Waking up in Conrad Montague’s house was still weird.
Not bad, exactly.
Just... weird.
Eurydice blinked at the ceiling, momentarily disoriented by the ridiculously soft bed, the high ceilings, and the fact that her usual alarm—aka Leo yelling about a game—was missing.
Instead, she was greeted by silence.
Well. Almost.
Because on the other side of the bed, Conrad was still asleep.
Which was new information.
Because apparently—
Conrad Montague actually sleeps.
And worse?
He looked annoyingly perfect doing it.
 
Eurydice slowly, carefully, tried to sneak out of bed.
Unfortunately—
She forgot about the blanket war from last night.
Which meant—
The moment she moved, Conrad shifted slightly, his grip tightening on the blanket they had both been battling over in their sleep.
Eurydice froze.
For a second, she considered just accepting her fate and going back to sleep.
Then—
Conrad’s voice, low and groggy, shattered the silence:
“What are you doing?”
Eurydice jumped. “Nothing!”
Conrad cracked one eye open, gaze still heavy with sleep, and Eurydice felt mildly offended that he still looked like he belonged in a billionaire magazine spread.
Meanwhile, she probably looked like she lost a fight with a tornado.
“You’re lying,” he muttered, voice rough from sleep.
Eurydice pouted. “How do you know?”
Conrad’s lips twitched slightly, like he was amused but too tired to show it.
“You talk too much when you lie.”
Eurydice gasped dramatically. “Wow. And here I was, worried about you not having a single human emotion.”
Conrad finally fully opened his eyes, staring at her for a long moment before muttering,
“Go back to sleep, Eurydice.”
Eurydice narrowed her eyes. “And let you win the blanket war? Never.”
Conrad sighed, rubbing his temple. “I’m regretting this arrangement already.”
Eurydice grinned. “Too late now, fiancé.”
Conrad exhaled. “God help me.”
 
By the time Eurydice made it downstairs, Conrad was already in the dining area, dressed in his usual perfect, cold businessman mode, sipping his black coffee like it was liquid gold.
Meanwhile, Eurydice was barefoot, wearing a hoodie, and half-asleep.
A chef, because of course Conrad had a personal chef, was setting up breakfast when Amelia called.
Eurydice, still yawning, answered on speakerphone.
“Morning,” Amelia sang. “How’s married life?”
Eurydice grabbed a piece of toast and flopped into a chair. “Oh, you know. Pure suffering.”
Amelia laughed. “What’d he do?”
Conrad, clearly hearing everything, didn’t even look up from his newspaper.
“He stole my blanket and then tried to gaslight me into thinking I was imagining it.”
Amelia gasped. “Conrad Montague? A blanket thief? The scandal.”
Conrad sighed deeply, setting down his newspaper.
“This is what you woke up and chose to complain about?”
Eurydice huffed, crossing her arms. “It’s a serious issue, Montague.”
Amelia laughed harder. “Oh, I love this. Best decision you ever made, Eury.”
Eurydice grumbled, shoving toast in her mouth.
Conrad turned to her, expression unreadable. “We have a lunch meeting today.”
Eurydice paused mid-bite.
“With who?”
Conrad sipped his coffee, completely unbothered. “My mother.”
Eurydice choked on her toast.
Amelia screamed through the phone.
“Oh my GOD—”
Eurydice slammed the phone off speaker.
“What?!” she hissed.
Conrad gave her a calm, bored look. “You knew this was coming.”
Eurydice groaned, rubbing her face. “No, I feared this was coming. There’s a difference.”
Conrad folded his hands together. “You’ll be fine.”
Eurydice pointed at him. “That’s easy for you to say! You’ve known your mother forever. I’ve only known her for, like, five minutes and those five minutes were terrifying.”
Conrad, as expected, looked completely unfazed.
Eurydice slumped in her chair. “This is going to be the worst lunch of my life.”
Conrad smirked slightly, sipping his coffee. “Then don’t embarrass yourself.”
Eurydice grabbed a napkin and threw it at his face.
 
An hour later, Eurydice was standing in front of her closet, glaring at the expensive clothes Conrad’s stylist picked out.
Amelia was still on call, offering unhelpful commentary.
“Wear the black dress. It makes you look mysterious.”
“I am not trying to look mysterious. I am trying to look like a respectable fake fiancée who won’t get eaten alive.”
Amelia snorted. “You’re doomed.”
Eurydice groaned, grabbing the most sophisticated-looking outfit she could find.
She stepped out of her room just as Conrad was buttoning his cufflinks, dressed in another stupidly expensive suit.
He glanced at her.
Then—
His gaze lingered for half a second longer than usual.
Eurydice crossed her arms. “What? Say it. I know you have some comment.”
Conrad’s lips twitched slightly, but all he said was—
“You’ll do.”
Eurydice gasped. “That was almost a compliment!”
Conrad walked past her. “Let’s go before I change my mind.”
Eurydice followed, grumbling under her breath.
But as they stepped outside, heading toward his car, one thought remained at the back of her mind—
She was about to face Eleanor Montague again.
And this time?
There was no escaping.
 
