Chapter 5
Just from a brief touch, it seemed like he hated it. His eyebrows were slightly raised, as if they were on a subtle tilt. Even this tiny difference was enough to sense the negative emotion behind it.
It wasn’t just avoidance or dislike; it was the kind of contempt that felt chilling.
“Sorry”
I tried to apologize, though late, but Reus ignored me as if I never existed in this space.
I stared at his retreating figure for a long time. Why does he hate me so much?’
I didn’t know the reason, but Reus had been showing signs of disliking me for a long time… No, from our very first meeting, he made it clear that he didn’t like me.
I never bothered him like others did, and I didn’t recall making any huge mistakes. In fact, I was the one who avoided him to keep things from getting complicated.
Yet, Reus would openly show his dislike for me.
“How could you still want to stay engaged while hating me so much?”
These men, all of them, are strange.
Today, my desire to leave this wretched original story grew even stronger. Yesterday, I couldn’t bring myself to laugh at the ball, so I went home early. I thought it would be worse if I stayed and watched Cassien fall for Iris.
‘No matter what, it’s over now… So, I should just forget.’
Honestly, it would be a lie to say it didn’t bother me, but I tried to calm myself by thinking about the upcoming escape.
Just like usual, I was talking casually with my old maid and friend, Enni in my storage room in the annex when she suddenly clapped her hands and handed me something.
“Oh, right! I almost forgot. For some reason, I finished a letter for you.”
“Huh? A letter?”
Seeing her say “for some reason” made me think it wasn’t from Roshan or Emily…
From your fiancé, Cassien
I froze when I saw the name written on the envelope. I wasn’t angry, just confused.
Why would he send me a letter…?’
As far as I remember, after meeting Iris at the imperial palace ball, Cassien interest seemed to focus solely on Iris.
So, when I sent him a letter, he ignored it every time, and at one point, he even threw my letter into the flames in front of the servants.
So, according to the novel, I shouldn’t even be in his thoughts.
Then why?
I quickly opened the letter.
There were two pages. And on them were rows and rows of Cassien handwriting, each word clearly his.
To summarize, he was asking for forgiveness, or saying that he still loved me…
The conclusion: “I can’t break off the engagement.”
“Looks like the noble young man has finally come to his senses, huh?”
Enni said, teasingly, as she lightly nudged my shoulder. But I couldn’t laugh at all.
‘Didn’t he meet Iris at the palace?’
It seems like the story started to go off track around this time.
I wish that letter had just been one of his usual whims. But against my wishes, Cassien kept sending me letters steadily from the day after the ball.
I didn’t respond to any of them.
And just like before, I left the house early to avoid him showing up unannounced. Though I could tell Peria was getting annoyed with my frequent outings, I had no other choice.
Today, I was spending time at the plaza with Roshan and Emily. Why do I have to go through this?’
Normally, I would have kept a low profile, but now I was forced to stand out!
While I was deep in thought, trying to figure out how to deal with the original story, the two of them were busy talking about the new princess, Iris.
“So, whose daughter is the princess?”
“The 3rd empress. You know, the one who lives outside the palace… Was her name Abinoa? Anyway, I think she’s the daughter of the 3rd empress.”
“From the look on her face, it seemed like the empress didn’t know about it.”
“Yeah… I thought I was going to die from fear…”
“I thought so too-.”
“Sigh”
I sighed deeply, and Roshan suddenly stopped, looking at me before asking in frustration.
What’s going on with you lately? No, tell me about the palace ball! What happened after you both left? Why haven’t you told me?”
“Ah!”
“Whoa, you scared me!”
They said they stayed until the end of the ball, right?
“By the way, did Cassien stay until the end of the ball?”
Roshan seemed to have no idea, but then Emily spoke up.
“Well… I did see him come back to the hall after you left.”
“And?”
“Yeah?”
“Did he stay until His Majesty introduced the princess?”
