I’m shy and reserved, more than I look.
This kind of situation was extremely uncomfortable for someone like me.
And why were these people acting like I should be embarrassed?
Just as I was tilting my head in confusion to assess the situation.
“Isn’t the Duke too much? Even if he doesn’t like his fiancée, shouldn’t he still value human life?”
Ah, could it be because of what happened at the lake…?
It was the worst-case scenario.
Like the tragic heroine whose fiancé saved the woman he loved instead of her!
I wasn’t sad at all, but my vision went dark.
Weren’t people seeing me that way?
Thinking back, I should’ve done as Allen said and thrown the annulment letter in Ricardo’s face.
Anyway, since the relatives strongly disliked me, there was no way they came out of concern.
As proof, Great Aunt Elizabeth dabbed her eyes with a handkerchief and continued speaking.
“After that incident, it was such a commotion… I never dreamed I’d be called the ‘Despised Lady’ of the Roygin family while still alive.”
I wanted to ask why she was acting like we were so close when we’d only met three times, but there was a more important question.
“What brings you here?”
We’re not on those terms.
At my words, Elizabeth smiled kindly.
“Still, since Cedric is inheriting the title, I thought I should come.”
But I never sent an invitation?
“Sister, are you not happy to see me and Grandma?”
Bonica stared straight at me, eyes brimming with tears.
She was a troublesome guest, but I couldn’t just kick her out as I pleased.
Then, someone approached. Maybe the butler had already told him—Grandfather was standing there.
As soon as Elizabeth met his eyes, his pupils began to tremble. But soon, his gaze turned sharp.
I had never once thought of Grandfather as scary…
‘He’s terrifying!’
Unlike me, who was frozen and reading the room, Bonica ran up to him without a care.
“Have you been well?”
Bonica, always full of charm, clung to Grandfather’s arm with a silly grin.
…Ugh, I did envy that personality a little.
I wanted to be cutesy with Grandfather too, but I wasn’t born with that kind of temperament.
This was already a huge improvement.
Besides, if I tried to act cute, Grandfather would probably be so shocked he’d fall over.
Grandfather remained silent for a while, then opened his mouth with his eyes closed.
“Prepare a room.”
No sooner had he finished speaking than Elizabeth grabbed Bonica’s hand and led her away. Then Bonica let out a small giggle and waved at us as if nothing had happened.
“See you tomorrow!”
After that uproar settled down.
I caught my breath and looked at Grandfather, who was still standing there.
He seemed so lost in thought that he didn’t even notice I was looking at him.
* * *
“Brother, do you have a moment?”
When I called out to Cedric as he was about to go out, he gave a slight nod.
“Talk while we walk.”
I trailed behind him and brought up the topic.
“You’re going to Drimokan Forest after the enthronement ceremony, right?”
“…Did I ever tell you that?”
“No. I secretly overheard you talking with Grandfather.”
Cedric let out a baffled laugh at my words.
Since he said he was going to Drimokan Forest with the priests, it was clear they’d be talking about the forest.
Well, they’d probably just give him a warning not to fall for the heresy of believing in the god of Drimokan Forest.
“I want to observe too.”
“Why?”
I calmly explained the reason I’d prepared beforehand.
“I’ve been thinking… about Grandfather’s illness. I think it might be related to that forest.”
I thought he’d cut me off, telling me not to spout nonsense, but Cedric unexpectedly listened.
“If we investigate the Divine Era, we might find an answer. Magic power is…”
“That’s not possible.”
Then Cedric, who had been quietly listening, cut in.
“Bianca, if things go wrong, you’ll be branded a traitor.”
Maybe I should’ve just said I was going to look around without thinking.
Or should I bring up Peril’s story now?
That the Tower Master might have the answer…?
‘No. If word got out that I carelessly revealed he’d awakened, I’d be eliminated by Peril without a trace.’
The thought of what might come next sent chills down my spine.
In the end, I opened my mouth with a “whatever happens, happens” mindset.
“Sure, I cause trouble all the time, but I wouldn’t go that far in the forest, right?”
“……”
“I’ll just stay by your side and take a look at the World Tree. We can discuss the rest back at home.”
Cedric let out a deep sigh.
“…Fine. It’s not like you’d listen even if I tried to stop you. It’d be worse if you tried to sneak in later.”
“Haha, when have I ever not listened to you?”
As soon as I finished speaking, Cedric cursed me with his eyes.
…Or maybe not.
When I just smiled awkwardly, he changed the subject.
“By the way, has the Duke replied yet?”
“Hmm, no.”
Cedric seemed a bit irritated at my answer. Worried about his blood pressure, I responded as lightly as possible.
“Maybe it’ll come soon?”
“How much longer are you going to waste time?”
“They’ve been wanting to break off the engagement for a while too, so I’m sure…”
Clang!
At that moment, the sound of something breaking echoed from the hallway.
“Gasp!”
It was Bonica, her eyes wide as saucers.
“Are you hurt?”
I ran over to check on her. Cedric, who had followed me, lightly scolded Bonica.
“You could’ve had a maid do it.”
Just in case, I was about to call for the physician when something caught my eye.
“……”
Inside her slightly opened jacket pocket, I glimpsed an expensive jeweled accessory. But the open pocket was quickly closed again.
…No matter how I looked at it, that looked like my necklace.
“I’m fine, Sister!”
Bonica answered cheerfully, as if nothing had happened.
Come to think of it, the last time I saw her, things from the house had started disappearing one by one.
“You must be busy, Brother. You should get going.”
At my words, Cedric gave the porcelain figurine on the floor a brief glance before walking away.
“It’s dangerous. Let a servant handle things like this.”
“I wasn’t trying to move it!”
Bonica laughed brightly.
“I was going to ask Grandpa to give it to me as a gift.”
Well, I didn’t really care either way…
The mansion was full of ornaments, after all.
So, did she bring the necklace in her pocket to ask for my permission too?
While I was lost in pointless thoughts, Bonica’s eyes sparkled as she asked me,
“By the way, Sister, are you really breaking off the engagement?”
So she heard.
It wasn’t something I planned to keep secret forever anyway, so I nodded. Then Bonica’s face instantly lit up.
“……”
I’m the one getting dumped, so why are you so happy?
Her expression somehow annoyed me, and I found myself responding coldly without realizing it.
“Bonica, maybe you should manage your expressions a bit.”
“Sorry, sorry. But Sister, it’s okay! These days, breaking off engagements isn’t a big deal. Everyone goes through it, apparently.”
Just looking at her smiling face, she seemed to be genuinely concerned for me.
But since Bonica was a master at irritating people with her words, I had to hear her out to the end.
“By the way, who’s the woman the Duke fell for? To think he fell in love while having someone as beautiful as you.”
Judging by how excited she was talking about Idette, it didn’t seem like she liked Ricardo.
So her goal was to get under my skin.
“Could you clean up the hallway, please?”
“Yes, my lady!”
Still, I didn’t get it. She couldn’t have come all this way just to get on my nerves.
Even while I was deep in thought, Bonica didn’t stop talking.
“This time, make sure to find a man who really likes you. I’m sure the Duke had a hard time too, don’t you think? Being engaged to someone he didn’t even like.”
She gave a little shudder, as if imagining something dreadful.
“Oh, but don’t get engaged to just any man. I’m worried because you can’t live without one, Sister.”
Thinking I must’ve misheard, I turned to look at her, but Bonica was just smiling radiantly like always.