THE PROPOSAL: PART 6

After Leticia gets over her shock. She sipped the now lukewarm tea as if nothing happened.

As she brought the cup down, she looked at Hugh with shyness. "Thank you, Your Grace for umm… the generous reward."

He knitted his brows hearing such formality from her all of a sudden.

"Why are you calling me with that again?"

She scratched her face and said, "Just thought that I should give my proper gratitude with formality."

"Is that so…"

"Also, Now, that I have Anton to take care of, I thought that I should leav-"

"Actually...I heard that you need a job, right?"

Hugh cut her off. He thought that if he didn't said what he said, Leticia will tell him that she now wanted to leave. And he would lose the chance of telling her the deal that he prepared for her.

Meanwhile, Leticia who was cut-off by Hugh didn't get to finish what she wanted to say because he told a topic that piqued her interest. No, what she needed the most!

'I could make do with the 10,000 gold but I don't know what circumstances I would face in the future and if I would take Anton under my wing, I needed to be more prepared.' she thought.

Then, Leticia heard Hugh speak again. "I heard from Hans that you've been asking for a place to work."

"Yes, I did…"

"Can I ask why?"

"Well, I don't know how much reward I'll get. Besides, living in the Capital is much more expensive than in the countryside. If I'm going to be here for a while I think I should have a steady income."

"I see… Well you're not wrong about that."

Hugh smirks, as if it was his chance to get her interest as well as to stop her from leaving.

"Then, I have a very big proposal just for you."

"Just for… me?"

Hugh nods as he gives her a smirk. "It's actually what I want to talk about with you. I want to hire you to become my fake lover to be exact, my engagement partner."

"Huh?"

Leticia blinked her eyes and her mouth was left open. She thought she heard him wrong.

"Can you repeat what you said because I thought that ha-haha…" She paused as she chuckled, thinking that she heard something ridiculous. "... I just thought I heard you asked me to become your lover? Ha-haha!" Leticia pointed at herself as she continued to laugh.

"Fake lover" Hugh corrected her.

"That's right… fake lover. Ha-haha!"

Leticia hit her thigh a few times as she can't help but find it ridiculous.

Hugh just watched her laugh. Silently. Like he was waiting for her to realize it.

When only her voice was heard throughout the room, Leticia began to realize that something was wrong because Hugh was keeping silent after she corrected her.

She then realized what just happened, her laugh slowly vanished.

"...Ha… haha." Leticia, then glanced at Hugh. As if she was looking at him and waiting for him to correct her assumptions.

But Hugh just stared at her.

'He looks serious.'

"Wait… you're not joking?" she mumbled.

Hugh heard her small whisper and simply nodded.

"For real?!" She bursted.

"Why?" She added.

"What do you mean why? You're the perfect person for the job."

"What does that even mean?" she squinted her eyes as she was confused about what he meant.

Leticia was seriously curious about what this guy in front of her was thinking.

Then, Hugh answered confidently, "It means that you're the only one who could do the job."

As Leticia heard him, she couldn't help but to brush her hair in frustration.

Then she asked, curiously, "But why would you even need to have a pretend lover… Ah!"

Leticia stopped because then she understood why and shut her mouth.

'The King must have been pushing him to be betrothed but if that's true, then he wouldn't be so adamant about it. Because it's the King that is said to have a close relationship with Hugh. Then it means that someone was pushing the engagement? Someone who would benefit from it when Hugh married...'

Leticia was in deep thought as she analyzed the information that she had from hearing through the maids at the mansion.

'... it's the Queen. She'll benefit from his marriage if she could place someone on her faction to his side. And it will also make Hugh's candidate position to become the next King invalid…'

Leticia abruptly looked at Hugh as she reached her conclusion.

Meanwhile, Hugh raised his eyebrows simply because he was amazed. Watching her reactions means that she understands what he meant when he said that he needed a pretend lover.

"Haa…" Leticia sighed then continued to speak her sentiment, "Alright, I understand Hugh why you needed a pretend lover but why me?"

"Why not?" He asked.