“Umm… I think he definitely stayed until then.”
So, they did meet, then.
But why is he still sending me letters?
“So?”
I was about to ask more when Roshan interrupted me.
“No! You tell me first! You disappeared and then came back and immediately went back to being the Count’s servant. What happened? I need to know today.”
If I said nothing happened, he was going to grab my hair this time, so I hesitated and then answered.
“Cassien asked for another chance…”
“So?! What did you say?”
“I said no.”
“Hey!”
Roshan’s loud voice made me and Emily jump. I stared at Roshan in shock, and he grinned.
“Good for you. This little puppy finally got its senses back! I’d want you to do the same to him, but…”
Roshan laughed as if he’d already accepted that wouldn’t be possible. Just then, the café terrace became filled with murmurs, and a shadow loomed over me.
Looking up, I saw Cassien staring down at me, even after I’d gone out to avoid the constant stream of letters.
There were so many eyes on us, so I moved to the alley next to the café.
How does he always know where I am…?’
I furrowed my brows, feeling uneasy, and Cassien asked me.
“Did you read the letter?”
I didn’t respond to him about the letter.
After all, tonight, I would be receiving a new identity after settling the payment for the secret guild.
My escape was so close now; I didn’t need to get involved with him anymore.
“I didn’t get a reply. They said the letter arrived fine, though.”
“Cassien.”
“I wish you’d stop talking about the breakup.”
Cassien smiled as casually as ever, saying this.
Looking at him sending letter after letter, I almost felt foolish for worrying about his sudden change of heart.
“It’s not like we’re going to break up, so I don’t get why you keep insisting on it.”
“Insisting? Why is it insisting? I have no intention of taking back what I said.”
Cassien let out a small laugh and then asked me.
“Loelle. Do you really want to break up with me?”
“Of course”
If it were me, I would have sent a letter to break it off. If you were serious about it, that is.
The reason I hadn’t clearly ended things with words about breaking up was, of course, because of Peria.
If I demanded the breakup without reason, the position of the Ivelle family would become awkward. Even though it was Cassien fault for neglecting the relationship and being the cause of our separation, no one from the Ersian Marquis family or Ivelle family would make it an issue.
Peria, however, would treat me like prey, so there was no reason for me to provoke her right before I was about to leave.
But Cassien, as if mocking me, said:
“You could never do that. Right, Loelle?”
“So stop being angry and let’s stop this useless stuff here. I’ve waited enough. At this point, you should take a step back. Don’t you think?
I told Cassien I would send a letter to the Marquis as soon as I got home, threatening him.
“Huh? Useless stuff? Wait until you’re calm?”
‘He thinks I can’t do it? We’ll see, Cassien.’
So, to keep my promise, I asked Enni for paper to write my response as soon as I returned home.
Though it wouldn’t be an official breakup letter, I would write something similar and send it to the Marquis. My intentions would be clear.
I gritted my teeth and began writing the letter to the Marquis.
“Why are you writing the letter so aggressively? Hey! Loelle! Who are you writing this to like this? Wait… the Ersian Marquis?”
Enni voice sounded surprised, but I didn’t even stop to look, and she grabbed my hand in surprise.
“A breakup letter to the Marquis! What’s going on suddenly? If the madam finds out, you’ll be in big trouble!”
“It’s fine. I’ll be leaving soon anyway.”
“Ah…”
Enni was the only one who knew about my escape plan from this mansion.
She must have understood what I was thinking, as she let go of my hand.
“Well… if you’re leaving anyway, what’s stopping you? Tonight, you’ll have a new identity, right? Honestly, that noble young man needs to learn a lesson. Write it all down! Write whatever you want, Loelle.”
After writing the breakup letter, I asked Enni to send it to the Ersian Marquis right away.
By tonight, when I received my new identity and boarded the ship, my letter would probably arrive at the Marquis’s residence.
I smiled to myself, thinking about how Cassien would react when he received it.
