If You're Going to Sell Yourself, Sell It to Me - Chapter 94

“Did you sleep well, Lady Leona?”

She had tried not to show any reaction to his composed and casual greeting, but a hiccup escaped before she could stop it.

Clapping a hand over her mouth, she turned on her heel and retreated into her room.

How did he even know about this room?

She had just told herself she wouldn’t let him affect her, yet the moment she saw him, her heart began pounding wildly again.

She hurried to shut the door, but he blocked it with his hand and slipped halfway inside. Still, he didn’t fully enter, as if trying to maintain some semblance of propriety.

“Let’s talk.”

“I have nothing to say to you.”

She never thought she would utter a line straight out of a classic novel.

In truth, there was plenty she wanted to say to him, but now was absolutely not the time.

Just as she was about to shut the door on him, he spoke with a somber expression.

“I thought you were dead.”

“What? What do you mean by that?”

Telling a perfectly alive person that he thought they were dead—was this some kind of joke?

She gaped at him, only for him to continue speaking in a trembling voice.

“I found out that you had made it near this area, but after that inn… you vanished. I thought you had died.”

“What kind of nonsense are you—”

She had been about to snap at him, but the expression on his face stopped her.

His face was shadowed with the kind of grief one would wear after witnessing death.

For a fleeting moment, she thought she must have misread it, but under his eyes, she could see traces of dampness.

Well.

It made sense.

Given that a bounty had been placed on her, any ordinary person would have assumed it was nearly impossible for her to survive. And he had been on the run himself, likely unable to confirm the truth properly.

Not to mention, the inn had caught fire.

Considering all this, his assumption wasn’t entirely unreasonable.

Meeting Uncle Jerry at that moment had been an incredible stroke of luck. Without him, she would have been caught on the streets without a chance to escape.

She had recently learned by chance that her bounty had been lifted and had been considering ways to send word to Uncle Jerry. She also wanted to find out where Sarah was living.

Over the past few months, she had saved up enough money to hire a private investigator.

Raymond always paid her more than she expected.

He claimed it was the standard wage for a head maid, but Georgiana was convinced that wasn’t true. Both father and daughter were far too soft when it came to her.

That only made her feel a greater sense of responsibility.

She no longer had to live in hiding, so she had discarded the brown wig and let her natural blonde hair show again.

But everything that had happened was because of Locke, so she wasn’t exactly thrilled about his concern now.

“You’re the one who drove me into a death trap—so why are you acting like you care?”

Like a cat scoffing at a mouse’s concern, Georgiana lifted her chin and shot back at him.

“I’m truly sorry. I’ll atone for my sins by staying by your side for the rest of my life.”

Locke, looking utterly dejected, lowered his head.

“What did you just say?”

An apology, sure—she could understand that. But saying he would stay with her for life made Georgiana’s eyes go wide.

He averted his gaze slightly and offered a weak excuse.

“The sins I committed were too grave. I failed to warn you of the dangers, didn’t properly explain the situation, put you through horrifying experiences, and on top of that, turned you into a fugitive.”

“Glad to see you understand.”

As she nodded, feeling vindicated, another absurd remark came from him.

“So I’ll spend the rest of my life making amends. Of course, I’ll also give you my entire fortune. When Evan arrives, I’ll have him notarize the agreement.”

“W-what? Who said I wanted that?!”

His absurd seriousness had her jumping in alarm.

She had no idea how much wealth he had, but she wasn’t about to take a single penny from him.

Their deal had ended back on that ship. She had no desire to be involved with him any further—whether through money or anything else.

“From now on, I’ll do whatever Georgiana wants.”

At those words, Georgiana’s face lit up. “Then leave this place immediately. Better yet, leave the mansion entirely. You have a home to return to, don’t you?”

“That’s not possible.”

His rejection was immediate and firm.

“But you just said you’d do whatever I wanted. Was that a lie?”

“It wasn’t a lie. I just left out the condition. I meant that I’d do whatever you wanted—while staying by your side.”

“What I want is for you to leave, Locke. We have no reason to be in each other’s lives anymore. The fake marriage act ended long ago.”

“I can’t accept that. A whole year has passed. For that entire time, I believed you were dead, and it tormented me.”

“Then just keep thinking I’m dead.”

Georgiana’s response was ice-cold.

Now that they had confirmed each other’s survival, there was no need for further entanglement.

“I understand if you hate me. But I had my reasons. Please, won’t you give me a chance to make up for my mistakes?”

