Chapter 7. If You Trample on the Pure Love of a Tamed Dog

Karina and Dominic met again a week later. In just that one week, Karina had to receive dozens of letters from Dominic. Most were demanding letters asking when they could meet.

Not knowing how to respond, she unintentionally ended up ignoring the letters. As a result, his last letter stated that he would come to her house directly.

Though she wasn’t fully mentally prepared, she had to prevent Dominic from coming to her house. If her family somehow found out about what happened that day…! Getting dizzy at the thought, Karina immediately sent a reply. She suggested meeting at the café where they had met before.

“Ah. Mr. Dominic, we’ve been waiting. Let me show you to your reserved seat.”

When they arrived at the café, the waiter recognized the two and said to follow him with a broad smile. He led Karina to a window seat with good lighting. The same seat that Karina had previously teased was popular.

Surprised, Karina asked Dominic as she sat down.

“What’s this? You reserved seats this time?”

“You said it was a popular spot, didn’t you? The place we sat last time had too many people passing by, making it uncomfortable for conversation.”

Dominic replied with a raised eyebrow.

“Why didn’t you reply to my letters?”

His earlier premonition was right. Among the dozens of letters he sent, there wasn’t a single reply until his declaration that he would storm into her house.

Even silence is an answer. Karina Crawford regretted what happened that day.

Unlike him.

That fact drove Dominic mad.

Karina’s mouth snapped shut at his demanding tone. Dominic waited patiently until the hesitating Karina gave an answer. After a moment, Karina spoke.

“I had nothing to say.”

“Nothing to say? That can’t be. We should have plenty to talk about.”

It was a line she’d heard somewhere before. A line from a drama where a woman confronts an irresponsible man about what happened while they were drunk.

“That day… I’m sorry. It was my fault.”

She had nothing to say even with ten mouths. Though hazy, the memories were gradually coming back as time passed. For the past week, Karina had been mortified enough to want to die. She spent many nights tossing and turning in bed.

It was none other than her who had first seduced Dominic in the carriage and led him to her room.

“I was thoughtless. I’m sorry.”

“That’s not the answer I want to hear.”

A cold response reached Karina’s ears as she apologized with her eyes tightly shut. When Karina looked up at Dominic, he was staring at her with a hardened expression.

“Brigadier General?”

“Do you know why they call someone an adult at twenty, Karina?”

Karina’s lips trembled in surprise at Dominic’s casual use of her name. His hand tapped the table: knock, knock.

“It’s because an adult must take responsibility for their actions.”

“That’s why I’m apologizing and taking responsibility.”

Dominic let out a hollow laugh at her words. Did she think she could smooth over this situation with just an apology?

“How is apologizing taking responsibility for what happened? Do you think I’m meeting you now just to hear an apology?”

“Then what do you want?”

“Didn’t I tell you then? That I would propose soon.”

Dominic’s eyes gleamed dangerously. Somehow it felt like he had gone a bit off track, like he had lost it.

“When would be a good date for the proposal?”

“What?”

Too shocked, Karina jumped up from her seat and shouted.

Though the popular seat was relatively far from surrounding tables, people’s attention focused on Karina at the sudden loud noise. Realizing everyone in the café was looking at her, Karina had no choice but to sit back down.

“What are you saying? Suddenly talking about proposals.”

“I did something I need to take responsibility for with you, and I will take responsibility.”

“Ah! Wait. Just wait. Please don’t get ahead of yourself and listen to me first.”

Karina cut off Dominic’s words while waving both hands. Dominic quietly closed his mouth. As he raised his eyebrows as if telling her to say what she needed to say, Karina made a gesture of clasping her hands together.

“Let’s pretend that day never happened.”

“What are you…”

Dominic trailed off, dumbfounded.

“How can you make something that happened unhappen?”

“That’s why I’m asking.”

“Did you not properly hear what I just said?”

“Ah. Honestly. Really honestly.”

She didn’t want to say this. She wondered why all the lines of villainous men in dramas were the same, but finding herself in this situation, she had no choice but to recite the cliché lines.

“Honestly, not everyone gets married just because they slept together once.”

“…What did you say?”

“I was completely wrong from the start. This is why I tried not to get involved with you from the beginning, Brigadier General.”

“Ha! Karina Crawford.”

“I told you clearly. I’m someone who pursues casual relationships. I said I wouldn’t suit someone with such a serious personality as yourself.”

Kisses, skinship, s*x.

Because he assigns deep meaning to each of these, he’s a bit confused right now.

Between the person he truly likes and a moment’s impulse.

“Just think of it lightly, like exercise. Without emotions involved. Whether it’s brushing lips or touching skin. Such things might seem very significant at first, but actually they might not be.”

Karina continued speaking while looking at Dominic with earnest eyes.

“You’re misunderstanding right now. You actually have someone else you like, don’t you? Someone you’ve liked for quite a long time. Think back to how we first started meeting like this. You asked for my help because you wanted things to work out with Lady Lindid.”

I admit I unknowingly crossed a line in between. But to be honest, this was close to a mutual fault.

“Though it sounds like an excuse, I was clearly planning to stop everything. Why did you have to make people troubled at the ball? If you hadn’t said such things, I wouldn’t have drunk so much.”

“So… you’re saying this is all my fault?”

“No. Not exactly…”

“Are you done saying what you wanted to say?”

Looking at Dominic asking this, Karina’s heart sank. Though she had thought he would surely be displeased, he was smiling. With his lips pulled up high.

‘This is dangerous.’

Warning bells rang incessantly in Karina’s head. She hadn’t known Dominic Winchester’s smiling face could be so frightening.

“Then may I say what I want to say?”

Dominic leaned his hands on the table, rested his chin on them, and spoke to Karina.

“There will be a launching ceremony for a new warship soon. You probably know from Lucas.”

I do know.

This was the very event in the original novel <Where Her Eyes Fall> where Dominic finally spends the night with Olivia.

In this event, Dominic fails to properly spend the night with Olivia. As a result, Olivia’s relationship with the original male protagonist deepens.

But now there’s no problem. Based on her verification… Dominic was a very virile man.

“There will be a ball in the evening of the launching ceremony. You will attend as my partner.”

“Brigadier General! What did you hear from what I just said? I’m telling you I won’t meet with you anymore.”

Dominic’s hands tensed at Karina’s plea to forget everything and pretend none of it happened. Not noticing this, Karina quickly continued speaking.

“Listen to me. You must absolutely ask Lady Lindid to attend the ball together. This is the right timing.”

“You’re the one who needs to listen. Attend this ball as my partner. I’ll also formally greet my father and mother soon. I’ll arrange to visit the Count and Countess soon as well.”

Dominic’s eyes blazed as if on fire.

Until he reserved this place, he hadn’t thought of having this kind of conversation at all. He had only thought of coaxing and persuading Karina to quickly prepare for marriage. Even if she treated their relationship as a mistake right now, he thought she would soon understand.

Because they were sincere with each other that day.

However, the more he listened to Karina’s incredulous words, the more his patience began to wear thin like a riverbed cracked from a long drought. In the end, all that came out were threatening, savage words.

“Exercise? Forget everything? Talk sense. As you said, I’m a boring and unnecessarily serious person. So if I’ve done something that requires responsibility, I’ll take appropriate responsibility. So, Karina Crawford. You should give up. I have absolutely no intention of forgetting that night.”