Richard also seemed to give up now and stood with his arms crossed, following Olivia’s example. The searching gazes of the man and woman with their heads tilted askew briefly exchanged.

Perhaps there was something in this greenhouse that made people strange. Something very dangerous that the Wickham family hadn’t discovered yet.

“……There’s someone I know who resembles you.”

“You mean your sister?”

“I’m truly grateful she doesn’t resemble you in this particular aspect…… Anyway, she’s similar to you in various other ways, and perhaps because of that, it’s very difficult for me to watch your precarious games with my eyes open.”

“I’m not your sister.”

“I know. If you were, things would have been much easier. I guarantee we wouldn’t have come this far.”

Olivia closed her mouth again and observed his expression. As if she intended to find the true meaning hidden in his words. The persistently scrutinizing gaze was exactly like the one from the first day they met as ‘Vivian Bennett,’ so it felt somehow familiar.

Richard decided to fully endure Olivia Jennings, who had the perfect gaze of an observer. If that was a process he had to go through to gain Olivia’s trust.

“Still, it’s strange.”

“I guarantee once more, there’s nothing stranger than you here, Miss Jennings.”

“So after finding a suitable man? What do you plan to do next? Will you look into a nice bed as well?”

A nice…… Ugh. A groaning sound flowed from between Richard’s teeth. She was truly a woman whose limits couldn’t be known. He seriously wondered whether she really showed this side only in front of him, whether there really had been no one to discover this aspect and stop her until now.

“Let me tell you in advance, if I help, it would mean finding a man who could be a decent match. I also won’t leak your grand plan to that man, and I won’t guide you two to a nice bed either. Do you understand?”

“What exactly do you gain from going to such trouble?”

“Well. What I need most right now would be peace of mind and body. Additionally, I could avoid becoming the victim of the writer’s next novel.”

“I think I already mentioned this, but Lord Dalton—”

“Isn’t quite a figure who provides such inspiration. Ah, you also said I don’t match your artistic vision.”

“You have quite a good memory.”

“Despite all of that, I hope you won’t overlook the fact that I’ve already had the special experience of appearing in the writer’s novel. It’s no fault to have a precautionary measure or two, even for someone distant from inspiration or artistic vision. There’s nothing wrong with being prepared for anything.”

Olivia discovered ‘Richard Dalton’ who had sent letters under the name ‘Richard Dickson’ and frowned. It was an unpleasant memory that wouldn’t change no matter how many times she reconsidered it.

“So how exactly do you plan to find such a man?”

“I’ll have to think about that from now on. You didn’t have a specific plan when you entrusted letters to Little Fortune either, did you?”

His words were true. If she had had a specific plan, she wouldn’t have ended up meeting a man like Richard Dalton in the first place.

“In exchange, you want something from me……”

“Of course. It’s too troublesome a task to take on without any compensation.”

Having compensation was actually much more comfortable for Olivia. The meaningless kindness suddenly shown by a man with whom she hadn’t had a particularly friendly relationship would be dangerous and untrustworthy. Olivia nodded lightly once. It meant to tell her what he wanted.

“When you meet the partner you want to share that anticipated experience with, when it feels as if that moment is right now—”

“When it feels like that?”

“I hope you’ll think once more.”

“About what?”

“About anything.”

“Anything?”

“Whether that person is really the one you were looking for, whether you won’t regret entrusting everything to them like this, returning to a more fundamental question—whether this is really what you, Miss Jennings, wanted.”

Richard paused once more and looked at Olivia. It felt as if silent words were flowing in through her gaze. There was definitely something in this greenhouse, or if not, in the air of this night.

“I won’t regret it. My choice remains unchanged even now.”

“People make so many mistakes. They never stop until they enter the grave. Choices we believed were right at the time sometimes trip us up later. A confident attitude is good, but it’s not good to develop the habit of being too certain about everything. You’ll naturally learn someday, but there are almost no things in the world you can be perfectly certain about. Especially when it concerns yourself.”

The words of advice given with a gentle smile were as soft as wheat. More than all the words Ronald Collins had strung together as he tried so hard to kiss her—perhaps he had wanted even more than that—Richard Dalton’s words, spoken while demanding compensation, were rather seductive.

Why couldn’t that man do this? If he had, tonight might have been that night.

Olivia fell into another strange imagination with Richard in front of her, then awakened. And she worried again. Why was Richard Dalton going to such lengths for her? Was his explanation of her being like his sister sufficient? She couldn’t get a sense of whether she could trust all his words and accept his proposal. It was much more heart-pounding and confusing than the day she signed the publishing contract for her first book.

“……Isn’t that too weak to be compensation? I’d prefer something else.”

“If you really find it so untrustworthy, how about making me appear in your next work as well?”

“Didn’t you once ask me to please find someone else?”

“This time I would set the character myself. The name would be—”

“You would interfere with my writing? Do you think that’s possible?”

Olivia, with an expression of disbelief at what she was hearing, interrupted before his words were even finished.

“If ‘Richard Dickson’s’ dishonor is irreparable, shouldn’t ‘Richard Dawson’ at least restore that honor?”

Olivia finally laughed a little. No one would think she was the same person who had struggled to hold back tears in this same place just moments ago. Considering she had to mix back in with people, it wasn’t bad. Whether Richard Dalton had considered even that, she wasn’t sure yet.

“Let’s discuss the details later, and for now it would be good to leave this place. I’ve been away from my seat for too long and my sister will be looking for me.”

“Are you accepting the proposal?”

Richard Dalton was a man with as persistent a side as Olivia Jennings. Olivia realized she couldn’t escape this place without giving a definite answer and nodded.

“I will.”

“Then good. Let’s go back.”

“But…… will it be alright?”

Olivia, who had stopped at the greenhouse entrance, looked up at him with a rarely hesitant face. Richard, who had grasped the meaning of her worried gaze, replied with a light shoulder gesture as if there was nothing to worry about.

“Don’t worry, everything will be resolved once I dance with Miss Wickham, who is today’s protagonist. If I hurry, I should be able to catch the last cotillion.”

Olivia burst into laughter once more at Richard’s nonchalant voice.

“You have a proper grasp of your own worth.”

“At least I know I’m a more welcome guest than Ronald Collins. There probably won’t be any problem.”

Olivia finally stepped outside the greenhouse. For reasons unknown, she had a strange belief that everything would go as Richard Dalton said. It must have been the magic of the greenhouse.