Broken Engagement (1)
As soon as I arrived at the mansion, the servants greeted me with mechanical precision. Their purely businesslike demeanor, completely devoid of any emotion, brought me a quiet sense of relief. The first person I encountered upon entering was a man ascending the stairs.
Ian Winfred. The young duke of Winfred and the leading candidate to become the next head of the family. He stared down at me and Diana from the top of the stairs with an utterly frigid expression. It was the same insufferable face I had seen countless times in the previous round.
“Father is looking for you.”
With those words, he clicked his tongue in annoyance and turned away without hesitation. I handed the miscellaneous items I’d acquired at the auction house to Diana and headed straight for the duke’s study. From Isabelle’s mindless loan to Luna’s sudden outburst, the mounting stress added weight to every step I took.
With a heavy click, I opened the door. The duke was seated at his desk, reviewing documents while wearing glasses.
“What is it?”
“I heard you went to the auction house.”
“News travels fast.”
When I lightly mocked him, the duke let out a short sigh.
“I also heard Luna was there.”
“Well, I suppose she was.”
“…Where is Luna now? Did she not return with you?”
“Why are you asking me that?”
“Why? She’s your sister, isn’t she?”
“…Ha. I should’ve known.”
Ah, here we go again. I was already tired of responding, so I swallowed a sigh. Still, I had to answer, so I tossed out something only tangentially related to the question.
“Never mind that. Just prepare the documents for the broken engagement.”
“What?”
“I plan to visit the count’s estate first thing tomorrow morning at sunrise, so prepare the documents. I’ll also need the family head’s seal.”
“…What are you planning?”
The condition for breaking the engagement was convincing Isabelle. Seeing my near-certain attitude, the duke was essentially asking how I intended to persuade her. If I told him I planned to use Isabelle’s sudden, insane behavior as justification to request the annulment, he wouldn’t help me. Instead, he would express concern about my plan and spout nonsense about resolving things peacefully for the sake of the relationship between Winfred and Ustia.
Since a Geas was already in effect, the duke couldn’t override my decision. But I had no intention of revealing my plans to him in advance. Just talking to the duke was exhausting enough.
“Must I tell you?”
“It sounds as if you don’t trust me.”
“How perceptive. You’re exactly right.”
“……Are you seriously asking for my cooperation with that kind of attitude?”
“It’s not cooperation. It’s a transaction. Don’t like it? Well, it wouldn’t be so bad for me if you broke the Geas and paid the price for violating it.”
Crack.
The quill in the duke’s hand snapped in two.
“…Once the Geas is over, I won’t let this slide.”
The duke suppressed his rage and spat out a dark warning. Sorry, but that won’t happen. By the time all our dealings are finished, I’ll already be long gone from this mansion.
“I’ll be on my way.”
“Get out.”
I left the study without even offering a formal greeting. I could feel the duke’s piercing gaze on my back, but I paid it no mind.
Yeah. Once I leave this house, it’s over.
Once the engagement was broken, I would never have to face the duke again.
The next morning, early. The old butler I ran into in the hallway handed me a stack of documents. They were the papers required for the broken engagement that I had demanded from the duke the previous evening.
I skipped any formal attire and left the mansion immediately. Upon arriving at the count’s estate, I was escorted straight to the study by a servant. The moment I opened the door and stepped inside, a man with hair as white as snow fixed his gaze on me.
The head of the Ustia family. The master of this mansion stared at my face for a long time without saying a word. His complexion, usually flawless and free of any worry, was unusually dark today.
“You said you had business with me.”
The count’s face as he forced the words out was clouded in a way I had never seen before. What could possibly darken the face of a man who lacked for nothing? It was obviously because of Isabelle.
His only daughter had blown three hundred thousand lupran on a single ring and, on top of that, had the audacity to borrow money using the family name. He was probably wallowing in despair right now, thinking he had failed as a parent. But that wasn’t my concern.
I pulled out the documents I had kept hidden in my coat and held them out to the count.
“I demand the dissolution of the engagement.”
