Chapter 11
Mathieu didn’t push the woman away, so she took it as a yes and suddenly kissed him.
Surprised, Mathieu stepped back.
He tried to push her away, but then he froze.
He was annoyed at himself for constantly thinking about that country bumpkin, Claire.
So, to force her out of his mind, Mathieu let the woman continue.
She poured perfume all over herself.
Come to think of it, even though he had been engaged to Claire for ten years, they had never even shared a light kiss.
Realizing he was thinking about Claire again, Mathieu frowned.
The woman clinging to him felt unpleasant, but he didn’t stop her—just to erase Claire from his thoughts.
But it wasn’t exciting or enjoyable. It just felt disgusting.
Just as he was about to push the woman away—
A shadow appeared behind the slightly open curtain on the terrace.
Mathieu didn’t miss it.
I knew it.
He was sure it was Claire.
She acted indifferent, but she was obviously watching him.
There was no way she had really changed.
Smirking, Mathieu leaned in closer to the woman’s neck, making sure Claire saw.
Right then—
The door suddenly burst open.
“Kyaaah!”
The woman, who had been clinging to him, screamed as if she had been caught.
But Mathieu didn’t care about her.
Slowly, he turned around—
Expecting to see Claire crying, or furious.
But instead…
She was smiling.
She’s smiling…?
It was only for a split second, but he was sure Claire had smiled.
Then, as if nothing had happened, her expression turned blank again.
Mathieu frowned.
She smiled at this scene?
The Claire he knew would never do that.
I must have imagined it.
Confidently, he ran a hand through his hair and looked at Claire.
“Claire, you should knock before entering a terrace.”
He deliberately tried to annoy her.
“No one likes to be interrupted in a private moment.”
But then—
Claire smiled again.
Not a forced or embarrassed smile, but a genuine, confident smile.
Mathieu found himself staring.
“Oh dear, did I interrupt?” she said lightly.
Then, with a relaxed tone, she added,
“Go ahead, continue. You’re good at pretending I don’t exist, after all.”
Her blunt words made Mathieu freeze, as if he had been hit in the head.
“What…?”
Just then—
A voice from inside the terrace spoke.
“Oh my! Isn’t that Lord Laurentino and Lady Helsing?”
The corridor inside was dark, so the speaker’s face wasn’t visible, but people started gathering around.
Mathieu felt something was wrong.
“Oh my goodness! Look at that! The young lord got caught cheating on his fiancée! I knew this would happen one day!”
Sensing danger, the half-dressed woman immediately ran away.
Mathieu barely even noticed.
His focus was entirely on Claire.
What is she planning?
This situation should be bad for Claire too.
After all, her fiancé had been caught with another woman in front of everyone.
But instead—
She looked completely satisfied, as if she had been waiting for this moment.
Then, she spoke.
“This means our engagement is over, Mathieu.”
Mathieu froze.
“So many people saw your little cheating scene—even your family won’t be able to stop the breakup now.”
Break up…?
The woman who had chased after him for ten years—
Was now the one calling off the engagement?
“You’ve always wanted this, haven’t you?” Claire said with a bright smile.
Mathieu could only stare blankly.
Then, as she turned to leave, Claire suddenly paused.
As if remembering something, she stepped closer—
And, smelling sweet like fruit, she poured a glass of wine over his face.
“This is a toast to our breakup.”
The cold wine snapped Mathieu out of his daze.
“Claire…”
For ten years, she had only looked at him.
And now, in front of everyone, she was happily announcing their separation.
“As the ex-fiancée who caught you cheating, I think I deserve this much.”
With a confident, elegant smile, Claire walked away.
Mathieu barely noticed the wine dripping from his hair and onto the floor.
People were whispering and staring, but he didn’t care.
One word kept echoing in his mind.
Break up…?
Just like that?
Then what about those ten years?
The constant presence, the way she always followed him around?
Was that all meaningless?
It didn’t make sense.
The Claire he knew…
Would never do this.
Mathieu pushed past the terrace doors and ran after Claire.
He didn’t care about the eyes following him.
He needed to hear the truth from Claire herself.
When he caught up, he grabbed her wrist roughly.
Claire turned around, her eyes wide in surprise.
“Are you serious?” he asked, his voice tense with anger.
Claire frowned and pulled her hand away.
“I’ve wanted to say this for a long time. I was just waiting for the right moment.”
Then, with a smirk—the same mocking smile he often wore—she added,
“And today was that moment.”
Mathieu was speechless.
“You wanted to break off the engagement too, didn’t you?”
Yes, he did.
He had hated this arrangement.
He had wanted this forced engagement, bound by family promises, to end.
That’s why he had openly flirted with other women. That’s why he had treated Claire so coldly.
So then… why did he feel like this?
The woman who had always stayed by his side… had also wanted to leave?
Had she only endured this engagement because of her family’s wishes?
Had her kindness—her unwavering devotion—for the past ten years all been an act?
“I hope this doesn’t cause problems between our families. After all, this was your mistake.”
Claire’s words cut deep.
Then, as if she had just thought of something, she added with a cheerful smile,
“Oh, but we can still be friends, can’t we?”
Friends…?
Claire gave him one last bright smile before turning away, leaving him frozen in place.
He stood there, unable to move, until she was completely out of sight.
When I returned to the Count’s estate, Ophelia was waiting for me at the entrance.
“What is this nonsense I’m hearing?!”
The rumors from the banquet had already spread.
I calmly walked past her.
But Ophelia grabbed my wrist, her grip tight and furious.
“Have you lost your mind?!”
Ah. My poor wrist is really suffering today.
I roughly shook her off.
That only made her angrier.
“You think you’re some marchioness now just because you got close to the Marquess’s daughter?!”
She looked like she was about to hit me.
Go ahead. Try it.
If she slapped me, I would return the favor twice as hard.
Before anything could happen, a familiar voice interrupted.
“Claire.”
My father—the Count—had returned from his work outside.
Judging by his expression, he had already heard about the incident at the banquet.
“Come to my study. We need to talk.”
His low voice made Ophelia step back.
I swallowed dryly as I looked around.
Ophelia stood with her arms crossed, while Sophia sat on the sofa with her legs elegantly crossed, watching me smugly.
Ignoring them, I followed my father to his study with steady steps.
I had expected this.
I had even prepared for it.
This breakup was Mathieu’s fault.
Everyone had seen it.
So, I would make sure that all the blame fell on him.
That way, our family wouldn’t suffer any consequences.
That was why I had exposed his actions in front of everyone.
In fact, the Duke’s family might even offer us compensation as an apology.
I planned to emphasize that to my father.
With my thoughts organized, I stepped into the study.
My father stood by the window, his back turned to me.
He had clearly heard me enter, yet he remained silent.
Just as I opened my mouth to speak—
He beat me to it.
“…I’m sorry.”
