Ch 3.5
“How is it? Do you think I’ll stand out the most there?”
“Of course. Our young lady will be the most beautiful.”
If I go today, I’ll likely run into Kane and Adela, won’t I?
Come to think of it, even though I searched through Belita’s past memories, there had never been a single point of contact between Belita and Adela.
And since I possessed this body before the original story began, I had never seen Adela at all.
Adela’s health was so poor that she extremely avoided going out.
Then, at the first party she ever attended—the day Kane and Adela met for the first time—I had intentionally left the banquet using the excuse of being sick.
‘But now that I think about it, I don’t think I’ve heard any talk of those two getting married.’
If they were going to, they should have done it long ago, but I couldn’t bring myself to ask my parents because it might look like I still had lingering feelings for Kane.
‘I’ll find out when I go today.’
In any case, since I was meeting Kane for the first time in a while, I wanted to show him that I was living very well even without him.
That was why I had put extra effort into my appearance.
This wasn’t because I truly wanted to show him how well I was living, but rather a part of my performance from two years ago.
After all, when a person who was dumped reunites with the person they loved after a long time, they would want to save their pride by showing their best possible self.
“Let’s go, Mary.”
“Yes, young lady.”
When I passed through the hall and went outside the mansion, my parents had not arrived yet.
However…….
‘Huh?’
It was Lian.
Lian was standing near the carriage, looking at me.
“Lian!”
I approached him with a bright smile, feeling glad to see him.
This was the first time I had seen Lian since the day we went to the orphanage.
“It’s been a while. Have you been doing
well?”
“Yes, young lady. Have you also been doing well, young lady?”
“Yes, I’ve been doing well. Is the training still manageable?”
“Yes, it is fine.”
I was about to say something else, but my parents happened to come out.
So, the conversation was cut off before we could finish speaking.
“Let’s talk again next time.”
I waved my hand at him.
Lian bowed his head to greet me.
I glanced at him once more and immediately boarded the carriage.
However, on the way there, my father’s expression was not good.
“Father, are you feeling unwell somewhere?”
“No, it’s nothing…….”
But seeing his restless expression, it was clear that something was the matter.
“Father…….”
While calling out to my father with a worried heart and gauging the
atmosphere, somehow not only my father but my mother also had a strange expression.
“By any chance, do you have something to tell me?”
I suddenly remembered how they hadn’t finished what they were saying while eating a few days ago.
At that moment, I saw the two of them exchange glances.
Then, as if she had finally made up her mind, my mother spoke first.
“Belita, there is something I have to tell you.”
“What is it?”
I didn’t think there could be any story serious enough for me to hear, but since their faces were so stiff, I also became tense in turn.
“Duke Maxius is……”
If it was Duke Maxius, she was referring to Kane.
“The Duke?”
“Yes, well…… Duke Maxius and the Lady of Bayon have broken their engagement.”
“Pardon?”
Broken engagement?
I was the one who broke the engagement.
Now who else broke an engagement?
When words I never expected came out, I couldn’t grasp the situation at all.
I just looked at my parents with my mouth hanging open.
“A broken engagement?”
“Yes, it’s already been nearly a year.”
It wasn’t even a recent break-up, but had happened almost a year ago.
What is going on?
What on earth happened while I was away?
“Di-did the two of them ever get married?”
“No, it didn’t even reach marriage. I heard they broke it off just before they were supposed to wed.”
“Why?”
Even though my parents wouldn’t know the reason even if I asked, perhaps because I was momentarily out of my mind, the words came out on their own.
Suddenly, I felt breathless and anxious, as if something was clutching my windpipe.
“We don’t know the reason either. I only heard that the Lady of Bayon’s health deteriorated rapidly because of it, and that the relationship between House Maxius and House Bayon has soured again.”
Why?
Why did it turn out like this?
I haven’t done anything, so why has the
original story changed?
Could it be because I broke my engagement with him and didn’t bully the female lead?
“Belita, are you alright?”
As my face turned pale, my mother looked at me with a worried gaze.
‘Get a grip.’
