The Damn Family Is Back Again chapter 146

146. The Grand Intersection (2)

“Did you have a good time among the noble ladies?”

As soon as I heard those words, my words got stuck in my throat.

No, how could that be good?

I deliberately chose this time to avoid being seen by the nobles.

After carefully examining the interior layout and structure of the building that came out as a perfect clear reward, I had entered this place, making sure not to draw attention to myself.

In other words, I had done my best to avoid being seen by the people here. It didn’t feel good to be suddenly surrounded by nobles.

This situation was equivalent to how I felt as a player, but I couldn’t express it directly. Even if there were other reasons, it was undeniable that I felt wronged.

So, I felt resentful.

Those women had one-sidedly pursued me, so why were they acting like this?

I wanted to retort immediately.

But…

‘…Somehow, saying that would make me get hit, wouldn’t it?’

With my accumulated experience, a strange sensation arose along with a cold sweat on my back.

Let’s clear up the misunderstanding first.

“T-that’s… I was just passing by this road…?”

“Hm. That’s fine.”

Oh… this is bad.

My fiancée seemed to be in an even worse mood than before.

Was it not enough to explain that I was just passing by?

“Uh… those people, they weren’t even invited by me, were they?”

“Yes. But?”

“…They suddenly rushed in from that side. I’m not lying, am I?”

Harnie asked in a sharper tone.

“Considering that, you were quite patient, weren’t you?”

“If I had an accident, it would be obvious that the news would spread to the entertainment agency, wouldn’t it?”

“So, you’re saying that even though the idols’ hands were reaching out one by one, you just stood still?”

She leaned her face in close to mine.

I instinctively took a step back.

“If you refused, that would be it! You didn’t say a word, just stood there quietly!”

“If you hear something unpleasant, you can’t help but… Ugh!”

Harnie’s face drew closer, and I took another step back.

“If you say no, that’s it. It’s not like you’re causing a scene, just politely declining. Can’t you just do that?”

“No, I want to, but it’s hard…!”

She took another step closer.

I swallowed hard and retreated again.

“There’s a schedule, so you can pretend to be busy and leave. You can say you’re tired and want to rest, or that you have a prior commitment and need to leave first. You can even say you’re hungry or that you’re in the middle of preparing something. At worst, you can say you have a stomachache! What’s so hard about that?”

Every time I suggested a way to escape, Harnie took another step closer.

As I matched her pace, step by step, I was eventually backed into a corner.

“You’re the one who didn’t say a word! You didn’t ask me to solve it with violence, just a few words would do. Why didn’t you? Don’t you know how many things you could have said in that situation?”

I felt the hard wall behind me.

Now, I was cornered, with no way to retreat.

“Besides, there’s an even better way, why didn’t you use it? If you had, you would have been able to leave right away!”

“…What’s the best way?”

Did such a thing exist?

As I tilted my head, Harnie narrowed the distance between us.

Now, there was no way to retreat.

“Is saying you have a girlfriend really that hard? You have people you want to meet, so you can just cut off the unnecessary ones and draw a clear line, can’t you?”

This was the issue.

I scratched the back of my head and opened my tightly shut lips.

“Th…”

“What is it?”

Despite the increasingly sharp tone that made my sweat trickle, I had to say this.

“Aren’t you too close?”

“…Yes?”

Harnie looked perplexed at the sudden question.

-Cook.

I pointed to the space between us with my index finger.

“You said you didn’t like skinship, didn’t you? If you keep getting closer, we’ll touch.”

“…”

“Ah, I can finally take a breather.

The girl who had been avoiding me like a plague finally backed off.

She turned around, momentarily silent, then shook her head and glanced at me.

“…It wasn’t intentional.”

“…I guess so. I didn’t mean for those girls to approach me either.”

With a newfound sense of ease, I adjusted my tone and added, “Then why didn’t you say anything?”

“I was too flustered when I arrived, and I was thinking about how to handle it.”

“You were thinking about it?”

“Yes. If I had handled it poorly, it would have gotten distorted and spread to our families’ ears.”

“Ah…”

She let out a short sigh, as if she understood.

But it seemed that wasn’t enough, as her gaze turned sharp again.

“Still, if you had just said you had a fiancée, that would have been enough. You didn’t have to say anything.”

“Um, I didn’t think that far ahead.”

“Is there a reason you couldn’t say it?”