The drive to Conrad’s family home was silent—but it wasn’t the comfortable kind.
Eurydice sat stiffly in the passenger seat, arms crossed, fingers tapping nervously against her arm.
The last time she had seen Eleanor Montague, the woman had barely tolerated her presence.
And now?
Now, she had to sit across from her for an entire meal and convince her that she was madly in love with her son.
Great. Love this for me.
“You’re thinking too much,” Conrad said suddenly, eyes on the road.
Eurydice snapped out of it. “No, I’m thinking the appropriate amount because we’re about to have lunch with a woman who probably wants to set me on fire.”
Conrad glanced at her briefly, then smirked. “Then don’t give her a reason to.”
Eurydice rolled her eyes. “You’re so helpful, Montague.”
Conrad didn’t respond, but she swore his smirk lingered.
Soon, the gates of the Montague estate came into view, grand, towering, and completely intimidating.
The car pulled into the driveway, and the second Eurydice stepped out, she was reminded of how utterly massive this place was.
A mansion with classic European architecture, a perfectly manicured garden, and a staff that probably outnumbered an entire small town.
Eurydice took a deep breath.
Showtime.
The moment they stepped inside, a butler greeted them with a polite nod.
“Mr. Montague. Miss Santiago. Your parents are waiting in the dining hall.”
Eurydice almost groaned out loud.
Of course, they were.
Conrad led her down the long, marble-floored hallways, walking with the same effortless confidence he always did.
Meanwhile, Eurydice was internally debating whether she should fake an illness and run.
Too late.
The double doors to the dining hall opened, revealing Eleanor and Richard Montague seated at an elegantly set table, already waiting.
Eleanor’s expression was impossibly composed, but there was a sharpness to her gaze.
Richard, on the other hand, looked less cold than usual, though that wasn’t saying much.
“Mother. Father,” Conrad greeted smoothly, pulling out a chair for Eurydice.
Eurydice, remembering that she was supposed to act like the perfect fiancée, gave them her best polite-but-not-too-polished smile.
“Good afternoon, Mr. and Mrs. Montague.”
Eleanor’s lips pressed into a thin line, but she nodded. “Eurydice.”
Richard, meanwhile, studied her carefully, like he was trying to read something between the lines.
Conrad sat beside her, completely relaxed, as if this was just another business meeting rather than a test of her existence.
A waiter stepped forward, beginning to serve the first course—a delicately plated salad that looked too fancy to eat.
Eurydice sat up straighter, reminding herself:
Act natural. Be charming. Pretend you like this.
She turned to Conrad, reaching for his hand under the table.
He didn’t flinch—but she felt the subtle way his fingers curled slightly around hers, acknowledging the move.
Eleanor’s sharp gaze flickered to their joined hands, and Eurydice didn’t miss the way her lips pursed slightly.
Good. Let her think they were disgustingly in love.
Richard was the first to break the silence.
“How has the adjustment been, Eurydice?” he asked, voice calm, measured.
Eurydice gave him her most convincing smile. “It’s been great. Conrad’s been really… accommodating.”
She felt Conrad squeeze her hand ever so slightly, almost like a silent don’t push it.
Eleanor’s gaze narrowed slightly. “I find that hard to believe.”
Eurydice laughed lightly, tilting her head. “Oh, don’t worry. He’s still his usual self.” She threw Conrad a teasing look. “But I’m handling it.”
Conrad played along smoothly, smirking as he picked up his wine glass.
“She’s adjusting,” he said, voice filled with just enough fond amusement.
Richard raised an eyebrow, clearly not convinced but letting it slide.
Eleanor, however, was still watching them carefully.
Then—
She cut right to the chase.
“You seem… quite different from the women Conrad has entertained in the past.”
Eurydice smiled sweetly. “I’ll take that as a compliment.”
Eleanor’s lips pressed into a thin line.
Richard, meanwhile, chuckled quietly, clearly enjoying this.
“You don’t come from our world,” Eleanor continued, eyes sharp.
Eurydice didn’t flinch. “No. I don’t.”
Eleanor sipped her wine, gaze never leaving Eurydice’s. “Then why go through all this?”
Eurydice felt Conrad go still beside her, waiting for her answer.
This was it. The real test.
So, she leaned slightly into Conrad’s side, keeping her expression soft but confident.
“Because despite what you think, I’m not in this for the money,” she said smoothly. “I’m here because I… fell for him.”
She turned to Conrad, gazing up at him with just the right amount of warmth and teasing.
“I mean, he’s a bit of a control freak, but I guess I like a challenge.”
Conrad, to his credit, didn’t even hesitate—
He simply smirked, shifting slightly toward her, as if this was the most natural thing in the world.
“That’s putting it lightly,” he murmured, voice low enough for only her to hear.
Eurydice fought the urge to laugh.
She turned back to Eleanor, who was watching her like a hawk.
Eleanor slowly placed her glass down.
Then, with a carefully measured tone, she said—
“We’ll see.”
Eurydice resisted the urge to sigh in relief.
Richard, meanwhile, finally spoke again—this time to Conrad.
“Your cousin asked about your fiancée recently.”
Conrad’s expression hardened slightly, and Eurydice immediately sensed the shift in tension.
“He already met her at the gala,” Conrad said smoothly, but there was a clear edge to his voice.
Richard’s eyes narrowed slightly, as if testing something.
“Yes,” Richard said. “And he seems… very interested in her.”
Eurydice blinked, caught off guard.
She turned to Conrad, expecting him to make some sarcastic remark—but instead, his jaw had tightened slightly, eyes colder than usual.
Oh.
So that’s how it was.
And suddenly, Eurydice had a feeling that this whole "fake engagement" situation?
It was about to get a whole lot messier.