Chapter 107

The engagement ceremony, which was supposed to be modest, turned out to be unexpectedly grand.  

At first, they had thought it would be a simple party, but upon arriving, the scale was comparable to that of a wedding.  

‘At this rate, the actual wedding might feel underwhelming.’  

Their wedding was scheduled to take place two years later.  

This was mainly because Chase would be busy traveling and training after joining the Knight Order, leaving him with little time.  

Judith also needed time to adjust to her new work, so they both wanted to wait and see how things unfolded for a while.  

Additionally, the two of them agreed to prepare the wedding entirely on their own, without relying on the help of others.  

However, now that the engagement ceremony had taken place, it felt more extravagant than the wedding might be.  

It seemed this was the result of Earl Cardandy holding Judith, his future daughter-in-law, in such high regard.  

‘I’ll take care of all the preparations, so you two just need to attend. Will you at least choose the rings and formal attire yourselves?’

‘Oh, Madame Fedelian said she would prepare my outfit.’

‘Is that so? Then I’ll have someone settle the rest. You don’t need to worry about it.’ 

When he was making the arrangements, he had assured them that it would be simple and that they shouldn’t feel burdened, but where had all these guests come from?  

Even after the formal ceremony, the guests were busy eating and drinking, looking as though they had no intention of leaving anytime soon.  

Judith fiddled with the ring on her fourth finger and thought to herself,  

‘Still, it seems like it was a good idea to follow the advice of the adults.’  

Now that their relationship was officially recognized, it felt as though she and Chase were connected by an invisible bond.  

At that moment, a loud voice from afar interrupted Judith’s thoughts.  

“Judith, make sure to stay happy from now on! Once you’re settled, invite us over for a housewarming party!”  

“If you do, I’ll definitely come along with my sister!”  

Looking up, Judith saw the Roziena siblings, already preparing to leave.  

She quickly approached them and held their hands as she spoke.  

“Alright. I’ll definitely invite you soon. Thank you both for traveling such a long way. Rest well when you get back.”  

Judith waved until their carriage disappeared into the distance.  

Other guests also took turns wishing her a future full of blessings, saying their goodbyes, and leaving one by one.  

By late evening, the once-crowded hall had become eerily quiet, as if it had never been filled with people.  

However, even as everyone left, there was one person who remained seated, waiting. It was Axel.  

Seeing him sitting alone in the empty hall, Chase tilted his head in confusion and approached him.  

“Why is he still here?”  

“Oh, Axel asked to speak with me after the engagement ceremony. He said he has something to say.”  

“Really? Should I leave you two alone?”  

“No, he said it’s something he wants to say to both of us, so let’s go together.”  

Chase didn’t seem particularly enthusiastic about it, but when Judith grabbed his hand and pulled him along, he reluctantly followed.  

Noticing their approach, Axel raised his head. With a soft smile, he greeted the two of them.  

“Judith, I hope I’m not bothering you by taking up your time.”  

“It’s fine. Everything’s wrapped up now.”  

“That’s good to hear. By the way, I really enjoyed the engagement ceremony today. I hope you both stay happy. You too, Chase.”  

“Yeah, I can’t say I’m thrilled to see you, but I do appreciate you coming all the way here to attend the ceremony.”  

Chase scrutinized Axel with a wary expression, and Axel, noticing this, simply shrugged.  

“There’s no need to be so hostile anymore. I truly wish you two the best, and besides, I’ve gotten engaged to Riana again.”  

“…What?”  

Chase turned to Judith with a look of disbelief, and she met his gaze, nodding to confirm it was true.  

Chase already knew a bit about Axel’s situation from what Judith had told him, including how Axel had broken off his engagement with Riana to confess his feelings to Judith.  

Unbothered by Chase’s skeptical expression, Axel calmly continued.  

“In hindsight, I realize I acted impulsively when I broke off the engagement. Honestly, the reason I wanted to speak with you today was to invite you both to my engagement ceremony. Here.”  

Axel pulled out an ornate invitation from his pocket and handed it to them.  

“I hope you’ll attend if you have the time. Especially you, Judith. You’re a dear childhood friend of mine, and it would mean a lot if you could come and brighten the occasion.”  

As he spoke, Axel looked at Judith with clear, sincere eyes.  

