Chapter 17
At the baroness’s question, Cayente’s gaze slid towards Yulia. Though it seemed that he had a plan in mind and could answer, Cayente remained silent, staring at Yulia for quite some time.
“Mother, let’s talk about this later…” Yulia felt a sudden pang of unease under Cayente’s persistent gaze, as though his eyes were following her every movement. She wondered if the slap from earlier was not something that could be brushed off easily, especially considering the events of today. She felt uneasy, unsure whether Cayente was reconsidering the marriage.
Was he perhaps attending this meal with the intention of calling off the engagement?
If talk of a breakup were to arise during the meal, Yulia worried that her mother might faint before finishing her food, her mouth suddenly dry.
“As soon as the factory operations begin, we’ll finalize the wedding date. After all, everyone knows I’m getting married, so the exact date isn’t that important.” Yulia tried to hide her relieved expression, but it was apparent to Cayente. After confirming her relief, Cayente gave a subtly satisfied smile, leisurely tilting his wine glass.
“That’s right. The date doesn’t matter. The church has already given their approval, and everyone knows about our marriage, so it might as well be official already. Isn’t that right, Yulia?”
“Yes, Mother.”
Yulia attempted to smile, but it didn’t come out well.
The more she thought about it, the more she felt that Cayente wasn’t here just to interact with her family for the purpose of marriage.
If he wasn’t planning to break off the engagement, then why had he come here?
“By the way…”
Unable to hide a small sigh, Yulia exhaled softly. Cayente, seemingly done with his meal, wiped his mouth with a napkin and once again fixed his gaze on her.
“I’m curious why you didn’t let me take Yulia right away that day.”
“Didn’t let you take Yulia? Oh, you mean the day when the proposal was first made? As I said then, even though we were leaning towards marriage, our family has its history too… I’m sorry if that upset you.”
Suddenly bringing up that day, Yulia wondered what he was trying to say.
“There was nothing to be upset about. I was just wondering whether Yulia could really guarantee that kind of purity,” Cayente said, causing Yulia to feel embarrassed.
Yulia’s mother jumped up in defense.
“What do you mean by that? Our Yulia has hardly been out of the house! Even the cello lessons she wanted so much, she always had a teacher come to her. And we took care to make sure no rumors spread by hiring an older music teacher. To doubt Yulia’s purity like this…”
“Well, I don’t know what happened, but she seemed very skilled with kisses—too skilled, in fact.”
“Kisses? What! When did they even kiss?” Yulia was suddenly drenched in cold sweat, her face burning as the uncomfortable topic spiraled further. Ian, oblivious to the situation, added fuel to the fire.
“How does one even know if someone’s good at kissing? Does someone just know instinctively?”
“That’s how it is. Count Cayente must have a lot of experience, right?”
“Indeed.”
The conversation became unbearable as it focused on the embarrassing subject. Yulia could hardly bear it anymore and stood up to leave.
“Oh, I dropped my knife. I’ll go get a new one.”
“Stay seated, Madam. I’ll get it for you.”
However, Lucy was the first to rise, and it wasn’t just her who held Yulia back.
“There’s nothing,” Cayente’s voice was cold and unyielding.
Yulia tried to understand what he meant and reluctantly returned to her seat.
“What’s missing? Oh my! Our Yulia is a virgin?” The baroness gasped in shock, making Yulia’s eyes widen in surprise.
So, it was the first kiss for Cayente too?
“My goodness, did no one notice? Ah, of course, Count Cayente was always such a proper man, wasn’t he? So that’s it, our Yulia…”
Even though it was no longer taboo for women to have freedom in romance, the baroness seemed genuinely pleased. Yulia, relieved that at least there wouldn’t be issues with another woman, felt both bewildered and oddly reassured.
“Looks like Yulia won’t have to worry about women’s issues after marriage. Good for her. Yulia, right?”
If that were true, then I would be the one who took Cayente’s first kiss.
After Cayente’s surprising words, the meal continued without further issues. It was frustrating for him, but the baroness, oblivious to the underlying meanings in conversations, played her part in maintaining the atmosphere.
“So, you saw Yulia again at the ball, right? So, you must have fallen for her then? Or perhaps you’ve liked her since childhood, just like Yulia?”
The baroness completely believed that Cayente loved Yulia, especially since he had spent so much money trying to transform her into someone worthy of being a countess.
Cayente would usually try to correct the baroness’s assumptions, but it rarely worked.
In the midst of this one-sided conversation, Cayente found himself wondering if Yulia resembled her mother in some ways, especially in her initial naïve gratitude for all the gifts she received.
“Mother… when did I…?”
“You think I can’t tell? I see everything. Isn’t Cayente your first love?”
“Mother…”
Yulia didn’t even bother correcting her mother anymore. The conversation shifted to the past, and from there, Cayente learned something new: Yulia considered him her first love.
“From the way you’re blushing, it seems like it’s true. So, Yulia’s marrying her first love. How romantic.”
Her first love…?
— I love Cayente with all my heart!
I hadn’t thought of that before, but now that I remember, it was always me who waited for him by the door when he arrived home, eager to see my new brother. Was it really just excitement at seeing him? Or were those feelings deeper, something more like affection for a family member?
— It would be wonderful if Cayente could marry Yulia. What do you think, Countess? How about a girl like Yulia?
I don’t remember what my mother said in response, but I do remember my own thoughts.
It would be great. Yulia is so pure, I need to be the one to protect her, since another man might hurt her. That feeling I had, probably like a sibling’s affection, was probably… love. And if that’s love, then Yulia must be my first love too.
“By the way, Count, I noticed your family didn’t come to the Empire. Are they doing well?”
For a brief moment, a cold reality hit Cayente, shattering his nostalgic thoughts.
“Don’t you already know?”
“Haha, I got caught, didn’t I? I’ve heard about Bain. He passed away in an accident, right? The twin sisters are studying abroad in Casad?”
Cayente clenched his wine glass, his grip tightening as he answered in a cold, icy tone.
“Don’t concern yourself with that.”
“…What?”
Sitting face to face with people he couldn’t bring himself to feel any affection for, Cayente couldn’t stand the situation anymore. He stood up abruptly.
“You don’t need to know about my family. Neither you nor Yulia will ever meet them.”
“But they’ll be your in-laws…”
“Then mind your own business. Just because I’m sitting here quietly eating doesn’t mean we’re family. We can never be family.”
“What do you mean by that? Our Yulia is going to be your wife!”
“You still don’t get it, do you?”
The baroness faltered, struggling to understand, but Cayente continued, unfazed.
“I bought Yulia with money. No fool would call someone they bought ‘family.’ Yulia belongs to me.”
“What do you mean by ‘belongs to me’?”
“Yulia is mine. That’s the truth. Family? That’s a joke. If my father were alive, he’d laugh at the thought.”
Family? Family… You people don’t even realize how you’re tightening the noose around yourselves, while you sit there smiling over something you think is a precious possession?
“I came here to tell you not to mistake the money I spent for affection. Now I’ve said what I needed to say. I’ll be going.”
Ignoring Yulia, whose eyes were wide with shock, Cayente stood up from the table.
Yulia… she won’t smile at me again. That’s probably for the best. We won’t even face each other again until the wedding. With that thought in mind, he stormed out, only to find another angry situation awaiting him.
“Were you planning to go to the dining room…?”
