Chapter 2.3

Berry really did feel a chill run down her spine. Goosebumps pricked up along her back.

Now that it was clear who should be angry, it felt as if her world was collapsing.

Not only had she been chatting with another man in front of her fiancé, but she’d even been confessed to.

Berry’s lips parted, and a trembling voice slipped out.

“Damian… Houndworth?”

Oh, heavens. Please, let it not be him.

Berry, who had never been particularly devout, had never so desperately sought divine help in her life. In truth, this was the first time she’d ever prayed so earnestly.

But the heavens ignored her desperate plea, as if to punish her for dozing off during prayer time all those years.

“It’s a relief you remember my name.”

Damian raised one eyebrow. Berry felt as if the ground beneath her feet had disappeared. 

Oh no, this was bad.

“For your information, I’m here at the request of Philip and Earl Swanton. They thought you’d resist if they came themselves, so they asked me to look after you. Of course, I never imagined the first thing I’d see on board would be you flirting with another man.”

His low voice pressed into her skin like little pinpricks. Berry, mortified, hung her head. She hadn’t even realized her fiancé was there while she was with another man. Even she had to admit this was too much. She really was in the wrong.

But how could she have known Damian would show up out of nowhere!

‘How did things end up like this…?’

Berry twisted her fingers, her face a mix of frustration, embarrassment, guilt, and shame. The cool, pleasant breeze now felt like a chill that seeped into her bones. To make matters worse, her dress that night was made of very thin chiffon at the arms and neckline. In other words, it was a rather revealing and provocative dress, the kind meant to subtly tease men.

It was highly inappropriate attire for someone sneaking onto a cruise party without her fiancé, parents, or brother knowing.

‘Honestly, I knew the portraits had arrived, but I purposely didn’t look…! Ah, I should have listened to my brother when he told me to look…!’

Philip was her brother. The three of them—her, her fiancé Damian, and Philip—had all been close since childhood, but especially Philip and Damian, who had become even closer as senior and junior when they attended the same prestigious academy.

At the academy, they occasionally held polo matches (the sport where you ride horses and hit a ball) to improve students’ fitness. Berry remembered going to watch and cheering for her brother and Damian when they were players.

The problem was the age gap.

Those memories were from when she was ten, so of course she couldn’t recall the faces clearly.

And then Damian had gone abroad to study as soon as he turned twenty.

Thinking about it, Berry did have a bit of an excuse…….

‘Nonsense.’

If he’d caught her in the middle of a kiss, she’d probably be seriously considering the water temperature for a dive into the ocean right about now.

“It’s autumn, so you could catch a cold at any time.”

“Eek!”

“Don’t be startled, Berry. I don’t intend to interrogate you about what just happened.”

A soft silk jacket was draped over her shoulders. It was as gentle and cool as Damian’s voice. Even though he said he wouldn’t interrogate her, it was clear he wasn’t exactly pleased.

Damian reached out a kind hand to Berry, who was standing there awkwardly.

“Now, shall we walk and talk? I’d like to hear why you were here, dressed like that, and with that kind of man.”

“Th-that’s…”

“That’s?”

“Well, um…”

Maybe it was the gentle breeze, but Damian’s cologne wafted up from the jacket. It was a cool, refreshing masculine scent.

Berry suddenly wasn’t sure if the man in front of her was really Damian. Of course, if she looked closely at his features and listened to his way of speaking, she could see traces of the boy she knew—but when had he become such a fine gentleman?

To be completely honest, if she’d known he’d turn out to be such a handsome man, she wouldn’t have bothered rebelling against her parents by trying to date other people.

She’d tried so hard to go against her parents’ wishes, but now it all seemed pointless—he was exactly her type.

Her foolish heart was pounding, so how could she possibly speak honestly?

Seeing Damian waiting patiently and persistently, she couldn’t bring herself to lie, but she didn’t want to tell the truth either.

“From what I heard from Philip, it seems you’ve been busy looking for someone to date these days.”

“……!”

“Judging by what I just saw, it seems true. Though that man was nowhere near good enough for you.”

As she clammed up like an oyster, Damian shrugged as if there was nothing to be done. Berry, unable to confirm or deny, cursed Philip in her heart. 

That damned brother! I should clamp a crayfish claw on his mouth! Why would he say such pointless things?

Thanks to Philip, her act as a genteel lady was ruined. If Damian knew everything, there was no point pretending.

“So, did you enjoy all your dating adventures while I was away?”

Damian’s eyes darkened as he asked. Though his lips were smiling, his eyes didn’t seem to be.

Berry bit her lips hard and shook her head vigorously.

“You can’t even call it dating.”

“According to Philip, you’ve had more than ten men who could be called boyfriends.”

“No, not at all. At most, it was just a week… That is, just as we were starting to get to know each other, it always ended.”

Of course, that wasn’t exactly something to be proud of, but at this moment, Berry felt grateful for the curse of the one-week relationship. If she had dated anyone long enough to truly call it a relationship, her head should have been buried not just in the ground, but deep underground. At least since it was only about a week, and she’d come to this cruise party not because she liked Jeffrey, but out of stubbornness against the curse, Berry could be at least half-confident.

“Hm, I see. So, in summary, you want to experience romance?”

“Th-that’s right. Yes, that’s it.”

Denying it would only make her look more foolish. Berry relaxed her shoulders and nodded.

“Getting married without ever having dated… When I was younger, I didn’t know any better, but now it just feels unfair. I want to be excited too, to know what it’s like when the whole world sparkles!”

“Sparkles, huh.”

“I know it sounds childish. But… but to get married at twenty! Isn’t that too much?”

But as she spoke, she started to sniffle. Berry knew well that she was being immature. But to become someone’s wife at just twenty, never to experience a dreamy romance again—how was she supposed to express that sense of loss?

“Don’t cry, Berry. If you cry, I won’t know what to do.”

“But, but… huuuh…”

It was heartbreaking. Everything just felt so sad. Even if she didn’t want to cry, once Berry’s tears started, they rarely stopped.

“Shh, there, there.”

Damian comforted her just like he did when she was young. Hearing him speak like that, faint memories from the past surfaced. Whenever she cried, there was always someone who would come over, stroke her back, and pat her gently. It surely wasn’t Philip, so was it Damian?

A moment later, Damian gently dabbed her eyes with a handkerchief and spoke kindly.

“If you want to experience romance so much, then why not do it with me?”

“…Hic, sniff…?”

“Our engagement cannot be broken. It’s been so long, there’s no way to call it off now. But instead of marrying right away, wouldn’t it be fine to try dating first?”

“…?”

What a novel idea. She’d never even thought of that.

Berry stopped crying and opened her eyes wide. Then Damian leaned down and softly kissed the corner of her eye.

“I heard this cruise party lasts for four days. How about we start dating today, and from tomorrow, spend the rest of the days as a pair of passionate lovers?”

“Oh…”

“Or do you find me lacking in some way?”

“N-no, no, not at all!!!”

Did I answer too loudly? 

Berry’s face flushed red like a strawberry. Damian let out a low, happy laugh and entwined his fingers with hers. He used to do that often when they were children, but now the difference in their hand sizes was obvious, and Berry’s face only grew hotter. This time, her heart was pounding with excitement.

“Then, could you explain what couples do when they date? I know how to cherish and treasure a wife, but I’ve never dated before.”

“Ah, well…”

How would she know? She’d only ever had week-long flings. Most of them ended after meeting at a party, asking each other’s names, and setting up the next date. She’d never done anything beyond that.