Ch 4.2
“I have nothing to say to you, Duke.”
“Lady.”
Kane called me once more in his characteristically low, sunken voice, which carried no hint of emotion.
“I simply wish to have a quiet conversation with you.”
He said he wanted to talk when he came to my house, too; what on earth is he trying to say to me?
No, I had no desire to hear whatever it was.
There was no reason for me to listen to this man.
“Duke.”
I called him, straightening my posture.
I didn’t want to show even a shred of lingering emotion in front of Kane.
“As I told you when you visited my home, I don’t see why I should engage in private conversation with you. Our relationship ended two years ago. Of course, the responsibility for all that happened lies with you, Duke.”
I continued speaking with firm resolve.
“We are no longer in a position to face each other and converse with such ease. Oh, of course, we were never ‘easy’ from the start.”
Belita and Kane.
Kane and Belita.
From the beginning, it was a relationship where one side had to bow down and enter submissively.
Belita wanted Kane’s heart, but Kane wouldn’t even look at her.
And that relationship ended with Kane’s betrayal.
“I find you very uncomfortable, Duke. Unless it is an official occasion, I do not even wish to be in the same space as you.”
Kane’s expression distorted slightly.
“Does that mean… you no longer have any feelings left for me?”
Did he seriously think I still liked him?
Really?
Ha, I was so dumbfounded that I was speechless, but I didn’t want to show him that either.
So, I put on a blank expression again and answered him.
“Yes, not at all.”
If the feelings weren’t there to begin with, would they be there now?
Silence fell following my answer.
Neither of us spoke, staring intently at one another.
It was as if we were in a staring contest.
“I cannot believe it.”
After quite a long time, Kane finally spoke.
“Pardon?”
It was an unexpected and utterly ridiculous thing to say.
“I find it hard to believe that someone who claimed to hold me in her heart for over ten years could have a change of heart in such a short period.”
Kane continued to pour out incomprehensible words without pause.
I knew he was a shameless and self-centered person, but I didn’t know he could sink this low.
At his ongoing absurdities, an incredulous laugh escaped me involuntarily.
“Let’s start over.”
Good grief, what is this…
“What did you just say?”
I asked again, thinking I might have misheard.
“I said, let’s start over.”
“What exactly?”
“From now on, I will focus only on you. So, our relationship—”
“Duke.”
I cut him off quickly.
I couldn’t stand to stay and listen any longer.
“Why are you doing this to me?”
I was genuinely curious.
I was so curious why he was suddenly acting like this toward me, and why he was starting such useless trouble now of all times.
But was there any need to know the reason now?
It was a completely meaningless question.
I just needed to cut this man off decisively right here.
“Are you really only this kind of person?”
To do that, responding emotionally was not a good idea.
Judging by this man’s words and attitude now, it seemed he thought if he suggested starting over, I would simply be delighted and welcome him while wagging a non-existent tail.
The fact that he treated me—treated Belita—this way made my anger soar to the top of my head, but I tried my best to compose my emotions.
‘Acting. I need to act.’
I am a person who has just returned after soothing the pain of a breakup.
And yet, standing before me is a man
talking nonsense about starting over.
I no longer have feelings for this man.
Therefore, I must drive this man away.
Thinking that way, the words to pour out on the man in front of me came to mind all at once.
“I shed tears and broke off the engagement because you, Duke, asked me to. Do you know how I felt then? You wouldn’t. Since you don’t know, you must be behaving this way toward me now.”
“…….”
“And I’ve returned after two years. Two years isn’t a short time; it was an incredibly difficult and long time for me to organize my feelings.”
“So from now on—”
“No, there is no ‘from now on.’ There is nothing left between you and me. So, please stop here so that I am not disappointed in you any further.”
You no longer have any meaning to me.
For a moment, silence hung over the terrace.
“I will take my leave first.”
Thinking that he had understood enough by now, I turned around.
Until then, he just stood there staring at me without saying a word.
“Lady.”
