About Your Pride and My Prejudice

Side Story Episode 7: Love Like Crazy

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“No……?”

Melissa, who couldn’t figure out why he was strangely upset, couldn’t hide her embarrassed expression.

Afterwards, Alan let out a low sigh, leaned against the backrest, and muttered.

“I will do it for you. If it’s your dream to put on a play.”

“That is—”

“I will arrange for the best experts and create a stage unlike anything you have ever seen before. You can choose the actors and orchestra according to your taste. How is it?”

“No, I..… It’s a play, but…….”

Melissa, who had forgotten what to say for a moment, blinked her eyes with a stunned expression on her face and spoke again.

“……It’s the National Theatre, Alan. How much this means…… Haa.”

“…….”

“Even if it wasn’t the National Theater, why turn it down when we received an offer and run it yourself? That’s a ridiculous luxury. It’s such an expensive hobby…….”

Melissa was just confused. Did he still have traces of Alan Leopold’s extravagance? Buying coffee shops and grand castles more easily than he would choose a book…

Hasn’t he forgotten everything? Or did he, by any chance, not want his wife to stand out?

Perhaps he thinks a well-behaved wife at home is the most ideal. Otherwise, why change his attitude in such an instant?

He was so sweet earlier, but now he seems to be strangely suppressing himself…….

“It’s expensive?”

At that time, Alan laughed as if it were absurd.

“First, I need to correct your misunderstanding.”

“Misunderstanding……?”

“I don’t have any patriotism.”

The answer he gave was completely unexpected.

“Moreover, is it really my dream and passion to roll up my sleeves and engage in trade and diplomacy in a country that is not even my own?”

“……What do you want to say?”

“The man you fell in love with was Alan Leopold, Melissa. He was the successor to Leopold.”

“That’s…….”

Do you think that’s why I fell in love with you? The question was so absurd that it was swallowed helplessly.

“I am not him now. Unfortunately.”

“……”

“The reason I focus on work is money. That’s it. Because I gave up the position of succession to the kingdom’s highest family with my own hands. I will never disappoint you for choosing me.”

Melissa’s lips gently opened at that firm voice. What kind of stupid thing is he saying now?

“I won’t be disappointed in you if I can’t buy you my favorite coffee shop, Alan… It’s true that my heart raced at the sight of you looking infinitely flawless….”

“…….”

“I can’t deny that it also includes your background, but I…….”

“I know, Melissa.”

The moment a thin soot gently dispersed over the glowing candle flame, the candle dripped candle wax like tears.

“Just to be an honorable husband to you, to listen to whatever you want at any time, and to prevent reality from becoming shabbier than the faded past, I will continue to make money like I am now.”

“……”

There were times when she believed he was a businessman to his core. In fact, it was like that until yesterday. All those moments seemed to disperse like faint smoke.

So, it was all because of her.

Even though they touched each other’s skin every day, she still didn’t know this much about him. He was just as worried as she was…….

Her heart was pounding so hard that she felt like she was going to burst out laughing. Even though she was sitting on a chair, her legs kept feeling weak. How can she explain this feeling?

“So turning your novel into a play is no problem. Your husband is still a wealthy man, although not as wealthy as Leopold’s master.”

“…….”

“I’m serious. I can buy you a theater too, Melissa.”

“……Ha.”

In the end, Melissa laughed helplessly and touched her forehead. Somehow, he hasn’t changed at all.

“Alan, I decline that. I am truly grateful, but this offer is special and honorable to me.”

“…….”

“Unless you don’t want our story to be told on stage, please allow it. Huh?”

Melissa put her hands together again. Alan sighed softly.

“…It’s not that I don’t want that story to be staged and widely known. There’s no reason for that.”

“So you’re going to allow it, right?”

“…….”

“What’s wrong with your expression. What’s wrong with you…….”

Melissa jumped up from her seat and ran towards her husband. Suddenly, Alan’s expressionless face fell into his wife’s chest.

“Melissa, breathe…”

“We promised, didn’t we? We decided to be honest about everything.”

“…….”

Alan was silent for a moment. Then, all of a sudden, he buried his face deeply in Melissa’s arms, and embraced her narrow waist.

“……I’m nervous about you meeting people.”

As Alan mumbled like a child in his arms, her small hands gently caressed the smooth black hair.

“Really? You’re afraid I’ll be ignored again?”

“No.”

Alan, who responded in that way, rubbed his nose against her chest. His breath, which was scattered in her arms, was itchy, and the woman who was laughing suddenly held her breath at the words that followed.

“Because you’re a shining person.”

“What?”

Melissa, who wrapped her cheeks around Alan’s, took off her body. His face, with a stupid expression, was filled in his brilliant eyes.

“Because you’re pretty. Because you shine even more here.”

Melissa looked at him with a look of nonsense.

“What……?”

“That’s why I’m nervous.”

Alan was awkward to say uncharacteristically strange things, but there was no lie in his words.