Whether those two break up or not, what does that have to do with me?
The original story is already over.
I have nothing to do with them anymore.
To put it bluntly, whether they sing of love or of parting, it’s none of my business now.
“Ah, I was just momentarily surprised to hear something I hadn’t even thought of.”
I gave a slight smile to reassure my parents.
“Belita, do you perhaps still……”
My father asked me, trailing off.
I knew what that meant.
“No. Absolutely not, Father. My connection with the Duke is finished now. So please
do not worry.”
At my words, I saw the two of them let out a sigh of relief.
“Still, it is a bit bewildering anyway. It seems many things happened in the capital while I was away.”
“Of course, many things happened. I will tell you about it slowly once we return from the palace today.”
My mother noticed that I had intentionally changed the subject and played along with my words.
After that, we headed toward the Imperial Palace, engaging in other conversations without mentioning Kane or Adela at all.
Belita had been to the Imperial Palace before, but it was my first time.
So, as soon as we arrived at the palace, I had to stop my eyes from constantly wandering at the brilliant appearance of the palace.
‘It’s incredibly extravagant. I thought the palace wouldn’t be much since the imperial power is said to be weak.’
I naturally marveled at the exterior of the palace, decorated with all sorts of expensive things.
“Duke Duke Hates of House Hates, Duchess Raynoa Hates, and Lady Belita Hates are entering.”
A moment later, when we arrived in front of a giant door, the gatekeeper announced our arrival and opened the door.
I followed my parents inside.
As if we were the first to arrive, there was no one inside.
“Please sit this way.”
An attendant guided us to our seats.
“His Majesty the Emperor and the others have not arrived yet.”
“Understood.”
It was that we were early, not that others were late.
My parents and I sat down and waited for the others to arrive.
And a short while later, the gatekeeper’s voice was heard from outside the door.
“Duke Kane Maxius of House Maxius is entering.”
Kane had lost the previous Ducal couple in an accident a few years ago and had led the family alone since then.
Therefore, from House Maxius, a man with brown hair was entering alone.
It was Kane Maxius.
My parents and I stood up from our seats to show noble etiquette.
It had been a full two years.
Naturally, I never once thought that I missed him or wanted to see him.
I just cast my gaze toward the door to see how much he had changed in two years.
And then, a man appeared who hadn’t changed at all, as if I had seen him only yesterday.
“It has been a long time.”
Perhaps because my parents were elders, Kane greeted us first.
“It has been a long time.”
“It’s been a long time, Duke Maxius.”
After greeting my father and mother in turn, Kane came before me.
Wondering what words to use for a greeting, I offered him the same greeting as my mother.
“It’s been a long time, Duke Maxius.”
“It’s been a long time, Lady Hates.”
“Yes, it really has been a long time.”
To show him that I was completely unfazed even when seeing him now, I showed him my brightest smile.
At that, I saw a slight crack form in his expressionless face.
‘What? I must have seen it wrong.’
There was no reason for Kane to make
such an expression toward me.
Or could it be that he felt annoyed because the person he discarded looked like she was living perfectly well?
If that’s really the case, this man is truly malicious.
I concluded the greeting, thinking that he wouldn’t be that terrible.
“I heard that Lady Hates went on a long journey.”
However, the person who had never shown any interest in me suddenly brought up the story of my trip first.
“Yes, I also briefly stopped by Grence, which the Duke gave me as alimony.”
I intentionally brought up the diamond mine.
It was to remind him once again that we had broken our engagement.
“Is that so. What did you see there?”
What did I see? I saw enough of ‘my diamonds’ piled up to be kicked by my feet until I was sick of it.
“I didn’t stay long, so I couldn’t look around in detail. I just did a bit of sightseeing in the village. It was a very quiet village.”
“The air in Grence is good and it’s quiet, so it’s a perfect place for a retreat. I have also visited several times.”
“Yes, if I meet a tender-hearted person later, marry, and have children, I am thinking of staying there for a month or two out of the year.”
I intentionally emphasized being “tender-hearted.”
It was meant to imply that I would meet someone who was on a completely different level than him.
