How to Perfectly Break Up with You

The chamber she had worked up the courage to visit was empty. As she was scanning the vacant room, Jeremiah returned.

His eyes widened when he saw her as he entered the room.

“Why did you come without saying anything?”

“I thought I had sent word that I would stop by briefly.”

However, he seemed to be hearing this for the first time. Sienna felt awkward instead.

“I left my father’s ring. I came to retrieve it. I wasn’t comfortable asking a maid to do it.”

“Ah that – since it seemed like Your Highness didn’t intend to take it, I’ve been keeping it. But more importantly…”

Jeremiah kept anxiously glancing toward the door. Seeing his deeply flustered state, Sienna looked at him in confusion.

“What’s wrong?”

“This is a bit troublesome right now. Please return to the annex first and later…”

Before Jeremiah could finish speaking, there was a knock from outside.

A deep look of dismay crossed his face. Sienna’s head slowly turned toward the door.

“Your Highness. Everyone has arrived. Shall I show them in?”

Sienna froze stupidly at the voice from outside.

Arrived? Who had come?

While she stood there confused, Jeremiah hastily grabbed her hand and pulled her toward a nearby table.

She looked back at him with a startled expression, wondering if he really meant for her to hide under there, but his face was deadly serious.

Sienna refused to go in quietly and said firmly:

“I don’t know what’s going on, but this isn’t necessary.”

“It’s after sunset. It would look suspicious to anyone.”

Despite her weak protest, he pushed her forcefully. Jeremiah shoved her under the table and finally said:

“I’ll find a way to get you out soon, so escape during that time.”

Just as he completely blocked Sienna’s view with a chair, the door opened.

Jeremiah greeted the guests with a smile as if nothing had happened. As nobles began entering the room one by one, Sienna felt the situation becoming increasingly precarious.

There weren’t just one or two people coming in.

‘Why are there so many?’

Counting the legs visible between the chairs, there seemed to be at least five or six people. Fortunately, the table was large enough to adequately conceal her presence.

Separately, Sienna was fuming at suddenly finding herself crumpled under the table, but Jeremiah, oblivious to her feelings, was busy welcoming the visitors.

“Ah, the Emperor isn’t here?”

“His Majesty doesn’t usually schedule evening appointments.”

Jeremiah looked at the Marquis quizzically at his response.

“Why not?”

“I wouldn’t know.”

The Marquis answered indifferently and nodded to his attendant. The attendant placed a mountain of documents at the edge of the table.

Watching nervously as people approached the table, Jeremiah said with an awkward smile:

“Why don’t we go to the conference room instead? I saw one earlier – there should be plenty of reference materials there.”

“That won’t be necessary. I’ve already prepared all the materials we need.”

The Marquis pointed to the pile of documents his attendant had placed on the table with a firm reply.

“We’re all here already, so let’s proceed quickly without creating unnecessary trouble.”

The Duke nearby added a word with a displeased expression. At this, the nobles who had been standing uncertainly began taking their seats at the table one by one. Jeremiah’s face gradually turned pale.

‘This is bad…’

****

“Let’s first discuss the matter of troops.”

The Duke said firmly.

“While the ceremony will be held in Parma, we’ll send some imperial troops to reinforce security. Since royalty and nobles from the Kralto continent will all gather, it would be too burdensome for Parma’s soldiers alone. It seems best to entrust this matter to the imperial army.”

“Unfortunately, that won’t be possible.”

The Grand Duke cut off his words sharply.

“I came since you specifically called for me, but let me be clear here. In this matter, the military’s only role will be opening the borders. We have no intention of getting involved beyond that.”

“This isn’t an imperial command.”

The Duke said irritably.

“Are you refusing an imperial order?”

“Mobilizing imperial troops for an event not even held within the empire falls quite far from the military’s proper duties. If we’re being precise, sending the knights would be more appropriate. After all, their primary duty is protecting the imperial family.”

His voice, methodically making his points, carried no particular emotion. However, the Duke’s face twisted unpleasantly as he listened.

