Chapter 2
‘You’ll never understand.’
I was out of breath.
“You always called me…. Friendly, but extremely formally.”
“… … .”
“The duke used improvisations with people purely to save me from trouble.”
“… … .”
At the masquerade ball she attended for the first time in her life, she was almost molested. For a girl who had just debuted in the social world, it was none other than Edmund who saved her from what could have been a fatal accident.
Not only that, he even told a white lie to people who were embarrassed to see her with disheveled clothes, saying that he was her lover.
Their relationship started up with that lie, and only they knew that fact.
“Because of me, the duke’s reputation was damaged… … .”
“My reputation?”
He asked, furrowing his brows.
“The Duke is a very patient person… … You let people misunderstand that you did that to me. Out of consideration for me.”
I felt like my whole body was cringing as I tried to recite it one by one.
“So now it’s time to set things right.”
“Not that one.”
Edmund cut Diana off. His tone was as friendly as usual, but I felt a cold vibe somewhere.
“I wonder what Miss Diana thinks.”
Diana was speechless for a moment at the sight of his gently
curved eyes, but then she finally opened her mouth. She said what she had been thinking all along: That we could not be lovers or husband and wife.
“Your Highness, you need to meet someone better. And I… … I want a normal man who will cherish and love me and live happily ever after.”
“All high-ranking nobles have multiple mistresses.”
Each and every word that Agnes had said while sighing hit my heart like a dagger.
Unlike the countryside where she was born and raised, the capital’s social scene was a place where people often proudly took lovers even after getting married.
Rather, it was a world where those who were faithful only to their wives and husbands were treated as boring and incompetent.
Moreover, he was too precious of a man to marry her, and he was the first-class groom that everyone coveted.
Compared to such a man, she was a very inadequate woman. I may have a brief relationship with the Duke whom everyone looks up to, but I will never become his wife.
Still, she decided not to be pessimistic about her situation. Although she was born to a poor noble family with no reputation, she grew up with good parents and was accustomed to the family culture where laughter never ceased, even though the family did not have much money.
No fancy dress, no dazzling jewels to adorn your head and neck, no extravagant carriage to take you to the ball.
Still, it was okay. She was finding her own happy path in her own way.
Let’s go back to the countryside. Didn’t she know from the beginning that her attempt to find a good husband in the capital was a foolish hope, as she had no ability to pay her dowry and her family’s status was minimal?
The months I spent as Duke Serwell’s lover were like a dream.
Diana’s family could only dream of attending parties and balls hosted by high-ranking nobles. The dresses she wore became the fashion of the high society.
Even Cinderella didn’t have a Cinderella dresses like this. But what everyone envied wasn’t the dress or the jewels, but the man standing right next to her.
A relationship created by an unexpected accident.
But she gradually realized it over time. She knew that the seat next to him was not her place.
The sophisticated social life and the attention from people just because she was the duke’s lover were burdensome. When I came to my senses, I realized that it had already become like that. So….
Now was the time to come to her senses and turn everything back. He was a gentleman and a very considerate man. The result was an improvisation to save oneself from a crisis.
So, you have to pay for the end on your own. Diana made such a firm decision that she came to this point.
“I want to build a happy family with the person I love. I may be lower in rank and status than the duke and have no money, but I want to love and to be loved and be happy.”
Diana said what she had been thinking about the whole time. A person must know his or her fraction. Just as there is a better match for Edmund, she will also find someone who is a better fit for her, She wanted to believe that.
“Are you saying you can’t do that with me?”
“… Yes.”
“Why?”
Diana was taken aback by the staring gaze. But how could she have said such a thing?
“That… You know very well.”
“What?”
“The Duke and I don’t get along very well. Status, wealth, location, everything.”
“… … .”
“The Duke needs to meet someone better.”
“For example?”
“She must be the woman that the duke loves. Beautiful, elegant…. The family’s status should also be higher to match with the duke…”
As I listed the conditions one by one, my situation became a little bleak.
Diana repeated the words, clenching and unclenching her hands over her dress several times.
“We have nothing to do with each other.”
“You’re saying we’re not in a relationship now?”
Was it because of her mood that Edmund’s voice suddenly sounded particularly low? Diana shivered as goosebumps ran down her spine.
“… … Because we weren’t engaged or married. We didn’t start dating because you liked me. So, please… let’s just break up.”
Diana took a deep breath and took out a small box from the bead bag she was carrying. Edmund’s eyebrows furrowed as he recognized the box.
“Why is that?”
“I want to give it back.”
Diana said calmly. Inside was a beautiful earring decorated with diamonds.
The day I lost the handkerchief, it was the most expensive item
that Edmund had bought me when I went to the store with him. As soon as the store owner recognized Duke Serwell, he took out the conversion card he had been hiding behind.
“This is an item that was purchased after fierce competition. It was originally a set with a ring, but unfortunately the ring was lost. However, the earrings alone are worth collecting. It is an item befitting the status of a duke.”
Edmund nodded and ordered it to be packaged without even asking for the price.
She clearly remembered how pretty the earrings in this box were and how shiny the diamonds were.
The earrings, with large, drop-shaped diamonds dangling below the circular diamond, were so luxurious that anyone’s mouth would drop.
“Oh my, he proposed to you….”
As soon as they saw the earrings, my aunt and Agnes shouted at the same time.
“These are just earrings. It has nothing to do with a marriage proposal.”
No matter how much I tried to explain that it was just a gift, it was of no use. Diamonds are a symbol of marriage.
Moreover, such expectations were especially worthy of a diamond this large and beautiful. Diana also knew that it was too expensive to be considered a simple gift.
Not just the earrings, but whatever he gave me.
A custom-made dress from the capital’s best clothing store, which was said to be overbooked and unable to take orders, or a sofa and table elaborately carved by craftsmen.
While Diana’s room was filled with beautiful and precious items, her heart went blank.
These were not what she wanted. If others heard it, they would think I was just talking nonsense out of happiness, but that was really true.
“I think it’s too much for me to accept it.”
“… … .”
“Other things… … I’ll give it back to you. Let’s start with this today.”
Diana tried not to shiver.
Edmund was looking down at the box containing the earrings with an expression on his face that I couldn’t tell what he was thinking.
“Everything I have given you so far?”
“… … .”
How many carriages would it take to pack all the things he gave me? But it was contradictory to say goodbye while still keeping the things he gave me. Doesn’t she seem like a woman who approached him because she was greedy for his wealth? She didn’t want Edmund to think that way.
“Are you sure you want to break up with me?”
He asked in a dry voice. Is he angry with me? How dare someone like me say goodbye first. Diana watched him carefully.
Edmund seemed to be thinking about something without saying anything. It was only for a short time, but Diana felt like her insides were burning.
Eventually his mouth opened.
“Are you not afraid that Miss Diana’s reputation will be damaged
by having such a tumultuous relationship?”
“That… … It’s my responsibility to bear it. And these days, people don’t dwell on the past as much. The duke and I… … .”
“We?”
Diana felt strange as she heard the title that came out of her mouth.
We, we. He used to casually refer to himself and Diana as ‘we’.
It sounded like she was within Edmund’s boundaries. He may not have meant it that way.
He and Diana can never mix in the same world. She could feel it while accompanying him to several events.
Strangely looking down on you, people whispering behind your back. They smile kindly in front of them, but when they turn around, they are all making bets about when I will be abandoned by the duke.
Diana knew enough now. She realizes how unsuited she is to the duke.
“Yes, we… … The fact is that we only met briefly. Even in the social world, countless lovers meet and break up repeatedly.”
