HTNSA 8

Chapter 8

Cadin didn’t deny it.

“It would be an honor for a commoner.”

And it was true.

There were countless women who would kill to become his mistress.

But Eila wasn’t one of them.

She met his gaze squarely.

“No. I can’t do that, Cadin.”

“What?”

A furrow formed between his brows.

He couldn’t understand why she kept rejecting his generosity.

To dare refuse him, after losing everything—

Eila continued slowly, as if explaining to a child.

“You know as well as I do that we’ll have to annul our engagement sooner or later. And you’ll soon become engaged to another woman.”

“Given our families’ ties, it’s obvious who that’ll be.”

“That’s—”

“Rosia has already suffered enough because of me. I won’t hurt her further.”

Finally comprehending, Cadin’s mouth opened and closed like a fish.

She was breaking up with him for Rosia’s sake.

‘Even though she doesn’t want to.’

His chest tightened strangely.

“But Rosia isn’t even your blood sister. Why bother—”

“No. This is where we end. I know my place now.”

Eila shook her head with a sorrowful smile.

“It pains me, but I’m no longer someone who can stand by your side.”

“Eila—”

“I’ll take my leave now. If I stay any longer, it’ll only hurt more.”

Without hesitation, she turned her back—ignoring every word he called after her.

‘Perfect, isn’t it?’

As she walked away, Eila mused.

She’d refused his offer without provoking his pride, giving him a noble excuse to save face.

Even if he chased after her, she could repeat the same reasoning.

‘Well, the Late family will still be furious about being publicly dumped by a commoner. But that’s a problem for future me.’

More importantly—she knew the agony of having words trapped in one’s throat.

So she walked briskly, hoping to ruin his mood completely.

Eila didn’t notice, but two people had witnessed the exchange from afar.

Rosia and Cedric, who had come to the academy for her transfer exams.

Cedin frowned, replaying Eila’s expression.

Her darkened face as she left suggested an unpleasant conversation.

‘Did that bastard already demand an annulment?’

He knew how much Eila adored her fiancé.

The thought of her heartbroken unsettled him.

‘This must be devastating for her.’

The Eila he knew was proud—a proper noble lady.

To be cast out overnight, abandoned by her fiancé—how could she bear it?

‘No wonder she panicked and asked for another paternity test.’

For the first time, he considered visiting her.

‘That prideful girl… making such a sad face.’

He seethed at Cadin, certain he’d said something cruel.

But then—

“Brother, what are you thinking about?”

Rosia blinked up at him with innocent eyes.

“Nothing, Rosia.”

He couldn’t let his new sister see him worrying over Eila.

Gritting his teeth, Cedric forced himself to look away.

After her declaration, Eila barricaded herself in her room.

Her bombshell would send both the Late and Blanche families into chaos.

A commoner daring to publicly reject a marquis’s heir was unprecedented.

‘No matter how politely I phrased it, a commoner initiating the breakup will wound their pride. Rosia, as his next fiancée, will be humiliated too.’

Imagining their dismay made her smirk.

‘The Blanche household must be in shambles by now.’

Callios would’ve piled responsibilities onto Rosia to establish her position—

And Rosia, clueless, would’ve bungled everything.

‘Not my problem anymore.’

Eila resolved to cut all ties with House Blanche.

Instead, she focused on her next steps.

‘First, I need to meet Felix.’

Though technically a “commoner,” he was anything but.

In a world where secret heirs popped up like weeds, Felix would eventually be revealed as nobility.

‘But as a commoner, graduating and rising through the ranks would take too long.’

She planned to fast-track his status—in exchange for his future aid.

Next, she examined her carefully packed herbs.

Though she’d left everything from House Blanche behind, she’d brought ingredients for temporary potions.

Her inability to use magic stemmed from Mana Insensitivity—a so-called “incurable” condition.

‘But I know the cure.’

The perfect remedy required Felix to be recognized as the Azenta heir first—

But she could brew a stopgap version now.

As she sorted the herbs, her hands moved with practiced ease.

‘This makeshift potion will be weak and short-lived, but…’

Soon, blue flames licked the cauldron, liquid bubbling like lava as steam curled upward.

Watching the magic unfold, Eila smiled.

‘It’ll be enough to convince Felix.’

She and the original Eila were the same person.

If the novel’s Eila could create this, so could she.

‘No room for error. Focus.’

Holding her breath, she poured every ounce of concentration into the brew.

Within days of Eila’s departure, a letter arrived from House Late.

Jeratt massaged his temples—his headaches had worsened lately.

‘Probably because of that incident.’

The entire Blanche household was on edge after Eila’s public rejection of Cadin.

A commoner humiliating a marquis’s son was unthinkable.

Dreading the letter’s contents, Jeratt sought Callios.

“A message from House Late.”

The Duke looked up from his documents, displeased.

“About that fiasco, I assume?”

Jeratt could only shrug.