The woman passionately kissing her husband. Lily saw her for the first time today, but immediately recognized who she was.
She was clearly the boutique’s designer and Fredrick’s former lover.
No, since they’re still kissing passionately, it would be more accurate to say she’s his current lover.
Lily had heard countless stories about Fredrick fooling around with other women, but this was the first time she had seen it directly.
“……”
Seeing such a detestable scene, rather than anger, she felt dumbfounded and speechless. Was it because Fredrick was just being Fredrick again?
Of course, it wasn’t that she wasn’t angry at all. She was furious that he would do such a thing knowing she would return. It meant he disrespected her that much.
“……Oh my!”
The woman who had been passionately kissing Fredrick belatedly noticed Lily and jumped back from him in surprise. She lowered her head deeply and frantically tried to fix her disheveled hair and clothes.
Fredrick also looked surprised, but he seemed more composed than when he had spotted Lily while talking with his aide in the mansion’s central hall.
This makes me even more curious about what conversation he had with the aide then.
Lily stared blankly at Fredrick’s now-calm face before turning to look at the woman. When their eyes met, the woman blushed and opened her lips, which were a mess with smeared rouge.
“Madam, this is, I mean I……”
“No need to explain. I already know who you are and what the situation was.”
The woman’s face turned pale this time. She clutched Fredrick’s arm tightly with her trembling hands, looking up at him with desperate eyes pleading for help.
“You said you were going to fix your makeup, but you came back early.”
However, sadly, Fredrick didn’t seem inclined to help the woman. He didn’t seem to have any intention of apologizing or explaining to Lily either.
Fredrick’s utterly shameless attitude aroused anger that hadn’t been there before. Lily smiled as sweetly as she was angry and spoke to the woman who was still holding Fredrick’s arm.
“Don’t worry. I have no intention of grabbing your hair or anything like that.”
The woman’s eyes trembled, seemingly bewildered by the unexpected kindness. Lily met those eyes and smiled brightly.
“I’ll disappear like the nuisance I am, so please continue what you were doing.”
“Madam!”
Fredrick called out loudly in surprise, but Lily left the boutique immediately without sparing him a single glance.
[This is the timeline separator]The carriage that Herald and Olivia were riding in was so comfortable that it was hard to believe they were moving, as if the story about it being made by a nameless famous craftsman who poured his heart and soul into it wasn’t a lie.
But it fell short compared to a bed. The first minus was that one couldn’t stretch out their legs and lie down. Although it was larger than a normal carriage, Herald was also taller than the average person, so he couldn’t lie down comfortably.
Still, if he had been alone, he would have at least reclined halfway, but he couldn’t do that with Olivia riding along.
No, if he had been alone, he probably wouldn’t have taken a carriage at all. Herald rolled his half-closed eyes to look out the window. The sight of pink petals in full bloom dancing in the wind was very beautiful, but it held no appeal for him at the moment.
“Come to think of it, young master.”
Herald, who had been staring out the window absentmindedly, turned his head with a faint smile on his previously indifferent face when his sister-in-law called out to him.
He had to pretend to be fine, as Olivia would blame herself if he showed signs of fatigue. And for Herald, such acting was a very simple task.
Completely fooled by his act, Olivia looked at Herald with eyes full of curiosity, showing no signs of worry or concern, and asked.
“You’ve been going out frequently these days… Could it be that you’re going on dates?”
I see. Herald, immediately guessing why Olivia was asking such a thing, chuckled and replied.
“Since hanging out with friends is a kind of date, I suppose you could say that.”
“Ah, so you’re meeting friends, not a lover……”
Olivia was visibly disappointed, but she didn’t give up.
“There’s been talk that you’ve been meeting with Kennedy Stacy frequently lately, is that true?”
Herald had only met Kennedy once. He laughed softly at the absurdity of rumors saying they met frequently. Olivia, taking this as confirmation, had eyes that sparkled like they were studded with stars.
“You have feelings for Miss Kennedy!”
“It’s all a misunderstanding, sister-in-law.”
Herald kindly pointed out the error.
“I’ve only met Miss Kennedy Stacy once, and I have no feelings for her.”
“Even if you don’t have feelings, you met her because you’re interested, right?”
“I’m not interested either.”
Herald firmly denied it while reaching for his coat pocket. As he grew slightly irritated by Olivia’s unnecessary interest, he thought of cigars.
He moved his hand out of habit, but belatedly realized his pocket was empty and clicked his tongue. Even if he had had a cigar box, he couldn’t have smoked in front of a lady.
Because he was a gentleman. No, because he had to be a gentleman. Herald didn’t want to be a gentleman who had to be bound by suffocating and rigid rules and etiquette, always mindful of others’ eyes, but ironically, he had to pretend to be a gentleman to gain freedom.
“Do you really have no interest in Miss Kennedy Stacy?”
