Chapter 4
The next morning, a cold voice echoed through the study of Duke Marcus Everett.
“I will not allow it.”
Ayla’s expression crumbled the moment her father spoke, rejecting her plea to break off the engagement without a second’s hesitation.
She had expected it would not be easy. But she had not expected such an immediate and blunt refusal.
“Father, Lord Rodrigo visits a secret salon almost every night. I do not want to marry a man like that.”
“Do you think marriage is a game? This is a union between noble families. It is not something that can be broken off so easily for such a reason.”
“But what if he continues going there after we are married? What if he ends up fathering a child with another woman?”
At her words, Marcus’s face hardened as he answered in a sharp tone.
“That is a meaningless assumption. If a married man frequents such places, it is because his wife has failed to manage her duties properly.”
Ayla could not believe what she was hearing.
Rodrigo was already going to those places before they were even married. What would change afterward?
She opened her mouth to speak but could not find the right words. While she hesitated, Marcus delivered another cold blow.
“You have not forgotten that you are the daughter of House Everett, have you?”
There it was again.
Without realizing it, Ayla bit her lip hard, drawing a small drop of blood.
“Even if he does continue to visit that place after marriage, it would only bring disgrace to you if it became public. You are intelligent enough to understand that, are you not?”
“But Father…”
“Silence. You have lived with the privileges of a noble lady. It is time to behave accordingly.”
At his harsh rebuke, it felt as if the ground beneath Ayla’s feet was falling away.
Why… Why is this happening?
She had lived her entire life the way he wanted.
Why? Because she wanted to be loved.
Because she wanted to be a daughter he could be proud of.
Holding back the tears that threatened to spill, Ayla asked in a trembling voice.
“Father, are you really fine with me being unhappy?”
Her voice held so many emotions that Marcus’s left eyebrow twitched slightly, a habit of his whenever he was irritated.
“Ayla Everett. Just what do you think you are doing?”
His words were as cold as ice. Ayla clenched her fists.
She felt like she was standing at the edge of a cliff.
“I want to call off the engagement, Father. If you love me, please allow it.”
For a moment, the room was silent.
Ayla and Marcus locked eyes in the still air.
Then, with a sharp gesture, Marcus rang the bell on his desk and shouted.
“Butler! Bring Lady Natalie at once!”
“Father!”
Ayla cried out, but nothing changed.
Marcus did not even look at her. When her nanny, Natalie, rushed into the room, he turned his cold gaze on her and gave his command.
“Take her away. Make sure she never speaks of this again.”
The world Ayla had so desperately held together began to fall apart.
She could no longer deny it.
The belief that her father loved her had been a lie. He did not care whether she was happy or not.
“Nanny… wait, that hurts… Nanny…”
Ayla stumbled after her nanny, Natalie, who had grabbed her wrist tightly.
Even though Ayla’s desperate voice echoed behind her, Natalie did not respond.
When they arrived at a room, Ayla was thrown inside without care. She clutched her reddened wrist in pain.
Natalie glared at her with disappointment and scolded her sharply.
“I am deeply disappointed in you, My Lady. Calling off the engagement? Have you lost your mind?”
“I am thinking more clearly than ever, Nanny.”
“Then you must have a reason. Go ahead, tell me. If there is a valid reason, that is.”
Ayla looked straight at Natalie.
Though she called her “nanny,” in truth, Natalie was more like a guard than a caregiver.
“I went to the Moonlight Mansion. To the secret salon. I heard some things about Lord Rodrigo.”
Ayla’s voice was flat and emotionless.
Natalie’s expression immediately stiffened.
“You went to the secret salon?”
“Yes. My sister told me Rodrigo is called the ‘man of the people.’ So, I went to see for myself. I had to know what kind of man I was going to marry.”
“My Lady…”
Natalie cut her off sharply and asked in a cold voice.
“Nothing happened at the secret salon, did it?”
“What…?”
Natalie’s eyes scanned her up and down, filled with suspicion.