‘Even if Axel hadn’t invited me, if Madame Fedelian asks me to attend, I’ll have no choice but to go…’  

With that thought in mind, Judith nodded in agreement without resistance.  

“Alright. Chase and I will make time to attend.”  

“Thank you.”  

Axel smiled brightly, lightly hugged Judith, and patted her back.  

Then, turning to Chase, he hesitated upon seeing the severe frown on Chase’s face. Instead of a hug, Axel awkwardly extended his hand.  

“…At least shake hands with me.”  

Chase, making it clear he wasn’t pleased, grabbed Axel’s hand and gave it a couple of half-hearted shakes.  

“If there’s ever a chance, it might be fun to have a couples’ gathering together.”  

“Don’t even joke about that.”  

Axel attempted to lighten the mood, but Chase responded sharply, his tone cold.  

Curious, Axel asked,  

“Do you still hold a grudge against me? I mean, I’m Judith’s long-time childhood friend. Can’t you let go of your animosity?”  

“I don’t like sly people.”  

At Chase’s blunt response, Axel sighed and shook his head in defeat.  

“Ha… Fine. Anyway, I heard you’ve already found a house to live in together?”  

Trying to change the subject, Axel smoothly shifted the conversation.  

“Riana’s been really curious about how you’re doing, Judith. If you get a chance, you should invite us over sometime.”  

“Riana?”  

Judith asked, her eyes widening in surprise.  

Recently, while conducting extra lessons, Judith had come to think quite highly of Riana.  

Riana was just as kind and mature as Axel, if not more so. The fact that Riana was curious about her made Judith feel happy.  

“That’s wonderful. Sure, come visit sometime.”  

Although she hadn’t had many personal conversations with Riana, Judith thought it would be lovely to grow closer to her.  

Axel nodded readily and brought the conversation to a close.  

“Anyway, I’m glad to see you both looking so happy. I’ll always be rooting for you in my heart. Take care until we meet again.”  

“Thank you for coming all this way. I really appreciate it.”  

For a long time, Axel’s presence had weighed on Judith like a heavy stone in her heart.  

But seeing him doing well now lifted that burden and made her feel much lighter.  

Axel and I have both found our places.  

After everything they had been through, it felt as though only happiness lay ahead. Judith and Axel would go on living their separate lives, wishing each other well.  

And so, Judith was able to smile sincerely at Axel.  

“Congratulations on getting engaged to Riana again. If there’s any gift you need, don’t hesitate to let me know.”  

“No, just your well wishes are more than enough.”  

With mutual congratulations on their engagements, their conversation with Axel came to an end.  

***

“Are you really okay with this, Axel?”  

When Axel suddenly came to Riana and asked to be engaged again, she looked at him with concern and asked,  

‘What on earth is he thinking?’  

Riana couldn’t understand Axel at all.  

Not only had his decision to break off their engagement been sudden, but she had never expected him to come back and ask to reverse it.  

As she looked at him with questioning eyes, Axel slowly opened his mouth to speak.  

“I know I have no excuse. But there’s no one more suitable than you. If you agree to be engaged to me again, I’ll dedicate the rest of my life to ensuring your happiness.”  

“…Why are you going this far? You still have feelings for Judith, don’t you? Are you sure you’ll be okay marrying me?”  

Riana was deeply worried about Axel’s state.  

After being rejected by Judith, Axel had nearly stopped eating and drinking, almost to the point of self-destruction.  

While she didn’t hold any ill feelings toward him, as his former fiancée and long-time partner, she couldn’t help but be concerned.  

“…That’s exactly why. If I were to marry another woman with these unresolved feelings, it would only lead to unhappiness. In that sense, you’re perfect for me because I don’t have any romantic feelings for you.”  

Hearing this, Riana thought for a moment before replying.  

“To be honest, your offer of guaranteeing me freedom after marriage is very appealing. But becoming a Duchess would likely come with a lot of responsibilities, no matter what you say.”  

“I’ll do everything I can to make sure you don’t have to deal with those responsibilities. If necessary, I’ll even put it in writing.”  

“…Hmm.”  

Looking at Axel’s exhausted face, Riana fell into deep thought once again.  

‘Is he really choosing me because he doesn’t want to make another woman unhappy? If this is the Axel I know…’  

By now, Riana was well aware that Axel wasn’t as upright and exemplary as he appeared to be.