MFTR 54

MFTR

Posted by Arsiii_here, Released on August 19, 2025

Chapter 54

All That He Did Was for Me…

“…What?”

Cardin inhaled sharply.

“What… do you mean by that?”

He had frozen for a moment, and now, without his mask to hide behind, he forgot even to control his expression. His tone came out stiff, and he pressed his lips together tightly.

If he didn’t, his heart might leap right out of his chest from beating so wildly.

But Annette, no less dazed than Cardin, was too overwhelmed to notice the change in his expression and spoke pitifully.

“I think I’ve been completely smitten. Your Highness looks so incredibly handsome.”

“……”

When she first heard Mikhail say something like that, Annette had thought it was just childish nonsense—cute but silly.

She’d never been in love before, so she hadn’t thought such a thing could actually happen.

But now… it turned out to be true.

No matter how she thought about it, there was no other explanation. She was utterly smitten.

‘So this is what love feels like. It really can blind you.’

She realized then that, whether she’d admitted it to herself or not, she’d already started to develop special feelings for Cardin.

She just couldn’t believe she’d fallen so hard for someone she’d only known for a few days, someone who suddenly felt like the most important person in her life. That disbelief had kept her from acknowledging it until now.

“I know it might sound strange, but it’s the truth.”

Startled by her own emotional upheaval, Annette hadn’t even realized she had just confessed her feelings out loud.

If only Cardin were a phantom beast casting illusions, she could’ve swung her sword a few times and escaped it. But with Cardin, she couldn’t even draw her blade. She had no idea how to deal with this.

Then—

“So, Princess… You’re saying… I look handsome to you?”

Cardin, who normally spoke so smoothly, now rubbed his mouth several times in embarrassment as he asked in a halting voice.

Annette quickly nodded.

“Yes. Not just handsome. You’re… radiant.”

And the moment she said it, clarity hit her like a slap.

To confess right after realizing she liked him—what madness.

From Cardin’s perspective, who had just bravely removed his mask, she probably seemed completely unhinged.

Just as she was about to stammer out a hasty excuse in case he was offended—

“Th-That is… I…”

“I wish… you really were smitten with me, Princess.”

Cardin murmured with a hint of bitterness.

Though his bright features still glowed, there was a faint sorrow in his expression.

“…What?” Annette tilted her head in confusion.

Cardin forced a strained smile.

“Unfortunately, that’s not the case. But still, I’m glad you like the way I look.”

“What are you talking about…?”

“Do you remember when I told you at the palace that I had something to confess once we returned to the Grand Duchy?”

“Yes, but… why bring that up now?”

Annette blinked at the sudden question—until she suddenly froze.

“No way…”

As if confirming her suspicions, Cardin smiled wryly and said:

“That’s right. The rumor that my face was ruined by the blood of a phantom beast? That was a lie.”

The rumors about the Grand Duke of Harzent—who supposedly lost his beauty and turned into a bloodthirsty madman—were all false.

Annette was even more shocked to learn that those very rumors had been spread deliberately by Cardin himself, with the knowledge and cooperation of the imperial family and the Grand Duchy’s retainers.

But even more overwhelming than the shock… was the sheer embarrassment.

She had gone on and on about how handsome he was—how smitten she was—right to his face.

If there had been a mouse hole nearby, she would’ve gladly crawled into it.

She felt utterly pathetic and miserable. Her face gloomy, she kept sighing deeply. Seeing her like that, Cardin hesitantly asked:

“Are you… very angry?”

Annette, who had been staring at the ground, lifted her gaze.

The moment her eyes met his—those stunning blue eyes—he flinched and quickly cast his gaze down, hiding behind his lashes.

‘Even the way he avoids eye contact is painfully beautiful.’

Unaware that Cardin was consciously weaponizing his looks to soften her mood, Annette let out a breathy chuckle.

She didn’t know the full story, but she figured most of the rumors swirling around him had been exaggerated.

After all, Cardin wasn’t just anybody—he was the younger brother of the emperor of the mighty Alkhan Empire, and a man of immense personal power and prestige. Of course people would embellish the stories about him.

There had even been rumors in society that the Grand Duke was so beautiful he could enchant anyone, regardless of age or gender.

Whoever first said that—Annette wanted to applaud them for their accuracy.

Even now, though the sun shone on everyone equally, it felt like he alone radiated a divine glow.

‘So maybe I can’t help being fooled.’

She smiled bitterly, watching Cardin glitter before her very eyes.

Still… confessing that she was under a spell of infatuation was beyond mortifying.

‘So it’s not love, then…’

But why did her heart keep pounding like this?

Unable to stand the rapid beating in her chest, she pressed a fist lightly against it.

In truth, her heart had been racing from the moment she heard he was waiting for her in the drawing room—but she had failed to realize it.

“Princess, you must really be upset…”

Seeing how quiet she’d gone, Cardin spoke in a voice that had dimmed with worry.

He bit his lip hard.

Even though he had pulled out all the stops with his looks, it clearly hadn’t been enough to soothe her.

So now he was racking his brain, desperate for a way to make things right.

“N-No, not at all. I was just lost in thought.”

“…Ah.”

Hearing that she had been thinking about something else entirely while he was sitting right there, Cardin looked crushed.

Then Annette said calmly:

“To be honest… I’m not that angry. I figured there must’ve been a reason for the rumors and the mask. Of course, I do wish you’d told me sooner…”

If only he had warned her before taking off the mask, she wouldn’t have embarrassed herself so much.

She swallowed dryly and continued.

“Anyway, Your Highness, you did say you had something to tell me when we returned to the Grand Duchy.”

And that—was surprising in its own way.

She didn’t know what his reasons were, but he must’ve put a lot of effort into crafting the rumors and keeping the truth hidden for so long. Yet from their very first meeting, he had been preparing to tell her.

“Still, one thing is clear—Your Highness, you really are a liar.”

But not a swindler. In fact, you only suffered because of that lie, and then you told the truth yourself.

Cardin watched her carefully, as if trying to gauge whether she was still upset. When he realized she wasn’t, he finally let out the breath he’d been holding.

The tension in his shoulders eased, and with a gentle smile in his eyes, he said slyly:

“You never know. Maybe I did gain something from all of it.”

Her words about being a liar-but-not-a-swindler had only applied to how he treated her.

Then, blinking innocently, he asked:

“Princess… aren’t you curious why I did it?”

“Well…”

A hint of tension flitted across Annette’s face.

She hesitated, but the truth was—she was very curious.

‘Was it because of me…?’

Just imagining it made her heart race with hope.

She had thought before that if Cardin hadn’t been surrounded by such terrifying rumors, someone like her would never have had a chance to be connected to him.

After all, at their very first meeting, Cardin had said he would accept no one but her as his bride.

‘But… if I’m wrong again and end up humiliated…’

If the reason she imagined turned out to be wrong, it wouldn’t just be embarrassing—it would be heartbreaking.

So this time, Annette waited, hoping that he would be the one to say it.

‘That all of it—was for me.’

Her cheeks flushed. Swallowing her anticipation, she asked as calmly as she could:

“I am curious. Why did you spread those rumors and wear that mask?”

“Well…”

Cardin opened his mouth to answer.

And at the same time, a faint, bittersweet smile crept onto Annette’s lips.

Afternoon.

Cardin stood by the window of his office, gazing outside.