Chapter 33
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The Male and Female Leads Broke Up - Episode 33
Of course, I now understood why she had worried about his health and condition.
But separate from that, I believed Adela's affection for him was genuine.
It was faith in Adela, who had treated him like true family—unlike the Duke, who had viewed him as nothing more than a useful tool since childhood.
Aiden emerged from his reverie and returned to the present moment.
'Cain Maxius.'
The man who had broken his engagement with Belita and then with Adela.
He had no connection with the Duke, so he didn't know him well, but one thing was unmistakable.
Throughout the meal, he hadn't taken his eyes off Belita.
Just as I had done the same.
'How absurd.'
His petty and cowardly behavior was absurd, yet why did it leave such a bitter taste?
Was it because of Adela?
Or perhaps....
Even he found it difficult to articulate exactly what feelings Cain Maxius harbored for Belita.
But after that brief, regrettable conversation with Belita, one thing became clear.
The woman he had encountered in the Garden was transformed.
The loneliness and emptiness that had once filled her eyes hadn't vanished entirely, but they had nearly disappeared.
Aiden found himself curious about this.
He wanted to know what method had brought it about.
He wished to hear from her how the emptiness and loneliness in her heart had dissolved.
He wanted to ask her how to make this hollow ache that had taken root deep within him disappear.
He wanted to hold her.
* * *
After that day, the ordinary days continued.
It was one of those days when I was gradually learning and carrying out my duties one by one.
And then something happened that shattered this peaceful routine in an instant.
"Ah, Miss...!"
Mary called out to me urgently from outside the room.
I told her to come in and set down the book I had been reading.
But Mary's expression as she entered was far from ordinary.
It was an enigmatic look—as though she had witnessed something she shouldn't have, mingled with deep concern.
"What's the matter?"
"Well...."
"What? What is it?"
Mary rarely hesitated like this, so I regarded her with a puzzled expression.
"It's... Duke Cain Maxius has come...."
"What?"
For a moment, I thought I had misheard her.
Of all people, why would Cain come here?
"What are you saying? Who came?"
"Duke Cain Maxius...."
Hearing her repeat the same name twice, it seemed the man had indeed arrived.
"Did he come to see Father?"
Upon reflection, this wasn't a place he couldn't visit.
Though in both Belita's memories and my own, he had never set foot here even once.
Still, despite the families not being on particularly good terms, he might have come to meet Father on some business matter.
So I answered in a tone of indifference.
"That's not it...!"
"Then what is it?"
"He came to see you, Miss. The Duke is waiting for you in the Reception Room right now...!"
"What?"
What on earth was this absurd turn of events?
I was so dumbfounded by the news that Cain had come to see me that I momentarily lost my words, staring blankly at Mary.
"Miss?"
Mary called to me cautiously.
Now I understood why her expression had been so strange since she entered.
"He really came to see me?"
"Yes...."
At that dinner gathering in the Imperial Palace last time, the way he kept staring at me had felt unsettling—so this was what he had been plotting all along.
I had not the slightest desire to face that man and have a conversation with him.
Yet he was not someone I could turn away at the door simply because I didn't wish to see him.
'In any case, he's truly an exhausting person in every way.'
I exhaled a deep sigh and finally managed to lift my reluctant feet.
Pondering why he had come, I made my way to the Reception Room.
'He's actually here.'
I had half-expected it to be a false alarm, yet there he stood in the Reception Room.
Regardless of what he might say, my response would remain singular and unwavering.
After steeling myself with that resolve, I opened the Reception Room door, and Cain Maxius rose from his seat.
"Lady Heitz."
He called out to me in a voice entirely unlike the glacial tone from two years prior—a voice that seemed utterly incongruous with his nature.
"Welcome, Duke Maxius."
"It has been quite some time, Lady Heitz."
I greeted him with an air of aristocratic propriety, maintaining my composure.
"Please, be seated, Duke."
After gesturing for him to sit, I took my place across from him and immediately inquired about the purpose of his visit.
"You came to see me?"
"Yes, that is correct."
"Is there truly still something left for us to discuss face to face?"
My words caused his expressionless facade to crack ever so slightly.
I found myself reconsidering the reason for his visit.
'Could it be...?'
Had he come to demand the diamond mines I had received from him two years ago?
That was absolutely out of the question.
How could I possibly surrender what I had earned...!
I had endured six grueling months of relentless persecution and humiliation, delivering a performance so convincing it bordered on possession, to obtain that reward.
I fixed him with a wary gaze.
"At the Imperial Palace last time, our conversation felt rather brief, so I thought it would be worthwhile to speak at greater length. That is why I have taken the liberty of visiting the Duke's Mansion."
Yet from his lips came words I had entirely failed to anticipate.
"...You came merely for that reason?"
"Yes."
I could not conceal my bewilderment, regarding him with undisguised suspicion.
"Forgive me, but I find myself quite taken aback. Do you truly believe it possible for two people who ended their engagement under unfortunate circumstances two years ago to engage in such mundane conversation?"
"I see no reason why it should be impossible."
The audacity of this man.
Two years ago, he had asked for the engagement to be dissolved the moment he found someone he loved, without so much as a blink of hesitation...
And now he sat before me with that same unbothered expression.
Disgusted and utterly fed up with his demeanor, I shook my head in refusal.
Yet even witnessing my reaction, Cain Maxius remained unmoved, continuing his words as though he had rehearsed them.
"Though we did end our engagement two years ago—"
It was at that very moment.
Just as Cain Maxius persisted in uttering these absurdities, Father entered the Reception Room.
"What on earth is happening here!"
His face flushed with fury, he immediately raised his voice at Cain Maxius.
"How dare you come looking for our daughter in a place like this!"
"Father, please calm yourself...!"
I pretended to restrain my father while secretly cheering him on from within.
'It really is reassuring to have a dependable father.'
Though his temperament was fiery and he was quick to anger, at moments like these he was remarkably trustworthy.
"Leave at once. If you don't, I'll drag you out of here regardless of your ducal title!"
My father was truly prepared to do so, even pointing his finger accusingly at Cain Maxius.
As my father, unable to contain his agitation, continued to glare at Cain Maxius with heavy breathing, he quietly rose from his seat.
Then he walked toward me, and looking at me, he offered a slight smile as he spoke.
"It seems today is not an auspicious time. I shall return another day."
How could he be so composed and shameless?
Watching this new side of him today, I felt goosebumps rise across my entire body.
"What do you mean 'another day'!"
But before I could say anything, my father erupted in indignation toward Cain Maxius and drove him out, leaving me to simply watch his retreating figure.
Shortly after, as I was about to return to my room, my father—who had been watching Cain Maxius depart—came to my side.
And he immediately began pressing me for details about the reason for his visit.
"What business did that scoundrel have coming here?!"
"I'm not sure either. He was just about to explain when you arrived, Father."
"...Is that so?"
"Yes."
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