Chapter 4.1

“…My lady.”

“Yes…”

“I really didn’t want to say this, but… do you have a death wish or something?”

Axel’s expression was downright terrifying. His icy voice made me shudder involuntarily.

“N-No…”

“And you expect me to believe that ridiculous nonsense? At this point, I’m starting to think you’re just doing this to mock me.”

It was unfair. He didn’t believe me when I simply said I liked him, so this time, I even explained my reasons, and now he thinks I’m mocking him?

Filled with indignation, I snapped and shouted.

“Then w-what do I have to do for you to believe that I like you?”

“I should be the one asking. What will it take for you to stop talking nonsense and act like your usual self again?”

Tch…

His ironclad demeanor, refusing to yield an inch, made my lips pout before I even realized it. Nothing was going the way I wanted.

His gaze lowered, his eyes cold as they fixed on me. Deep distrust lingered in Axel’s piercing stare.

The longer our standoff dragged on, the more impatient I grew. I knew that no matter how hard I tried to convey my sincerity, nothing would get through to him.

I clenched my fists.

…But I couldn’t give up.

If I retreated now, I might never get another chance to get close to him. This felt like the last opportunity given to me.

“…No matter what you say, I’m not giving up!”

“That’s a laugh. And what if you don’t? No matter what you do, nothing’s going to change.”

Axel was looking down on Judith—no, on me.

‘Seriously, I didn’t want to resort to this…!’

Right up to the last second, I wrestled fiercely between reason and desire, my lips twitching with hesitation. Then, finally, I squeezed my eyes shut and blurted it out.

“Y-Your Highness! You know who I am! I’ve been called a mad dog and chased after the Crown Prince nonstop for three years straight!”

“…Ha, so now you’re trying to threaten me?”

Axel muttered in disbelief, glaring at me coldly enough to freeze anyone in their tracks.

His stare was so sharp it felt like it could cut through me, and I swallowed hard, trying to calm my pounding heart. I forced myself to meet his gaze head-on. There was no turning back now, so I decided to brazen it out. If I was going to be rude, I might as well do it consistently from the start to the end.

I shook my head vigorously and blinked innocently, as if what he said was utterly absurd.

“Threaten you, Your Highness? Of course not! I was merely explaining my dedication and sincerity!”

“…I don’t think dedication and sincerity are meant to be used like that.”

He frowned deeply, his expression openly incredulous, but I pretended not to notice and stubbornly pressed on.

“Right now, you refuse to believe my feelings for you are genuine, don’t you? Of course, I understand, Your Highness! With how suddenly I’ve changed, I probably do seem suspicious!”

“So? What are you trying to say?”

Get to the point. He was telling me to keep it short.

“What I’m saying is! Until the day you believe in my sincere feelings, I’m going to keep showing you through effort and actions, consistently and sincerely! Just like I’m doing now!”

With that, I cheerfully winked and made a heart shape with both hands, holding it up to him.

Axel, having had to witness that up close, slowly stiffened as if he had just seen something traumatizing. It only lasted a second, but I could see a storm of emotions—confusion, shock, and even mild horror—flit across his features. His expression hardened, and his gaze grew serious as he stared at me, before he finally murmured quietly.

“…So the part about you being gravely ill was actually true.”

“No, I’m telling you, it wasn’t just that! Every single word I said to you was sincere!”