I'll End This Engagement

“What kind of flowers do you like, Lady Prezis?”

Cadel’s fingertips rose and brushed over the multicolored glass bottle.

“I think red flowers would suit you well, how about roses?”

Cadel looked me in the face and then lifted a bottle of red wine.

‘Oh, I can’t drink.’

Not only did I not drink alcohol, but Leah was also having a coming-of-age ceremony this year, so I was at an age not to drink alcohol.

Does Cadel not know my age?

But before I could say no, my glass was filled with red wine.

“My hometown in the southern region is famous for its red and charming roses. If I have a chance, I’d like to give my lady a present.”

‘Rose? I hate the scent of roses because it gives me a headache.’

Why rose?

I liked herbs more than flowers. Since the strong and sweet scent of flowers gives me a headache, I tend to prefer the bitter and subtle herbal scent.

After a moment’s hesitation, I answered.

“I am grateful for your kindness, but instead of flowers, I…”

“She prefers herbs. Rosemary.”

In an instant, Davan’s voice overtaken my words.

‘How do you know?’

At the same time, my eyes widened.

I couldn’t tell if Leah in the original story liked the scent of rosemary as well. I couldn’t recall her detailed tastes.

It was quite a strange coincidence.

Because my favorite herb was also rosemary.

“She can’t drink a single drop of alcohol. To the extent that she can’t even pretend to put it in her mouth at the christening.”

Davan took my glass full of wine.

“She doesn’t like the scent of rose.”

Then, Davan’s empty glass was placed in front of me.

“…”

My eyes and Cadel’s moved along the tips of Davan’s fingers.

“She will have a hard time because of the headache.”

Davan’s smile was relaxed.

‘How do you know everything?’

I stared blankly at Davan.

He seemed to know Oh Sujin, not Leah Prezis.

I couldn’t drink alcohol at all, I hated the scent of roses because it gave me a headache, and I liked herbs over flowers, especially rosemary.

‘Do I and Leah’s tastes overlap?’ That could have been the case.

It was a common taste to like rosemary and dislike the scent of roses.

Of course there will be people who can’t drink.

I thought this was a mere coincidence.

But…

‘The inevitability of pretending to be a coincidence.’

Suddenly, what Cadel said to me crossed my mind.

One side of my chest grew cold.

“Well, I guess I wasn’t being considerate enough of my lady.”

Cadel’s voice awakened my thoughts.

He apologized to me with a troubled look.

“I was too eager to give you a good present, so I was rude.”

“Your intention is enough.”

I smiled comfortably.

When I read the original, I thought Cadel’s meticulous personality was attractive, but when I actually experienced it, it was refreshing. Aside from my personal likes or dislikes for Cadel, I was also curious.

What would a man like that look like if he actually fell in love?

‘I have no luck.’

Of all things, I fell to this place after only watching the scene where Cadel was experiencing a denial of developing feelings.

It was the right time when Cadel started to feel strange feelings towards Ollina. It’s a shame.

My gaze flickered and turned to Davan.

In terms of the original story, Davan was a little more pitiful.

Even thinking about it again, it was surprising that he fell in love with Ollina at first sight.

“You two must know a lot about each other.”

Cadel looked at Davan with a soft smile.

As I watched, I was skeptical for a moment.

‘Know a lot about each other.’

The flow of conversation was very natural.

I wondered if that question from the beginning was not the main point.

“We must be.”

Davan replied, putting down his glass of water, as if nothing had mattered.

“Ah… Of course.”

Cadel smiled briefly.

“8 years can be expressed that way.”

The gaze of Cadel that was passing by me became more mysterious.

Cadel seemed to have noticed, too.

How unnourished Davan’s feelings for Leah are, and how insignificant Leah is in his world.

‘…’

I didn’t answer.

The fact that Leah hates the scent of roses, that she likes rosemary, and that she can’t drink alcohol even for courtesy.

All of that can be summed up in one sentence, ‘We must be’.

It’s refreshing, no, it’s bittersweet.

If 8 years was an inevitable time for Davan due to a sense of duty, what would 8 years be like for Leah?

“By the way, Sir Vernon and Leah are already acquainted, aren’t they?”

At that time, the emperor, who had only been observing the situation until now, opened his mouth.

“Yes. I’ve been helped by her ladyship many times.”

The emperor narrowed his eyes for a moment. He seemed to find it hard to believe.

“Well, our Leah…”

The emperor’s gaze that fell on my face was profound.

“It’s very hard to believe.”

