Chapter 72

A moment of silence passed between the two. Riana, who had been moving her lips without speaking, finally voiced her question.  

“But we haven’t even decided what to tell the elders of our families yet, have we?”  

“I’ll take care of that part. I’ll make sure it doesn’t cause you any trouble.”  

“…How are you planning to handle it?”  

In response to her question, Axel answered with a firm expression.  

“I’ll tell them it’s difficult because I already have someone in my heart.”  

At those words, Riana’s expression grew even more confused.  

“But you said you and Judith weren’t in that kind of relationship.”  

“I thought so too…”  

“…And?”  

“It turns out Judith seems to have feelings for me.”  

“…Hah.”  

Riana sighed deeply, furrowing her brow at Axel’s words. She rubbed her forehead as if she had a headache before asking again.  

“So now you want to respond to her feelings?”  

“I suppose you could say that.”  

“I see… In the end, the two of you realized your feelings for each other. There’s nothing I can do about that. I’ll step aside.”  

At Riana’s long sigh and her words, Axel hesitated for a moment. Then he slowly raised his gaze and asked,  

“What do you mean by that?”  

“What do I mean? I mean exactly what I said. I’ll step aside for you.”  

“…”  

“Axel, you should consider yourself lucky to be engaged to someone like me. Even if our relationship wasn’t built on feelings, most others wouldn’t let this go so easily.”  

Despite her added explanation, Axel still looked puzzled. After hesitating for a long time, he finally spoke.  

“Riana, if I’m not mistaken, it sounds like you already knew about my feelings for Judith and hers for me.”  

Riana easily admitted it, as if she had nothing to hide.  

“Yes, I knew.”  

“…You knew?”  

Looking at Axel, who was stiff with shock, Riana continued in a calm tone.  

“Yes, but I didn’t see the need to help bring the two of you together, so I kept quiet.”  

“…And yet you decided to go through with our engagement.”  

When Axel shook his head in disbelief, Riana shrugged her shoulders.  

“Well, I didn’t have much choice. It’s hard to find someone with your social standing who wouldn’t bother me with unnecessary attachments. Anyway, I’m sorry for pretending not to know all this time.”  

Axel, momentarily flustered by the unexpected revelation that Riana had known about his feelings all along, soon regained his usual composure.  

“Would it be alright if I asked you one more thing?”  

“Go ahead.”  

Riana nodded in permission. Axel stared into her eyes, as if trying to read her thoughts, and asked,  

“How did you know Judith had feelings for me? You and Judith aren’t particularly close.”  

After a brief pause, Axel continued.  

“And how did you figure out I had feelings for Judith before I even realized it myself?”  

“Is that what you’re curious about?”  

Riana chuckled softly and muttered nonchalantly,  

“I just noticed. Honestly, from my perspective, it would’ve been more foolish not to know. After all, even when you were with me, your gaze was always on Judith. And Judith, too, would sneak glances at you.”  

“…”  

“I had to pretend not to notice for so long that it was exhausting. But now, thanks to this, I don’t have to feign ignorance anymore, and it feels like a weight has been lifted off my shoulders.”  

Riana added that it was remarkable neither of them had realized the other’s feelings until now.  

Listening quietly to her words, Axel lowered his gaze.  

“…I see. You knew everything but still chose to understand and accept it. I don’t even know how to express my gratitude.”  

“It’s not something you need to thank me for. At the end of the day, I was just looking out for my own interests.”  

“For now, I’ll write to the Zernias family to ensure you’re not put in a difficult position.”  

“Alright, Axel. Make sure to explain things properly to both your family and mine.”  

Riana smiled playfully and added,  

“You’ve managed to avoid causing any trouble until now, but this time, you’ve really gone all out. I bet Madame Fedelian will be shocked when she hears about this.”  

“…Yes, Mother will be very surprised. I’ll have to handle it carefully.”  

Axel seemed lost in thought for a moment, but Riana’s lively tone quickly broke through his contemplation.  

“Anyway, now that things have come to this, I hope it all works out. I hope you and Judith can have a good relationship.”  

“…I hope so too.”  

