The Monster Duke Mistook Me for His Wife Chapter 156 - Side Story Chapter 13

Ria forced a smile at the scene in front of her.

‘It’s obviously a proposal…’

Even if she wanted to pretend otherwise, it was impossible not to notice.

From the moment she stepped down from the carriage, flower petals blanketed the ground all the way to the restaurant. Fireflies lit up the dark night sky—definitely Schumann’s magic.

Even if she tried to convince herself it was just some festival, there wasn’t a single person in sight—not even an ant. The intention was painfully obvious.

‘No wonder Nathan was acting weird today!’

Ria let out a faint sigh, recalling how Nathan had avoided her gaze and left with an awkward air.

“Miss Ria, is something bothering you?”

“Huh? Oh, no! I’m just so happy to be having dinner with you tonight, Dillian!”

She shook his hand enthusiastically, making Dillian smile despite himself.

‘…Wait. Did he want it to be this obvious?’

“The streets look especially beautiful tonight.”

“Y-yeah, they’re gorgeous. Is there some special occasion?”

“Who knows? Maybe there was a festival earlier today?”

As Dillian feigned ignorance with a straight face, Ria stifled a groan.

‘He really thinks I don’t know…’

While Dillian acted perfectly normal, everything else around him clearly was not.

‘He’s so dumb… it’s cute.’

Ria was probably the only person in the world who could think of Dillian of all people as “cute.”

Unaware of this, Ria curled her lips into a smile and swung his hand.

“Maybe something good is about to happen.”

Though, probably not to me.

Regardless of how cute Dillian was, the timing was off.

Apparently, he had also planned to propose tonight. Should she call it fate that they picked the same day? Or be sad that the timing didn’t align?

In the end, Ria decided to pretend not to notice Dillian’s grand plan.

Meanwhile, blissfully unaware of Ria’s inner conflict, Dillian smiled and opened the restaurant door.

“Shall we go in?”

Ria hesitated before asking,

“Is it… okay to go in right now?”

“Of course.”

No surprise fireworks, right? No sudden crowd jumping out shouting, right?

To her relief, the empty restaurant welcomed them with soft music, and the manager came out to greet them.

Unlike the overly dramatic entrance, the interior was surprisingly calm.

‘Not bad…’

Ria relaxed and followed Dillian’s lead inside.

The manager guided them to a private room.

Through the large windows, a beautiful tree and a serene blue pond came into view. Fireflies danced around the scene.

It made her wonder—if the inside was going to be this peaceful, why bother renting the entire restaurant?

Still, the view was stunning.

“Please, have a seat, Miss Ria.”

Ria sat down in the chair Dillian pulled out for her and subtly tested the waters.

“There’s really no one else here, huh?”

“I didn’t want any interruptions tonight. It’s been a while since we’ve had time together.”

Normally, Dillian would’ve said something like that with his usual chilly tone—but tonight, he wore a peaceful smile, like someone who’d reached enlightenment.

“I’m sorry. Because of me…”

“It’s not your fault. You’ve just been too good at what you do.”

“Now that things have settled down, let’s eat dinner together every night.”

“Really?”

The calm, enlightened look on his face instantly brightened with joy.

“Y-yeah.”

“Promise?”

“I… promise…”

Ria trembled as she extended her pinky. She couldn’t meet his eyes from the guilt.

“Starting tomorrow, we’ll have dinner together.”

“Of course.”

She no longer needed to grind her teeth and work endlessly for money.

Because the result of all that effort was now inside her bag.

She was happy… but also felt strangely nervous.

The problem is… my proposal…

Ria clutched the bag on her lap tightly.

“Enjoy your meal, Miss Ria.”

“You too, Dillian.”

The delicious food laid out before her… but Ria couldn’t even tell if she was eating with her mouth or her nose.

Should I just confess right now?

She kept growing more nervous, thinking that if she waited, the moment might lose its meaning.

“Miss Ria.”