It wasn’t just a curious look. I felt uncomfortable because it seemed to contain more than that.

Because, what kind of person is ‘our Leah’ that the emperor knows?

“It’s not much of a help.”

I answered, barely swallowing my expression of frustration.

I didn’t like it at all that the topic of conversation kept revolving around me.

I’m begging you, please stop paying attention to me and start talking about politics.

“Does Your Majesty remember the warhorse I presented the other day?”

“Of course. It was comparable to the famous horses in the royal stable.

“My mistake almost killed the horse. Then her ladyship shared her wisdom with me.”

“Is that really the case?”

Geez… I swallowed a swear word inside.

The moment I was distracted, it just came back.

It was the same this time.

The three pairs of eyes facing each other at the round table were fixed on me at the same time. I was going to nod and be done with it.

“Yes. When I was exiting the palace… Cough!”

I wished I hadn’t looked at Davan at that moment.

I choked at once.

‘Why are you looking at me like that?’

Davan’s gaze towards me felt so tenacious.

“Thanks to her ladyship who enlightened me, the problem was easily resolved. That’s when I found out that she was the young lady of Prezis.”

While there was a brief pause, Cadel was leading the conversation.

‘What are you talking about?’

My gaze stopped for a moment at the corners of Cadel’s mouth, which had risen smoothly.

What Cadel said was not wrong.

However, there was a clear misunderstanding.

I was just going to nod my head along to be done with it, but if it became like this…

“I’ve only given you a little help, how could I brag about it?”

Cadel looked at me with still eyes, as if he hadn’t thought that I would add anything to what he was saying.

‘Huft

Only our eyes met, but I felt uncontrollable fatigue.

“As it was a trivial matter, I hoped that it would pass quietly…”

I gently stroked the ring of House Prezis on my hand.

“He recognized me by the crest of my family engraved on this ring.”

As if embarrassed by this topic, I added with a perplexed expression.

“He personally told me about his name first.”

“…”

I smiled slightly at Cadel, who was looking at me with a look of surprise.

“I don’t know where to put myself because he wanted to express his gratitude over and over again.”

So I let out all the things I’ve been holding in.

I let the conversation slide before not because I didn’t know the intention.

I knew that useless conversations would be prolonged, so I tried to avoid them.

However, the more my name came out of that mouth, the more annoying it was.

“Why don’t you just forget about the things of that day. I’m ashamed that my shortcomings seem to be exposed.”

Bang! I hit a fastball for the last time.

Davan, who was watching the situation, smirked and burst into laughter.

What? Is this situation funny to you?

“The first person I met in the capital was my lady…”

As I rolled my eyes, I heard Cadel’s soft voice.

“How fortunate.”

My forehead frowned on its own.

Whether it was because of his particularly low voice or because of my mood, those words sounded meaningful.

It felt like… being the first prey of Cadel Vernon.

‘Why is that?’

The strangest thing was that the feelings contained in Cadel’s turquoise eyes seemed more like goodwill than hostility.

He was looking at me with a smiling face.

What is so interesting?

“Even if it wasn’t for the Count’s ring, Sir would have recognized Leah at first sight.”

The emperor laughed cheerfully.

“No one other than Leah can defeat the three Khajans and the three Prezis at the same time throughout the island, or even this continent.”

The three men had different smiles on their faces.

‘Let me laugh with you!’

What the hell is this, this situation where everyone seems happy except me…

“By the way, I must tell Duke Vernon about the year-end ball.”

The emperor opened his mouth again as if he had just remembered the main point.

“It is an undeserved honor for you to pay attention to such details, Your Majesty.”

Cadel put one of his hands on his chest and bowed in silence.

“As you know, the four seasons of our Parillas are full of various festivals.”

With a satisfied smile on his face, the emperor continued.

“Among them, the year-end imperial ball is the most magnificent. I want to add to the meaning of welcoming you that day.”

“I do not know how to accept the grace of His Majesty that is as vast as the ocean.”

“Then I’ll think you’ve accepted my sincerity, and get everything prepared. You will have to be prepared, too.”

The emperor’s expression suddenly became mischievous.

‘See you at the end of the year. About six months from now.’

I listened to every conversation while pretending to drink tea.

It was the same imperial ball that Ollina appeared at, where Cadel’s true identity was revealed.

It was one of the many events and episodes of the original work.

Because all the characters who lead the story, such as the male and female protagonists, are gathered in one place.

Besides, it was the only event of a lifetime when the main characters knocked on each other’s lives.

‘Wait, how was Leah that day?’