Honey, I Believe That’s Your Misunderstanding

“…Grace, if you could stop hiding your face like that, please, that would be great.”

Inside the black carriage of Lucas Blacke, Grace sat in front of him with her face buried in her lap.

And she’s been this way for a while now.

Calmly trying to make her sit up, Lucas then called her name in surprised. He wondered if Grace had started crying because her shoulders began to quiver.

Her shoulders flinched, and then trembled minutely. Still though, she would not raise her head.

‘Is she truly crying?’

Feeling a little nervous, Lucas’ brows furrowed as he observed Grace.

He still couldn’t see her face because she was crouching into herself, but her ears were red.

Grace’s skin was paler than anyone Lucas had ever seen.

It’s not that she’s just pale, it’s as if her skin was radiating light.

Because she had such pale skin, the shade of redness that would visit her cheeks would be different from time to time.

At times, the color would be light scarlet, like the sunset. At another time, the color would be bright red, like a rose.

Then, at some point, the color would be a soft pink glow, like a pink diamond.

‘Come to think of it, a pink diamond would look so good on you.’

He suddenly noticed the pink diamond earrings sparkling from Grace’s ears.

And naturally, the next thought that flowed through his mind was whether or not those pink diamonds had come from the diamond mine that House Blacke owned.

However, at that moment.

Grace, who had been curled up into herself for a long time, suddenly raised her head and shouted.

“Oh my goodness!”

After she raised her head, Grace stared at Lucas with the brightest shade of red that Lucas had ever seen on her.

Her sparkling violet eyes exuded such innocence that was more than what could be seen from children.

Her face, barely covered in makeup, looked up at Lucas, showing a smile that was without restraint.

“Wow! Did you see those people’s faces before? Your Excellency, even if it’s like that, would it be alright? But earlier, those people, those faces, those expressions, they’re really…! Wow! They were all so hilarious!”

Grace’s broad smile brightened up Lucas’ carriage.

And Lucas himself was shocked by her sudden laughter.

Before this, the impression that Lucas had of Grace was that she was as pure as a well-cared after flowering plant. But now, it felt as if that flowering plant had transformed into a human who’s blooming with life.

So, wouldn’t it be enough to say that this situation was strange?

‘…No way.’

Her laughter made Lucas feel a little ecstatic.

He had never felt this way before.

It’s as if he was watching a legendary flower’s spirit dancing right in front of his eyes.

His future wife really had such peculiar charms.

“I didn’t know that you had such a whimsical side to you, Your Excellency.”

Grace glanced at him with genuine wonder.

Though she was looking him straight in the eye, she wasn’t afraid of him right now. And the reason for this was because the incident earlier left a strong impact on her.

For a moment, Lucas stared at her quietly, trying to figure out what she was thinking. However, he soon smirked and declared with an airy voice.

“There are still ninety-nine charms of mine that you haven’t seen. It would be a problem if you’re already surprised with just this…”

“Ninety… nine, what?”

At Grace’s bewildered expression, Lucas said it once more, his lips glossy.

“My…”

But, no way, was he really going to say…

“Charms.”

That.

“…Pfft.”

At the ensuing burst of laughter bubbling inside her, Grace covered her lips.

However, Lucas seemed to have already heard it.

One of his thick eyebrows turned up.

Grace quickly averted her eyes.

Nevertheless, this did not stop the corners of her lips from twitching up.

“Why are you laughing?”

“No. I’m not laughi… pfft.”

“…Hmm. Is the word ‘charm’ that funny to you?”

‘…No, what’s funny is how you’re saying that word with that look on your face.’

Grace furtively snuck a peak at Lucas, who was rubbing his chin.

She thought that he was nothing but a terrifying man, but he seemed to have more of a mischievous side than she originally thought.

‘Indeed… That wouldn’t have been possible if it wasn’t done by someone who’s bold enough.’

After falling earlier, Lucas jumped up from the ground, holding Grace’s hand.

He casually straightened out his clothes as if nothing happened, went out the door without paying any attention to the onlookers, then soon reeled back. He leaned over Grace and said,

‘Accursed chronic anemia.’

…Those exact words left the lips of the man who had such a massive physique while exuding a tremendously terrifying atmosphere on par with that of a wild beast. Yes, he just claimed that he had ‘chronic anemia’.

He was so brazen in the way he strode out there and said that one line, and even that disbelieving expression on his face as he said it.

After snapping his fingers once to call the carriage, he grabbed his forehead with one hand and murmured with a theatrical tone.

‘If Lady Grace didn’t catch me, I would have fallen straight to the floor. How dare I commit such discourtesy towards her…?’

He let out an exaggerated sigh, then looked back at the onlookers. The corners of his lips were curled up, and though it looked like a frightening smile, it wasn’t a smile at all.

