Chapter 2

Carlos turned his body to face Aneta, meeting her gaze. The eyes focused solely on her contained the message that he was the one for her.
 
But Aneta didn’t agree. During her time as a supporting character, she couldn’t predict who would be by her side, but she was sure it wouldn’t be him.
 
Carlos was simply mistaken now. The essence of his feelings towards her was only pity and friendship.
 
Aneta recalled a scene from their past.
 
Vividly, she remembered Carlos asking for forgiveness from Eres, who was suffering from uncertainty. He confessed that his love for Aneta was a misconception while wiping away Eres’s tears.
 
His belated realization and regret echoed in Aneta’s mind, calming the chaotic mess inside her head.
 
‘You’re not in love with me,’ 
 
Aneta swallowed the words she couldn’t get out of her mouth. The realization was her’s alone. All she could do now was ignore his stare.
 
“Okay, well, that’s one thing. Didn’t you say you had business with me?”
 
The next thing she knew, she was feigning calm.
 
It was an obvious evasion.
 
When she cut to the chase without a response, resentment flashed in his eyes.
 
“Carlos.”
 
Everything he did was like throwing a stone into a frozen river. Unable to see even a ripple, she braced herself against the weight of what was falling on top of her and demanded an answer.
 
“I should warn you; I’ll be back as soon as the bell rings, which means we don’t have much time.”
 
Aneta said as she looked at the clock tower beyond the darkness. When the bell rings, those who will return will leave, and only those who will spend the night will remain. She would be among the former.
 
She had about half an hour until then.
 
“If you have something to say, say it.”
 
Carlos sighed when he realized that Aneta didn’t have much time to devote to him.
 
“His Majesty instructed me to request your presence before tomorrow’s ceremony. I’ve come here to convey that order.”
 
“You came here yourself to do that?”
 
“I just want to.”
 
“…….”
 
Aneta didn’t ask why. She knew it would only embarrass her. As if reading her thoughts, Carlos asked.
 
“You’re not going to ask why?”
 
“……I don’t want to know.”
 
Aneta drew a cold line in the sand.
 
“Is there anything else? If not, please leave.”
 
“Aneta.”
 
He called her name without the slightest change in expression. It almost seemed a bit stubborn.
 
“You have no intention of leaving.”
 
Aneta turned toward the direction of the banquet hall. Laughter and joy resonated from there, as if it were a world different from this place.
 
The light streaming through the transparent window was the boundary.
 
“If you won’t leave, then I will.”
 
Aneta started walking toward that boundary, intending to avoid Carlos. But just like Aneta, Carlos didn’t heed her desires.
 
Before she could step into the light, he grabbed her wrist. A heat of unknown origin radiated from his hand around her wrist.
 
“I have come to deliver an imperial message on behalf of the Chamberlain because I wish to share a few words with you.”
 
It felt different from when she weakly grabbed onto him out of fear of being abandoned after the divorce. There was something else stirring within her now, something different from before, and because of that, she couldn’t pull away.
 
“Let go of me.”
 
“Aneta, do you have any lingering feelings for our relationship? We had a good relationship in our own way.”
 
Of course not. Aneta clenched her free hand. He was right; their marriage was stable because he was constantly caring for and respectful of her.
 
That’s why she didn’t feel uncomfortable with the intimacy of their relationship. If it weren’t for the original story, she would have kept it that way.
 
‘Yes, the original story. The problem was always that damn original story.’
 
In any case, he would soon meet Eres. When the glory, which he thought had disappeared, reappears on the surface, he will find her and leave the capital.
 
‘And you’ll fall in love.’
 
So Aneta had to tell him no.
 
To prevent him from falling into the swamp of misconceptions.
 
“Carlos, I know you’re a good man.”
 
Despite the hopeful-sounding opening, Caros didn’t move; he instinctively realized what was coming next.
 
“If we had met in a different way, I might have fallen in love with you without even realizing it. But we got married to use what we each had.”
 
Sadly, his instincts were correct.
 
“The reason I can’t love you is because of that.”
 
Aneta paused for a moment to catch her breath before continuing..
 
“I don’t want to love anyone in a relationship formed out of necessity.”
 
She recited the original Aneta’s words verbatim. It was a sincere expression of her negative views on arranged marriages or contract marriages, influenced by her parents.
 
She believed that he, who knew all the circumstances, wouldn’t accept her words as lies. Just as the original Carlos did.
 
His face, which had seemed so sturdy and solid, contorted into a pained expression, as she had guessed.
 
The hand that gripped her wrist trembled pitifully. It was pitiful to see him trying so hard not to hurt her in the midst of it all.
 
But the more her heart ached for him, the more she had to keep her cool.
 
“One divorce doesn’t make you or me any less worthy, so I hope you find someone better than me.”
 
“There’s no way I could.”
 
Does he know that these words will not make much sense to him in the future?
 
Aneta pictured him marrying Eres, being a good husband and a good father.
 
As vivid as the image of them was in her mind, she denied it.
 
“No, you can.”
 