Melissa Collins was subtly beautiful, even in the Kingdom of Sorne. Like a transparent droplet. She wasn’t an eye-catching impression at once, but when he looked deep, she couldn’t be so fair and cleanly pretty. Unfortunately, he was the only one who recognized her, and he had to agonize countless times.

And here in the Principality of Lunoa, her beauty stood out, as Melissa Flynn was disturbingly pure among those who could not empty or spare any of her appearance.

Moreover, having overcome the seemingly eternal anxiety and living in overflowing love, she now knew how to smile like a newly bloomed flower…

During the last Founder’s Day festival, he had rushed to ladies salon, worried that his woman might be in tears, harassed by the noble ladies.

But in truth, he had to quickly leave the Great Hall. Had he not, he would have punched the faces of the principality’s gentlemen one by one. It would have made the front page of the newspapers again with an unsavory incident.

Men who openly showed interest in the Countess of Elsinore. It was maddening that these people felt no shame in coveting a married woman.

But he had to endure it all. The reason they left Sorne was his firm determination not to let her live amid endless rumors and labels.

Given the situation, the intense desire to protect his wife, to hide her away, was crushing his heart…

“…Was that the reason?”

How could he tie down this woman, with her innocent, doe-like face? Alan was just burning inside.

“You, you really… love me.”

“Like crazy.”

Melissa’s face flushed at his sigh-like answer. It seemed like she might burst any moment, so Alan brushed his knuckles against her rosy cheek.

Sure enough, her cheek was warm and soft, like a freshly baked pancake. He wanted to devour her right then and there.

Whether she knew this or not, Melissa rubbed her cheek against his pleasantly cool knuckles and whispered.

“But Alan, you’re the only one who thinks that way. Silly.”

No, Melissa.

“You don’t need to worry. It’s just about work. If they mock my Lunoian or say that the Count of Elsinore is undeserving, this time I will too…”

“Your Lunoian is excellent. If those who can’t speak a word of Sornean spew rude comments, I’ll break their noses with my shoe heel.”

“What? That’s too—”

“If they spout nonsense about the Count of Elsinore being too good for you, tell them this: the Count is utterly mad, eyes rolling back as he clings to you like a lunatic every night. And he’ll make sure you have no place to stand, no matter what it takes—”

Alan’s terrifying words were swallowed up by Melissa’s mouth. With his fine lips bitten, Lady Flynn laughed. Then, mockingly, his satin-like tongue completely entwined her plump tongue.

“Mm…”

Alan, now cupping her face, slowly rose. Deep kisses rained down like stars, leaving her mind blank. Melissa, squeezing her eyes shut, desperately clung to him, rising on tiptoes.

When their lips finally parted, Alan couldn’t help but pull his wife into a tight embrace. Melissa, who had been wriggling slightly to find a comfortable position, wrapped her arms around his broad back as if she had been waiting for this. After patting his back a couple of times, she whispered secretively.

“You’ll allow it, won’t you, dear?”

“……”

“I know everything. You said my dream is your dream too. You even started a company to publish my book.”

Kissing Alan’s firm forearm, she added.

“I’ll talk to them. I’ll show them that I’m a trustworthy wife.”

Alan, letting out a low sigh, lowered his lips to her soft, brown hair.

“It’s not that I don’t trust you.”

“Who else do I have but you? Have you forgotten how I came to meet you?”

She whispered, rubbing her soft cheek against Alan’s arm. 𝔣𝔯𝖊𝔢𝖜𝔢𝔟𝖓𝖔𝔳𝔢𝖑.𝔠𝖔𝔪

“Don’t worry, my love.”

“…….”

It’s a troublesome situation. It’s not an overt seduction, just a warm embrace and a kind voice, but why does it stir him so much? This way, I’m no different from a beast…

Feeling awkward, he answered by giving a small kiss above her rounded ear, and Melissa laughed like ripples in the wind.

“Thank you.”

Her whispering voice flowed into my ear and fluttered around in my chest.

“I love you.”

“…Melissa.”

“Hmm?”

“Right now, if I pull this…”

Pull what?

Her round brown eyes followed his fingertips anxiously. His beautiful fingers were gently gripping the snow-white tablecloth, as pale as his skin.

“If I were to push everything off here and lay you down on this—”

“No!”

Melissa murmured anxiously, staring at the five flames flickering atop the candlestick.

“If you did that, our house would burn down.”

“…I think I might burn up first.”

At those words, Melissa quickly pulled away, glancing back and forth between Alan’s calm face and his not-so-calm lower half.

“Oh.”

No wonder it felt so hot.

And when their eyes finally met,

“Kyah!”

Alan scooped his wife up in one swift motion. The Count’s steps grew quicker as he left the dining hall. Like riding an untamed wild horse, the Countess’s laughter-tinged screams echoed through the grand hallway.

Two maids who had been busy cleaning the windows froze, clothes in hand.

“My goodness. Again today?”

“…They’re quite something.”

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