Ayla’s face turned pale, and she shouted in shock.
“What is that supposed to mean?”
“Exactly what I said. Nothing happened at the salon, right? Or is there something I should know?”
Something I should know?
Ayla stood in shock, unable to respond. Then she heard Natalie click her tongue in frustration.
“Fine. We will know soon enough when the inspection day comes.”
A flush of shame crept up Ayla’s face.
Natalie looked at her with clear disapproval and continued scolding her.
“I warned you not to go near that place. Why can’t you ever listen? Why did you have to cause all this trouble?”
“What are you talking about?”
Ayla’s voice shook as she stared at her in disbelief.
“You knew? You knew and said nothing?”
“I didn’t pretend not to know. I protected you. Can you really not understand the Duke’s intentions? Look at what happened. Knowing didn’t help you in the end.”
“What did you say?”
Ayla felt numb, as if something had struck her hard in the head.
Realizing that her father had known everything made her mind go completely blank.
Natalie let out a bitter chuckle and continued.
“Why do you care what kind of person he is? What are you going to do with that information? Just because your fiancé acts improperly doesn’t mean the engagement can be broken. Do you understand that?”
She continued lecturing her for quite a while, then finally left the room. But Ayla could not hear anything anymore.
Father knew all along.
Her chest tightened with a pain that felt unbearable. It hurt to realize that in this enormous mansion, she had no one on her side. The loneliness hit her deeply.
That afternoon, when the room had finally gone quiet again, the door suddenly burst open.
“You really told Father you wanted to break off the engagement? I cannot believe it. What were you thinking? Did you really believe that just saying you wanted it would make it happen?”
In that moment, Ayla felt like she was losing control of herself.
“Sister, I am really not feeling well. Please, just say nothing and leave.”
She tried so hard to hold her voice steady that her chin began to tremble.
But Shuelle seemed blind to the way Ayla’s face had turned completely pale.
“Unbelievable. I came here because I was worried, and this is the thanks I get. You never appreciate anything.”
Ayla turned her head away. She didn’t want to say anything else, and hoped her silence would be enough. But Shuelle didn’t stop.
“Foolish Ayla. I only told you about Lord Rodrigo because I thought it was better for you to know what you were facing. It is better than being caught off guard. I never meant for you to actually try to end the engagement. Do you understand that?”
Ayla turned her head again to look at her sister.
She was not angry. She was simply confused.
“Why?”
So she asked quietly.
“Why is suffering the only choice I was given? Why couldn’t I choose to avoid it instead?”
“What? Choice?”
Shuelle looked at her in disbelief. Her words came out broken, as if she could not understand what she was hearing.
“You really shouldn’t be thinking for yourself. Just do what you’ve always done. Why did you have to go and upset Father? You’re just a puppet who follows his orders anyway.”
That was the only thing Ayla had ever been allowed to be.
That was all her family had ever wanted from her.
“Accept it, Ayla. The more beautiful a flower is, the faster it is cut and placed in a vase to wither.”
Accept it? How was she supposed to accept that?
Her chest filled with unbearable rage. She couldn’t even name the emotion, but it consumed her. It felt like her mind would break from the pressure.
Ayla clenched her fists so tightly her bones showed beneath her skin. Her teeth pressed together hard enough to ache.
“Leave.”
“What?”
Shuelle pointed at herself in confusion, clearly stunned.
“You are telling me to leave?”
“Is there anyone else here?”
Shuelle stared at her, mouth hanging open.
“I cannot believe this. You are insane. I came here because I was worried, and this is how you treat me?”
Ayla met her gaze with a calm but cold expression and replied.
“You weren’t worried.”
“What?”
“It was relief. Spite, jealousy and curiosity, that is all. Did you really think I wouldn’t notice?”
Shuelle’s lips moved silently. She was too shocked to speak, unable to believe what she was hearing.
Ayla looked at her with a face that had gone completely cold.
“If you don’t want everyone in the social circle to hear about your true nature, then never open that door again. I will not play along with your sister act anymore.”