***.
 
Aneta Adenauer and Carlos Baltimor got married after setting a contract period of four years as the maintenance period of the contract. It was decided based on the needs of the heads of both families, with the emperor as the arranger.
 
It was a deal that no one would lose. Therefore, Aneta, who did not want to marry, had to make an inevitable choice.
 
Aneta, who had diamond and iron mines, was to supply iron at a reduced price to the imperial family and the Duke of Baltimor in exchange for labor to ensure that the polished diamonds would be traded safely.
 
His marriage to Aneta also provided him with a position of power and a reliable source of funding, and she used the duke’s power to keep her father in check and buy herself time to secure her precarious position as head of the family.
 
It was also Carlos who taught her the things she hadn’t learned as the head of the family.
 
Of course, she didn’t marry unprepared. Just in case, she stipulated that not even the Emperor could prevent her from divorcing, just as the original Aneta had done.
 
It was all thanks to this that she was able to divorce as soon as the contract was over.
 
‘Yes, that’s how I got divorced…….’
 
After searching her memory, Aneta remembered him from yesterday. After a moment of spitting out her rising breath, she pulled back the curtain that covered the window.
 
Beyond it, the dusky light of dawn was spreading dizzily.
 
She tapped.
 
“My Lady, it’s Isabel.”
 
It wasn’t long before a polite knock sounded on the door, followed by the voice of the her loyal aid, Isabel.
 
“Come in.”
 
Aneta cleared her throat as she let herself in. Isabel bowed as she entered and sat down in front of the luxurious mahogany desk.
 
“My Lady.”
 
Looking up again, Isabel politely placed the papers in front of her.
 
“I’ve pulled out only the most important papers, in case you’re looking for them, but if you’re tired, I’ll bring them back tomorrow.”
 
“That’s fine. I was going to check them out as soon as possible anyway.”
 
Aneta took out the papers without hesitation. Her exhausted body screamed for rest, but she shrugged it off.
 
“Thankfully, the mines don’t seem to be in any trouble.”
 
“That’s because His Excellency was careful in his choice of managers.”
 
Aneta threw up her hands, relieved that the two mines were running smoothly.
 
“What next?”
 
“The expenditures for the estates.”
 
“I wonder how much they spent this time.”
 
Her father, Derek, had abandoned his seat as head of the household as soon as Aneta had come of age and descended on the estate, where all he did was to flout the authority of the lord he’d thrown at her or to amass a fortune.
 
It was easy to see that he was a troublemaker who never shied away from women and alcohol. She could have bet her entire fortune that it wouldn’t be a small sum.
 
“How can it be so constant?”
 
Once again, he spent nearly twice the amount of the other estates’ budgets. Aneta clicked her tongue as she skimmed over the reasons for the expenditure, none of them worthy of scrutiny.
 
“If it weren’t for the wealth and mines accumulated by our ancestors, Adenauer would be broke in no time.”
 
Aneta hasn’t set a limit on how much money Derek can spend, even though he spends it like water. She blames her grandfather’s advice that if you set a limit, you never know what he’ll do to get more money.
 
It is better to let him spend the money than create an innocent victim. Aneta couldn’t help but sympathize with the grandfather, who was fed up with his son.
 
“Shall we find out more?”
 
“No. That’s not necessary.”
 
Seeing the trepidation on Isabel’s face, Aneta shook her head as if it wasn’t even worth considering.
 
She had someone follow him anyway, and if there was news she needed to know, it would come from them.
 
“News from a man who isn’t even acting like a father would make my stomach turn.”
 
“…….”
 
Despite the disrespectful way she addressed her father, the loyal aid pretended not to hear her master’s harsh words.
 
From maid to personal aid. After nearly 30 years of service to the Adenauer, Isabel could understand her young master’s frustration.
 
Derek Adenauer was the worst person to be entangled in any relationship.
 
If she hadn’t been asked to protect Aneta from her dying hostess, Isabel would have left long ago, just like her former butler, Loyle.
 
“Here. I’ve finished checking.”
 
Isabel responded to Aneta’s voice, pushing her thoughts of her former housekeeper away. Her hands were deft as she shredded the papers and rearranged the neat desk once more.
 
Watching her, Aneta called her dear aid’s name.
 
“Isabel.”
 
“Yes, My Lady, what can I do for you?”
 
“Thank you for all your hard work while I was gone, Isabel.”
 
There hadn’t been a single moment when she felt at ease during her absence from the Empire. Yet she couldn’t show it. Outwardly, it was a journey she had wanted to take.
 
So Aneta blurted out the lie with nonchalance.
 
“I’m delighted to hear you recognize my efforts, but I’m afraid I’ll have to decline the next one.”
 
“Why?”
 
“I’ve had enough of waiting in suspense for your return.”
 
A soft smile tugged at the corners of Aneta’s mouth as she confessed her feelings.
 
“Thank you.”
 
She is the one person who will never leave her side.
 
Aneta thought of the ceremony she would soon be attending, hoping that she would stay by her side for as long as she had.
 
Her heart felt heavier than a thousand pounds.