rlin turned his head toward the source of the voice and saw an exceptionally beautiful girl.
She had an oval face, much like Iris', with alluring pink eyes and long, matching hair that flowed down her back.
On both sides, her hair was braided and pulled up into a small loop, adorned with a crescent-shaped ribbon hanging on the right side of her head.
She wore a lovely closed pink dress. Despite her beauty, her expression looked cold—as if soone had just stolen her gold coins.
Frederin was displeased with his daughter's rude behavior and scolded her, "Behave yourself, Luna. Don't you see the guests in front of you?"
Luna turned to Jas, then her gaze shifted to rlin beside him.
A flicker of surprise flashed in her eyes, but it quickly vanished.
"[Ding! The affection of heroine Luna Tharot increased by 15 points! Current affection: 15 points (10)]"
"Oh?" rlin raised a brow slightly. 'Why did it suddenly increase by ten points, system? Did sothing happen?'
"[It's because you have a handso face, Master. Such good looks make even strangers naturally fond of you,]" the system replied calmly.
'Pfft!' rlin chuckled inwardly. 'So even looks affect first impressions, huh? Well, that rule still applied in my previous world too.'
There was a saying in his old world: "If you're born beautiful or handso, then half of your problems are already solved."
At first glance, it did sound cruel—and rather unfair—to those with ordinary or less appealing looks.
Yet, that was the harsh reality that had to be accepted. Whether artists, actors, or models—they were all people blessed with above-average looks.
So, it was no wonder that those born with the advantage of appearance had a greater chance of achieving success in life.
"I'm sorry, Father," Luna said in a softer tone than before. "So, what did you call for?"
Her gaze occasionally drifted to rlin, filled with curiosity and a faint hint of interest.
Frederin rolled his eyes and replied, "Didn't I tell you last week that you would be engaged to the son of the Clay family?"
He smiled and looked at rlin in front of him. "And that person is right here—rlin Clay. Get to know him."
Luna pursed her lips in displeasure. She was strongly against engagents.
The reason she had run away from ho yesterday was precisely because of that. To her, love didn't exist—only transactions and benefits.
It was a belief she had firmly held for the past three years.
However, she also knew there was no point in defying her father's order; it would only end in a useless argunt.
Turning to rlin, she stepped forward and extended her right hand toward him.
"Introductions. My na is Luna Tharot. I'm sure you already know ."
rlin stood up, smiled, and reached out his hand in return.
"My na is rlin Clay. I'm not sure if you know or not, but just rember—that's my na."
The two shook hands, and suddenly Luna felt a strange sensation she couldn't quite explain—as if they had t sowhere before.
"You..." She was about to say sothing, but rlin had already pulled his hand back.
His action both surprised and irritated Luna. As the daughter of Duke Tharot's family, she had her own pride.
Every young noble who t her always looked forward to shaking her hand. Of course, she knew their hidden intentions, and it often disgusted her.
Yet, this boy nad rlin in front of her had withdrawn his hand first, as if unwilling to linger with her.
It was the first ti she had ever been treated that way—and it upset her greatly.
"[Ding! The affection of heroine Luna Tharot decreased by 10 points!! Current affection: 5 points (10)]"
Seeing that notification, rlin didn't care in the slightest. His purpose in coming to this engagent wasn't to win Luna's heart.
He was here to settle the matter between the two families—and, of course, to find the scepter belonging to the Tharot family.
"Hahaha! It's good to see you two getting along!" Frederin said with a satisfied nod. "Go on and get to know each other better. Jas and I won't disturb you, right, Jas?"
He gave a quick wink in his direction, which Jas imdiately understood.
"Yeah," Jas replied with a nod. "Have fun, Young Master."
The corner of rlin's mouth twitched slightly, but he said nothing.
He and Luna exchanged glances, then, without saying another word, walked out of the living room.
Not long after they left, Iris returned carrying a piece of cake and so biscuits on plates in both hands.
"rlin, I—" Her words stopped when she realized rlin was no longer there.
"My dear, where's rlin?" She asked curiously as she walked over.
She set both plates down on the table, then sat beside Frederin.
"He's with Luna. Let the two of them enjoy so ti getting to know each other," Frederin replied casually.
"Oh?" Iris looked a little surprised before smiling knowingly. "That's good. I hope the two of them can grow closer."
Frederin and Jas responded with small nods.
***
rlin and Luna walked through the Tharot family mansion. Every hallway and room was impressively spacious—even more so than those of the Clay family.
The aura of history filled the air, reflected in the many photos hanging along the corridor walls.
Judging from the notes beneath each one, they seed to depict the Tharot family's lineage through the generations.
As rlin drifted into thought, Luna's voice ca from beside him.
"Hey… rlin Clay." Her gaze was cold and indifferent. "I'll be honest with you. I don't agree with this engagent. To , there's no such thing as love in this world. So, I hope you won't take this engagent between our families seriously."
After saying that, Luna felt a slight sense of relief. She didn't know what rlin's stance on the engagent would be.
If he actually liked her, that would only make things troubleso.
"You're right." rlin nodded slowly. "I don't feel comfortable with this engagent either. So rest assured—I'm not interested in you at all."
He had already expected Luna to say that. Although it wasn't described in detail in the novel, Luna once told Abel that she had warned rlin Clay about rejecting the engagent.
Unfortunately, the rlin Clay in the novel had already fallen in love with her, which only made Luna feel disgusted with him.
Of course, rlin had no intention of repeating that mistake. To him, Luna Tharot was nothing more than a passerby.
He didn't want to be involved with soone who would eventually lead to his downfall.
Although his destiny was already beginning to change, he wasn't reckless enough to gamble with it.
Luna was pleased with his response—but strangely, an odd sense of discomfort lingered in her chest.
"Then…" She was about to continue, but rlin cut her off.
"Let's set so clear rules for this engagent."
Reviews
All reviews (0)