I, Viretta, Am Going to Hunt a Dragon

Chapter 2

Chapter 2

This was a disaster.

"You...?"

Caught off guard by the unexpected encounter, Viretta missed her chance to properly greet him.

When the young man had mentioned last night that he’d just arrived in town, she’d entertained the idea that he might be a guest attending her elaborate engagement ceremony.

But her fiancé? Viretta fiddled with her skirt in shock as Cadlen, her father, quickly stepped in to cover for her.

"Have you already met my daughter? Where did you two cross paths?"

"We happened to run into each other in the village yesterday. I had no idea she was your daughter. But if she is, then..."

"It must be a great honor for our family! Hello there! I’m Viretta Medleridge, second daughter of the Medleridge family. I was quite surprised to see a familiar face here! It’s a pleasure to meet you again!"

Viretta cut him off and slipped between her father and future father-in-law, eager to steer the conversation. Her bright, lilting voice quickly overshadowed the young man’s calm tone. Fortunately, Cadlen picked up on her cue and helped smooth things over.@@@@

"To think you two met by chance before introductions—one might call that fate, ha ha!"

"Ha ha ha, indeed, perhaps a match made by the heavens! Just as you said, my friend, your daughter does seem full of life. It’s a pleasure to meet you, young lady. I am Vi’s father, or as you would say here, Monain Vi."

Cadlen and Monain leaned back, laughing heartily and welcoming them both. Viretta took her seat next to Cadlen and bowed her head.

"It’s an honor to meet you, Sir Monain."

"No need for formalities. And this here is my son, Iola. He’s about your age."

"Pleased to meet you. I am Iola Jin, or as you might say here, Iola of the Jin family."

The young man across from her inclined his head in a poised manner, which seemed to please Cadlen, who pointed toward him with a grin.

"As you can see, Iola here is your fiancé."

"And that would make Viretta here your fiancée."

Monain gestured to Viretta, palm upward. Iola’s innocent eyes, which she remembered from the day before, sparkled with recognition.

"So, it is true that I’m engaged to Viretta."

"Indeed. Not just because she’s my daughter, but she’s a bright, lively young woman."

"But..."

"Is there a problem?"

Seeing the troubled look on Iola’s face, a pang of anxiety crept up Viretta’s spine.

"Not from my side, but for Viretta, there might be..."

"Absolutely not! Iola, it seems you’ve been giving my thoughts quite a bit of consideration since yesterday. But I assure you, I’m perfectly fine."

Her father was the mastermind behind this engagement, the very traitor and root of all her troubles.

She glared at him, then turned abruptly to face Iola. If her father wouldn’t help, she’d have to find her own way out.

"B-But this is all so sudden. We just met, and we’re not even at that stage yet!"

Trying to improvise an escape, her words grew increasingly tangled.

Despite her best efforts, Iola responded with a clenched fist and a sincere, pained expression, adding to her dread.

"Then what about yesterday? What was yesterday, then?"

"Huh?"

"That time we spent together, what was that?"

Even Viretta, who remembered their conversation vividly, was startled by the strange implication in his words.

His face was so full of earnest longing that both fathers leaped to their feet at the same time.

"What happened between you two?!"

"Calm down, my friend! Iola must have been struggling with the local language!"

But even as Monain held Cadlen back, his expression betrayed his unease. He shot an uneasy glance at Iola, as if the young man were capable of sweating bullets at any moment.

Despite the chaos, she couldn’t explain the truth right here. Viretta decided that it was best to let yesterday’s conversation fade away without further elaboration.

"You have to forget about yesterday!"

"I can’t! Your words and actions won’t leave my mind!"

"Oh my. It’s wonderful to hear such things after only just meeting... No, no! People change day by day, and I’m not one to dwell on the past. So, please, let go of the person I was yesterday."

For a moment, she nearly fell into his words as if they were sweet nothings, but she quickly remembered that the subject was their conversation about her supposed nonexistent love.

Revealing that she, the woman who’d lamented her forced marriage and claimed she’d do anything for love, was actually his fiancée must have made quite an impression.

But he needed to forget it. She had no intention of jeopardizing this engagement, nor did she have a love strong enough to face trials and tribulations for.

She wasn’t foolish enough to risk the engagement between their families over a bluff.

"As impressive as your words are, it’s impossible."

Iola’s tone held no hint of blame, even after learning that his fiancée claimed to love another.

He maintained his resolute demeanor, unfazed by Viretta’s imploring gaze or by the concerns of the two fathers. He was either surprisingly oblivious or exceptionally stubborn.

Then, with a most solemn expression, Iola delivered a bombshell.

"After meeting you yesterday, I’ve come to understand what love truly is."

Things were escalating out of control, and quickly so.