A copy of the loan contract written in Isabelle’s handwriting. All the necessary documents for breaking the engagement, along with the Winfred family seal. After examining them, the count’s mouth clamped shut as if sealed. Whether he was holding back his anger or searching for words, his lips twitched several times. Finally, a deeply sunken voice escaped through the narrow gap.
“May I ask the reason?”
“What do you mean?”
“You acted as if you couldn’t live without my daughter, and now you suddenly want to break the engagement. I’m asking why.”
“Because I no longer love Isabelle.”
The count’s eyes flickered for a brief moment.
“Is that truly all?”
“Who knows. No one understands how fickle love can be better than you, Count.”
A deep furrow formed between the count’s brows. My curt answer seemed to have left him speechless. I hadn’t come here to engage in such trivial conversation. In a calm tone, I drove my point home.
“When the marriage talks first began, there was an agreement between both families.”
“…”
“If one side falls into scandal and damages their reputation, the other side may unilaterally dissolve the engagement at any time.”
“That was merely a formality…”
“It was a condition you personally proposed out of concern for the behavior of the scoundrel Kyle Winfred.”
I swiftly dismissed his excuse. The count stared at me, at a complete loss for words. Deep bewilderment swirled in his eyes.
“Will you sign? Or must I take matters into my own hands?”
Will you quietly agree to the broken engagement now, or will you be forced to accept it after Isabelle’s reputation is completely destroyed?
Faced with this hellish choice, the count clenched his teeth. A moment later, a heavily subdued voice slipped through his tightly shut jaw.
“…I will sign.”
Scratch. Scratch. He took out a quill and finished signing the documents. After a long while, the count let out a deep sigh and slid the signed papers toward me.
“Here.”
It was over. From this moment on, Isabelle and I had become complete strangers.
Finally…
A weight lifted from my chest. Then, with an utterly gloomy expression, the count made a single request.
“I heard the ring my daughter purchased with a loan belongs to you.”
“That’s correct.”
“Could you lower the price a little? In return, I’ll forget about the consolation money.”
Accept a lower sale price and erase the loan entirely. The count’s demand was simple.
Being a debt collector does feel a bit off.
Isabelle Ustia. The main heroine of the original scenario and the only woman capable of purifying the Black Fog that devours the continent. There was no need to completely ruin her reputation right from the start. Especially not when I had no certainty about when I would obtain the Holy Relic.
Still, I had no intention of simply giving in.
“I refuse.”
The count’s eyes widened in shock. He clearly hadn’t expected me to reject his offer.
“Why should I? I never demanded the loan, nor did I force it.”
“What are you…”
“Of course, I’m not completely unwilling to lower the amount.”
Provided the conditions are right. The count, realizing my true intentions, let out a short groan.
“What do you want?”
The scales of a transaction must always be balanced. With a smile, I recited the condition I had prepared in advance.
“I hear the count’s estate has quite a large supply of luminous ore?”
Luminous ore. A mineral capable of storing divine power.
“I will accept luminous ore as payment.”
Investments should be made early. Absolutely.
The count readily accepted my proposal. From his perspective, handing over useless luminous ore in exchange for lowering the ring’s price must have seemed like an enormous gain. But the one who truly benefited from the deal was me, not him. In the distant future, when the true value of luminous ore became known to the world, the count’s furious roar would echo through this very estate.
Having concluded my business, I left the count’s study. The engagement was broken, I had secured an escort, and I had earned a substantial sum of money. Now, only one thing remained.
I can leave tomorrow.
I could finally escape this wretched duchy. A faint smile naturally formed on my lips.
“This way, sir.”
As I opened the door and stepped out, the waiting servant personally guided me. I was about to leave the count’s estate with a light heart when—
“My lady! The count clearly warned you last night that you are to remain confined for the time being…!!”
“Move!”
“Kyaaak!”
A strangely familiar voice rang in my ears. I slowly turned my head toward the source of the sound. A moment later—
“Kyle—!!”
My eyes met Isabelle’s as she engaged in a frantic chase with the maid.