Just as I was about to step away, Kane called me again.
“I will wait. I will wait forever until you return to me.”
Ha, really.
A hollow laugh escaped at the words heard from behind.
I really wasn’t going to ask, but I suppose I have to.
“Is this perhaps because of the diamond mine?”
“What do you mean?”
“I asked if you are doing this because of the diamond mine you gave me as alimony.”
Of course, even if he said yes, I had no intention of ever giving it back, but this was the only reason I could think of for why Kane was acting like this.
Even so, wouldn’t it be too strange if he said it wasn’t?
Yes, if the words “it’s because I have feelings for you” came out of that mouth, I felt I would truly despise him.
“No.”
“No?”
“That’s right. Only after breaking the engagement did I feel the magnitude of the heart you gave me, so I simply wish to start over.”
And he gave the answer I absolutely did not want to hear.
“You certainly find things easy. And you are so incredibly selfish.”
“…….”
“Both when you pushed me away and now, you aren’t thinking about my feelings at all, Duke.”
“That’s not true.”
“It’s not? Then did you think if you said you wanted to start over, I would jump for joy? Just say it’s because of the diamond mine. That would be much more human.”
How easily must he think of me to act like this?
The irritation from earlier was gradually turning into rage.
“I fully understand the reason the Lady is angry. But from now on, it will be different. From now on, I will look only at you and not look at anyone else.”
“No, don’t do that. Please, don’t do that.”
“Do you not like me? I know that your feelings for me cannot be erased so easily.”
Wow, look how shameless that man is.
“What should I do? Those feelings ended two years ago. My feelings for you already vanished back then. You know who made it that way.”
“I was foolish back then. So, from now on at least—”
“Please, Duke.”
Where is there a future for us, and what use is a ‘from now on’?
I had no feelings for him to begin with, and he was Adela’s man from the start.
I don’t know why the aftermath of the novel has turned out like this.
Was the story everyone dreamed of, “and they lived happily ever after,” all a lie?
In reality, is this how all happy fairy tales or stories end?
Above all, I haven’t done anything to him, so why is this man acting like this now?
I didn’t try to change Kane like in some typical novel.
I acted exactly as Belita did, behaving in a way that would tire him out, and successfully led to the result of a broken engagement.
But where did things go wrong?
When and from where did Kane’s heart start to change?
‘Sigh.’
Having encountered the very thing I was careful to avoid, a sigh escaped on its own due to my confused and frustrated mind.
‘Should I really have died?’
Eventually, I reached the thought that the actions I changed because I didn’t want to die—actions I thought were trivial—ended up changing the original work.
But who in the world could avoid a future where they know they will die?
I was justified.
I merely did what I could do.
Even if I wanted to comfort myself that way, the feeling vanished the moment I looked at the man in front of me.
‘No, get it together.’
I have to keep my wits about me and act properly.
The original work already ended a long time ago.
The story from now on is a completely new one and a story I do not know.
But even so, although the original work ended, the characters remained.
There was Kane, there was Adela, and then…
There was Eden.
He was the person who willingly killed Belita for Adela.
Reflecting on the current situation, Adela still had feelings for Kane.
And, though I truly don’t know why, Kane’s heart was directed toward me.
In the end, it meant Adela could be hurt and fall into despair.
In such a situation, would Eden just stand by and watch?
While his beloved older sister is drowning in great pain due to a broken heart?
“I do not wish to discuss this matter with you for another second. I believe you have understood well enough what my words mean. I will take my leave first.”
I don’t know why that person is looking at me with such a deeply wounded face, but I ignored him.
And without waiting for his answer, I stepped straight out of the terrace.
After barely escaping the terrace, I looked around cautiously.
The center of the banquet hall was full of people dancing.
Perhaps because I reappeared after being gone, there were some people who glanced my way.
Ignoring their gazes, I quietly left the banquet hall.
After walking a bit outside the hall, I saw a garden.
It was a different place from the garden I had seen during the meal.
