When the Main Protagonists Broke Up

I was on my way home with my father after I had sorted out the

events at the conference hall.

Aiden wanted to go too, but he couldn’t.

After the death of the Duke of Bayon, Aiden was imprisoned in the imperial palace by order of the emperor.

Although he said that he would be released soon after the investigation, the thought of leaving him in prison alone made his heart ache.

As I was about to say something, Aiden shook his head.

Then, after leaving the word that he would return soon, he was dragged out by the knights.

“Are you okay?”

“What do you mean?”

“Aiden…this.”

I wanted to calm my mind after hearing a definite answer from my father.

“It will be fine. It’s not like you don’t know his situation.”

“Ha…If so, I’m glad.”

Still, the uneasiness in his heart did not go away.

It seemed to be stable only when he was by my side.

Adela was currently being pursued.

However, it had to be seen that it was almost impossible to catch her because she escaped on the guardian water.

“Is the Luden family going to be a lottery right away?”

“I guess so. They say the Duchess of Louden went to the prison to pick up Clayton.”

“Okay. So now really….”

The thought that Clayton would become the real Luden family duke, not a temporary one, made me feel strange for a moment.

Now, indeed, the child whom I had reaped did not exist.

“But father….”

I suddenly remembered the strange exchange of emotions I felt between the emperor and the duchess earlier.

So, after contemplating whether to ask my father or not, I opened my mouth.

“Looking at it earlier, Her Majesty and the Duchess of Louden seemed to know each other quite well.”

At my words, my father seemed lost in thought.

It seemed like he was contemplating whether he should tell me or not.

“Hmm. We don’t know each other well.”

“Oh yeah?”

“Yeah, I don’t know the details, but I know you two were pretty close.”

“Okay.”

“If you want to know more, ask your mother.”

“Yes I will.”

I answered yes, but I did not think to ask my mother.

was just curious for a moment, but the relationship between the two

was not something I needed to know.

After that, the carriage ran and ran to the mansion, and my mother’s reassuring smile greeted us.

“Mother!”

“Belita!”

I also smiled brightly at my mother.

My parents and I went inside the office and talked about the rest.

I told my mother everything that had happened in the conference room.

“That’s what happened.”

“I’m looking for Princess Bayern, but it’s probably hard to find.”

“I guess so. Among the Guardian Beasts, Urtios is especially fast.”

“Exactly.”

“Then…Prince Baian, no, what should I call you now?”

My mother looked at me, asking about Aiden.

“Aiden’s real name is Eden.”

I gave his real name to my parents.

“Either…. Okay, what about that person?”

“The Bayern family disappeared, and since he wasn’t from the Bayern family from the beginning, he will live as a commoner if nothing else happens.”

Commons….

If Aiden or Eden became a commoner, what would happen to us?

 

looked at my parents and carefully opened my mouth.

“Mother, Father…I am….”

But the words I wanted to say kept lingering in my mouth, and my mouth didn’t come out easily.

It was not difficult for a commoner to become an aristocrat in this country.

Just as I had thought of buying Mary a status for Mary and William’s marriage, the title of a lower nobility could easily be settled with money.

In the case of Eden, the same can be done, but first, the permission of the parents was required.

“I want to be with Eden.”

“With Eden?”

“Yes, he is no longer a Bayern man. And if he says no because he’s a commoner, I think there are plenty of ways to give him a title.

So….”

“You shouldn’t have to worry about that.”

Suddenly my father cut me off and said something incomprehensible.

“Yes?”

I looked at my father with a bewildered expression.

“He executed the Duke of Bayern in the presence of His Majesty the Emperor and many nobles. It probably won’t just pass by.”

“Then Eden….”

My father nodded, and I took it as a sign of approval.

was so happy that I felt like crying.

“Thank you, father! mother!”

I wanted to see him as soon as possible, with the thought that only Eden could come out safely.

The next day, fortunately, Eden was quickly released.

After hearing from my father that he was coming, I quickly waited for him in front of the imperial palace.

The door to the imperial palace opened and a man walked out.

As soon as I saw him, I called out his name and ran.

“Eden!”

“Belita.”

Other people’s eyes were no longer a problem.

No, from the beginning, I couldn’t see anyone else in my field of vision, only Eden.

I hugged him tightly and felt that he was by my side.

“I missed you.”

It was only one day, but now I couldn’t live without seeing him even for a day.

“I missed you too.”

His sweet voice made me feel even better.

I slipped out of his arms and ran over him from head to toe.

I checked carefully to see if anything had happened in the prison.

“Isn’t that what happened?”

“If anything had happened, I wouldn’t be here right now.”

