For Romantic Superpowers - Chapter 60 - Unlucky Day (2)

#60. Unlucky Day (2)

Abigail constantly stuck to Perth. Sometimes he managed to avoid her by pretending it was a coincidence, but it was hard to avoid being caught blatantly. What did this woman eat wrong to bother him like this? He was reaching the point where he disliked contact with people again. 

After barely finishing the greenhouse tour, he finally felt relieved. He thought they had seen everything and could now rest and have dinner with Alfonse, but she suddenly insisted on going for a walk. Despite persuading her that there was a desolate landscape with no flowers, it was futile.

“It’s almost dinner time.”

“Just a short walk won’t hurt, right?”

As expected, if she insisted, he had no choice but to accept. Perth clenched his teeth and wondered how long Alfonse would have to wait.

“Don’t let everyone into the garden. We have something to discuss with Mr. Perth.”

“Lady Ferdinand…?”

As soon as they arrived at the garden, Abigail waved her hand to dismiss everyone. Seeing people disappear, Abigail tried to link arms with him. But Perth instinctively avoided her. Abigail glared at him, but he pretended not to notice, staring at the clock.

Now it was almost time for dinner, and the sun was setting. Even the flowerless garden was tinged with red at this time. Despite that, the prince’s palace garden was emptier compared to other palaces. There was only one table near the fountain occasionally used for tea time. With little to see, few people bothered to come here, which made it perfect for Lia and himself to hide and have their meal.

“It’s getting cold. It’s about time to finish the garden tour and go inside…”

“I like you, Mr. Perth.”

Abigail said so, looking at Perth with moist eyes. Usually, when someone looked at her like that, anyone would blush. But perhaps due to his glasses, Perth’s face was not visible.

“Ah… Lady Abigail.”

But she had missed one thing. Perth was a composed man. Despite his supervisor’s fiancée confessing in front of him, he felt nothing but annoyance, not excitement or confusion. He carefully chose his words in his mind. The conclusion was clear. While slowly lifting his glasses, Perth noticed bushes moving behind Abigail.

Rustle.

However, perhaps due to her nervousness, Abigail didn’t notice the movement. Tilting his head slightly to look, Perth saw the familiar end of a white cloth and Lia awkwardly smiling. At that moment, Perth couldn’t help but be shaken. Looking at him, frozen in surprise, Abigail thought he was taken aback by her confession.

“Mr. Perth? Are you okay?”

Lia raised her hand and gestured with her mouth.

‘I’ll be right there. ’

Then, following her own words, she slowly began to crawl away. This was a disaster. Only that word echoed in Perth’s mind. Of all the moments to be caught in a confession scene!

“Is there something behind us?”

“Y-young Lady!”

Finally, Abigail noticed something odd. Perth, without even realizing it himself, grabbed Abigail’s arms to prevent her from noticing Lia behind them. Lia stopped moving, afraid of being noticed. Abigail just thought Perth was assertive.

“Yes, yes!”

“From now on, I’ll be the one speaking, so please just listen to me. Don’t worry about anything else.”

Especially about what’s directly behind! Perth subtly gestured for Lia to escape. Lia quickly understood the signal and started crawling away.

“I’m really happy to hear what the young lady said. What man wouldn’t be pleased when a beauty like the lady confesses to him? I also consider it an infinite honor.”

He was trembling, even stuttering, which he rarely did, just to buy some time. Despite his awkwardness, it seemed fine to Abigail. He couldn’t help but want to bite his tongue at the thought of Lia hearing all of this. Perth’s words were gradually losing their essence and turning into praise for Abigail. He never thought he could say such things. He almost found solace in his exceptional crisis management skills. Finally, when Lia disappeared from his sight, Perth let go of Abigail’s arm.

“Mr. Perth, so you accept my feelings?”

“No, Young Lady.”

His attitude became firm again as soon as Lia disappeared.

“B-but you’ve praised me so much until now?”

“Everyone thinks that way.”

Though he wasn’t included in that ‘everyone’. Perth was more concerned about the situation when he met Lia later. Even at a glance, it seemed he didn’t like Abigail. Even if she was oblivious, she should have realized that much. His attention was solely on one person, Lia. But of all things, to be caught in a confession scene by her. Bad luck wasn’t just bad, it was extraordinary.

“Mr. Perth, don’t you think so?”

“I’m sorry. I cannot be in such a relationship with Prince Alfonse’s fiancée.”

“But Prince Alfonse meets freely with her, right? Are you implying that as his aide, you’re unaware of that?”

