The Engagement of the Baron of Flowers and the Withered Tree Lady.

Chapter 35: The Passion and Misconceptions of the Withered Tree Lady

Romand panicked when he noticed Julia’s eyes welling up with tears, unable to understand why she was on the verge of crying.

Then Everlotte, with an exasperated expression, spoke up.

“Lord, did you perhaps forget to discuss our relationship? It has been six months since our engagement, after all. I suspected something was off. You never introduced us to anyone.”

“Our relationship…”

Hearing Julia’s murmuring, Romand suddenly realized that something was amiss. He finally noticed the discrepancy.

“Miss Everlotte, you’ve been speaking in a way that leads to misunderstandings. Please stop. She knows nothing about the rumors in society.”

“It’s not a rumor; we’re planning to announce our engagement soon. Isn’t it your fault for not informing Lady Julia about it?”

“Engagement announcement? Huh? This is terrible. So, the reason you escorted me earlier was to let everyone know that a withered tree like me is unworthy and then break off the engagement?”

“That’s too much. You had someone you loved, but you couldn’t be with them, so you reluctantly engaged me as a decoration and intended to secretly nurture your love with them, right?”

“But after the engagement with me, when your relationship with Miss Everlotte was accepted, you decided to break off the engagement with me, is that it?”

“No, that’s not it. In the first place, the formal engagement with me never happened, did it?”

“Why didn’t you tell me honestly? I love you. You became such an important person to me without me even realizing it. That’s why, even if it makes me sad, I would quietly step aside if it means you’ll be happy…”

“…”

Julia’s words left Romand shocked and dumbfounded, in more ways than one.

The misunderstanding that he and Everlotte were in love and using Julia as a substitute.

The fact that Julia was so jealous.

Her tearful declaration that she loves him and would step aside for his happiness, even though it hurts her.

Romand had always known that Julia liked him, but he honestly never expected her to have such intense feelings. He had never thought about wanting Julia to have the same level of affection for him. He was well aware that his own love was too heavy. And yet…

He knew very well that it was not a time to be happy, but Romand, a novice noble, couldn’t put on a poker face. He hurriedly covered his loosened mouth with his hand.

Meanwhile, the two gentlemen who had been observing from a short distance calmly sprang into action.

One of them, Rufie, quickly stood by Julia’s side. As Romand felt the piercing gaze from Rufie’s sharp eyes, he finally returned to a serious expression. He sensed his life was in danger from that gaze.

“Don’t look at me like that, Rufie-san! This is no joke. Just when I thought I could finally stand at the pinnacle of happiness, I won’t stand being killed in a place like this! If I die here, I’ll haunt this world with eternal grudges!”

While shouting this in his mind, Romand desperately tried to calm himself down and spoke up.

“Julia, calm down and listen carefully. Everlotte is a junior two years below me from our school days. We were acquainted because we were in the same student council, but that’s all.”

“But Lord, she called you by your real name. By the time Everlotte entered the school, you should have already become Romand. Was it because of a special relationship that she called you that way?”

“No! All my friends called me ‘Lord’ until we graduated from school.”

“Huh?”

Finally, as Julia looked into his eyes, Romand let out a sigh of relief. Lowering his voice even further, he continued.

“And besides, Miss Everlotte is the childhood friend and lover of His Royal Highness the Crown Prince. …Moreover, they are already secretly engaged. So please don’t misunderstand! If any strange rumors circulate, I’ll lose my head. I absolutely refuse to die without even kissing Julia!”

“!!!”

Julia stared blankly at Romand’s face and then blushed as she finally understood the meaning of his words.

“Baron, what on earth are you saying in front of the ladies? Well, I understand your feelings, but…”

Rufie muttered with a look of exasperation.

And Everlotte, who seemed far from being a lady, was equally dumbfounded and hurriedly spoke up.

“I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to confuse things. But I honestly didn’t think you hadn’t told Julia-sama about me and His Highness. After all, I consider myself Lord’s most devoted junior, no, disciple. I never imagined it wouldn’t even come up in conversation. I never had a chance to meet her either.”

“Well, you see, the relationship between His Highness and you hadn’t been clarified yet, so it was difficult to talk to Julia about it. Besides, to meet you, it could only happen when His Highness was present, right? But you can’t expect him to arrange a private meeting with you when he’s so busy.”

“You said it. I’ve asked you many times to introduce me to your fiancé, but you never brought her along. It was simply because you didn’t want to let anyone other than yourself meet your important fiancé, wasn’t it?”

“Huh?”

Suddenly interrupted, Julia was taken aback in a way she had never experienced before and almost stumbled backward. It was because behind Everlotte, the Crown Prince appeared out of nowhere.

With his blond hair and azure eyes, he was like a prince straight out of a romance novel. Though he may pale in comparison to Romand, he was still quite handsome.

He exuded a gentle aura, but Julia felt it was intentional. She sensed he was quite sharp-witted.

Well, she had heard stories from Romand about how he had been skillfully used by the Crown Prince in the past, so she wasn’t entirely surprised.

“But surely such a thing couldn’t possibly happen. Your Highness has already made up his mind about Lady Everlotte, hasn’t he?”

Romand had returned to his usual cool mode. With a faint smile on his face, he spoke.

“Congratulations on your engagement. I had wondered when it would be announced, but I see you intended to wait until after her debut, just like me.”

“Well, that’s right. Premature engagements can have various drawbacks. She is still a student, and I didn’t want to restrict her. But I must say, your efforts to secure her are impressive. I couldn’t gather any information even as the Crown Prince. Well done.”

“Thank you for your kind words. I appreciate it.”

As Romand suppressed his emotions and respectfully bowed his head, for a moment, it seemed as if the Crown Prince had a slightly frustrated expression. Everlotte, who was standing next to him, probably couldn’t see it, but it was clear that the grandeur of the upcoming engagement announcement wasn’t shining on the Crown Prince’s face, and he appeared somewhat downcast.

However, true to his status as the Crown Prince, he quickly regained his cheerful expression and said to Julia.

“Miss Julia, Romand is my best friend. So from now on, I would like us to continue our friendship as well. Alongside Everlotte.”

“I never expected to receive such words. I am honored.”

Julia lightly lowered her head, with one foot stepping back. At that moment, the Crown Prince finally shifted his gaze away from Julia and directed it towards the woman he would soon announce as his fiancée.

“Ever, I think you already know this, but it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that Miss Julia is another princess of our country. We discussed this during the engagement ceremony, right?”

“Yes, I heard about it.”

“In addition, during the debutante ceremony earlier, it was proven that she possesses the power of the ‘Green Thumb.’ For those who understand the meaning of that light, her presence is highly coveted. There may be dangers ahead. Even with the presence of guards, dealing with situations among a group of women can be challenging. I would appreciate it if you could look out for her and provide support.”

Upon the Crown Prince’s words, Everlotte nodded and responded with a radiant smile, expressing her willingness to take on the responsibility.

However, Julia, who had been listening to the exchange between the two in front of her, felt her legs weaken. It was only with Romand’s support from behind that she managed to stay upright.

Julia couldn’t comprehend the meaning of the conversation between the Crown Prince and his fiancée at all.