“It is.”

I laughed bashfully at his words.

“Song. Your parents are waiting for you.”

When he heard that he was going to see his mother and father, Eden’s expression became serious.

“Why?”

“Can I go? I am….”

“Of course!”

I quickly cut him off.

I didn’t want to hear self-deprecating or hurtful words from his mouth.

“We will go together.”

Then he took him by the hand and dragged him into the carriage.

I climbed into the carriage and went right next to him instead of facing him like I used to.

“You said you met His Majesty the Emperor?”

“Yes.”

“Okay. What were you talking about?”

“I have told many stories. A few stories about how I came into the Bayern family and the Duke of Bayern. And…He said he would give me a title in recognition of his merits.”

“Really?”

Also, my father was right.

 

“But everything that happened yesterday was done out of my personal vendetta, not for the cause. That is why I do not deserve such an excess.”

I knew what Eden was thinking when he said this. “No. In my opinion, it deserves it. So don’t think like that.”

So I cheered him up by stroking his arm.

“But….”

He was about to speak again when the carriage stopped.

“I have arrived. Our next story will continue later.”

“All right.”

After that, I got off the carriage with Eden and my parents were standing in front of the mansion.

“Duke and Duchess of Heights, thank you for inviting me to dinner.”

“Welcome, Bayon…. No, what should I call you now?”

My father suddenly, naturally, tried to call Eden Prince Baian, but he hesitated and put on a puzzled expression.

“Call me whatever you like.”

Eden replied with a warm smile at his father.

“How will you do that? I heard that His Majesty the Emperor is giving me a title, so I can’t do that as a noble. Come in first.”

The warmer-than-expected hospitality of the parents and the friendly atmosphere made me smile.

I looked at Eden and smiled brightly at him.

“Come in.”

“Yes.”

I followed my parents into the restaurant and took a seat.

My father was at the head of the table, my mother on the right, and Eden and I sat side by side on the left.

As soon as I sat in the chair, I sneaked under the table and grabbed Eden’s hand.

When I felt him flinch, I enjoyed the situation too.

I held Eden’s hand tighter so he wouldn’t let go.

It felt so good.

Seeing the people I love gathered in one place seemed like there would be no greater happiness than this.

And it was a warm and fuzzy feeling, as if floating on a cloud.

So, without realizing it, I was looking at Eden with a lot of expression on my face, and suddenly I heard a clearing of my throat.

“Kuhm!”

I wondered why, but when I looked at my father, he was looking at me with a disapproving expression.

“Why is that, Father?”

“Smile like that at your father.”

“Yes? ah….”

I immediately understood what my father meant and smiled and nodded.

“Yes!”

“The answer is good.”

“Honey, stop and eat.”

“Kuhm, I get it.”

So we started dinner in a pleasant atmosphere.

Most of the conversations flowed in such a way that the parents asked questions to Eden.

In a calm voice, Eden told me the stories of Eden’s childhood that I hadn’t heard in detail at the convention center, how he ended up in Bayern Street, and how he lived in Bayern Street.

“Right. It must have been very difficult.”

“So. They endured well and grew up well in that harsh environment.”

I could feel the strength in Eden’s hands through the hands that held each other at the parents’ words.

I looked at him from the side with teary eyes.

“Either….”

Eden opened his mouth with a small smile, perhaps feeling my concern for him.

“No. And now it’s really fine. It’s because Princess Heitz brought me out of that hellish place. Thank you, princess. I will never forget what Gongnyeo did for me.”

He says it’s okay, but his words somehow hurt my heart even more.

However, I didn’t want to continue to show a sad image here.

Now that everything is over, there are only days left for us to laugh.

“Yeah, don’t forget. And we, from now on, live joyful and happy days.”

Together.

Saying that, we met each other’s eyes.

I was in his eyes, and maybe he is in my eyes that he is looking at.

We were together now and we were happier than anyone else.

“Kuhm.”

My father, realizing that we had fallen into our own world, called us in again with a clearing of his throat.

“I’m sorry, father.”

I smiled and apologized to my father, not an apology.

“So what are you two going to do next?”

“Yes? Oh, that’s….”

At my father’s words, I put on a puzzled expression for a moment.

I knew what that meant, but I had never talked to him about the future.

A lot of things had happened so far, so we were so busy with the task at hand that we couldn’t have a detailed conversation about the future of the two of us.

Of course, there was no doubt that he and I would be together in the future.

But it was purely my opinion, so what he thought was also very important.

I glanced at Eden, and he was also looking at me with a puzzled face.

‘But why is the expression….’

Eden’s expression darkened for some reason.

