Chapter 72
Diana lightly tapped the edge of the jewel with her fingertips.
‘How fascinating.’
She had never seen a gemstone that matched Harold’s eye color so perfectly.
As she kept examining the jewel, she slowly ran a hand over her face.
The memory of Harold’s breath touching her neck, slipping between her lips, and the heat that had overwhelmed her body still lingered vividly.
What would have happened if Harold hadn’t stopped and had gone all the way?
“Ugh…”
Diana buried her face into the pillow.
She was reminded of the disappointment she felt when Harold left the room.
“…I’m crazy.”
She was completely losing her mind.
Of course, as a healthy adult, she had desires.
But never in her life had she been so overwhelmed by impulse, throwing away all thoughts of the future.
‘I haven’t even finished preparing to run away properly.’
…Let alone using divine power to get rid of the perverted thoughts in her head.
‘Oh. Right. That’s something only the heroine in an R-rated novel can do.’
Giving up on expecting her divine power to help, Diana pulled the blanket over her entire body.
In the study of Count Garcia’s mansion, Ella stood before the Count with her head bowed.
“You still haven’t met with Prince Kaiden?”
“…No, Father.”
Count Garcia had learned everything after receiving letters of complaint from two noble families.
He tapped his desk slowly, eyeing Ella with clear disapproval.
His gaze was cold, as if he were evaluating a product that had lost its value.
The atmosphere in the study grew heavier with each passing second.
“You’ve always handled things well without causing trouble, but now you’ve made a huge mess—and you can’t even fix it.”
“…I regret my actions.”
“You regretting it won’t undo this situation. Do you think things will go back to how they were with Prince Kaiden just because you say so?”
“…”
Ella bowed her head obediently under her father’s harsh criticism, but she clenched the fabric of her dress tightly.
‘Why am I being treated like this? I’m not Diana.’
She didn’t feel guilty—she felt wronged.
“…I shouldn’t have abandoned Diana.”
“Father…!”
Ella snapped her head up, almost shouting in disbelief.
“Father, I haven’t broken off my engagement with Kaiden yet!”
“Then what? You haven’t even made up with him.”
“He hasn’t sent a breakup letter yet. That means he’s not thinking about ending the engagement. He probably just needs some time to cool off.”
Ella forced a smile and continued desperately.
“I plan to visit Mother today. She always adored me, so she’ll surely help me. Please, just trust me and wait a little longer.”
The Count sighed and pulled out a cigar from his drawer.
“This is your last chance, Ella. Remember that the Duke has requested you be confined to the estate for thirty years. If you don’t make up with Prince Kaiden, I won’t be able to refuse his demand.”
“…I understand. Thank you for trusting me.”
“Tsk. Go now.”
“Yes, Father.”
Ella bowed and turned to leave, but the Count suddenly called her back as if remembering something.
“Oh, Ella. A letter arrived from your biological father.”
…A letter?
‘He sent one to Father since I never replied to his.’
Ella was about to tell the Count to throw away any future letters unread when he spoke again.
“He says he’s running a business in the capital. Did you know about this?”
“…What did you just say?”
Ella’s expression twisted in shock as she stepped closer to her father.
The Count, having already opened and read the letter, handed it to her. Ella quickly scanned through it.
‘He swore he would never do business again, but now he’s running one?’
He was insane. Every business he touched had failed, drowning the family in debt until even their estate was taken by creditors. Her mother and she had lived like commoners—far from the life of nobility.
And yet, he was doing it again?
To make matters worse, the letter was asking the Count for investment.
Ella clenched her jaw.
‘I need to go and make him stop immediately… No. That’s not important right now.’
That could be dealt with later. The priority was visiting Amanda and asking for help.
‘I can’t let this engagement be broken.’
Losing her position as Kaiden’s fiancée—the future mistress of the Baisen family—was not an option.
Holding her throbbing head, Ella stepped out into the hallway.
“Miss Ella! Are you alright?”
Her personal doctor, Jeffrey, hurried toward her.
“Jeffrey… What are you doing here?”
“I heard that the Count called you, and I was worried. Would you like to have some calming tea with me? I’d love to offer you some comfort.”
“Sorry, Jeffrey. I’m busy. Could you ask the coachman to prepare the carriage for me?”
“Yes! I’ll do that right away.”
“Thank you. You’re the best.”
Jeffrey’s face turned red as he hurried off. A little while later, he returned, letting her know that the carriage was ready. They walked together through the hallway.
As they descended the stairs, Ella overheard the whispers of the servants.