“Yes.”

“What’s the reason, then?”

Harinee looked at me with an incredulous expression.

“It’s just a contract, after all. Between you and me.”

“That may be true, but I thought you might dislike it.”

“…What?”

“It’s a contractual engagement, isn’t it? Considering how you’ve suffered from all the harassment and teasing from men, I thought it wouldn’t be right for me to say something like that.”

Harinee had told me about it when we signed the contract.

Other men had carelessly proposed to her, and some had even tried to create opportunities to be alone with her.

I may not have experienced it myself, but as someone who had gone through it countless times, it was no wonder she was extremely cautious.

From the start, the purpose of our contractual engagement was to avoid such situations.

It was a strategic marriage to escape the crisis, and to avoid experiencing such things again. We had even made a vow, and pretended to be lovers.

Harinee had made that judgment to protect herself.

But if I were to take advantage of this situation, what would happen?

That’s why I didn’t say anything.

“Maybe… I was too hasty in my words. You’ll find a good man and get married someday, won’t you?”

“…”

“If you give me permission, I’ll make sure to use it… but…”

Harinee silently stared at me, then turned her head away with a huff.

“You don’t need permission to say things like that! We’re supposed to be cooperating, after all… Ah, from now on, you can openly say you have a fiancée!”

“Uh, um… yes.”

This response was also strange. I felt uneasy and scratched my cheek.

An awkward silence fell upon us.

This story might end here, but there was no other way to put it to Haruni.

Since we were alone, I decided to ask him a question.

“Haruni, you said you’d set a schedule, but why didn’t you respond to my letter?”

“Ah… that thing.”

It seemed like there was a reason, and Haruni let out a deep sigh.

“You, we have to dance together.”

…What?

Was he talking about his fiancée?

What nonsense was this?

***

“Ha…”

Karsenin, covering his face with one hand, let out a deep sigh.

It was such a deep sigh that it seemed like he could pierce through the table and reach the ground.

He took his hand away from his face, looking troubled, and asked again.

“So, is this how it is? You had to lie about having a fiancée because of the rumors in social circles before signing the contract with me. And it just so happens that we have to dance together at the party today. And the reason you couldn’t respond to my letter was because of the surveillance from the duke’s family.”

“…”

Haruni nodded silently, without a single mistake in his response.

There was nothing to say.

This was clearly his own mistake.

“…Just to make sure, when does the ball start?”

“Ah, it’s about an hour from now… right?”

“No. So, you’re saying we have to dance perfectly in front of the social circle’s ladies, and that’s with me?”

It was a question that seemed to imply, “Is that even possible?”

Sweat was dripping down Haruni’s back.

“Is there no other way?”

“No… there isn’t.”

From noble mtl dot com

“But can’t you think of something?”

“It’s not like I can just…”

We had already promised to dance, so what could we do?

In the end, we had to get on stage, and that wasn’t going to change.

Karsenin let out another deep sigh.

“I, for your information, can’t dance. I’ve never danced before.”

“But if we practice from now, we can somehow make it work!”

“How can we make it work if I’ve never danced before? What’s the point?”

“Do you know if you have a talent for dancing?”

“Oh, please. You’re saying I have a talent for dancing? You’re the one who only practiced with a mannequin.”

“Ai, really. Let’s just get started and see how it goes. We know how to dance, so let’s just practice and see what happens.”

Karsenin reluctantly got up from his seat.

Haruni slowly examined Karsenin’s body.

“Hmm… your height is…”

But I realized late, Harunie was looking up at Carsein.

I felt a strange sensation, so I took a step back and adjusted the distance between us to realize it wasn’t just my imagination.

It was definitely bigger.

Carsein was originally a bit taller than me, so it wasn’t like I had to look up to him this much.

Moreover, his body had changed as well.

His build had become broader, and when he stretched out his arms, it seemed like he could cover his entire body. The sensation of his firm muscles through the slightly open collar of his shirt was distinct from his slender physique back then.

And…

“Why is that? Is there a problem with my body?”

The other side had also changed.

It was definitely different.

The kind of difference that would make the girls go crazy.

“Harunie?”

“Yes?”

“Wasn’t it urgent? We need to practice right away.”

“That’s right. We need to… First, can you lightly hold my hand with this hand, and the other hand—”

I tried to teach Carsein, but it didn’t seem like I was focusing properly.

Somehow…