How to Perfectly Break Up with You

Blue eyes lost their focus, fumbling in the empty space. The hand that had seized her hadn’t been pushed away. Even though she knew she should shake it off in her mind, she couldn’t bring herself to move.

Sienna, with her face flushed and hesitating, murmured faintly:

“…There’s no musician to play, after all.”

Declan seemed momentarily taken aback by the unexpected response, rolling his eyes. He had intended to tease her, but her reaction was surprisingly serious.

However, he didn’t want to erase the tickling sensation of the hand within his grasp, so he quickly turned his thoughts around.

While Sienna’s eyes were fixed directly on his face, his well-formed lips slowly opened. The melody that flowed out was a waltz commonly played in social circles. At his awkward humming, Sienna’s lips twitched as if suppressing a laugh.

But, as if to render her suppressed laughter meaningless, the moment their gazes met in the empty space, they both burst into laughter simultaneously.

“How surprising. So you can sing too.”

“If you can call this a song,” Declan muttered self-deprecatingly.

Sienna couldn’t help but burst out laughing.

“Still, it’s better than nothing.”

Her voice was filled with evident mirth.

How could such a delightful low voice produce such a terrible singing sound? Sienna continued to giggle, unable to forget the aftermath of the song.

Despite Sienna’s clear mockery, Declan remained boldly confident.

Though it might be the worst song he’d ever heard, for some reason…

Throughout their awkward humming and waltz practice, holding hands, a smile never left her face. Perhaps because, though his singing skills were undeniably terrible, his voice was at least melodious.

The awkward humming wasn’t entirely unpleasant.

****

Time flowed steadily.

During the day, the two would politely interact, but once the servants were asleep, they would practice dancing in the empty Great Hall.

Their connection, which had been awkward even when holding hands, gradually became more natural.

As the ball approached, their practice time decreased, replaced by silly teasing and sitting side by side on the floor, chatting. Though seemingly unremarkable, the time felt strangely stable and peaceful.

Their relationship had become much closer than before. At least to the point where intertwining fingers felt completely normal. Embracing each other in their dance pose while exchanging jokes had become their daily routine.

On the day of the Countess’s ball, Sienna entered arm-in-arm with Declan. Though perfectly normal as partners, it apparently wasn’t so for others.

The atmosphere became unsettled upon their entrance, but the two remained unaffected. They were already accustomed to being the subject of gossip.

Moreover, having participated in a social event after a long time, Sienna was particularly talkative, and Declan was too absorbed in listening to her to pay attention to their surroundings.

When the waltz was finally set to be played, Declan extended his hand to Sienna. She lightly placed her hand on his and walked effortlessly to the center of the hall.

Soon, the smooth strings began to fill the hall.

Having only heard his awkward humming daily, hearing such a beautiful melody was refreshing. When Sienna gave a subtle smile, Declan also awkwardly smiled, understanding its meaning.

“Everyone is staring only at you.”

Sienna gestured towards the area outside the hall. Declan tilted his head without even looking in that direction.

“I don’t know. To my eyes, it seems like the star of the ball tonight is you, Your Highness.”

Though clearly meant to lift her spirits, Sienna didn’t pretend to be humble. When she slightly shrugged her shoulders, the fine gentleman nodded gently in response.

The lovers beneath the palace’s chandelier danced smoothly like flowing water, occasionally exchanging playful nudges. Just touching each other’s breath would make anyone burst into laughter.

Their appearance was so affectionate that even those watching blushed. After all, weren’t the Grand Duke and the Imperial Princess people rarely seen smiling?

The elegant man and woman looking at each other tenderly became a definitive answer for those gathered at the ball.

After the first song ended, Declan and Sienna bowed to each other, still wearing smiles. Instead of continuing to dance, they linked arms and went out to the terrace.

It was an incredibly bright moonlit night.

Closing the door felt like entering a different world, disconnected from the noisy hall. The sounds of people and music seemed distant, with the clear sound of leaves colliding overlapping the blurry noise.

