Chapter 2

In her quest to improve her ability to judge men, she tried every possible method, yet the ones she ended up with were irredeemable. It seemed like a skill to only meet such men.

“At first, I thought of just dating casually and breaking up around the time of marriage, but then my mom said if I broke up with you now, she’d set me up with the daughter of the Imperial Knight Order’s Commander. It worked out better for me. I got a better match.”

“Was everything you said to me a lie?”

“I did like you. I had quite a bit of affection for you. But when comparing the daughter of a knight Commander to the daughter of a family with just a title, the choice is obvious, isn’t it?”

“…Hey.”

Seeing Rivera barely holding back harsh words, Jemarc chuckled.

“People end up arguing when they break up anyway, so it’s better to be a jerk. That way, there’s no lingering attachment, and it won’t block my future later on. Still, it was quite fun, Rivera.”

“Ha…”

This was probably why her friends advised her not to date him. If she had listened then, she wouldn’t have faced such a disgraceful situation.

Rivera felt like crying, but she gritted her teeth to avoid shedding tears in front of this man. She didn’t want to show him her tears.

“Are we done here? Then it’s over between us.”

As if he had said everything he needed to, Jemarc pushed his chair back and stood up, but not before getting on her nerves one last time.

“Oh, and you should stop dating so many men. You don’t seem as promiscuous as the rumors say, but there’s no guarantee you won’t meet another guy like me if you keep it up.”

“Shut up.”

She didn’t want to hear anything from someone who would soon become a stranger. Just holding back the urge to grab his hair was hard enough.

Noticing Rivera clenching her fist, Jemarc began to provoke her.

“What? Does hearing this make you upset? But it’s true you’ve been with many men. Instead of doing that, if you’re lonely at night, why not call me? Who knows? I might take care of your nights.”

Even if the relationship was new, this wasn’t acceptable behavior.

In Rivera’s cold eyes, Jemarc reflected. Just yesterday, he had been whispering sweet nothings, but that image was nowhere to be found.

“Do you think you can say anything just because you have a mouth?”

“…What?”

“I must be crazy to have dated a mama’s boy like you.”

“Hey!”

“What? Did I say something wrong? How can someone who said he would join the Imperial Knight Order say such things? Especially to a woman he confessed to first? Aren’t you ashamed?”

As the harsh words continued, the gazes of the couples in the tea shop focused on them. Embarrassed by the attention, Jemarc turned his head to hide his face.

“Can’t you lower your voice?”

“You were the one who yelled first. I just responded. And if you’re embarrassed, you should have behaved properly.”

Rivera scoffed.

“What? Your mom told you to break up? Do you think that makes sense?”

“Are you crazy? Do you think you’ll be okay after this? The Iaron Earldom is nothing compared to ours. You should be grateful I even dated a girl from a family doomed to fail.”

“Worry about your own life, not mine. Who are you to worry about someone else? Do you think you’re in a position to do that?”

His face turned as red as a tomato. He looked like he couldn’t hit her because she was a woman, and he was aware of the eyes watching them.

Rivera laughed at Jemarc.

“Did you think I was easy just because I spoke politely and was gentle? What a shame. I’m not an easy woman.”

His face turned various shades of red and blue.

“Listen carefully. When you break up with a woman next time, don’t stupidly say your mom told you to. Say you have a terminal illness. At least then, she might feel some sympathy.”

Well, it would be better if he actually had a terminal illness. There’s an old saying that words can become reality.

Rivera stood up and poured the water from the bottle all over Jemarc.

Splash.

The front of Jemarc’s pants got soaked, and the cold water trickled down his legs.

She could have poured it over his head, but pouring it low was also a good option.

As everyone watched, the expressions of those who had been dumbfounded began to change one by one.

“Oh my, anyone would think he wet himself.”

At those words, laughter erupted, and people turned away. By tomorrow, the rumor would surely spread throughout the city.

Jemarc Aiden wet himself.

* * *

“Ha ha ha! Cheers!”

The bar, filled with male patrons, echoed with loud cheers. Sitting at a large table laden with a feast, Rivera muttered curses under her breath each time someone called for a toast.

“May you all be ruined.”

The thirtieth breakup was the worst.

She had spoken confidently in front of Jemarc, but there was no denying her heartache. No matter how lousy a guy was, getting dumped still hurt.

