The Unlikely Imprint of the Villainess and the Male Lead - Chapter 72
Chapter 72
Translator: Yonnee
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‘…Damn it.’
Richt’s throat churned as if in waves.
The moment he heard that she would be attending, his heart suddenly grew restless.
The Spring Festival. What kind of social gathering was that?
Though he had never attended it, he had heard enough to have a rough idea.
It was the very place where, not only did one perform a dance with one’s chosen partner, but even sticking together all day wouldn’t be frowned upon.
“……”
Up until now, he hadn’t given the invitation any thought.
But the idea of Luciana dancing and engaging in cheerful conversation with another man stirred an unbearable resentment within him.
‘Attending the Spring Festival…’
Richt suddenly recalled the image of himself standing by Luciana’s side.
The carefully coordinated, if not perfectly matched, dress code and the natural escorting.
His mind dismissed it as nonsense, yet why did his insides burn as if he had swallowed a spark?
‘The Spring Festival. The Spring Festival, huh…’
It’s driving him insane.
Had he ever been this impatient in his life?
As if facing the decision of a lifetime, swallowing dryly, Richt could no longer resist his impulsive urge. In the end, the seal keeping his self-control broke apart.
“How about attending it with me?”
“…Pardon me?!”
Attending what? The Spring Festival?
‘Us…?’
Are you out of your mind…
Though the words were blasphemous, Luciana sincerely wanted to ask just that.
In an instant, she imagined herself entering arm in arm with Richt lovingly.
People would gape in surprise at this unexpected pairing, and the attendants would be busy whispering.
‘Even without watching the reactions, it’s obvious. Suddenly proposing a partner? In the original, it was with the female lead, not me…’
Ah, right. The imprint.
Realizing the cause, Luciana recalled the flow of the novel with a stern expression.
Under normal circumstances, Richt would have had to film a refreshing romcom scene at a social gathering he never cared for, simply because Deborah had requested to attend the Spring Festival with him.
But due to that one fateful night Luciana had with him, Richt and Deborah couldn’t even go on a cringe-inducing date, and she ended up being unable to attend the Spring Festival with him.
‘Things were odd ever since he wiped my nosebleed. Could this partner proposal also be a consequence of the imprint?’
Considering the strange behavior Richt had shown lately, it was a perfectly reasonable thought.
‘Back then he’d snap back to his senses quickly, but now it seems he doesn’t even realize he’s changed?’
At this point, one would expect to hear something like “Damn it. Just pretend you never heard that,” or “I misspoke, so don’t get the wrong idea.” Yet why was he so subdued?
‘Or is it really that he’s attending only because of the Second Princess?’
No matter how influential the princess might be, Richt was not someone who would simply follow along.
The more Luciana thought about it, the less clear it became—she felt lost in a maze.
She didn’t know exactly why he intended to attend the Spring Festival, but she made a great effort to understand his odd behavior.
Of course, that didn’t mean she was even remotely considering accepting his proposal.
“I’m sorry, but as for being partners…”
“Why?”
“Huh? Well, obviously…”
Was it really necessary to explain in detail?
Before any hint of refusal could be sensed, his tone demanded an answer in a rather intimidating manner.
Luciana hesitated for a moment, wondering if she should go that far, but decided that being honest would be better for both of them, so she spoke directly.
“Duke, you and I are practically strangers in public. So if we suddenly walk in together as partners, won’t all the time we’ve spent carefully keeping our distance be rendered meaningless…?”
“!”
The moment Luciana finished speaking, he flinched.
Seeing his previously fixed, stern gaze melt away in an instant, he appeared utterly flustered.
‘Damn it.’
There wasn’t a single flaw in her words. Foolishly, Richt realized his mistake a beat too late.
‘…Damn it. I got swept away without meaning to. I couldn’t help but spout nonsense because I couldn’t hold back my feelings.’
How utterly foolish.
He was more shocked at the fact that he hadn’t noticed his own change until Luciana’s refusal than anything else.
But his embarrassment was quickly set aside.
“Hmm… Well, even if that’s not the exact reason, I simply can’t accept your invitation to be partners.”
As Luciana spoke cautiously, Richt could feel his rationality evaporating once more.
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