but they didn’t feel real. Had she misheard? Was she dreaming? Her parted lips moved in disbelief.

“Why, why…….”

Why. Since when. She wanted to ask because she couldn’t believe his words. Like when he’d gone on a date after she lied about being dumped, or gave her a bouquet because she’d never received one, or finally gave in to her after she took the potion—she wondered if he was just agreeing with her confession.

“It’s a lie, right? You’re just saying it so I won’t get hurt.”

“I never lie to you, Chloe.”

“…You told me to find someone decent.”

And more than that. When she’d lied about dating Callis, he’d congratulated her. Dante didn’t deny it.

“I told you to enjoy yourself while you could. Before marrying me.”

“……”

“I’d prefer if you enjoyed it only with me, even before that.”

His added words made her face burn. The warmth in his hand finally felt real. After all her lies and even drugging his tea, this ending felt almost too generous. But her lips curled up anyway, unable to help themselves.

“Show me your face.”

Chloe pressed her lips together and turned away. She wanted to hide her curling lips and flushed face, but Dante held her hand, so all she could do was wiggle her fingers. To think Dante liked her too, that he’d always felt the same way. The more she thought about it, the more her embarrassment tangled with shameless joy.

“Aren’t you going to look at me?”

“I can’t.”

She didn’t want to show him her ridiculous face, unsure if she was laughing or crying. Her emotions were all tangled up. She wanted to run to her dorm and hide under the covers, kick her legs, throw off the blankets, and scream with her face buried.

“You said you’re sorry. If you mean it, look at me.”

“……”

Chloe finally lifted her head just a little. Dante kissed her right then. His lips were warm as they brushed hers, feather-light. Chloe’s eyes widened. His wet tongue slipped into her parted lips.