“There’s a chance. After all, Judith and Chase’s engagement is purely political. If you put in the effort, there’s definitely room to intervene.”  

With Riana’s final words of encouragement for Axel’s love, their long conversation came to an end.  

Riana left the Student Council room feeling unburdened. As she walked down the hallway toward the dormitory, she fell into thought.  

Hmm, but it’s strange. Why didn’t Axel deny the rumor more strongly?  

Even if he had already silenced any evidence, shouldn’t he have at least tried to protect Judith from being the subject of gossip, considering how much he cares for her?  

It’s almost as if he’s trying to let the rumor spread on purpose.  

“Well, that’s just a ridiculous thought.”  

Riana shook her head to dismiss the idea that had popped into her mind.  

She reasoned that Axel probably didn’t deny the rumor because he was too flustered.  

Even for Axel, the next Duke of the Fedelian family and a famous figure at the Academy, it would’ve been hard to stay composed in the face of such a rumor.  

Having reached this conclusion, Riana felt a sense of relief.  

Now, she no longer had to delay her graduation to avoid marrying Axel, nor did she have to play the role of his fiancée anymore.  

She began to look forward to tomorrow. 

How much more uproarious would the Academy become when the students learned that Axel had broken off our engagement?  

Riana’s steps felt as light as feathers as she made her way back to the dormitory.  

* * *  

That day, Axel sat at his desk and began writing letters to the Fedelian and Zernias families.  

In the letters, he admitted that his careless actions had caused a scandal at the Academy and stated that, to take responsibility, he would break off his engagement with Riana.  

Tap. Having finished writing, Axel set down his pen.  

He stared at the letters in front of him, lost in thought.  

Once these letters were sent, his relationship with Riana would officially be over. Perhaps this was something that should’ve happened long ago, he thought.  

No, he shouldn’t have gotten engaged to Riana in the first place. He had rushed into the engagement to block Judith’s own engagement.  

He couldn’t even begin to fathom the pain Judith must have endured because of his decision.  

But in truth, his mother, Madame Fedelian, had played a significant role in pushing him to make such a hasty decision.  

Ever since he was young, she had drilled certain ideas into him.  

‘Oh, Judith and you really do seem like siblings. It feels like I have another daughter.’  

‘You’re going to the Academy together? Well, I understand your feelings since you’ve been close since childhood, but be careful not to give people the wrong impression. Even if you see each other as family, others won’t.’  

‘Axel, just in case, don’t ever see Judith as a romantic interest. You wouldn’t want to ruin your long-standing relationship, would you?’  

‘Remember, Axel. For the sake of our family, you’ll need to marry a fine young lady from a good family someday.’  

As time went on and Axel delayed choosing a fiancée, his mother began pressuring him by bringing up Judith’s engagement.  

‘I dream of seeing both you and Judith find good spouses and live happily. So, isn’t it time you decided on a match?’  

Fearing that his mother might actually marry Judith off to someone else, Axel had pretended to be composed and made his decision.  

‘Riana has a good personality, and since she’s a friend from school, I think we’ll get along well. I’ll get engaged to her, Mother.’  

His mother had been overjoyed by his decision…  

Looking back, her words had almost been a form of brainwashing.  

Perhaps that’s why it had taken Axel so long to realize his own feelings.  

But now, it was time to correct that mistake.  

Axel’s lukewarm response to the rumor had been intentional for this reason.  

He had already hurt Judith several times. If her feelings for him had already faded, he wouldn’t have the right to say anything.  

But…  

By fanning the flames of the rumor about him and Judith, he was confident it would create cracks in Judith and Chase’s political engagement, no matter how strategic it was.  

And so, he had deliberately allowed the rumor to spread throughout the Academy.  

He wanted to sever all the false, tangled relationships and return to a simpler, more genuine connection—just him and Judith.  

He also decided he needed to thank Cedric separately for his considerable efforts in helping with this matter.  

Perhaps this was the ending he had wanted all along. An ending where all the mismatched pieces of the puzzle finally came together.  

A satisfied smile spread across Axel’s face.  

Tomorrow, he would speak to Judith again.  

Even if she was still angry with him, as long as the rumor bothered her, he was sure she wouldn’t easily refuse his request.