Chapter 51
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The Male and Female Leads Broke Up - Episode 51
So I decided to listen to their story for the first and last time today.
Not the novel I had read called "Love and War of Three Houses," but their real story.
"Shall we start from the beginning? Well, where did you meet Duke Cain Maxius? From what I know...."
Even though I broached the subject first, Adela hesitated at first.
But as I continued to encourage her to speak, something that had been tightly sealed burst open, and words began pouring from her lips in an instant.
Their story was similar to what I knew.
They fell in love at first sight at a ball, developed feelings for each other, fell in love, Cain demanded an annulment from me, and after the annulment, when I left on my travels, the two of them became engaged.
Yes, up to that point it was similar.
The story diverged after that.
When Adela first spoke of the good days the two of them spent together in love, her expression wasn't bad.
It wasn't bad—rather, she seemed enraptured, as if she had fallen in love again while recalling those times.
However, once she began mentioning how Cain's attitude and behavior had changed, her expression began to sink into melancholy.
"I never thought the Duke would change. He said he loved me, that I was his only one...."
But the timing of Cain's change came a bit earlier than the timing I had heard from him before.
'Did he lie to me?'
No. Based on his expression and demeanor, it wasn't a lie.
Then, based on his words, I could infer that Cain's heart was probably already cooling before he read my letter.
In the midst of that, he read my letter and, as he said, realized something.
Thinking about it that way, the pieces fit together reasonably well.
'Still, it's not easy to love just one person for so long.'
I too had found Belita remarkable.
Even if it was a love tinged with obsessive fixation, it wasn't easy for one's heart to remain unchanged for so long.
"Ah, I'm sorry, Belita."
"It's fine. Please, continue."
Adela apologized in the middle of speaking and continued her story.
And the story ended with Cain's words about the annulment.
"He said he no longer loves me. Or rather, he said he never loved me in the first place. That he was mistaken, that he thought it was love but it wasn't, that this could never be love, so let's end it. I thought he was lying. I thought something difficult was happening to him, so I decided to give the Duke time... but the moment I heard him say at that ball that it was just a passing fancy, I felt like it was truly over... *sob*."
After hearing Adela's words, I shook my head inwardly.
'He really is something else, truly.'
What did he say to me? Didn't he say it was the first love he had ever felt?
It's been a while so I don't remember exactly, but I recall he acted like quite the lover, saying Adela was his entire life.
When tears showed no sign of stopping in Adela's eyes, I pulled a handkerchief from my pocket and handed it to her.
"Dry your tears."
"Thank you, Belita. *sob*."
"There's no need to cry over someone like that. Last time, didn't Adela ask me if I had settled everything? My answer is the same as it was then. Time resolved it all. Adela can do it too."
"Do you really think I can...?"
"Yes. I loved someone for a whole ten years. Yet it took me less than a year to forget them."
A year? It didn't even take a second.
Of course, that was only possible because I never truly liked them in the first place.
"However, if Adela continues to love Duke Cain Maxius despite this, I won't stop you. That's your heart alone, and no one can intrude upon it. But if holding onto someone becomes painful, exhausting, and unbearably agonizing, then letting them go is also an option."
If someone were watching us both, they'd think it quite the entertaining spectacle, wouldn't they?
The one who was rejected first, the one who caused it all, now offering counsel to the one who rejected her.
Even I had to admit it was rather amusing.
But it didn't matter.
If I had cared about such things, I never would have pursued relationships with Adela or Aiden Byon in the first place.
Of course, I was somewhat irritated by what Adela said at the banquet, but it hadn't truly wounded my feelings.
And unlike before, this time I was genuinely concerned for her wellbeing.
"Thank you, Belita. I feel so much lighter now."
Adela wore a forlorn smile.
"I'm glad."
Her expression certainly looked better than before.
"You're truly strong, Belita. So strong and steadfast. I want to become someone like you. If I overcome this period, could I become a person like you?"
"No."
"Ah... I suppose...."
My blunt answer deflated Adela's spirits at once.
"Adela can become someone even better."
This too was sincere.
"Ah... Belita."
Adela seemed moved, her eyes beginning to glisten again.
"Thank you, thank you."
She simply repeated her gratitude to me over and over.
* * *
Several more days passed.
Today, I planned to take Lian to the Orphanage where the children who had lived with us at the Circus Troupe now resided.
Since it would take at least three hours to reach Hemoa, I had been bustling about since early morning.
I had promised the children gifts when I visited last time.
So yesterday, I ventured into the Shopping District myself and purchased presents for them, which now filled the entire carriage.
"The children will surely love these!"
Mary said, browsing through the gift boxes.
"I hope so."
"You seem to have a particular fondness for children, Miss."
"They're adorable, aren't they? So cute."
"Indeed. This Orphanage we're visiting—it's where the children from the Circus Troupe that Lian was with now live, correct?"
"Yes, that's right."
Before departing for the Orphanage, I gave Mary a brief explanation of why we were going and what sort of children were there.
"But surely it was the young master of House Byon who... am I right?"
"Yes, Aiden Byon sponsors that Orphanage."
Lian, Mary, and William all knew that Aiden had rescued the children from the Circus Troupe and sent them to the Orphanage.
But why he did such things was a secret only I knew—something shared between just the two of us.
"You seem quite close with the members of House Byon, Miss. In truth, I never mentioned it to you, but each time I saw them, I felt somewhat bitter and resentful. Yet you seemed entirely unbothered, which left me quite confused."
Mary was my most trusted confidante.
Because of that, I could understand what she was feeling.
"You know how it is. I'm truly unbothered now."
I even smiled as I said it, meaning every word.
"But the reason you broke off your engagement was because of Lady Adela—"
"Mary."
For perhaps the first time, I hardened my expression and stared at her with a rigid gaze.
"I was broken off with not because of Adela, but because of Duke Cain Maxius's change of heart. Had he not wavered, we would never have been broken off. So don't speak of it that way."
If I had to point out what Adela did wrong, it was only that she couldn't bring herself to refuse a man who already had a fiancée and accepted his advances instead.
At first, I had thought Adela was no different from Cain because of that reason.
But after experiencing his obsessive madness and actions myself, I could vividly imagine what he must have done to Adela.
In fact, the novel had depicted in detail the part where Cain courted Adela.
But like most readers, I had merely thought it "romantic" watching the male lead struggle to win the female lead's heart.
'Romantic, my foot.'
The only reason it seemed romantic was because the outcome was favorable—rationally speaking, it was absolutely undeserving of such a word.
I should have realized it then.
'That he was a man who would stop at nothing for his own purposes.'
Now I understood firsthand what happened when such a man went mad.
"...Yes, I understand, Miss."
Mary's voice grew slightly subdued.
"And I truly have let it all go now. So let's not speak of such things anymore."
"Yes, I apologize, Miss."
"I know far better than anyone how much you care about me. You're doing all this because you're worried about me right now. So please, don't burden yourself any further."
"Miss Belita...."
"Anyway, with the four of us moving together like this, it feels like we're traveling again, doesn't it?"
I quickly shifted the conversation to lighten the mood.
Today, with Lian and William accompanying us as escorts, we had the exact same group as when we'd traveled before.
The two of them rode on horseback, flanking the carriage we occupied.
"Exactly. I sometimes dream about those days."
Mary, being perceptive, readily agreed with my sentiment and responded.
"I do too. Those were days filled with joy and excitement."
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