‘Please keep my shameful display today a secret. I am truly ashamed of what others will think of me if they find out about this, especially Marquis O’Ellin. So, if there’s anyone here who’d carelessly flap their—no, that is to say, if everyone keeps quiet about this, I will remember all your faces here, and I’ll be sure to greet you separately later.’

Complete with a smile on his face, he shut the mouths of each and every person loitering in front of the fountain pen shop.

His words were well spoken, but it was nonetheless a thinly veiled threat.

Just in time, his secretary arrived with the carriage, and to her surprise, Grace was urged into the vehicle as well.

Before closing the carriage door, with a somewhat amused gaze, Lucas glanced back towards one man amidst the crowd: the agitated, blond Young Count Hopkins.

Lucas pointed one finger at himself, then with a sharp gesture, pointed that same finger directly at Thomas Hopkins.

The meaning behind that brief hand gesture was clear.

‘I. Know. You.’

With a wide grin, Lucas closed the door of the carriage, which then passed by the frozen Young Count Thomas Hopkins.

Grace, dazed up until that point, found Julie nearby and immediately asked for her to be picked up. She sat next to the carriage driver outside.

Then, after they had completely left that boulevard—

“…Pfft.”

Though belated in her reaction to that mortifying yet hilarious situation, Grace couldn’t stop herself from hitting her lap and laughing.

On top of that, it was so unexpected to see such a thing who, until now, she knew only as terrifying.

She laughed so hard that the stomach that Norman had kicked started hurting.

Was there ever a time that she had a stomachache just by laughing?

Amazingly enough, she couldn’t stop laughing.

She even stole tears that escaped from her eyes, and as her laughter calmed down slowly, Lucas watched her with a serene smile.

‘Even your laughter… Well, it doesn’t sound bad.’

Lucas made a mental note to always make Grace feel at ease whenever they’d meet more in the future.

‘…If you fall for me more, that might become a bit of a problem, too.’

With that very earnest thought, Lucas concluded that it was an inevitable development.

There’s nothing that could be done when one has already fallen in love.

Actually, it’s a good thing for a prospective groom and bride—on the right track to getting married as well—to be getting along well with each other.

Lucas caught a glimpse of Grace’s pale neck, a beam of sunlight streaming down upon it.

Her slender, straight neck, with a smooth line leading up to finely grooved clavicles, and unfathomably clear pale skin.

‘Just as I thought, pink diamonds would suit you very well.’

Lucas imagined Grace wearing a pink diamond necklace during their engagement ceremony.

He’s absolutely sure that it would look so good on her.

He made another mental note: he’ll later ask Jaime to get all the pink diamonds in the market.

There was a bitter taste in his mouth whenever he was reminded of Marquis O’Ellin, but it’s not like he’s the one that Lucas would be marrying and living together with for the rest of his life. Rather, it’s Grace.

‘Since a new person will be entering the household, we’ll have to redecorate the entire mansion. I’ll also be moving from my personal bedroom to our conjugal bedroom, so…’

As his thoughts went down this path, Lucas’ face immediately turned pink.

‘Just how far are you going to let your imagination run free by yourself, Lucas Blacke.’

Letting out a sigh, he swept a hand over his burning face.

It’s not exactly uncommon for an aristocratic couple to break up even well after they’d held their engagement ceremony.

Wasn’t that why there’s a saying that goes, ‘You never know until you share the kiss of oath’?

Despite all that, here Lucas was, already imagining the new bedroom of the new mansion that he’d share with Grace.

He wondered to himself, had he ever had such yearning to start a family?

If not, then did this mean he fell in love with her at first sight?

When the hell did that happen?

That day, all Grace did was lift her teacup with trembling hands, faint, and then call Lucas’ name as she fell unconscious…

‘Come to think of it, that wasn’t really our first meeting.’

As if the memory was flashing behind his eyes, he recalled that day in the past.

He closed his mouth for a moment and looked outside. Thereafter, a strange silence fell upon the carriage.

Only then did Lucas belatedly notice Grace’s eyes on him, staring.

He moved his own eyes and looked into hers.

For some reason, Grace didn’t avoid his gaze, continuing only to stare at him.

Amidst that silence, their eyes were entangled.

Lucas did not take his eyes off Grace’s mysterious purple eyes.

Not too far, not too close.

In an enclosed space occupied by only the two of them, the air gradually became hotter as he tried to read the eyes that stared at him wordlessly.

Lucas felt that Grace’s persistent gaze was very bold.

And her pupils were trembling as if she had something to say.

Then, at that moment.

Something sparked in his mind.

In an instant, he guessed what she was about to say.

‘I see.’

Lucas thought, looking at Grace who was sporting quite a nervous gaze.

‘Is she going to confess…?’