If You're Going to Sell Yourself, Sell It to Me - Chapter 96

Georgiana, startled, quickly straightened her posture.

“Is something wrong?”

“No.”

“It seems like there is.”

Locke, with his eyes slightly narrowed, studied her expression.

“There is no problem. And even if there were, we are not in a relationship where such matters should be discussed.”

She was already overwhelmed, and his sudden presence, as the cause of her turmoil, was not welcome.

“So, does that mean you are in such a relationship with Raymond?”

For the first time since their reunion, his gaze, which had always been cautious around her, turned sharp. His once-bright blue pupils darkened like the foreboding sky before a storm.

In the past, she might have tried to gauge his emotions, but not anymore.

“Where did that come from? If you’re going to say meaningless things, please step aside. You haven’t forgotten that I told you not to acknowledge me, have you? And how did you even find this place…”

Georgiana immediately tried to send him away.

“Since the two of you wanted to talk alone, what else was I supposed to do?”

“And what does that have to do with you, Lockwood—or Locke Rivern?”

“Why wouldn’t it?”

“Why? Our contract ended long ago. If you’re not going to leave, then I will.”

As she abruptly stood and made her way toward the exit of the greenhouse, he blocked her path.

“No, our story isn’t over yet. We’ve only just turned the page to the next chapter.”

His words tried to force their way into the cracks of her heart.

Not willing to let him shake her once again, Georgiana shot him a fierce glare.

“Who said anything about a next chapter? Our roles ended back on that ship.”

Locke, meeting her gaze, placed his crutch on the ground and knelt.

Georgiana, startled, looked at his injured leg and shouted, “What are you doing?! You shouldn’t do that with your injured leg!”

As she rushed to help him up, he grasped her arm and pleaded.

“I will spend my life repenting—please, let me be part of your life again, even if not as the main character.”

Georgiana pulled her arm free and shook her head firmly. “I am truly happy now. While there were good memories after I left home, the journey from the ship to this place was incredibly difficult. If you are by my side, I will always be reminded of those emotions, and it will torment me.”

“Georgiana…”

“So just leave me alone. Don’t even think about being a supporting character in my life. No, don’t even appear as a minor character like this. Just stop making things harder for me. Our play has already ended.”

Wearing a bitter smile, she turned away from him.

Even if he repented and tried to change, the past could not simply be erased.

Thinking back, from the very moment he had appeared in her life, he had been a source of danger.

Even his painting had been a lie.

His actions might have been justified by a greater cause, but for someone like her, an Imperial citizen, that reasoning meant nothing.

There was no guarantee that the man who had once used her wouldn’t do so again.

The best choice for both of them was to continue living their separate lives.

Yes, this was the right decision.

As she steeled herself and reached for the door to leave the greenhouse, hurried footsteps approached, and in an instant, she was pulled backward.

Suddenly trapped in Locke’s embrace, Georgiana instinctively struggled, but when she felt the dampness soaking into her shoulder, she froze.

No way…

Georgiana remained motionless in that position.

She couldn’t even bring herself to turn around, afraid that her suspicion might be correct.

Locke, crying?

Chaos overtook her mind.

Left speechless, she could only open and close her mouth soundlessly. Then, his trembling voice reached her ears.

“Not once did I forget you. Every night, I saw visions of you. Even when I saw you in the garden, I doubted whether you were a ghost.”

“……”

“Georgiana, I know how much you must have suffered. I know I have no right to beg, and even clinging to you like this is shameless. But now that I know you’re alive, standing before me, how can I possibly do nothing? Even if you don’t give me another chance, at least let me stay by your side.”

She wanted to respond with indifference, to tell him she had no reason to care about his pain.

But her lips felt as if they had been glued shut.

Though not entirely the same, his suffering reached her fully, and she couldn’t bring herself to reject him outright.

She remained there for a long time, unmoving.

Only after his tears had subsided did she finally return to her room.

***

“Leona? Are you okay?”

Georgiana snapped back to her senses at the sound of Angela’s voice, looking up to see the child staring at her with wide eyes.

“S-sorry.”

She had been lost in thought about Locke again, her hand frozen midair with the small teapot she was holding. Shaking her head, she quickly poured tea for Angela.

Since Angela had no friends her age nearby, she often played alone. Feeling sorry for the child, Georgiana spent time with her during breaks like this. But today, she had nearly ruined Angela’s beloved pretend play session by getting lost in her thoughts.

Noticing Georgiana’s distraction, Angela suddenly jumped up from her seat. “Leona, if playing house is boring, should we do something else?”

“No, it’s not that…”

“Let’s invite someone else to play today.”

“Someone else?”

“Wait here for a moment.”

Was she going to bring one of the maids?

Angela dashed off on her short legs and soon returned, holding someone’s large hand.

The person accompanying her was none other than Locke.

Seeing Georgiana sitting in front of the toy tea set, wearing a white apron, Locke hesitated for a moment, his face slightly flushing before he let out an awkward chuckle.

Likewise, Georgiana found it awkward to see him again so soon after their tense conversation earlier that morning.

They had parted without reaching a conclusion.

Angela, noticing Locke’s hesitation, tugged at his hand and seated him beside Georgiana.

“Since there are three of us now, can I finally play the role I really wanted?”

Both of them nodded at the same time.

“Then I’ll be the baby! Uncle, you be the dad, and Leona, you’ll be the mom!”

“……”

A wave of heat surged to Georgiana’s face.

Not long ago, she had told Locke to stay out of her life, and now they were assigned the roles of husband and wife in a child’s game.

She wanted to refuse outright, but Angela’s expectant expression stopped her from saying no.

Locke, noticing Georgiana’s hesitation, patted Angela’s head. “Angela, can’t we choose different roles?”

“Why?”

“Well…”

“We’ll do it.”

Cutting off Locke’s excuse, Georgiana shot him a look that clearly told him to just go along with it. Angela rarely voiced what she wanted, and she didn’t want to turn her down.

Locke’s eyes widened in surprise before he finally nodded.

Excited, Angela rummaged through the toy box and pulled out a ribbon and a veil.

She tied the red ribbon around Locke’s neck and placed the veil on Georgiana’s head.

“Mom, what’s for dinner today?”

Determined to ignore Locke’s presence, Georgiana focused on Angela.

“Tonight, we’re having your favorite chocolate cake.”

She placed a small slice of actual chocolate cake—brought as a snack—onto a plate in front of Angela. Unlike the toy dishes, the plate and fork were real.

“Wow, thank you!”

Angela rubbed her head against Georgiana’s arm before picking up her fork.

She cut a small piece of cake with her fork and suddenly extended it toward Georgiana.

“Here, take it.”

Confused, Georgiana hesitated, but Angela only grinned and pointed at Locke.

“Daddy has to eat first. Mom, feed Dad. Dad, say ‘Ah~’.”

Unlike Georgiana, who hesitated, Locke quickly opened his mouth.

Still, she couldn’t bring herself to move.

“Hurry up! I want to eat too.”

Seeing Angela fidget impatiently, Georgiana squeezed her eyes shut and reluctantly placed the cake into Locke’s mouth.

Her face burned as if it might explode.

Locke, trying to act casual, also had reddened ears.

For the next hour, Georgiana endured countless embarrassing moments in the extended pretend play session.

By the time she finally finished cleaning up and returned to her room, she was on the verge of collapsing from exhaustion.

She still had to visit the plantation dormitories in the afternoon, but at this moment, she couldn’t even lift a finger.

Thud.

Falling face-first onto her bed, Georgiana’s mind replayed the image of Locke’s bright smile during the game.

It was just a pretend game… so why did he look so happy?