Chapter 31: Dangerous Tea Party with Natural Enemies (Part 7)
“Are you hurt anywhere? Did he do anything to you?”
Steed asks with a worried expression as he moves away from her slightly.
When she nods in a hurry, he murmurs “I’m glad. . .” with an attitude that suggests he might collapse on the spot.
“I’ll definitely protect you, so don’t worry.”
“Steed. . .”
She can feel the tension leaving her body.
As soon as she feels relieved, tears threaten to spill out, and Chloe blinks rapidly to hold them back.
If she cries, she’ll only worry him more.
She puts more strength into her legs and manages to push back her weak self.
“Hey, what was that just now? Did Steed use magic. . .?”
Unauthorized use of attack magic is prohibited.
Steed, who values discipline as a prince, breaking the rules like that. . .
Contrary to Chloe’s surprise, Steed smiles and says, “That’s not the problem.”
“For you, I’ll break any law. Even if I have to face the consequences.”
“What. . .?”
What is he saying?
Just as Chloe opens her mouth in surprise, she hears a painful groan from behind.
“Ah. . .it hurts. . .damn it. . .that was too much. . .”
She turns around and sees Zach, grimacing in pain as he slowly gets up.
“You really hit me hard. You could have gone a little easier on me, you know?”
Steed holds Chloe in his arms and embraces her protectively.
Looking up at him, she sees Steed with a very cold expression, glaring at Zach.
That calmness is even more frightening.
If she were on the opposing side, she would have trembled in fear.
But if he’s on the same side, there’s no one more reliable than him.
“I don’t want you to think I was serious just now. I managed to control myself to not kill you, so if you have the luxury of making such remarks, it seems like I could give you another hit.”
“Hey, let me punch him too.”
With a ferocious expression, Roland grabs Steed’s shoulder and stands next to him.
Steed shrugs his shoulders lightly and looks at Roland.
“Roland, do you understand the situation?”
“Hurting him is reason enough.”
A strong wind swirls around, and magic gathers in the palm of Roland’s raised hand.
Unlike Steed, Roland doesn’t seem to have any intention of holding back.
Zach, who had his cheeks pulled back, raises both hands in surrender.
“Hey, if you attack with that much force, I’ll really die, you know?”
“I’ll take care of burying you in the forest.”
Chloe can’t let him become a murderer.
She quickly jumps out of Steed’s arms and clings to Roland’s hand.
“No! Don’t kill him!”
“Are you protecting this guy?”
“No! I’m trying to protect Roland!”
Even though this isn’t a formal duel, she can’t let them use magic any further.
If they accidentally kill someone with magic, even if they’re royalty, they’ll be sentenced to death.
Perhaps because Chloe is clinging to him and won’t let go, Roland reluctantly stops using magic.
Zach laughs as if to provoke them.
“Oh, I thought you were a ferocious wolf, but you’re actually a surprisingly obedient little dog.”
“What did you say?”
Thanks to Zach’s unnecessary comment, Roland’s anger returns to his eyes.
(What’s with that guy?! Does he have a death wish?!)
Chloe glares at Zach while still holding onto Roland’s arm.
Zach stands up, dusting off his clothes and looks around at Chloe and the others with a cheerful expression.
He doesn’t seem to be concerned about the situation of being outnumbered four to one.
“Is it okay for you guys to do this? Marion is the one who will cry if the engagement doesn’t work out, you know?”
He is shielded by the sore spot and can’t find the words to say.
It was the real Marion who shouted in Chloe’s place.
“The engagement is off!”
(What. . .?!)
After saying it firmly, Marion nods at Chloe.
Marion’s mouth moves and she murmurs, “Leave it to me.”
She walks up to Zach just like that.
What is Marion planning to do?
As they watch nervously, she drops another bomb.
“I am the real Marion. Zach Neal-san, I’m sorry, but I decline the engagement proposal!”
“Wait a minute. . .?!”
Chloe lets go of Roland’s hand and rushes to stop Marion in a panic.
Why did everyone suddenly start behaving recklessly like this?
Usually, it’s Chloe who has to stop them from going out of control.
“It’s not good for you to come out!”
“Thank you, Chloe. But I can’t just sit still when my important friend is in danger because of me.”
“But. . .!”
If it’s discovered that Marion was swapped out to meet the potential fiancé, her position will only get worse.
“Geez, one thing after another. . .Which one is the real Marion?”
“It’s me!”
“No, it’s me!”
As Marion and Chloe answer at the same time, Zach lets out a laugh.
“Chloe, you don’t need to pay attention to his words. Besides, he already knows that you’re not Marion.”
“Huh. . .? What do you mean. . .?”
Surprised, Chloe turns to Steed.
(Is that really. . .?!)
If it’s true, how does Steed know?
“Yeah , that guy over there is just pretending.”
Easily acknowledged by Zach, Chloe becomes even more flustered.
“What do you mean, Zach Neal!”
“Hahaha. It was fun to play along, but lying isn’t your strong suit. Your thoughts are too obvious in your face and attitude.”
“Lying isn’t my strong suit. . .”
As someone aiming to be a villain, isn’t that a fatal flaw?
Zach continues to talk non-stop in front of Chloe, who stands frozen in shock.
“Think about it. It’s natural to know the face of your potential marriage partner, right?”
What a situation.
In other words, Zach knew Marion’s face all along but pretended to be fooled by Chloe’s lie.
And all because it was fun to play along.
Remembering how she desperately continued to act in front of someone who knew she was lying, Chloe felt like burying her head in her hands.
“Well then, the real Marion. I’d like to hear your story too. Until now, you’ve been using this girl as a substitute and staying in a safe zone. How did it feel to push a nasty role onto your friend and hide?”
The moment Marion rejected the engagement, she had a determined look on her face, unlike her usual calm demeanor. She must have gathered her courage for Chloe’s sake.
Zach’s cruel words trampled all over her feelings.
(Oh, Marion. . .! You don’t have to listen to what Zach says. . .)
Tears welled up in Marion’s eyes as she turned to Chloe with a pale face.
“I’m sorry, Chloe. I was scared. It’s all my fault. . .”
“It’s not your fault! I’m the one who said I wanted to switch places! ――Hey, Zach Neal! Don’t say mean things to Marion when you don’t know anything!”
“Hahaha. Do you want to say that I’m the bad guy? That’s harsh. You guys were the ones who switched places with a fake using a simple idea, right? This situation is the result of thoughtless actions.”
“Can you please stop doing mean things to my fiancée?”
Steed said in a cold voice.
Steed’s voice was filled with quiet anger, and even Zach, who had been grinning, tightened his expression.
Even though he didn’t raise his voice, Steed’s presence was so overwhelming that it was intimidating.
“You have no right to blame the switch on anyone. After all, you’re just a fake Zach Neal.”
Chloe involuntarily widened her eyes.
It was safe to say that this was the most shocking thing she had experienced today.
As a result, she couldn’t keep up with the understanding.
(Because. . .Zach is a fake. . .)
Still confused, she waits for Steed’s next words.
Immediately after that. . .
Incredibly, Steed called the person he was looking at with a challenging gaze by a surprising name.
“Your real name is Oliver Bloom. Isn’t that right?”
An unexpected name came out, and she felt frozen.
Oliver Bloom.
He is the third capture target in the game and a key person in this summer resort event.
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