Was this hallway always this long?
As Kyle made his way to the greenhouse within the castle, where he had first met Sylvia before the regression, that thought came to his mind.
More than that, what on earth was Sylvia thinking, coming all the way here?
If she had come to find him just to slap him late in the game, he figured he would take it willingly and kept moving.
Knock, knock.
“…This is Kyle Lyard. May I come in?”
“Yes, please come in.”
Upon arriving at the greenhouse, he carefully knocked on the door and announced himself, hearing a familiar voice in response.
Creak. The unique, thin scream of an unlubricated door echoed as it opened, revealing the scenery inside the greenhouse.
There, just like when he first met her before the regression, Sylvia was sitting leisurely, bathed in the warm sunlight streaming through the greenhouse, sipping tea.
How should he start this conversation?
Kyle found himself unable to even utter a simple greeting as he stood frozen at the entrance, gazing at Sylvia endlessly.
Soon, Sylvia, who had been elegantly tilting her teacup, turned her heterochromatic eyes toward him, and as their gazes met, Kyle’s body trembled faintly.
“Nice to meet you. I am Sylvia of the Eleonore family.”
“…What?”
As if they were meeting for the first time, Sylvia introduced herself with a short greeting, momentarily freezing Kyle’s mind.
What kind of joke was this? He widened his eyes, but Sylvia’s demeanor remained as calm and composed as ever.
It was as if she was silently insisting, “I am serious.”
“Please, have a seat, Lord Lyard. It’s awkward for the host to be left standing while the guest sits alone.”
“Ah, yes… Then, excuse me.”
Before he could even question her, Sylvia gestured for him to sit, and Kyle, still dumbfounded, hesitantly took a seat across from her.
While he was utterly bewildered, Sylvia remained utterly composed.
“Thank you for meeting me despite my sudden visit.”
“Oh, no. It’s only natural to welcome the lady of the Eleonore family, especially when she has traveled such a distance.”
This whole situation felt like some kind of farce, but since she was treating him as a stranger, Kyle decided to play along and carefully responded.
At that, Sylvia playfully covered her mouth with her hand and exaggeratedly pointed out his wording.
“Oh my, I’m not a ‘lady’ anymore. I have officially inherited the title of head of the family.”
“R-right. My apologies. I’ve been cooped up in my room too much, so I’m slow on the news….”
Technically speaking, the term “lady” was just an honorific used for daughters of noble families, so even if she had inherited the title, there was no strict rule against using it.
Yet, Sylvia made it clear, as if drawing a firm line—”I am no longer the person you once knew.”
Kyle, realizing his mistake, hurriedly corrected himself.
“I see. By the way, you say you’ve been cooped up, but that’s not what I heard.”
“What do you mean?”
“From what I’ve heard recently, you’ve been traveling here and there with a close friend.”
“Cough…!”
At those words, Kyle, who had been trying to nonchalantly sip his tea, froze in place.
It was fortunate that he hadn’t taken a sip yet—otherwise, a disaster would have unfolded.
“Why do you seem so flustered, Lord Lyard?”
“I-I’m not flustered. It’s nothing.”
“Is that so? That’s a relief. I almost thought Lord Lyard was someone who would heartlessly abandon his close lady friend and live well on his own.”
Though her face bore a bright, cheerful smile, her words carried a sharp sting—no, a dagger.
It felt as if a single misstep in his words would drive a blade into his throat and heart.
“…Lady, let’s stop here. This isn’t particularly fun or anything.”
On one hand, exchanging such light banter with Sylvia was enjoyable, but he couldn’t let this situation drag on.
So Kyle lowered his gaze slightly and put an end to this charade.
However, Sylvia remained as unbothered as ever.
“Excuse me? What do you mean?”
“Enough of this. Please just tell me why you came to find me. Or did you come here simply to slap me out of anger?”
Tilting her head playfully, she feigned innocence, prompting Kyle to respond in a deliberately cold tone.
For a moment, they locked eyes in a silent battle of wills.
Usually, when Sylvia joked like this and Kyle called her out, she would back down by now.
But this time, she took it a step further.
“Slap you? What are you talking about? I wouldn’t be so rude as to raise a hand against a man I’m meeting for the first time, would I?”