His gentle, sincere voice made Ria’s eyes sparkle.

This is it.

As she opened her bag, ready to propose alongside him—

Crash!

The door burst open and a crowd of people came tumbling into the room.

“…”

“…”

A stunned silence fell.

“Haha, hey, Ria… hi?”

At the bottom of the pile, Maymie waved weakly—then played dead. On top of her lay Schumann, then Aaron, and finally Nathan, perched atop Aaron’s back, quietly avoided her gaze.

Harris, the only one left standing, hadn’t fallen—but at this point, he wished he had.

Anyone would, facing Dillian’s deadly glare.

Without a word, Dillian rose and gently placed a hand on Ria’s shoulder.

“Please wait a moment, Miss Ria.”

“Dillian. Go easy on them.”

“Don’t worry. I won’t kill them.”

…That’s way scarier.

Despite Ria’s concern, Dillian didn’t move a muscle.

He just stood there—silent, face dark, eyes staring down at them like daggers.

Didn’t I tell them to leave when we finished? Why are they still here?

His eyes seemed to ask that very question.

No one dared to speak.

Not wanting to ruin the mood any further, Dillian mouthed silently, where only they could see—

Get out.

And with that, everyone scrambled to their feet and fled, slamming the door behind them.

Dillian let out a long sigh at his wrecked event. The frustration burst out before he could stop it.

It can’t be helped. I’ll have to postpone it.

There was no way he could propose in this situation.

As the atmosphere sank into irrecoverable awkwardness, a voice pulled him back.

“Dillian.”

He turned—and his eyes widened.

Ria stood there, holding a ring box, eyes lowered shyly.

“I know this isn’t the best moment…”

She carefully opened the box, locking eyes with him as she confessed:

“Will you marry me?”

“…Excuse me?”

Was he dreaming? Dillian blinked, dazed.

“I kept wondering if I should wait… since everything’s such a mess right now. But maybe this—chaos and all—is just so us, don’t you think?”

Her smile, full of teeth and light, was beautiful beyond words.

Dillian clenched his fist to keep from trembling. His nails dug into his palm—it hurt.

It wasn’t a dream.

And when reality hit, his heart thundered. His chest filled with overwhelming joy.

“You’re not going to reject me, are you?”

That playful tease snapped Dillian out of his daze. He quickly dropped to one knee.

From his coat, he pulled out his own ring box and opened it.

“Miss Ria, please marry me. I want to spend my life with you.”

Looking into her lake-like eyes, Dillian spoke the words he’d buried deep in his heart.

“I wanted to say this back then too. I wanted to throw everything away and just be yours—as your husband.”

But he hadn’t.

Back then, he’d only hurt her. Time had passed, unforgivingly.

After all the detours… they were finally here.

It had taken far too long to say these words.

“This time, I will. I’ll make sure you never shed a single tear again. I’ll fill your days with happiness.”

You’re already making me cry, though.

Ria held back her tears. Her throat ached from holding it in.

“I’m already happy.”

“It’s not enough. I’ll make you even happier.”

“You promised.”

Smiling wide, Ria held out her left hand.

“I promise.”

Dillian’s hand trembled as he slipped the ring on her finger.

Dillian, trembling from nerves. That alone showed how sincere he was.

I want to be his, right now.

Reaching for the ring Dillian had prepared, Ria stopped when he gently shut the case and shook his head.

“I want to wear the ring you chose.”

At his request, Ria slipped her ring onto his finger.

As they looked at the different rings now gracing each other’s ring fingers, Ria burst out laughing.

“Haha, what is this? We ended up doing a whole ring exchange ceremony! Who does it like this?”

Beaming with joy, she was radiant—dazzling.

Dillian, moved yet hesitant, reached out and cupped her cheek. Ria saw the overflowing love in his eyes and slowly closed hers.

And outside, as if to bless their happiness—

Fireworks lit up the sky.

Side Story Part 2 – The End