“Are you trying to lecture me?”

“I’m merely pointing out what you seem to have overlooked.”

The Grand Duke corrected him with a smile.

The meeting’s atmosphere instantly froze. After a moment of silence, Jeremiah belatedly tried to smooth things over.

“Since opinions differ, let’s discuss that matter later. Besides, Parma has its own military, so this isn’t worth getting upset over.”

“As Your Highness says, the troop matter can be discussed later. Let’s first conclude the matters that need immediate decisions.”

The Marquis, who had also been reading the room, quickly changed the subject. Although the Grand Duke and Duke’s tensions eased somewhat, the once-frozen atmosphere didn’t thaw easily.

‘Why is the atmosphere like this?’

Even Sienna, under the table, felt suffocated. Her legs were gradually going numb, but she couldn’t emerge in this situation.

Finally resigned, Sienna pushed herself into a corner of the table. As she did so, her elbow brushed against the leg of the man sitting to her left. When she jerked away in surprise, it was already too late.

The man she had bumped into leaned back in his chair and looked down. When her eyes met those violet ones, Sienna froze. As she silently inhaled and started to back away, he quickly grabbed her hand.

Declan turned his cold rigid gaze toward Jeremiah, who sat diagonally across. Jeremiah also looked back at him, unable to hide his panic.

“What’s wrong?”

Duke Lowell asked with his still-displeased expression, but Declan just silently stared at Jeremiah. When the Prince eventually avoided his piercing gaze, only then did he reply halfheartedly.

“It’s nothing.”

Jeremiah, feeling cornered, hastily spoke up.

“Since it’s such a nice day, why don’t we take a walk together instead of staying here? It seems we’ve mostly resolved the important matters anyway.”

At the mention of nice weather, everyone turned toward the window. Outside, a shower was falling.

The wind was quite rough, making the window frames rattle.

“I-I hear the outdoor terrace of the Imperial palace has beautiful scenery on rainy days. Perhaps we should move there instead?”

“That’s a good idea, Your Highness. Sometimes the air feels refreshing on days like this.”

The Marquis, who also felt uncomfortable with the atmosphere, was the only one to support Jeremiah. As he rose from his seat with a light laugh, other nobles began standing up one by one, watching the Duke and Grand Duke’s reactions.

“Before that, you and I need to have a brief chat.”

The Duke said to Declan in a cold voice. Jeremiah looked anxiously between the Grand Duke and Duke.

The room needed to be emptied for the princess to emerge from under the table.

‘Still, the Grand Duke will keep her hidden.’

Jeremiah managed his expression carefully as he closed the door. Though he knew it was cowardly, he had no other choice.

****

After the nobles left, except for the Duke and Grand Duke, a heavy silence fell over the room.

The situation under the table was no different. Sienna just chewed her lip while Declan held one of her wrists.

“Have you lost your mind?”

The Duke spoke first. Declan stared at him expressionlessly.

“The Emperor is already displeased with you over the previous banquet incident. Acting like this won’t have a good influence on the military either, will it?”

Declan suddenly smiled.

“I appreciate your concern, but regarding the military, I worry about it more than you do, so please don’t trouble yourself.”

“You…”

“You’re a renowned minister, Duke.”

The Duke stiffened at the voice devoid of warmth.

“But can you say you earned that position purely through your own abilities?”

“What?”

“You already sacrificed my family to climb to that high position, didn’t you?”

The Duke let out a laugh of disbelief.

“How is your parents’ accident my fault?”

“I heard that as soon as I enlisted in the military, all the businesses my father ran were sold off.”

At those words, the Duke’s lips hardened. Sienna also looked at him in surprise, hearing this for the first time.

“Until his final moments, the late Count Monches struggled desperately to recover them. Though he couldn’t even get back half.”

The late Count felt guilty in his lifetime about not being able to protect the Grand Duke’s family. In truth, though he bore no responsibility for all those tragedies, he was deeply troubled by Declan’s continual presence on the battlefields.