I sat there in silence for a while before a sudden thought occurred to me. I raised my head.

“Wait a minute, don’t you… like Noah too? Didn’t the book say that you liked him also?”

“Ugh, why would I like that prick for?”

Looking disgusted, Gloria scrunched up her face. At the sight of her honestly grossed-out expression, my face also became distorted.

Huh, then why?

“But last time you told me, like… how we don’t look suit each other,” I stammered.

Fluttering her long eyelashes, Gloria replied as if what she was saying next was a given matter, “That? Well, that’s obviously because I think you’re too good for the likes of him.”

My face froze just like that.

Has this senior gone mad? In what way did those words make any sense?

I resisted the urge to grab my head in all this confusion and settled for ruminating on the inside, but Gloria gave me a dewy, gentle gaze and licked her lips.

“Hey, I really like you, you know.”

“Huh?”

What was with this confession out of nowhere?!

My already-distorted face crumpled even more.

“Yes, it really was… a lonely fangirling life.”

With quite a wistful expression, Gloria sighed in regret and massaged the corners of her eyes.

“There weren’t many descriptions of your appearance, nor any special goods, and not a single illustration…”

I actually couldn’t understand more than half of what she was saying, but I just let it be for what it was.

Just as I was beginning to feel a deep skepticism for this entire conversation, Gloria opened her mouth again. “You were my bias.”

“What’s a bi… as?”

“My favorite character.”

What the…

Overwhelmed with bewilderment, I ended up nodding.

Apparently, she’d passed by both male and female leads and picked me. I, of course, felt good about that, but what in the world? From what I’d read, I had clearly been a very cowardly and insignificant character.

“You might feel differently since it’s your story, but I thought you were crazy adorable.”

Cackling, Gloria raked back her platinum-blonde hair.

I found her way of speaking to be odd, but it didn’t bother me too much, so I slowly nodded and looked up at her.

Only then was my impression of the face that had once looked so cold and terrifying changed completely.

Instead of cold, when she smiled, she looked refreshed.

Thinking that as I lowered my eyes, Gloria suddenly grabbed me by my shoulders to say, “You should live the way you want, instead of being tied down.”

I blinked at her in response to her randomness and she continued as if to answer me, “You are way too good for such a b*st*rd like Noah Yurielle. He’ll end up hurting you by the conclusion of the novel. You know it too, don’t you? That scene.”

That scene. How could I ever forget that? I’d teared up every time my eyes fell on that passage.

It had been so painful because just by looking at those letters, I could practically see and hear Noah’s cold voice and eyes.

Chewing on my lips, I lifted my head slightly.

“Let’s get rid of that trash called Noah Yurielle and live a happy life, okay?”

“Okay…?”

But somehow her argument felt like it was veering off course.

“Just thinking about how he behaved in the original novel makes me gnash my teeth. I almost wrote a protest email to the writer, you know. You are worth, so, so much more than that.”

After hearing Gloria out, I quietly opened my mouth.

“Um, I know this might be a little rude…”

“Hm?”

“But you’re speaking as if my feelings for Noah equate to getting unfair treatment, so…”

I gently pulled her hands away from my shoulders.

“I only like Noah and I don’t have any desire for my feelings to be returned. I’ve never thought I was tied down, either.”

“….”

“Yes, all I have is feelings for Noah.”

Even though I knew they were feelings I’d need to give up one day.

After inspecting her for a second, I finally brought out my main point.

“And… I apologize for saying this in advance, but I don’t think it’s up to you whether I like somebody or not.”

To Gloria, who apparently had read that novel, I must feel like an acquaintance she’d known for a long time, but in my point of view, she was just a stranger.

And even if she didn’t have any bad intentions, having someone like her ordering me around, especially when it came to my love life was a little… yeah.

Lifting my head up to meet Gloria’s eyes, I swallowed.

Eek.

Her darkened blue eyes were narrowed as if she was thinking about something.

Seconds passed like that until finally, Gloria opened her mouth, “You’re right.”

“Huh?”

“I never thought about it that way. Sorry.”

Seeing Gloria acknowledging her mistake so quickly, I was pretty amazed. I scratched my cheek.

‘You dare argue back to what I’d said? You’re dead’ wasn’t exactly the response I was expecting, but this was still quite a surprise in itself.

As I never would have thought that a high-ranking marquise lady would admit and apologize for her mistake so easily, or that she would keep in mind my position, too, I was startled by her reaction.

Of course, that… reincarnation? Or whatever it was, meant that Gloria was now a different person from the Gloria in the book.

“Gah, looks like I acted too friendly too fast. I’m sorry. It’s just that it’s the first time I’ve ever seen anyone else who knows of the original’s existence.”

Looking embarrassed, Gloria fiddled with her loose tie.

As if pulled into her words, I also opened my mouth. “I was also wrong.”

I remembered when I had first seen her, leaning on her carriage and wiping her sword.

The fact that I was scared after making eye contact with her at the opening ceremony, or the thought that I blamed her for trying to separate me from Noah made me feel loads of guilt.

At that time, I had only thought of her as a really evil and scary person, but hearing her side of the story made me realize that I was being an absolute fool.

“To be honest, I also thought you were a very bad… a very scary person. Because that’s how you came out in the book.”

I was really not in the position to say anything to Gloria.

I, too, had only read the book and scared myself, trembling so hard in terror every time I saw her that I was practically doing the moonwalk, so in her point of view it must also have been very unpleasant.

“Huh? No problem. I think it’s very natural to think that way.”

With a cheerful laugh, Gloria brushed back her blonde hair and grinned at me, holding out a hand.

“It looks like we’re sharing a secret then. I can act like I know you from now on, right?”

“Oh, of course.”

Smiling brightly, I took her hand.

Those blue eyes that had given me goosebumps at the mere sight of them now scared me no more.