His cursed supervisor was always a stumbling block. Perth tried to maintain a neutral expression.

“I’m unaware of any aspects related to the prince’s private life. I’m just an aide.”

Trying to make excuses only made things worse. Abigail suddenly started tearfully leaning on Perth.

“Mr. Perth…! I feel so hurt because of Prince Alfonse!”

But Perth, without realizing it, moved again to avoid her. Thanks to him, Abigail was on the brink of falling. Unable to ignore that, he reached out and caught her. She stood firm on her own feet, glaring at Perth.

“Aren’t you going to comfort me?”

The dry tears in her eyes quickly revealed that they were fake. Seeing her suddenly become resentful, Perth chuckled wryly.

“Lady Abigail doesn’t seem to need comfort right now.”

Even without taking off his gloves to peer into her inner thoughts, he knew. It was all about revenge against Alfonse, possessiveness towards Perth, and jealousy towards Lia. Whatever it was, there was no pure affection there.

“Are you saying this knowing who I am?” 

Abigail’s eyes were filled with anger. The man in front of her was just an aide. He had no right to reject her.

“I’m saying it knowing full well. Lady Abigail Ferdinand, the fiancée of Prince Alfonse Psychedelia, the first prince.”

It didn’t end there. The Ferdinands were the most influential ducal family in Psychedelia after the royal family. Throughout generations, it was the Ferdinands who married into the Psychedelia royal family. Accordingly, Abigail was promised to marry Alfonse as soon as she was born. She wasn’t just a simple fiancée. She was the future queen! But the person in front of her didn’t seem at all daunted by her status. The polite smile he had just had disappeared, replaced by a cold, indifferent expression.

“Is it because of her?”

Abigail raised the corner of her mouth. The moment the word ‘her’ came out, the same person flashed through both of their minds. But Perth denied it for now.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Do you think you can reject me and get away with it? Say hello to her for me. She’ll have a hard time from now on.”

With that said, Abigail turned away without hesitation. Her decisive departure contradicted everything she had just been wavering about. Without following her immediately, Perth lingered in the garden for a while. She probably didn’t want to face him right now anyway. What worried him more was the other side.

“What did she say….”

He muttered, ruffling his bangs in anguish. There had been only one person who made him feel this pathetic.

* * *

During dinner, Lia faced a dilemma. No, perhaps the other party was also in a dilemma. Ultimately, it was close to a disaster for both sides.

“About the confession…”

Even though she hadn’t finished dinner yet, her appetite had vanished. The scene in front of her was still vivid in her mind. Perth’s surprised expression lingered. She also remembered the compliments that followed. Most of them praised her beautiful appearance. It was even more shocking coming from someone she thought was indifferent.

Lia discreetly glanced at her reflection in the mirror. Well, she wasn’t bad-looking, but it was hard to say she was as stunning as the young lady. She had understood since childhood that her appearance wasn’t outstanding compared to her two older brothers.

“Why do I feel so stifled…?”

Realizing this fact again didn’t feel like a wound. But ever since she came to the dormitory, her mood had been low. The stifling air seemed to wrap around her and wouldn’t let go. She concluded that it must be because she encountered Abigail today. It was exhausting to receive blatant animosity from someone, regardless of who they were. When her head felt muddled, one solution was simply to sleep. Lia stopped thinking further and buried her face in her blanket.

* * *

She had tossed and turned all night. Her body rose, but her mind didn’t easily awaken. Hoping for some color to return to her pale skin, Lia gently stroked her under-eye area.

“Are you tired?”

She was quite startled to see a rarely-seen guest appear before her eyes since morning. It was hair with a glossy sheen as if it were styled every day. With a dazed mind, she had such thoughts. 

“Lady Lia?”

His cautious touch was about to land on her face. Lia, who had regained her senses, quickly moved away. He, too, was surprised to be rejected, as there had been few instances where he extended his hand and was refused. His hand was bare. All he wanted was a little advice before he apologized, and that was all, but she shied away from his hand as if she knew what he was capable of. 

Lia looked at Perth with an anxious expression. He must have been embarrassed, being so startled. But how could she not be surprised? The person who had turned her mind upside down all night was right in front of her.

“What… what’s going on so early in the morning?”

She had been diligent. She hadn’t even fully awakened yet. He had always been waiting for her like this whenever there was something to do. His neat face caught her eye. Perhaps because of the bright morning sunlight, Lia furrowed her brows slightly. Even her small actions made Perth uneasy. It felt like a bad omen. Her heart pounded fiercely.

“The second month is almost over now.”