“I put on all sorts of airs that didn’t suit me, and this is what I get?”

Pouring herself a drink and wiping her tears with the back of her hand, Rivera felt both resentful and wronged. In this life and the one before, she had only ever wished for one thing.

To experience a passionate love.

Though she was now called Rivera, she once had the lovely name Seo Jian in another world.

Seo Jian lost her life in an unexpected accident. She thought everything would end with death, but she met her current parents with a bright light.

Born with memories of her past life, Rivera was intelligent from a young age. She was also very different from other children.

When she got this new life, the first thing she wanted to do was to fall in love. She hadn’t had a proper romance in her last life because she was too busy with work, and she wanted to meet someone she loved and live happily in this life.

But after starting to date, Rivera became more unhappy.

“Why am I the only one who can’t have a romance…?”

As she sighed deeply and whimpered, a few drunken men eyed her hungrily. A woman with a story was a tempting prey to anyone.

Who would be the first to claim her?

As they watched each other, timing their approach, the rowdy bar suddenly grew quiet. The lively song changed to a quiet tune, and the sound of heels clicking caught the attention of the men, who turned their gaze upstairs.

“Of course, it’s Trisha.”

The owner of Royal Charlotte, Trisha.

Her beauty was unmatched by any jewel in the world.

Every patron in the bar couldn’t take their eyes off her alluring red dress. Each step she took was filled with elegance and confidence, without a hint of hesitation.

Seeing Rivera, who hadn’t visited in a while, Trisha couldn’t hide her sympathetic expression.

“Rivera must have been dumped again.”

She had thought Rivera was doing well since she hadn’t seen her for a while, but today proved otherwise.

Leaning against the wall with her arms crossed, Trisha asked the man beside her. He was her escort knight, Truger.

“What did he say?”

“There’s no contact. It seems he’s in battle, so we’ll have to wait a bit longer.”

“What a problem. It would be terrible if something happened to her.”

It was a troublesome situation.

Rivera was a regular at Royal Charlotte. Despite it being a place that sold alcohol and women, not somewhere a noble lady would frequent, Rivera insisted on coming here.

‘She asked why she couldn’t come just because she was a woman when men her age come and go.’

She was a bold child. Since that day, whenever she felt sad or down, Rivera would come here to drink. She said staying in a quiet place made her even more depressed.

But Trisha knew. Rivera came here because in this noisy place, no matter how loudly she cried, no one would pay attention. Her sobs would be drowned out by the loud music and chatter.

“Shall we wait a bit longer?”

At Truger’s question, Trisha shook her head.

“No, first we need to stop Rivera’s tears.”

Trisha approached Rivera. With each step, the slit of her red dress created an enticing atmosphere.

As she passed between the narrow tables, patrons gulped. One old man reached for her leg.

Swoosh.

“That’s enough.”

Truger drew his sword. He pressed it against the man’s neck, suggesting it would be wise to remove his hand, and the hiccupping man fell backward.

Truger subdued the man’s spirit with just his gaze. Though he said nothing, the man on the floor couldn’t protest.

Those eyes weren’t normal.

If a drunken patron dared to touch the owner of Royal Charlotte, even a noble would be torn apart alive.

Despite the small commotion, Trisha only had eyes for Rivera. Seeing Rivera drinking straight from the bottle, she frowned and snatched it away.

“Stop drinking. You’ll ruin your insides.”

“…Sister…”

“Stop calling me sister too.”

She never got used to hearing “sister” from a noble lady. Usually, she was called a filthy, lowly pr*stitute, but Rivera consistently called her sister.

‘She was a peculiar child from the first time we met.’

Rivera was different from other nobles. She didn’t look down on people for being poor, nor did she grovel to those with money.

That’s why he cherished her. She was an incredibly lovable child and deserved to be loved.

“Sister, I got dumped again. I really did my best this time, you know? I even spoke politely and smiled sweetly, but do you know what he said to me?”

“Yes, yes. First, put this in your mouth.”

Trisha put a grape in Rivera’s mouth, and she chewed it as she continued to speak.

Gulp.

“Ha! He said his mom told him to break up! Does that make any sense? He’s thirty years old and…”

“Shh.”

There was nothing Rivera wouldn’t say.

“Where did you learn such bad words?”

At Trisha’s gentle voice, Rivera pouted her lips.

“That’s not important right now. How can I make men cling to me?”