I didn’t expect to put on a happy face, but seeing that, I felt a sense of sadness for some reason.

I felt like I should have a talk with him.

“I’ll tell you about that after we talk a little bit more. You haven’t had time to talk about that until now. Yes?” I deliberately looked at Eden and asked again.

Eden nodded slowly and replied.

“Yes…. I will.”

After dinner, I took Ethan and went straight to my room.

And after sending everyone out, the two of us quietly started a conversation.

“From now on…What are you going to do? What do you want Eden to do?”

I decided to listen to his opinion first.

“I am….”

He didn’t answer easily and dragged the horse.

Then, my heart ached at the sight of Eden’s hesitation, unlike me who was unstoppable.

“Was it just me?”

“…yes?”

“I thought we were of the same mind, but only I….”

I couldn’t speak any more.

I bit my lip hard to keep from crying.

“No. It’s not like that.”

He hastily excused himself.

“Then why are you making that face?

Why are you acting like you’re leaving me any minute?

The words I couldn’t bear to ask rose to the top of my throat.

“I just…I felt like we didn’t get along at all…Stop thinking I’m not qualified….”

‘Ah….’

The issue of qualification was mentioned here as well.

It was understandable enough for him to say such a thing, so my heart that was sad melted away like snow.

I wiped away the tears that were about to fall and sat next to him.

After that, he relaxed his stiff expression and asked Eden in a calm voice.

“Do you like me?”

“I like. I like it so much that I can’t help it.”

It made me feel like I had the whole world.

So I smiled broadly and wrapped my arms around his neck. Eden hesitated and then hugged my waist.

We met each other’s gaze at such a close distance that our noses seemed almost to touch.

“Me too. I like you too.”

“Bell….”

“But do you think we can live apart?”

“….”

“Can Eden live without me? No, can I marry another man? Is that so?”

“…no.”

At the same time as I answered, I felt the strength in the hand holding my waist.

And as if he couldn’t let go of me, he hugged me tighter.

“Then what are you hesitating about? Even your parents allowed it.”

“But…ha….”

After speaking, Eden let out a long sigh.

His eyes clearly showed the complex emotions he was experiencing.

‘Ah! That’s it.’

Then something popped into my head.

I quickly spoke to him about something.

“Eden, do you remember?”

“…yes?”

“We used to have horse riding competitions in Hemoa.”

“I remember….”

“Do you remember sharing the right to wish at that time?”

“Yes.”

Before the equestrian competition, I rode a horse in Hemoa and had a horse riding competition with Eden.

But at that time, I fell off the horse, so I couldn’t finish the match in the middle.

So the conclusion was that the match was won by me, so I had the right to wish.

And I gave the same wish to Eden who saved me from getting hurt.

If I had a wish ticket, I would have written it to him right now.

But unfortunately, I have already used the wish ticket.

It was to comfort him who had a bad expression in the past.

Fortunately, however, Eden’s right to wish was still there.

“Write a wish ticket on me.”

“Yes?”

“Write me a wish ticket. The right to wish must grant the other person’s wish unconditionally. I am ready to grant any wish.”

Hurry up.

I urged Eden.

Now that my job is done, all I have to do is wait for his decision.

I stared at him, trying to hide my nervousness, hoping that he would understand my intentions and say what I wanted.

“Bell.”

He called my name carefully.

“My wish is….”

My whole body stiffened in an instant from the tension.

The hand holding him was also strong.

“My wish is to be with you until I die, even after I die.”

When he finally said what I really wanted to hear, tears welled up in my eyes because I couldn’t control my ecstatic feelings.

“Eden, I love you.”

“I love you too.”

And as we confessed our feelings for each other, we hugged the bodies we were holding tighter, and shared each other’s body temperature for a long time after that.

After that, the world was so peaceful.

Everything was perfect except they still couldn’t find Adela.

Eden received a title in recognition of his achievements in defeating the Duke of Bayern.

Now his name was not Aiden Byan, but Eden Leitus of the House of Count Leiter.

But the surname Leitus was merely a nominal one before marrying me.

In the Baltheus Empire, when a man and a woman married, they did not necessarily follow the man’s surname.

Considering a family with only one successor like me, it was possible to take a woman’s surname if mutual agreement was reached.

So, when we got married, Eden was going to take the Heitz family name and live together at the Duke of Heitz’s mansion.

Along with Eden’s work, Clayton also had a big change.

Officially, the Luden family was completely restored.

As a result, the Luden family got back all the territory and property that had been taken away when they were destroyed, and the family’s lost honor was also restored.

Along with that, Clayton became the head of the Luden family.

Now Clayton was truly a duke, not a makeshift duke.

