Chapter 40
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The Male and Female Leads Broke Up - Episode 40
"And I think I should head back now."
"Why is that? Are you feeling unwell, my lady?"
"No, not at all. I've simply grown a bit tired after attending the banquet for so long."
"I see. Ah, then please wait a moment. Duke Maxius."
What? Why is the Crown Prince suddenly calling for Cain Maxius?
Before I could even react to the Crown Prince's sudden gesture, Cain Maxius stepped directly to my side.
"Yes, Your Highness."
"Since Lady Heitz wishes to depart, wouldn't it be appropriate for the Duke to escort her?"
What is he saying right now?
"That's not necessary. I can go alone."
Before the Crown Prince, it seemed best to decline gracefully, so I answered with an awkward smile.
"No, that wouldn't be proper. One mustn't send a lady unescorted."
"Then I shall escort her."
"Very well."
I had no idea what scheme these two were concocting, and before I could protest further, it was decided that Cain Maxius would escort me home.
'Seriously.'
Something felt off from the very beginning.
The Crown Prince suddenly held this banquet out of nowhere.
And he even insisted that I attend.
Now it was clear—there was definitely some sort of deal between the two of them.
"Then I shall take my leave."
"Please take care, my lady."
Dealing with these two stubborn men seemed futile; it was better to shake off at least one of them first.
My priority now was to escape the Banquet Hall.
After bidding farewell to the Crown Prince, I left the Banquet Hall without even glancing at Cain Maxius.
The moment the door closed behind me, I turned around and glared at him with all my might.
"Don't follow me. I'm going alone."
"His Highness the Crown Prince has ordered me to escort you, so I must obey his command."
"If he asks later, I'll tell him I did. So let's part ways here."
"That's not possible."
"Duke!"
Was this man testing my patience?
If I could, I genuinely wanted to strike him.
Cain Maxius stubbornly insisted on escorting me while I refused just as firmly, and we stood there locked in a silent staring contest.
"I understand. I concede."
Cain Maxius and I had been locked in a tense standoff, but suddenly he withdrew first.
"So please, I beg you not to hate me."
The stubborn, unyielding man from moments before had vanished, replaced by someone wearing the sorrowful expression of an abandoned puppy as Cain Maxius pleaded with me.
"I don't know what to do when you approach me with such unexpected hostility, my lady."
What is this?
This was not the Cain Maxius I knew.
He was not someone who spoke with such gentle, spring-breeze softness.
He was not the type to willingly assume the emotional disadvantage and bow before someone first.
If he had pressed forward as relentlessly as before, I wouldn't feel this bewildering confusion.
"I'm leaving."
I didn't even respond to his words, hastily excusing myself from the situation.
I wondered if he might follow, but hearing no footsteps behind me, he seemed to be keeping his word.
I reached the carriage in quick strides, breathless.
"My lady?"
"My lady, why have you returned so quickly?"
As I arrived at the carriage looking as though I were being chased, Lian and Mary, who had been waiting, tilted their heads in confusion.
"Let's go."
But I was too overwhelmed to satisfy their curiosity right now.
I needed to return home immediately and sort through the tangled mess in my mind.
"Yes? Ah, understood."
"My lady, please get in."
Fortunately, both Lian and Mary seemed to read my rigid expression and asked nothing further.
And so the banquet, to which I had been invited by the Crown Prince, came to an end.
* * *
As the carriage left the Imperial Palace, Adela slowly opened her eyes that had been shut.
Then she straightened her body, which had been lying down, and sat up properly.
Inside the carriage, there were only Adela and Aiden Byon.
Aiden Byon watched her silently for a moment before opening his mouth quietly.
"Why did you do that?"
"...I don't know."
Adela murmured while staring into the distance, at something unseen.
"At first, I really thought you had collapsed. But as time passed and there was nothing wrong with your body, I realized it was an act."
"That's a relief. It was so convincing..."
"Sister."
"Why did I do that? Aiden, I think I went a little mad."
Adela answered with a self-deprecating smile.
"I envy the Duchess so much. I'm envious enough to go insane."
"..."
"The Duke doesn't even look at me anymore. The warmth in his eyes that once gazed upon me so tenderly is now directed at someone else—it's driving me mad. Aiden, what should I do? How can I make the Duke's heart turn back to me like it was before?"
Aiden Byon frowned slightly.
This behavior was unlike his sister.
Acting this way was not the image of her he knew.
"Until just recently, I was the happiest person in the world. I was the protagonist of this world, but it feels like that's changed. Now no one pays attention to me. It's so heartbreaking. So miserable. I want to die."
And you too...
Adela deliberately suppressed the rest of her words and answered instead.
Aiden Byon was a younger sibling who would do anything she asked.
Of course, this was only possible because she had made it that way until now.
Whenever their father scolded Aiden Byon, she always shielded him.
When he cried in a corner, she would bring him to her room and comfort him.
While all these actions were partly for her own benefit, she was different from their father.
Because he was family, she did not neglect him.
By acting this way, Aiden Byon followed her well.
Especially with his sickly constitution that flared up constantly, he was perfectly optimized to garner people's sympathy.
Aiden Byon listened to her words all the more because of this.
And if she continued to hide these impure intentions well, there would be no better tool than him to move at her every word.
'So not yet.'
She couldn't let go of Aiden Byon until she restored everything to how it was.
"Please don't tell anyone. I'm begging you."
"Who would I tell?"
"You're not planning to tell Belita or anyone else, are you?"
Adela deliberately mentioned Belita.
"...I won't tell anyone."
Fortunately, the words she wanted came from Aiden Byon's lips.
"Thank you, my brother. You're truly the best."
"What are your plans going forward?"
"I thought if I became like a lady, the Duke might grow fond of me again, so I asked the lady if she'd be my friend. But she rejected me. It seems Lady Heitz won't forgive me after all."
It was only natural.
After meeting Belita, Aiden Byon had quickly uncovered what had transpired between them.
He learned just how deeply Belita had loved Cain Maxius, and precisely why the two of them had broken their engagement.
Most people would never forgive those who had caused them such suffering.
And so Aiden Byon could understand Belita.
That was why he offered no response to Adela's words.
"But I won't give up until an opportunity to grow closer presents itself."
With a goal in mind, I had to become close to Belita by any means necessary.
Time was abundant.
And so despair was still premature.
"You'll help me, won't you? You will, right?"
"...I understand."
After hearing Aiden Byon's response, Adela smiled imperceptibly.
Shortly after, the carriage arrived at Byon Duke's Residence.
Aiden Byon descended from the carriage, cradling Adela in his arms.
It had been Adela's request.
And she remained in his embrace with her eyes closed, as though still unconscious.
Brought to you by Valir Scans! To support our team and enjoy the latest releases, please read directly on our official site: valirscans.org