Chapter 2: Last chance.

Last chance.

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Translated and Edited by: ynlucca.
Enjoy!

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After that, I left my friends and the party behind and went directly to my house, the Berner residence, located at the Royal Capital. Upon arrival, I immediately met my parents and asked to have my engagement broken off. The fact I saw them basically as soon as I opened the doors was an indication they were likely waiting for me.

“No matter how many factions are involved, what she’s doing is irredeemable…”

“Ruben, don’t shoulder everything on your own. Let your parents take care of the rest.”

“Okay… Thanks…”

They urged me to return to my room, so I did. There was nothing I could do about the situation anymore because, although I’m their legitimate son, I am not yet the head of the family, thus I hold no power. For breaking off an engagement, the procedure is done exclusively by the parents of the two parties involved.

Some nobles treat their children as tools, but not my father and mother. They’ve always respected my opinion, so I’m thankful for being blessed with them as they are. As long as my father is the head of the family, there won’t be any problems with the procedure.

Mulling things over, I collapsed on my bed without getting out of my formal attire. The dim lights flickered in the night as my mind wandered off to the many things bothering me.

Today was her last chance at redemption…

I was her escort at today’s night gala. Normally, all fiancés would share their first dance together, but Lulu refused, saying I wasn’t a good dancer. Without wasting a second longer, she walked off on her own and surrounded herself by other men, dancing with everyone else… Naturally, I was left out.

As soon as I finished talking with my friends, I told her I was going home and offered to accompany her to her own house, but she simply refused… or I thought she would. Tonight she accepted my proposal, though it was more the exception rather than the rule. I noticed the guys around had weird expressions on their faces.

Honestly, Lulu was so unapologetically “her,” I felt the urge to laugh. She’s been observed and pestered by others the whole night, so that was most likely the reason she even accepted my offer to walk her home. That’s right, she was being tested at tonight’s gala. Depending on the outcome—her attitude toward me and her many actions—the engagement would be either dissolved or broken off. The final decision was left up to me.

—Although she had long since given up on the idea of ever becoming the Countess of Berner, based on everything that’s happened so far.

No matter how many ornaments I gave her, she’d always asked for more, yet I’d never seen her wear any present of mine once. What’s more, she would always proudly wear gifts from the many other men in her life and brag about them to everyone around her.

Regardless of how many times I asked her out on a date, she would almost always feign an illness and refuse. She doesn’t know, yet I’ve personally seen her go out with other men, and have been reported to by other people who’ve seen her antics.

The only decent thing I can recall from her were the letters we exchanged, but I learned from Lyla that after our seventh letter, counting from the first-ever, she had one of her squires write everything else in her stead…

I recall my surprise at the time; her writing had suddenly improved and become beautiful. It would’ve been nice if it was just her using a professional to copy her own letter, but none of the words directed at me ever came from her.

There was no way I could remain engaged with such a person. However, more than even my own feelings, I couldn’t possibly make her the Countess of Berner if she continued disrespecting my family’s name like that. It was an issue beyond feelings.

All that was left was my own decision. Should I dissolve our engagement or break it off? I had already made my decision: I will break off our marriage, I decided on my way here.

There is no going back…

—Your eyes have a beautiful color.

I suddenly remembered… Memories of what she had said to me when we first met played out in my mind all over again. Back then, she had pointed to my freakish purple eyes, a rarity in this country, and asked me to let her take a closer look.

Those nonchalant sighs I’d been letting out since the gala were nowhere to be found. Instead, I felt burning tears streaming down my face, wetting the pillow as I drifted off to sleep.

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