And today was the day of a banquet to celebrate the return of the Luden family.

After moving busily from the morning and getting ready to go to the banquet, I got on the carriage with my parents.

“Let’s go.”

The carriage started.

It took about 30 minutes by carriage from the Duke of Heitz to the Duke of Louden.

My parents and I chatted for a while until we arrived.

“Earl Leitus?”

Father asked Eden’s whereabouts.

“He said he had a place to stop by, so he said he would come to the Luden duchy right after finishing work.”

“Okay? You must be very busy since you have just received your title.”

“Yes, I guess.”

“Did you two talk about your engagement and marriage?”

“Yes, but I want to have a wedding right away without an engagement ceremony.”

“You’re not going to have an engagement?”

“Yes.”

I answered with a strong will.

“Well, since the two of them are adults, it might be a bit odd to get engaged.”

My mother helped me

“Hmm. It doesn’t.”

My father also agreed without saying anything.

“Then do you know the date of the wedding?”

“Yes I will.”

“Thank you, Mother.”

I smiled at my mother and said.

After that, while they were talking about how to proceed with the wedding, a carriage arrived at the Duchess of Luden.

Looking through the window of the carriage, Duke Louden gave me the impression of moving a forest.

There were so many trees everywhere that the wind blowing was very refreshing.

A carriage stopped in front of the building where the banquet was being held.

But when I got off the carriage, Eden was standing in front of me unexpectedly.

“Eden!”

“Belita.”

He told me that work would end late and that he would arrive midway through the banquet.

So when I met him unexpectedly sooner, I was glad to quickly approach him.

“Are you here early?”

“Work ended early. Are you here, Duchess of Heights, Duchess of Heights?”

Eden greeted his father and mother.

“You came just in time.”

“Yes, I came in haste so as not to be late.”

“Good job. Now, let’s go in.”

My father and mother took the lead, followed by Eden and I.

I hurriedly grabbed Eden’s hand.

It meant to hold hands.

He flinched slightly at my sudden action, and soon held my hand warmly.

Smiling broadly at him, we walked into the banquet hall.

Upon entering the banquet hall, many nobles had already arrived.

“Hey, Duke Heitz, are you here?”

A middle-aged man near the entrance approached his father, ignoring him.

“Viscount Blues, long time no see.”

“Yes, long time no see. The Duchess of Heitz, Princess Heitz is also here.”

It was the first time I had seen him, but my mother and I exchanged greetings with the man.

“And this is Count Leiter. Nice to see you. My name is Robert Bluth.”

“This is Eden Laitus. Nice to meet you, Viscount Bluth.”

“How many hardships have you been through? Really bayon-.”

“Kuhm!”

At the mention of the name Byan, my father cleared his throat, not hiding his displeasure.

He was a man with no sense or manners.

On such a fine day, why are we even talking about Bayern here?

And if he knew about Eden, he was trying to spit out words about how much he knew.

Like my father, I, too, did not hide my disapproval and looked at Viscount Bluth with bitter eyes.

Still, when he openly showed displeasure, Viscount Bluth, perhaps reading the atmosphere, began to notice with a restless expression.

“I-I’m talking nonsense…. Sin, sorry.”

“It’s done. There are many people to say hello to, so let’s go.”

“Yes, Father.”

Leaving Viscount Bluth who was about to say something like that, he followed his father and exchanged greetings with other nobles.

In the middle of a conversation with the nobles, Clayton and Mrs. Luden approached us.

“Duke Heitz, are you here?”

“Duke of Luden, Dame Luden.”

“Thank you so much for taking the time to do this. I also thank the Princess and the Duchess.”

I hadn’t seen Clayton since I saw him in prison, but he had changed a lot since I saw him in a long time.

Dressed neatly in a tailcoat like an aristocrat, it was truly the duke of a family.

“Duke Luden, Dame Luden, long time no see.”

“Princess Heitz, thank you so much. It is thanks to the princess that we were able to regain our family like this.”

Dame Luden thanked me.

“No. I was also able to save my life with the help of Duke Luden, and I received a lot of help before that. So I just did what I had to do.”

“Is that so? Oh, I heard that Clayton used to be the princess’s escort knight. How can I really express my gratitude…. Gongnyeo is really my benefactor. If one day the Heitz family and the princess need Luden’s help, I swear here that I will do my best to help.”

Not knowing how to respond to the excessive gratitude, I looked at my father.

“Haha. What could be better if the dukes of the empire got along well together. For the prosperity of the empire, let’s continue to maintain friendly relations in the future.”

