"No, really, I haven't fallen for him yet." Catherine waved one hand, her eyes tilting slightly as she spoke in a panic. "It's just a simple fondness, not… not love."
"..." Dahlia and Elisa exchanged a glance. With how Catherine was acting, it was obvious she wasn't far from liking Lucas. If something were to give her a little push, this clueless girl would definitely fall for him.
"Sigh… Well, hypothetically speaking—just if—you did fall for Lord Lucas, what would you do?" Dahlia asked softly, raising a hand to play with a strand of Catherine's hair, twirling it around her fingers.
"I…" Catherine's lips parted slightly, a trace of shyness flashing through her eyes, but there was more panic and helplessness than anything else. She lowered her head in defeat and murmured bitterly, "I don't know either."
"I really don't know. She'll be returning to the royal capital in a few days, while Lord Lucas is in Sedona City. The two places are so far apart—if she truly falls for Lord Lucas, she won't be able to see him often."
"Sigh..." Elisa let out a soft sigh, raised her hand, and pinched Catherine's cheek gently. In a soothing voice, she said, "Be bold and give it a try. It's better than regretting it later, right? Besides, if it really doesn't work out, just elope. I'll sneak into the royal capital and take you away."
"Huh?" Dahlia's eyes widened. This wasn't going the way she expected! She thought Elisa would persuade Catherine, not encourage her to elope!
"Really?!" Catherine's eyes lit up. She grasped Elisa's hand tightly, her voice filled with nervous excitement. "Can I really sneak away?"
"Of course. I feel quite lonely here, you know. If you ever want to leave, just send me a message, and I'll come to get you," Elisa said gently, twitching her pointed ears. "Just don't end up unwilling to leave home when the time comes."
Catherine shook her head, a strange emotion flickering in her eyes—perhaps hope, a glimpse of anticipation.
There wasn't much tying her to her home. The only thing she found hard to part with was her collection of lutes. Her mother had passed away long ago.
As for her father, he only wanted to keep her under his control to arrange a political marriage for his own benefit. He had even said outright that he intended to marry her off to the crown prince.
But with the second prince rising in power recently, her father had begun to hesitate, waiting to see who would emerge victorious. In the end, she would be given to whichever prince won, becoming queen and securing the duke's position—or rather, gaining more power from the Kingdom of Siacan.
Catherine was emotional by nature. She had no interest in the so-called position of queen. She didn't want to be trapped in the loneliness of the royal palace—she would rather live an ordinary life, just like how she always ran off to visit Dahlia.
She despised the Duke's mansion. It was a place full of scheming and backstabbing, where people would stop at nothing for personal gain. Her brothers were especially ruthless toward each other, all for the sake of noble titles.
On top of that, her brothers had already secretly aligned themselves with different princes. Thinking about the royal palace and its princes—one short, one thin, one fat, and the only handsome one being weak and timid—Catherine felt nothing but frustration. These thoughts tangled in her mind, and that was precisely why she had fallen in love with playing the lute. Only when she played could she escape from all these troubles.
"Wait a minute..." Dahlia quickly spoke up, realizing that Catherine was genuinely considering eloping. How had the conversation escalated to this point?!
"Catherine, don't be impulsive! Has Lord Lucas even shown any feelings for you?" Dahlia asked urgently. "What about his thoughts on all this?"
"Uh…" Catherine froze for a moment, her cheeks flushing red as she lowered her head slightly.
"What… What does that mean? Don't tell me he likes you too?" Dahlia's eyes widened in disbelief. "When did you two start dating?"
She was completely baffled. They had only known each other for a few days, and now they were a couple?! This made her opinion of Lucas plummet—so he was just like all other men, easily swayed by beauty! In just a few short days, he had already started a relationship with Catherine?
But after thinking about it, Dahlia found it somewhat reasonable. Catherine was, after all, the daughter of a duke, a stunning beauty, and incredibly talented in music. It made sense that Lucas would fall for her.
"N-No! What are you even talking about?" Catherine's face turned completely red, and she shouted in a panic, "Lord Lucas doesn't even know…"
"You..." Dahlia slightly parted her lips, hesitated for a moment, and then asked, "Are you secretly in love with Lord Lucas?"
"I… I really don't know…" Catherine stammered, shrinking under the blanket. She truly couldn't define the feeling—she just found herself unconsciously drawn to Lucas, always wanting to pay attention to him, yet feeling too nervous to get close.
"…" Dahlia blinked, then turned to exchange glances with Elisa, both of them sharing a look of helplessness.
What kind of situation was this? A dignified duke's daughter, secretly in love with someone? If the noble heirs in the royal capital—or worse, the fourth prince—found out about this, they would absolutely lose their minds.
"Well, so what if it's a secret crush? Who hasn't had one?" Elisa shook her head slightly at Dahlia, her voice gentle. "You don't have to confess right away. There's always time for that later."
"Huh?" Catherine slowly poked her head out from under the blanket, her eyes wide with surprise. She stared at Elisa curiously and asked, "Elisa, have you had a secret crush before?"
"No," Elisa shook her head with a light chuckle. "I was just saying. Love has always been a luxury for me."
"Uh…" Catherine was stunned for a moment. So she was just speaking from theory with no real experience at all? A true armchair expert!
"Elisa, what kind of person would you like?" Dahlia asked curiously.
"Me?" Elisa tilted her head slightly, but suddenly, a figure with black hair and black eyes surfaced in her mind. Her heart tightened—why did she think of him? Why was it the image of the lord of the city that popped up?
"You can't put it into words?" Dahlia whispered.
"No, I suppose I'd like the same type as Catherine… someone like Lord Lucas." Elisa said, her emerald-green eyes curving slightly in amusement.
"Huh?" Catherine and Dahlia both gaped at her, staring in shock as she smiled with her eyes half-closed.
"What's so surprising?" Elisa said softly. "Lord Lucas is the man that 80% of the women in Sedona City dream of marrying."
"Eh? Really?" Dahlia was stunned.
"Of course! Even our dear Catherine has fallen for him." Elisa teased.
"W-What?! Elisa, you must like Lord Lucas too!" Catherine yelled in embarrassment.
"No, I actually think Dahlia is the one who likes him." Elisa said, raising an eyebrow.
"What?! How did this suddenly turn on me?! You two lovestruck fools—"
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