Whether he was afraid I might change my mind, he hurriedly accepted my condition without even hearing what or how much I wanted first.
Good. He bit.
I had thought about it all along.
If it were the real Belita, she probably wouldn’t break the engagement with Kane even if he gave her billions.
Because she also, as a lady of a ducal house, had enough wealth—no, wealth she couldn’t spend in a lifetime of splurging.
Thinking that, in order to give legitimacy to this breakup and convince everyone, a massive compensation befitting it—one that anyone would find acceptable—was absolutely necessary.
Of course, I intended to use that as an excuse to rip a proper share out of him this time.
As compensation for all my hard work.
After making up my mind, I had been secretly investigating the assets of the House of Maxius whenever I had time.
Since I was digging into the House
of Maxius, one of the greatest families in the Empire, it took more time and money than expected.
But since I was also a member of a family that was second to none, there was nothing I couldn’t do if I set my mind to it.
As a result, I found out the extent of the Maxius family’s wealth.
And based on that, I was able to calculate how much I could obtain.
I intended to ask for the most valuable thing he possessed.
I was certain that if it were that much, no one would have a shred of doubt regarding the fact that I—who loved Kane to death, more than my own life—had broken the
engagement.
No, someone might, but even then, if they learned I had received such compensation, they would accept it with an “Ah!”
Because it was something truly worth that much.
“I do not want money; I want territory.”
“…Territory?”
Whether he thought I would ask for a few pennies at most, a slight crack appeared in his brick-like expression at the word ‘territory.’
Watching that sight, I felt slightly excited as the thought of having delivered a proper blow to him made me feel like I was flying.
‘No. Calm down. It’s not over yet.’
Reminding myself that it’s not over until it’s over, I spoke while trying my best to suppress the excitement in my heart.
“I heard there is land among the ducal territories that includes a diamond mine. Give that to me.”
It was the same where I used to live, but in this world too, diamonds were one of the most expensive and high-end jewels.
Therefore, owning not just a few diamonds, but a diamond mine, meant possessing enormous wealth.
My family, the House of Hates, had also accumulated wealth for generations, but unfortunately, we did not possess a diamond mine.
So, I believed that if I broke the engagement and took the mine as alimony, my parents would accept and welcome it to some extent.
“A diamond mine, you say…?”
“Precisely, the land there including the diamond mine.”
Asking for land that brings in nearly infinite money every time it’s mined, rather than a limited amount of cash, seemed to come as a great shock to him as well.
Kane was silent for a moment.
Since I had nothing left to lose to him, I held my head high and stared at him confidently.
“Do you dislike it? Is it too precious? Do you not want to pay that much for our breakup?”
I mocked him slightly, indirectly asking if his love was worth even that much.
“If it’s too precious, you can just retract the breakup. I don’t care either way. No, I would rather you come to your senses even now and say you’ll return to me; then I can act as if this never happened. And I plan to set a wedding date immediately. Because I’m anxious that something like this might happen again.”
I deliberately brought up the topic of marriage and pressured him to make him anxious, so he couldn’t think carefully.
I acted strong, but I was equally anxious that Kane’s love for Adela might only amount to that much.
If that happened, the breakup would be gone, and I might be stuck having to marry a man who cheated and live a horrific life forever.
However, I tried my best never to show my anxiety on the outside and maintained my expression.
But as Kane kept his mouth shut for quite a long time, I grew impatient.
So, just as I was about to open my mouth to pressure him again, Kane spoke first.
“…Very well.”
Thank goodness.
As soon as I heard the answer I wanted, I clenched my fist tightly out of Kane’s sight.
Looking at his face, he wore an expression that suggested he was not at all pleased with giving me the diamond mine.
What are you going to do if you’re not pleased?
Still, I’ll acknowledge you as a devoted lover.
Giving up a diamond mine for the sake of love—it truly is a great love. I totally acknowledge it!
“I can trust you, right?”
However, based on what I had researched, handing over a diamond mine was bound to be a significant blow even for the House of Maxius, the wealthiest in the Empire.
So, I asked him for assurance once more.
“Yes, that is correct…”
“Since you are not the type of person to say something different later, I will trust you.”
His personality was mediocre, but he wasn’t the type to lie, so I felt this was enough to trust.
“You, too, Lady, must not go back on your word regarding this matter.”
He also asked for assurance from me, perhaps afraid that I would flip my words later.
“I also do not say two different things with one mouth. I swear on the honor of a noble.”
I put forward the honor of a noble to show him my absolute will.
Then, his expression looked significantly more relaxed.
‘Did I swear for nothing?’
I slightly regretted it because that also didn’t please me much.
Because it wouldn’t have been bad to see that man doubting and trembling in anxiety.
No. Forget it.
In any case, it was over between this person and me.
From now on, we’ll probably just exchange brief greetings at official functions.
There will no longer be any kind of thread of fate existing between us.
“Then I shall have the details drafted into a document by the family representative and sent over. I hope you achieve what you desire, Duke.”
Now that I had obtained what I wanted, I had no further business here.
With those final words, I turned around and headed for the door.
Feeling as though he was staring at my back until the moment I left, I stepped out of the drawing room immediately without giving him so much as a glance.
And the moment the door closed, I let out a silent scream of joy.
I did it. I actually did it!!
I had been reassuring myself all along that I could do it, but an underlying sense of anxiety had always been there.
But now that it was finally over, a sense of accomplishment for what I had achieved and a feeling of liberation—of freedom—began to fill my heart.
However, this was still the Maxius estate.
It was not an appropriate place to indulge in full-blown joy.
I struggled to steady my trembling shoulders as I walked toward where the carriage was waiting.
Yet, I couldn’t hide my cheerful gait throughout the walk; my feet felt so light it was as if I were floating on clouds.
‘A diamond mine…!’
From now on, I’m rich until I die—no, even after I die.
With this diamond mine alone, I could spend the rest of my life doing only what I want, eating only what I want, and doing anything without having to worry about anyone else’s opinion.
Having successfully broken the engagement, I was deep in thought inside the carriage about what to do next when I suddenly arrived home.
“My Lady, you’ve returned.”
When I stepped out of the carriage, the butler and servants were there to greet me.
“Where are Mother and Father?”
I addressed the elderly man among them.
He was the man who had served as the butler of the House of Hates for decades.
“The Duke is in his office, and the Duchess is in the library.”
“Is that so? I understand.”
I wanted to tell my parents what had happened today right away, but I needed a moment to think about how to word it.
So first, I went up to the second floor where my room was.
