Chapter 2

Chapter 2

There were few who could resist the allure of such a captivating Alpha—not even the child of the Empire’s Seventh Duke.

Watching him lead such a promiscuous life, Idina often found herself thinking about the bleak future that awaited her once she came of age and married him.

And so, naturally, a thought formed.

These days, even nobles get divorced.

When the first noble divorce occurred a few years ago, the backlash had been brutal—everyone condemned the couple. But as more cases followed, the idea slowly lost its shock factor. Though divorcees were still looked down upon, society had begun to accept that it was no longer unheard of.

Still, not a single member of the Bride family had ever divorced.

Perhaps she would be the first—returning to her original name after parting ways with her arrogant husband-to-be…

That was the thought running through her mind when it happened. Maybe that’s why.

<We should break off the engagement, Idina.>

It was only a few days ago that she heard those words.

When Duke Lilles said those words, the fact that he wore such a terrible expression didn’t matter to Idina at all.

To be honest, she was so overjoyed that her entire body felt lighter the moment she heard it.

In fact, up until the day before, Idina hadn’t even dared to imagine that Lilles would ever say something like that.

It made sense, though. Lilles had always verbally abused her—cutting her down with every breath. Yet, strangely enough, he had also shown signs of obsession.

<You’re my omega anyway, aren’t you?>

That question was his way of stifling her irritation. Always.

Truthfully, for a noblewoman to be unilaterally cast aside by her fiancé was a major scandal. A glaring flaw on her record.

If bearing a scar on one’s body was considered the greatest shame for a nobleman, then being rejected from an engagement was the equivalent disgrace for a noblewoman. Since divorce was still rare, breaking off an engagement was, too.

Worse still, society often blamed the woman. A man’s unilateral decision to end a betrothal was almost always viewed as a result of something being wrong with her.

Idina would now be the one subjected to those unreasonable assumptions. And at the moment, the biggest concern was—

“You haven’t already told everyone about this, have you?”

In response to the Duke’s question—Idina’s father—the vassal of the Lilles family lowered his gaze slightly and replied,

“Everyone in the Lilles family, including myself, is aware.”

It seemed the rumors had already spread widely through noble circles.

The Duke’s expression darkened.

“…So you’re determined to make enemies of us, the Duchy of Bride? Do you think I’ll just let this slide?”

“The Duke of Lilles said this matter couldn’t be helped.”

“Couldn’t be helped?”

The Duke repeated the words sharply, his voice tinged with disbelief. But the Lilles family’s vassal remained silent.

That silence told him enough. Something was being hidden from him. He turned his head sharply.

“Idina!”

“Yes?”

Though she was the one most directly involved, Idina had remained quiet, simply observing. At her father’s shout, she jolted upright, her posture stiffening. The Duke, unable to conceal his growing agitation, pressed her with a harsh tone.

“Did you do something wrong? Is that why those damn Lilles bastards are dragging our name through the mud?”

“Huh? What? Of course not…”

Those damn Lilles, considering their vassals were right in front of them, it was quite harsh language. However, she answered in a calm tone. She had absolutely no memory of doing anything so serious as to deserve a broken engagement.

However, contrary to her words, she actually knew the reason for the broken engagement. It was because he had kindly told her the reason.

<A woman much more beautiful and with better circumstances than you has appeared.>

<Really…? >

When Idina heard it, she reacted indifferently. She couldn’t help it—the broken engagement itself was already too much.

<Idina Bride, you… don’t care about this broken engagement, do you?>

But Lilles, the one who had brought up the broken engagement, asked her that question. Idina had no idea what he meant by it, so she just answered honestly.

At the end of the day, Idina usually didn’t care. There was no reason to act coy now.

<What reason should I have to think about something that’s already happened? Congratulations. You’re finally free from this relentless engagement.>

He always chased other women around like clouds, never Idina. She’d heard that he couldn’t even count the number of women he’d dragged into bed. Fortunately, he didn’t seem to touch married women, but it was clear he had quite the history in this area.

Alphas sometimes have mistresses to release pheromones, but he was one of the worst. He must have been crazy about women—or maybe crazy about sex.

Considering that situation, he, an alpha, strangely hadn’t had a child yet. He must have been good at contraception. He probably didn’t want to fill the family mansion with illegitimate children, either.

In truth, Idina didn’t want to pay attention to any of it. She’d complained about his treatment of her up until now, but she hadn’t said a word about him.

In any case, if she seriously dealt with him—who only saw her as his child-bearing device—she’d just get tired.

<…>

However, judging by the expression on his face when he heard Idina’s answer, she suspected he didn’t actually like the idea of breaking off the engagement. Just as she knew about his philandering but didn’t control it, she didn’t think it was something worth caring about, no matter the circumstances. As long as he wasn’t involved with her.