Despite his earnest request, she shook her head without hesitation.

“Your apology just now is enough. It would help me more if you pretended not to know me. So if you truly want to make amends, don’t acknowledge me from now on.”

Although things had quieted down for a while after the Catherine incident, rumors linking her to Raymond were beginning to resurface. Adding Locke into the mix was out of the question.

It wasn’t just for her own sake—she had to be firm for the sake of their reputations as well, no matter what he said.

Just then, murmuring voices drifted from the staircase. Using that as an excuse, Georgiana firmly dismissed him.

“It looks like people are coming. You should go. Once again, do not acknowledge me in front of others.”

With that, Georgiana shut the door, letting the cold air settle between them.

***

The usual intimate dining setting of Raymond, Angela, and Georgiana had doubled in size.

With Locke, Henry, and even Evan, who had just returned from an extended trip, the presence of these large men made even the twelve-seat dining table appear small.

Even though Georgiana was now officially part of the household staff, Raymond had made a point to arrange the gathering and introduce them.

“Leona, this is my family, Count Locke Rivern. Beside him is his aide, Henry Marker. Both of them will be staying here for a while, and you’ll likely see them often, so I thought it’d be good to make introductions.”

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Lady Leona. I’m Henry Marker. Feel free to just call me Henry.”

Henry greeted her brightly, his usual charm on full display.

She had briefly worried he might call her by her real name, but unlike someone else, he was quick-witted.

Unlike the unpleasant feelings she had toward Locke, Georgiana felt a sense of relief at seeing Henry again, though she didn’t let it show.

“It’s nice to meet you, too.”

She smiled politely, revealing her even rows of teeth, but Locke’s gaze burned as if flames had erupted within him. Then, as if suddenly compelled, he spoke to her as well.

“I look forward to working with you.”

“Yes.”

Despite his higher status both in rank and age, the fact that he had been the first to greet her caught some people’s attention. However, Georgiana responded indifferently, unfazed by the curious glances.

She deliberately ignored the slight pain in Locke’s eyes at her indifferent response, so different from how she had treated Henry.

The meal, which had started off with an awkward atmosphere, gradually lightened thanks to Henry’s lively conversation.

She found herself listening intently whenever he spoke about the battlefield.

Even without exaggeration, Locke’s crutch next to him was proof enough of the hardships he had endured.

What had he hoped to gain by always putting himself on the front lines?

For some reason, Georgiana found herself feeling irritated by the thought.

As the meal wound down, Raymond set down his teacup and called for her. “There’s something I need to discuss with you. If you don’t have any urgent matters after dinner, could you come to the study?”

“Of course.”

Since she had been up since dawn, she had busied herself with work, even creating unnecessary tasks to fill the time. Apart from Angela’s afternoon lesson, she had no pressing obligations.

She nodded readily, only for Locke to unexpectedly interject.

“Just the two of you?”

“Obviously. Are you planning to join as well?”

Raymond chuckled as if the idea was ridiculous, but his laughter faded at Locke’s next words.

“Yes.”

“What?”

“I’ll be there too.”

“Why?”

“I have business in the study. There’s a book I wanted to check from last time.”

“Oh, that’s all? Then just take it later.”

“No, it’s urgent.”

“Fine, we’ll go somewhere else.”

Georgiana recalled the newly arranged table in the greenhouse. It would be far better than the stuffy study.

Not wanting Locke to interfere any further, she abandoned her half-finished tea and rose from her seat.

“This place has changed a lot.”

Raymond murmured in admiration as they entered the greenhouse, a place he hadn’t visited before.

No new flowers had been brought in—only the existing ones had been rearranged—yet the atmosphere felt entirely different. After months of reading books on gardening, the results had exceeded her expectations.

“What did you want to discuss?”

As she looked up at him, her light green eyes sparkled like emeralds, as if tiny gemstones had been embedded within them. The woman, once an unknown stranger, was undoubtedly proving to be a true gem.

The more he watched her, the more his desire to keep her grew.

Not just him—many of his visiting acquaintances had also taken a liking to her. He had even started reducing the number of guests at the mansion, preferring to meet them elsewhere instead.

Because he had been watching her closely, he had noticed something.

Lately, with officers appearing frequently at the plantation, she had been displaying a clear sense of unease.

Knowing her personality, it was unlikely she would confide in anyone or ask for help.

Perhaps he was jumping to conclusions, but if his suspicions were correct, he wanted to ease her worries.

So he didn’t beat around the bush.

“Are you anxious because of your identity?”