The Reason Why She Wanted To Leave

I stared intently at Viscount Moldovan’s face. He looked genuinely sorry.

Was I still holding onto feelings for Ains? If I were to be honest, yes. You couldn’t just cut off a ten-year-long unrequited love in an instant. But I had decided to face reality.

However, how that looked to others was another matter entirely. I lowered my gaze for a moment before meeting Viscount Moldovan’s eyes again.

“May I ask why you want to know?” I inquired.

Although he mentioned we had met before, I couldn’t recall him at all. Now, here he was, trying to gauge my feelings.

To be honest, I was suspicious. What were his intentions in approaching me? Was he hiding some ulterior motive?

Under normal circumstances, I might have thought he was expressing interest in me, but given the current situation where everyone in the social circle was watching and mocking me, it was hard not to be wary.

Even if his intentions were good, I couldn’t afford to trust him blindly.

“Well…” Viscount Moldovan hesitated, opening and closing his mouth several times as if struggling to find the right words. This was a stark contrast to his earlier confident demeanor on the terrace.

I stayed silent, waiting for him to speak. Eventually, he gave a shy smile and said, “I’ve liked you for a long time, Viscountess Marves.”

“What?” I looked up at him, not quite grasping the situation.

“I’ve liked you since the first time I saw you,” he continued.

His sudden confession left me speechless. He didn’t stop there, though, and continued to pour out his feelings.

“When I first met you, you were already engaged to Duke Graham. I couldn’t even dream of approaching you. I introduced myself once, but I couldn’t reveal my feelings to someone destined to become the Duchess of Graham.”

“Is that true?” I asked, still in disbelief. He gave a sheepish smile.

“It’s pathetic, isn’t it? A grown man harboring a crush for years. I can’t imagine how awkward this must be for you.”

His awkward, low laugh sounded so forlorn that I couldn’t help but feel a pang of sympathy. Despite that, I couldn’t respond easily.

He liked me?

“This is all so sudden,” I finally said, noticing the smile fading from his face. He looked tense as he asked, “I’m sorry if I overwhelmed you. I just needed to clear my head for a moment.”

Was he telling the truth?

“I’m sorry. This isn’t how I wanted to confess. I know your mind must be in turmoil, and I probably made it worse.”

“No, it’s fine. I asked first,” I assured him.

“You’re very kind,” he replied, fiddling with his wine glass before downing the rest of its contents.

“Well, I should go. I hope I didn’t make you too uncomfortable. If you ever sort out your thoughts, please let me know. I’ll be waiting.”

The smell of alcohol lingered on his breath as he spoke. He started to leave but then turned back to me.

“And please, return the coat whenever you’re comfortable.”

“Alright,” I replied.

Only then did he leave the terrace, looking relieved. I watched his retreating figure, feeling the weight of his coat on my shoulders. It felt a bit burdensome, but I couldn’t bring myself to return it immediately as it might hurt his feelings.

As I stood there, the ballroom grew noisy. Realizing the reason, I quickly went back inside.

“His Majesty the Emperor!”

As expected, the commotion was due to the Emperor’s entrance. Seeing him at the entrance, I curtsied along with the other nobles.

“Haha, it’s heartwarming to see so many people here to celebrate such a trivial day,” the Emperor began his speech from the podium, thanking everyone for their presence and expressing his joy.

“Enjoy the banquet,” he concluded.

With the Emperor’s speech over, the ballroom buzzed with people gathering in small groups, laughing and chatting. I was the only one standing alone.

Scanning the room, I spotted Viscount Moldovan talking to other nobles, smiling brightly—a different face from when he talked to me. Our eyes met, and he nodded with a cheerful smile. I returned a slight nod.

“You seem to get along well with Viscount Moldovan,” came a familiar voice, freezing my expression.

“Duke Graham,” I said, realizing Ains had approached unnoticed.

Ains stood next to me, arms crossed, staring in the direction I had been looking—towards Viscount Moldovan.

“Since when did you get so close to Viscount Moldovan?” Ains asked, his tone almost accusatory.

I frowned, annoyed by his intrusion. “Do I owe you an explanation? This is my personal life.”

“Did you have a relationship with Viscount Moldovan before our divorce?” he asked again, still not taking his eyes off Moldovan.

Though this was the first time I had spoken to Moldovan, Ains’ questioning sparked a rebellious streak in me. “Why do you want to know?”

“The coat you’re wearing—it’s Viscount Moldovan’s, isn’t it?”

“Ains,” I said, ignoring his question and feeling a surge of defiance. I turned to look at Moldovan, who was chatting with friends across the room. He glanced our way but quickly looked away when he saw Ains beside me, clearly uncomfortable.

“What if I am close to Viscount Moldovan?” I challenged.

“…”

Ains remained silent.

“What if I was close to him even before our divorce?” I pressed, returning his question with one of my own. Ains didn’t respond immediately. Instead, he took a glass of wine from a passing servant and sipped it.

“No, you weren’t. Today is probably the first time you’ve had a proper conversation with him,” he said with certainty, as if he knew everything.

“Have you been spying on me?” I asked, incredulous.

“Of course not,” he replied, taking another sip of wine.

I glanced at him, then crossed my arms and faced him squarely. “Don’t get any closer to Viscount Moldovan. Consider this a piece of advice.”

Watching him take another sip, I sighed softly. “Duke Graham, why are you doing this? Didn’t I already tell you not to concern yourself with what I do? You’ve never cared about me before, so why are you caring now?”

His sudden interest in my affairs was overwhelming. When I had longed for his attention, he had been indifferent. Now, after our divorce, he was acting like this?

“We’re strangers now,” I said firmly.

Ains finally shifted his gaze from Moldovan to look at me. “It’s not like I wanted to care about you.”

“Then you should have continued ignoring me,” I retorted.

“I wanted to,” he replied shortly, handing his empty glass to a passing servant. With his hands now free, he crossed his arms and looked down at me. There was no affection in his gaze, so it wasn’t jealousy driving his questions about Moldovan.

So why was he so interested in my relationship with Moldovan?

As I pondered this, Ains reached over and took Moldovan’s coat off my shoulders.

“Ains!” I called out his name in shock, unable to hide my surprise.

He paused briefly but didn’t stop. “Hey!” he called out to a nearby servant. The servant hurried over and bowed.

“Return this coat to Viscount Moldovan. Tell him not to do unnecessary things,” Ains instructed.

“Yes, Your Grace,” the servant replied, taking the coat and heading towards Moldovan.

I could only watch in stunned silence.

 

 

T/N: Someone is jealous af LOL