“…Doesn’t Miss Ella seem different these days? She hasn’t gone on any dates with Prince Kaiden.”
“Yeah, isn’t he in the capital? What if they end up breaking off the engagement?”
“Gasp! If they break up, what’ll happen to her? Will she be thrown out like Miss Diana…?”
“You there!”
Jeffrey’s sharp voice silenced them instantly. When they turned and saw Ella, they held their breath in fear.
“Ah, Miss…”
The servants, pale and anxious, glanced nervously at Ella.
“Jeffrey.”
Ella called him and gave an order.
“Tell the head maid to whip them all day and throw them out.”
“Miss, please! Have mercy!”
“We were wrong! Please, just not the whipping!”
Ignoring their cries, Ella continued down the stairs.
The other servants, who had begged for mercy, stood rigid with fear, their shoulders stiff.
Normally, Ella would have acted like a kind and gentle lady, pretending to be merciful before punishing them later, but today, she had no desire to act that way.
Ella gave the coachman her directions before getting into the carriage.
Inside the moving carriage, Ella pressed her forehead and closed her eyes tightly.
‘How did Diana figure out my plan?’
Count Russell’s wife had clearly mentioned that “the Duchess had been rude,” but when Ella checked, she found out that Diana had visited the Russell family.
When Diana met with Count Russell’s wife, there were only three people who knew about Ella’s plan: Count Russell’s wife, Amanda, and Jeffrey, the Garcia family’s personal doctor. But none of them would have shared the plan with Diana. Amanda wouldn’t gain anything by telling Diana, Count Russell’s wife only cared about Diana’s infertility, and Jeffrey was deeply in love with Ella.
‘I can’t find any way this information could have leaked.’
Ella bit her nails.
The more she thought about it, the deeper she felt trapped in a maze with no way out. Sometimes, it felt like her thoughts were being exposed, and an unsettling feeling crept up from beneath her feet.
‘…Diana.’
How did you figure out my plan? Why do you keep interfering with my future?
Silent resentment hurt her throat.
Trembling with anger, Ella wiped away the tears that rose from her self-pity.
“…It will be fine.”
She comforted herself as she embraced herself. Suddenly, Kaiden’s cold eyes appeared in her mind, and she couldn’t control her emotions, crying uncontrollably.
The carriage carrying her arrived at the mansion where Amanda, Kaiden’s biological mother, secretly indulged in her hobbies.
“Miss, we’ve arrived.”
“Wait a moment.”
Ella wiped her face with a handkerchief and looked at her reflection in the window.
As she saw her tear-streaked face, memories of her childhood nanny’s voice came to her.
<Poor Miss, don’t cry. If you cry, happiness will slip away.>
Ella forced a smile, stretching the corners of her mouth.
The smile, though forced, looked quite happy.
“…It’s fine, Ella.”
It’s a happiness I won’t lose, no matter what.
She encouraged herself and stepped out of the carriage.
Though the path ahead felt dark, Ella smiled sweetly, as if she would never accept unhappiness.
She asked a servant where Amanda was and headed upstairs. There, she found Amanda surrounded by two men.
“Mother, I’m here.”
“…You’re here?”
Amanda, who had been enjoying herself, frowned at the interruption but quickly recovered.
She pushed the men away and straightened her disheveled clothes. Ella sat down at the table without any concern.
“Mother, please help me. I need you to clear up Kaiden’s misunderstanding about me.”
“Do you think I haven’t tried? I’ve been talking about you to Kaiden every day, but he says he doesn’t want to hear about it and even avoids seeing my face. Do you know how hard that’s been?”
Amanda picked up a grape from the table and ate it.
Ella, unable to feel any appetite, focused on her lips instead.
“Still, this morning, I managed to get Kaiden to calm down enough to talk.”
“Really?”
“Yes. I had the Baisen family’s doctor get some of Diana’s blood to prove that she’s infertile, and I told Kaiden that you were wronged.”
“…What did Kaiden say?”
Amanda nonchalantly popped another grape into her mouth.
Ella, anxious for an answer, grew impatient, but Amanda remained calm. Ella didn’t feel angry at her calmness—rather, she felt a sense of hope.
If Amanda, who had always cared for her, was acting so composed, it meant things were likely going well.
“…Did he say he would reconcile with me?”
Ella swallowed nervously as the sweet smell of grapes filled the air.
“He said he would break off the engagement with you.”
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• ❁ • ❁ • ❁ •By Freya• ❁ • ❁ • ❁ •
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Advance chapters of this novel are available of my kofi channel
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