Please Love Me From Now On! - Chapter 8

Chapter 8: I didn’t want to disappoint you.

I admit. Today was one of those days.

In the original story, the Prince, considerate of the heroine who had literally just arrived at the castle, hadn’t invited her to the dinner banquet. Smelling the fragrance of the perfume she had received from the prince after the dinner, she felt confused. It was this event that caused her to start seeing the prince as a man.

Tonight, I’ll have to put on a show of jealousy in front of Alex. I wasn’t not very good at acting, but I could at least do that much. I believe…

“I can’t be invited to that dinner party.”

“Whyever not?”

Jill tilted her head with a puzzled look at my inadvertent remark.

Unable to say that she knew the story, Yulie responded with a ‘hmm’.

“Why, you ask…? If I go along to a place like that, won’t it be embarrassing?”

These were the words I let out, but they were also my true feelings.

Even if she went against the original flow of the story and attended, she had no confidence she’d be able to blend in among the nobility without an issue right now. She couldn’t even walk normally in heels, let alone schmooze. If she practiced, she could probably pull it off somehow, but for now she still hadn’t had enough time.

She didn’t care if people laughed at her, but she would feel bad if they laughed at Alex for bringing her along, she thought.

Of course, this wouldn’t be an issue for the original heroine, but I’m utterly unsuitable for this heroine business. Why I even ended up in this role, was becoming more and more of a mystery.

Rather, it feels like I’m just getting further away from the ‘happy ending’.

Will Alex and I even be able to fall in love, at this rate?

Now filled with anxiety, Yulie gazed off into the distance and sighed. Jill, as though she was trying to find the right words, looked here and there.

“Lady Yulie…”

“There’s no way you’d be embarrassing.”

At that moment, a familiar voice sounded in the room. Looking up, she saw Alex standing against the side of the door.

It’s his castle, so he was free to come and go whenever he liked, but it was a real pain that this guy keeps dropping by so abruptly. It surprised her every time. However, although this kind of drop in was annoying, the corners of Yulie’s lips curled up.

“…is it too much to knock?”

“The door was open. What are you doing lying on the floor?”

“…looking at the ceiling.”

It was too late to not be seen in this unladylike pose, but there was no way she would tell him she fell over after trying to walk in the heels she just got.

“I see.” Alex nodded then came over to sit beside Yulie. And just like that, he lay down in the exact same way. At the same time, Jill, who had been holding back, called out in a panicked voice.

“P-prince Alex!”

“Oh. If you look at the ceiling from this angle, it looks really tall. It’s like we’ve become little people.”

“Hold on, what are you…”

That the prince would lay on the floor like this, even Yulie was shocked. Ignoring the stupefied Jill and Yulie, Alex laughed in amusement.

“Oh, it’s fine if you do it, but I can’t?”

“No… that’s, well, you’re a prince, bro.”

“All the more reason for me to do as I please.”

Having heard that, there was nothing else so could think to say. Giving up, Yulie who had gotten up off the floor once again sprawled back down on it.

Jill left the room quietly, leaving only Yulie and Alex. It was so strange doing nothing but lying on the hard floor staring up at the ceiling, Yulie felt uneasy. Looking over at Alex who was only an arm’s length away, he seemed to be gazing up at Yulie’s ceiling with eyes that looked like they were sparkling gems.

It can’t be that rare that you’d come to a guest room of your own castle, though.

While she was thinking that, Yulie as she was, couldn’t take her eyes off of the side profile of this prince who looked like he came right out of a painting. As she gazed at him nonchalantly, those green eyes flashed toward her as though they’d noticed her stare.

She was startled at his gentle expression.

She promptly looked away, and he, looking unaffected, opened his mouth.

“You don’t want to attend the dinner party?”

“Ah, well”

“Why?”

“That’s…”

Because the scene has already been determined. Because she’ll embarrass Alex. There were tons of other reasons too. But if she were honest, this time Alex would definitely get fed up with her, who was so far from being an ideal heroine. And if that happens, there would be no way to leave this world.

Moreover, for Yulie who had been dropped into this world with nothing but herself, there was nothing else to rely on. If he came to dislike her, how would she survive in this place?

“Tell me.”

Alex propped himself up on one elbow and searched Yulie’s face.

It was as if that earnest straightforward gaze could see right through her thoughts. Although his expression and voice were gentle, Yulie looked down and bit her lips at his words she was mysteriously unable to defy.

“I… didn’t want to disappoint you, bro.”

“Me?”

“Since… I’m not really cut out for the social world. It would be bad if I embarrassed you.”

Alex looked taken aback, then glanced at the ends of Yulie’s feet.

“Are they not to your liking?”

“I think they’re cute! But, it seems like it will take some time before I can walk properly in them.”

“Do you want to be able to walk in them?”

Yuri, as a man, didn’t really care whether or not he could walk in them. But for the female Yulie, she understood it was likely necessary in order to fit into this world. So Yulie nodded lightly.

“Well, that’s…”

“Right. Then I’ll summon an etiquette tutor for you.”

“Huh…? No, you don’t need to do that.”

“No worries. If you fall down again and hurt yourself, that’s more of a problem. Or should I stay by your side all the time and watch over you so I can help you?”

“Now that’s…. eh?”

Alex said ‘fall over again’ so smoothly, as if he knew Yulie had fallen down just a while ago. Yulie flashed a look at him, a grin spread across his face as he once again lay back down on the floor.