“Lady.”
Kyle called her firmly, his voice laced with warning, but Sylvia remained as composed as ever.
“In truth, the reason I came to see you today is quite simple. As the head of the Eleonore family, I have a proposal for you.”
“A… proposal?”
Hearing her suddenly speak in such a formal tone, Kyle’s eyebrows twitched slightly.
A proposal? What was this about?
“Since I inherited the title at a young age, my mother has been quite worried. She keeps insisting that I should quickly find a strong partner to support me.”
“That would make sense.”
“Yes, but unfortunately, I’m not interested in marriage talks yet. That said, my mother is urging me so much that I can’t just ignore it.”
It was a reasonable statement.
However, that was only true under the assumption that the two were truly meeting for the first time.
Kyle, who knew Sylvia’s situation better than anyone, could easily tell that every word she just said was a lie.
To begin with, given the recent turmoil in her family and the fact that she had suddenly inherited the family head position, how many mothers would immediately pressure their daughter to find a spouse?
Moreover, since he also had ties with Sylvia’s mother, Marianne, he knew well that she wasn’t the type to be so desperate for marriage talks.
Of course, she also had to know that such words wouldn’t be convincing in the slightest.
So why was she bringing up such a ridiculous story?
Feeling a creeping sense of unease, Kyle unconsciously clenched and unclenched the hand resting on his thigh.
“But coincidentally, I heard that the Lyard family has a wonderful man who isn’t considering marriage yet.”
“You must be mistaken. That’s probably my older brother.”
“No, I’m talking about Lord Lyard.”
“How can you be so sure?”
“It’s a woman’s intuition.”
“…Damn it.”
Kyle couldn’t suppress the curse that slipped out of his mouth.
In the past, she would stop spouting nonsense when confronted, but now, she was pushing forward recklessly, completely unbothered by anything.
“…Yes, it’s true that I’ve been rejecting all marriage proposals. But what exactly is your point?”
“If Lord Lyard is willing, I was wondering if you’d consider forming a contractual relationship with me.”
“A contractual relationship?”
What?
The moment he expressed his doubt, an eerie sense of déjà vu crept over him, making his hand hesitate as it reached for his teacup.
A contractual relationship. It was a phrase he had definitely heard before.
No, there was no way he could not recognize it.
The roles might have changed, but the conversation was nearly identical to one they had in the past.
Kyle’s eyes sharpened in realization, and Sylvia, as if she had been waiting for that moment, narrowed her eyes like a serpent eyeing its prey and quickly added,
“Yes. I mean having a superficial relationship—either dating or being engaged—just on the surface. That way, we won’t have to deal with any marriage talks, and wouldn’t that be nice?”
“No, that would not be nice. As a son, it would be improper for me to make such a major decision without considering my parents’ wishes…”
He had long since abandoned any sense of filial duty, but he knew that if he used that reasoning, she wouldn’t be able to push further.
Kyle was about to continue his argument—
Until Sylvia cut him off, as if questioning whether his resistance was truly sincere.
“That’s a relief, then. Actually, I already got permission a little while ago.”
“…What? You got permission? From whom?”
His eyes widened to the point where they might pop out of their sockets.
And yet, Sylvia simply smiled, her expression as bright as ever.
But for some reason, Kyle felt that her smile was different from the fresh, radiant one he had seen before.
If he had to describe it, it was more like the grin of a hunter who had successfully trapped its prey.
“Why, from none other than Lord Lyard’s parents—Sir Lyard and Lady Lyard. I met with them earlier and received their approval.”
As the cruel reality sank in, Kyle pressed a hand to his forehead and stared blankly at the ceiling.
Had he been too ruthless when he severed ties with her?
Had it driven her to some sort of mental breakdown?
That possibility crossed his mind, given how utterly baffling Sylvia’s behavior was.
‘This is the path you chose, Kyle.’
Watching his reaction, Sylvia smirked, a smile befitting a villain, and clicked her tongue.
He was the one who had unilaterally declared that their relationship was over and walked away.
If that was the case, she would simply follow his lead and erase their past ties—
And instead, rebuild their connection from scratch, on her own terms.
Having already experienced one regression, such a choice was hardly difficult for her.
The only thing that mattered was whether or not she could have him.