“Thank you, Duke Heitz. The best way to do that is to bring the two together, but unfortunately, the princess seems to have already promised to marry her.”

I could feel that Mrs. Luden’s eyes were on Ethan.

And from earlier, Clayton’s hot gaze was also reaching Eden and me.

“Exactly. The two of you will be having a wedding soon, so please be sure to attend.”

“Congratulations on getting married. I will definitely attend. Well then,

I have to say hello to other people, so I’ll go. Clayton.”

After the conversation between the two, Mrs. Louden called Clayton.

But Clayton didn’t take his eyes off me without answering or moving.

No, if you look closely, you can see that it’s not looking at me, but looking down a little further.

After a while, his gaze moved upward and he saw Clayton’s pupils vibrate violently.

‘What?’

I wondered why he was looking at me with such sad eyes, but then I realized that I was still holding hands with Eden.

‘Ah….’

But why…?

Seeing that I’m holding hands with Eden, why…?

Wait a minute, please…?

I wondered why he was looking at me like that, so I was looking for a good reason, but one embarrassing reason came into my head.

However, no matter how much I thought about it, there was only one reason I could think of to look at me like that.

However, since it was only speculation, I tried not to show any signs of what I was thinking.

But just in time, I felt a strong force in the hand that was holding me.

I looked up at Eden’s sudden action and saw that he was looking at me with an uneasy expression.

‘Either….’

I could see why he was making that face.

Eden must have been thinking the same thing I thought.

He was the one who shrank when he said that he didn’t suit me.

Whatever Clayton’s mind was, he didn’t want to unsettle him.

So I gave him a big smile, telling him not to worry.

Only then did Eden smile at me, albeit faintly.

“Princess.”

Then I heard Clayton’s voice calling me.

“Duke Luden.”

I took my eyes off Eden and turned my head to look at Clayton.

The wavering eyes from earlier disappeared completely to the point where I thought I might have been mistaken.

Instead, a man with a hard, strong face was looking at me.

“Thank you for all the goodwill you have shown me so far. As my mother said, if the day comes when the princess and the Heitsu family need help, I promise to help them with all my might.”

“Thank you, Duke.”

After that, Clayton stared at me for a moment in silence, then turned around, and Clayton and Mrs. Luden moved further away from us.

The atmosphere at the banquet grew more and more ripe.

And when the dance time, the highlight of the banquet, began, I walked to the middle of the banquet hall with Eden.

Watching him while dancing with Eden reminded me of things from the past like a kaleidoscope.

From the moment I first saw him on a trip after breaking up with Kane to the moment I met him again after a long trip, none of them were memories I could never forget.

“Do you remember the dance we did on our eve?”

“Yes, I remember.”

“What were we talking about then…. Ah! I think we talked about equestrian competitions and a lot of things.”

“You’re right.”

However, among the many things that day, the one that remained vividly in my mind was the memory of seeing the fireworks that went off after dancing with him.

“The fireworks at that time were also very pretty. And….”

“And I asked Belle. Haven’t you been to Peorat yet?”

At that time, I tried to erase the very fact of meeting Eden.

Because I firmly believed that Eden was a member of the Bayern family, I was determined never to get involved.

So, I tried to deny that I was attracted to him and whipped myself that I shouldn’t have any more crushes on him.

Eden continued to approach me.

When I took a step back, he took two steps forward.

“In Peorat, I met some very nice people that I couldn’t take my eyes off of. And I watched the fireworks with him.”

At my words, Eden gave me a very nice smile.

“He showed me the same smile as now.”

“Bell.”

“Either.”

The name they called in Peorat and on the eve was now really the name they called each other.

“I also met a dreamlike person there that I could never forget. And he is now in front of me.”

You are a dreamer….

Hearing that, I felt like I was about to cry.

But rather than showing him tears, I wanted to show him a happy smile.

So I held back my tears and smiled broadly at Eden.

It was such a happy and ecstatic moment.

After that, after the dance time, which only enjoyed a good mood, was over, I returned to my seat and was taking a break.

The door to the banquet hall, which had been closed throughout the dance, opened and a familiar person entered.

It was Kane who had left the capital for work and had not been seen for a while.

He entered the banquet hall, exchanged greetings with Clayton, and came straight to where I was.

“Gongnyeo.”

And he called me with a bright face.

But soon, when I saw Eden next to me, I wrinkled my brow slightly.

“Duke Maxius, long time no see.”

At that time, his father, who had been chatting with nobles from a distance, approached at once and greeted Kane.

I knew without asking that my father, who remembered Kane always bullying me, had come to me in a hurry to protect me.

“Duke Heitz, long time no see.”

“Okay, did things go well?”