She’s particularly persistent today. Herald swallowed his increasingly desperate thoughts of cigars and answered.
“I don’t.”
“Then is there no other woman you’re interested in?”
At that question, Herald momentarily thought of Lily. When he didn’t respond immediately this time, Olivia clapped her hands like a child and exclaimed happily.
“Oh my, it seems there is a woman you’re interested in.”
Interested. Herald mulled over the somewhat unfamiliar word before acknowledging it. The fact that he was interested in Liliana Benjamin.
But it wasn’t that kind of interest, like love. It was an interest that arose because Austin had asked him to find out why the Second Prince was digging into Baron Benjamin.
If the Crown Prince hadn’t made the request, Herald wouldn’t have known about the Baron Benjamin family, let alone the existence of a woman named Liliana Benjamin.
“Which family’s young lady is she? Perhaps someone I know?”
“It’s true that there’s a woman I’m interested in, but it’s not the kind of interest you’re thinking of, sister-in-law.”
When Olivia, unaware of the truth, tried to nurture a seedling of false hope, Herald immediately stomped it out.
“It’s a woman that His Highness the Crown Prince is interested in.”
Austin was also interested in Lily because of the Second Prince, Derius, but Herald didn’t mention that far. It was also a secret he couldn’t reveal.
“Ah, His Highness the Crown Prince……”
Olivia laughed awkwardly, trailing off. Judging by the way her eyes rolled, she seemed to be thinking strange thoughts, but Herald didn’t bother to correct her. This way, he could escape her bothersome interest.
Thanks to throwing Austin to Olivia as bait, Herald was freed from the barrage of questions and looked out the window again. The carriage had already entered Euphoria Street, lined with high-end boutiques and jewelers.
The main clientele here were nobles or wealthy commoners who preferred to ride in carriages even for short distances rather than walk, so there were hardly any people on the street.
A few people did pass by, but they were all employees working in the shops. As for people who looked like nobles……
“……”
Herald hesitated as a woman in a pink dress that looked as if it was made from woven falling petals brushed past the carriage. If his eyes weren’t deceiving him, that woman was Liliana Benjamin.
It was unusual for a noblewoman in a pretty dress to be walking around the street instead of riding in a carriage. Moreover, the expression on Lily’s face that he glimpsed as she passed by was not normal, so Herald was concerned about her.
“What’s wrong, young master?”
Olivia asked, seeing Herald’s serious expression. Herald was about to say that he needed to get off first, but he swallowed his words.
“It’s nothing.”
He didn’t know what was going on with Lily, but it had nothing to do with him. It was probably a purely personal matter unrelated to the Second Prince. There was no reason to be concerned.
Clearly, there was no reason to be concerned, but strangely, he kept worrying. He was worried that she might be drinking to the point of losing her senses like before, that she might be scammed or encounter thugs and suffer some strange fate.
Anxiety, growing larger by feeding on his worries, kept grating on his nerves. His mind was filled with images of Lily crying endlessly, making his mouth go dry.
“Stop.”
Finally, Herald stopped the carriage and briefly apologized to his confused sister-in-law, saying that an urgent matter had come up and he was sorry he couldn’t accompany her further, then got out of the carriage.
And he started running in the direction Lily had disappeared. His black hair, untreated, flew wildly under the dazzling sunlight.
What if she’s already gone far away?
His feet moved faster as he grew more anxious. Even though he was out of breath, Herald didn’t stop and kept running.
Perhaps the heavens recognized his effort. Far away, he saw the hem of a pink dress. It was Lily’s dress. Herald’s speed increased even more as he recognized her at a glance.
Lily, who had been walking aimlessly just wanting to get far away from Fredrick without setting a destination, stopped when she heard the sound of footsteps running fiercely. She was about to turn around, but before she could, Herald embraced her from behind.
“……!”
Startled, Lily turned her head so violently that it made a sound. Soon she met golden eyes that looked as if they were melted gold. Surprised in a different way, she opened her eyes as wide as saucers.
“You……”
Before Lily could finish speaking, Herald hugged her tightly again and murmured in a low voice, exhaling rough breaths.
“Thank goodness.”
My Step-brother Is Obsessed With Me (Female-dominant)
A gentle female protagonist vs pitiful in the early stage, and a sick male protagonist in the later stage
Cheng Songer transmigrated into the body of a vicious cannon fodder female supporting character with the same name as her in a female-dominant novel.
In the original story, the cannon fodder female supporting character was inhumane, committing domestic violence, gambling excessively, being lustful, and even wanting to sell her stepbrother to a brothel for money.
As luck would have it, she just happened to transmigrate at this time.
Seeing Cheng Qingzhi biting his lip, enduring the tears in his eyes, looking pitiful, her heart softened.
She stuffed the money back into the Madam’s hand and reached out to him.
“Brother, come home with me.”