Leticia was taken aback to his answer. She doesn't know if he's oblivious or just really in a hurry but nevermind that! She needed to tell him why.

"You do know that I'm a commoner, right? Isn't it much better to ask a lady from a noble family that has no political stance in the Capital?"

Hugh smirks, "And why do you think so?"

Leticia was getting a headache from Hugh's answer. She doesn't know if he really doesn't know what she meant or he was just pretending but she needed to say it.

She leaned in closer as if she would make Hugh understand what she's getting at.

"Hugh, It'll become a problem if I become your lover. I have a commoner background and commoners don't have noble blood and cannot be engaged to them. And with your position the bars are much higher. Of course, if you did something like buying a fallen noble family to become my family then it could work...!"

Leticia paused.

'Wait… what did I just say?'

"I'm saying something ridiculous… ha-haha! That's not it, right?" She asked.

Then, Leticia looked at Hugh and saw he was smiling with satisfaction. She began to panic.

"Wait… wait, wait, wait! You can't be kidding me!"

Hugh tossed the envelope that Leticia was eyeing earlier.

"Open it," he said.

Leticia was frozen in her place. And could only stare at Hugh who was still smiling while he watched her.

Hugh beckoned her to look at it as he used his chin to gesture at the document on the table.

With Leticia's hesitant hands reaching for it, she picked up the brown envelope.

Her eyes shook as she read the contents. And looked up at Hugh.

"Hans prepared it the moment you arrived here. And I just received it earlier."

"You're a noble now." He added.

Leticia tried to open her mouth to say something but closed it the moment she thought what to say because she just can't believe what she just read.

She was just speechless.

And Hugh who was watching her took the opportunity to explain.

"It's actually one of my rewards to you. Along with the money and the house."

Hugh began to feel nervous as Leticia was silent for a while now. So, he stood up and walked towards her and bent one of his knees.

"This might seem like I was cornering you but it was really just a coincidence! They're holding a banquet two weeks from now and they're trying to corner me by announcing an engagement I don't want, so I needed to move one step ahead but I didn't have enough time to search for someone that would not make me feel that she will stab me at the back someday and then suddenly I remembered you… so umm..."

This was the first time that Hugh explained his side that made him look desperate. But when he thought about it, Leticia was really the one perfect for the job.

"Leticia? Are you angry?"

Leticia sighed. She looked at Hugh and saw how desperate he was explaining the situation to her.

Actually, she figured it out the moment that she learned about what's in the document.

After the lingering silence from Leticia, she opened her mouth to speak. "You do know that you're asking something big from me, right?"

Hugh nodded. "I know…"

"This is not a simple job at all… if I accept this, I could be in danger, you know?!" Leticia said as she clenched the papers with her new last name written on it.

Hugh then stood up and sat beside her. "I know… but you're already in danger the moment you saved my life." he said shamelessly.

"You…!"

Leticia clenched her jaw. She was restraining herself from speaking curse words at him because after all he's still a Duke.

"Besides, I learned that you appeared in Oakland three years ago without any documents proving your identity and origin."

"You checked my background?!"

Hugh just shrugged. "I didn't… the people at Oakland were not really quiet about it."

"What the-"

"And you know that you must be registered at the church, right? Since the church needs to bless the people of this Kingdom as a sign of origin from Goddess Lalatua or else they will be accuse of being a witch."

"You're kidding?"

Hugh can hear her surprised. 'It seems it's the first time she heard of it.' he thought.

"I'm not… all the citizens here are blessed by the church after they're born."

Leticia bit her lower lip. She really doesn't know about that one.

"And you just said you're not cornering me. But to me, it looks like you're cornering and threatening me." she said in a huff.

"It's because I'm desperate, right now. And it seems that you're hesitant to help me. So, I thought maybe this way, you'll agree."

Leticia scowls. "Of course, who would blindingly sign up for her life to be in the line?!"

Leticia was getting angry.

"So, why not take advantage of it?" he said suddenly.

"What?"

She turned her head at him with a glare as she saw him with a smirk.

"Take advantage of it all. Then, I'll take care of everything. What do you say?"