Once they were alone, Sienna suddenly gave a mischievous smile and teased him.

“Isn’t it strange? It’s a song I’ve heard every day, but why does it sound so pure today?”

“Oh my.”

Declan sighed playfully.

“My poor throat that’s been overworked every night.”

“And what about my ears tortured by that terrible singing?”

Sienna gave a dry chuckle and retorted. When Declan pulled her close with a chuckle, she nestled into his embrace without resistance.

He whispered teasingly into her ear, “You seem to be enjoying this quite a bit. Now?”

She felt her face burning at his ticklish voice. Suddenly finding herself in his arms, she spoke with a slightly pouty tone:

“Well… at least we managed to avoid total embarrassment, thanks to you. Thank you.”

Unaccustomed to saying such embarrassing things, she merely fidgeted with his hand on her waist. When no response came for quite a while, she finally glanced up at him.

She felt his hand around her waist tighten slightly. She couldn’t tell if the thumping sound was from his chest pressed against her ear or her own heart.

The hand on her waist, their bodies lightly touching, their deeply intertwined gazes – the more she became aware of each sensation, the more her mind felt blank. But this time, she didn’t avoid his gaze.

Just as her figure immersed in purple became clearly visible, their lips met.

Uncharacteristically rushing in, feeling the touch breaking through the gaps, Sienna closed her eyes.

****

The ball was enjoyable for once. The faces of the Parma envoys and other distinguished guests all seemed full of joy.

Jeremiah was mingling with the imperial people without feeling out of place. Perhaps due to his uniquely sociable personality, the atmosphere around him was warm and friendly.

Somehow, she didn’t feel like mixing in right now.

Sienna’s steps entering the corridor were heavy, as if dragging a massive weight. After hearing Baron Vermont’s words, she couldn’t muster strength in her body.

Instead of immediately returning to the hall, she leaned against a corner of the sparsely populated corridor. Unconsciously, she bit her lower lip.

‘What exactly am I hoping for?’

She thought she could perfectly end things with him from Lopwell onwards. But contrary to her firm resolve, she kept getting entangled with him in the capital. Both at the ball and when they recently encountered each other in Jeremiah’s bedroom…

Sienna’s expression suddenly hardened. The recent events in Jeremiah’s bedroom began to flash through her mind. As the vivid sensation of lips and biting came to mind, she roughly wiped her lips with the back of her hand.

‘What am I trying to achieve by doing something like this?’

After all, a kiss is nothing significant. He was the one who would spend the night in her bedroom, talking about an heir even when their relationship was on the brink of collapse.

There was a time when she thought his affectionate gestures towards her were love, but ultimately, it was a foolish misconception. Sienna only realized it was a mere illusion after it completely crumbled.

Her gaze turned to Declan, who was standing slightly away from the center of the hall. He was conversing with nobles while smoking a cigar.

In contrast to everyone looking at him with favorable expressions, Sienna’s gaze towards Declan was as cold as could be.

‘If he’s truly investigating this on the Emperor’s orders, he was never on my side to begin with.’

So she felt it was even too much to be hurt or suffer alone. He was a man unworthy of such emotions.

“Your Imperial Highness?”

Startled by the voice behind her, Sienna turned her head. Jeremiah, who had been in the hall just moments ago, was now standing close by, looking at her with wide eyes.

When she stared back blankly, he burst into laughter.

“My, what are you doing alone in an empty corridor? Why aren’t you coming back inside?”

“I’ve enjoyed enough, so I’m thinking of returning to the annex now.”

Sienna produced an awkward smile and detached herself from the wall. Jeremiah quickly surveyed the surroundings and then asked her in a low voice:

“Have you perhaps discovered something?”

Sienna’s lips stiffened slightly.

She had promised to cooperate, so she needed to report what she had heard and seen. It seemed the Grand Duke knew something. Though she didn’t know the full details, he seemed to be searching for something similar to what they were.

But her mouth simply wouldn’t open.