Chapter 41
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The Male and Female Leads Broke Up - Episode 41
* * *
The moment I returned to the Duke's Mansion, I washed up, changed into my nightclothes, and shut everyone out.
Then I carefully recalled everything that had happened today, agonizing over what to do going forward.
'Cain Maxius.'
Where on earth did his change of heart originate?
Despite having done nothing, seeing him transform before my eyes made it increasingly difficult to predict what would come next.
"Sigh."
My chest felt suffocatingly heavy, as though a stone had settled in my heart.
'And Adela Byon.'
My feelings toward Adela were quite complicated.
As for Cain, he had treated me poorly from the moment we first met, so my assessment of that man had never wavered.
A man with a heart colder than ice, more desolate than a desert.
A scoundrel who abandoned his fiancée and harbored affection for another woman.
But Adela was different.
She must have known that Cain had a fiancée named Belita.
Because of that, Adela initially didn't open her heart to Cain, yet ultimately she accepted his feelings.
Therefore, the original Belita should have had nothing to do with not only Cain but Adela as well.
That would have been right and natural.
But I didn't know.
Perhaps because I viewed Cain so unfavorably, I found myself pitying Adela—a woman whose nose had been led by such a man, only to be cast aside in the end.
I shouldn't sympathize with her, yet seeing Adela collapse in shock today made it impossible not to feel compassion.
But thinking about it, I was able to escape from a bastard like Cain precisely because a person named Adela existed.
Of course, after the two of them broke up, that bastard returned to the streets.
If Adela hadn't existed, I might have become the Duchess of the Maxius Duchy before long, let alone ever reaching the Diamond Mine.
'Ah, how horrifying.'
The thought alone made my entire body tremble with such a chill that I shuddered.
'Am I viewing Adela too favorably?'
To be honest, I was a bit irritated earlier.
Perhaps because I was so exhausted by Cain, merely seeing her face put me in a foul mood.
On top of that, I had even said things I didn't want to hear, like asking if she still had feelings for Cain.
'Finally, Aiden Byon.'
In truth, he was the one I needed to be most cautious about.
A man who could kill me at any moment if my resentment toward Adela caused me to harm her in any way.
That person was none other than Aiden Byon.
Thinking about it this way, my irritation flared up all over again.
Why did I even go on that journey in the first place?
And for a full two years at that.
I'd thought that once the original story concluded cleanly and I returned, I would never become entangled with them again.
I'd even reasoned that even if I did become involved, it would be due to family matters—House against House—not anything personal.
'There's no point dwelling on this now.'
The situation had already spiraled completely out of control, and the scenario I'd carefully constructed lay in ruins.
Rather than waste time lamenting what I'd lost, it would be far more prudent to consider what I should do moving forward.
Was there any way to avoid becoming entangled with them again?
No matter how hard I thought about it, I couldn't find one.
Then what would be the best course of action for me?
Lost in contemplation, I pondered various strategies, oblivious to how the pitch-black night sky gradually brightened into dawn.
And before I could reach any conclusion, I fell asleep.
* * *
Time passed swiftly.
For all the turmoil that had erupted at the banquet, the days that followed were remarkably peaceful and serene.
Even Cain seemed subdued after the banquet, perhaps shocked by the look of disgust I'd worn at his behavior.
And today, I was preparing to visit the Byon Duke's Household.
I'd heard that Adela still hadn't recovered her health since fainting at the banquet.
Since her deteriorating condition wasn't my fault, my visit to see her wasn't driven by guilt or discomfort of conscience.
After days of deliberation over what to do next, Adela's words suddenly came back to me.
That she wanted to become my friend.
When I reconsidered the matter from an entirely different angle, becoming close with Adela didn't seem like a bad idea at all.
If I were on good terms with Adela, there was a high likelihood that my life would be safer, regardless of what Cain did.
Would Aiden really kill someone who was close to his own sister?
Though it was my own idea, the more I thought about it, the more brilliant and foolproof the strategy seemed.
Though we'd only met briefly at the Duke's Mansion dining table and at the banquet, Adela didn't seem like a fundamentally bad person.
She appeared somewhat tactless and lacking in social awareness, but such minor flaws hardly mattered.
And once we became close, it wouldn't be a bad idea to subtly convince her of just how inadequate Cain was.
But just as I was heading downstairs to the second floor and passing through the hall to visit Adela, I collided with an enormous wall.
"Belita."
It was Father.
"Are you going out?"
"Yes, I was planning to step out for a while."
"Where are you going?"
"Well, that is..."
From what I'd observed at the last dinner, the relationship between Byon Duke and Father didn't appear to be particularly favorable.
Above all, because I knew what situation I was in, the words to visit the Byon Duke's Household didn't come easily.
'Oh, forget it.'
"I'm planning to visit the Byon Duke's Household."
"What? The Byon Duke's Household?!"
As expected, the moment I mentioned Byon, Father erupted in fury.
"Yes, I heard that Lady Adela Byon isn't feeling well, so I wanted to pay her a courtesy visit."
"Did you just say the Byon Duke's Household?"
"Yes."
"Why would you go there? Absolutely not."
That's why I'd planned to slip away and go secretly, even if I got caught later...
"Father, it's merely a courtesy visit. Besides, Lady Adela Byon collapsed right before my eyes at the banquet, so I'm a bit worried about her."
"That's exactly why I'm asking—why are you concerned about Lady Adela Byon?"
He had a point.
Not just Father, but everyone else would see it that way too.
If word spread that Belita was worried about Adela and paying her a courtesy visit, they might all treat me as a fool without sense or a gullible pushover.
But I was Belita of the Heitz Family.
They could whisper amongst themselves behind closed doors, but they could never do so in my presence.
Because of that, regardless of what they thought of me, I didn't need to convince others.
But Father was different.
Others might criticize me only to tear me down, not out of genuine concern, but Father wasn't like that.
So now that Father knew I intended to visit the Byon Duke's Household, I had to convince him.
"Father, it's already been two years since my engagement was broken. Back then, I was hurt deeply and suffered, but that's in the past. I've overcome everything. That's why I don't want to constrain my actions with petty grievances over what's done."
"Ahem!"
A disapproving cough escaped him.
It meant my appeal still hadn't reached Father's heart.
"Father, I am Belita of the Heitz Family. Though I'm still only a lady of the Heitz House now, I will lead our family as its future patriarch. But if I discriminate against people based on such personal emotions, do I truly have the qualifications to be the next patriarch? Do you really wish for me to become completely estranged from both the Maxius Duchy and the Byon Duchy?"
"That doesn't mean you need to grow close to them."
"You're right about that, Father. I think the same way. But my visit to pay respects to Lady Adela Byon isn't simply to build a friendship with her."
It was half truth and half lie.
My reason for wanting to be on good terms with Adela wasn't because I found her personally appealing, so I wasn't exactly lying to Father.
'But I can't tell him I'm going to save my own life.'
The moment my words ended, Father's gaze sharpened as if he could read my true intentions.
I didn't avoid his piercing look; instead, I opened my eyes wider to show my sincerity.
"You are still my daughter—one I wish to protect, and one I can protect."
Fortunately, Father's voice softened slightly.
Brought to you by Valir Scans! To support our team and enjoy the latest releases, please read directly on our official site: valirscans.org