Chapter 9 (Part 4)

When she went down to the drawing room, Foyne was looking around as if bored. In front of her was a steaming cup of tea, which she didn’t seem to have touched.

As Brienne approached, Foyne slowly lifted her gaze. She smiled softly, lifting the corners of her mouth.

“It’s been a while.”

Her demeanor was calm, as if nothing had ever happened between them. Brienne sat across from her and spoke.

“Honestly, I didn’t want to see you. I still remember what happened in that restroom.”

Foyne’s expression stiffened slightly. Brienne looked at her and continued.

“I wanted to hear an apology. For the way you cornered me with your words back then, and for how you disregarded me.”

In truth, Brienne still harbored resentment from their days at Stern Academy, where Foyne had often forced her to do tasks. It was something that lingered in her memory, resurfacing whenever she tried to forget.

“What should I say? Actually, I didn’t come here to apologize. I came to vent.”

Foyne’s smile widened even further than before.

“Why didn’t you just leave quietly? Why did you come back and make things messy?”

“Isn’t holding an engagement ceremony after already being married messier?”

“What?”

“What kind of lingering attachment do you have to announce an engagement ceremony for a couple that’s already married in the newspaper?”

At first, she had felt unsettled after reading the newspaper, but now, thinking about it, it was absurd.

“Of course, it’s because it’s my rightful place.”

Foyne raised her head proudly and looked at Brienne. From the very beginning, Brienne had disliked Foyne’s attitude—the way she acted as if it was natural for her to reclaim her “rightful” place and push Brienne aside.

“My family doesn’t suit Cardin, and there’s also my father’s situation. I was planning to step away from Cardin’s side anyway. Even without your interference, his mother had already suggested I leave, so I was going to.”

“Then why didn’t you leave earlier? From the start, you’ve been occupying my place. Don’t you know that?”

“That’s just your opinion.”

Her voice trembled with resentment, but she managed to say what she wanted. Foyne let out a hollow laugh, as though she found Brienne’s words ridiculous.

“Yes, it’s my opinion. But aren’t you greedier than I thought? Coming from a family with nothing, did you deliberately seduce Cardin?”

Hearing such accusations left Brienne speechless. Foyne continued with a smile.

“There are even rumors going around. That you have the aura of a witch and used magic to make Cardin lose his senses.”

It was laughable. A witch? Brienne had never even considered such a thing. Feeling suffocated, she decided to speak her mind—words she had kept buried for a long time.

“I’ve liked Cardin for a long time. When my father became a bank executive, I happened to see Cardin at the mansion and fell for him at first sight. I kept watching him and even joined the cheering squad when I attended Stern Academy. But when my father’s scandal broke, I could no longer watch over him.”

“……”

“I was deeply resentful about my father’s scandal. Even though I wasn’t the one who caused it, everyone treated me like a criminal.”

“That’s…”

“After Cardin saw me like that, I deliberately left Devok after graduation and lived far away. Of course, part of it was to avoid debt collectors chasing after me.”

“Why are you telling me all this?”

“I let my one-sided love slip away like that. In a way, it was Cardin who came to me first. He sought me out at that cabin to kill me.”

Foyne furrowed her brows slightly, then her eyes sparkled as she spoke.

“So that’s why Cardin was out of contact for a while—he was at that cabin? But it’s strange. Why didn’t he come back from there?”

It felt as though she already knew the answer. Her face bore a confident smile. Brienne decided to be honest.

“He lost his memory. He was injured by a bear and couldn’t remember anything for a while. After regaining all his memories, I left that place.”

“……”

“If I had been trying to seduce Cardin, I wouldn’t have left that place.”

Foyne said nothing. She only stared at Brienne with a deeply furrowed brow. Brienne met her gaze and spoke.

“If you want, I can trade my life with yours. You can inherit my debt-ridden life and my useless father.”

“Are you insane?”

“You want this position, don’t you? Or am I wrong?”

“That doesn’t mean I want your miserable life.”

“In the end, you don’t love Cardin as much as you’re desperate for the position of Duchess. Because you need to command people beneath you.”

Foyne’s eyes widened in shock, and she simply stared at Brienne. It seemed she was at a loss for words.

“Don’t live like that anymore. The world isn’t like Stern Academy, where everyone blindly followed your orders.”

As Brienne stood up, Foyne shouted.

“Do you think you’ve conquered the world just because your pathetic one-sided love worked out?”

Brienne turned around slowly. Foyne smirked as she spoke.

“You think everything will work out because Cardin is by your side?”

“Yes.”

At Brienne’s simple reply, Foyne frowned in disbelief.

“Why ask something so obvious? Is it because you’ve never achieved anything and you’re curious?”

Even as she said those words, Brienne’s heart raced. She had merely retorted, but her emotions were trembling. She forced herself to look at Foyne with confidence.

Foyne’s face turned red, as though she was boiling with anger. Brienne finally said the words she had always wanted to say to her.

“Stop looking down on people so easily. Relationships can bring you face-to-face with anyone, anywhere.”

Foyne stormed out of the drawing room. Her hurried departure was filled with anger. Once Foyne was out of sight, Brienne collapsed into her chair, feeling drained.

She stared blankly at the now-lukewarm tea when a maid rushed in.

“Madam, the master has arrived.”

“Cardin?”

Before she could even process her confusion, heavy footsteps echoed in the hallway. Cardin approached her as soon as he saw her and embraced her tightly, as though that had been his sole purpose for coming.

She wondered if he already knew about her pregnancy, but Cardin lowered his head to her neck and let out a deep sigh.

“Are you alright?”

“What do you mean?”

“I thought you might be upset after reading that newspaper this morning.”

It seemed that was what had been bothering him the most, and likely the reason he had come at such an odd hour.

“I’ve almost taken care of it, so nothing like that will ever happen to you again.”

Cardin tightened his hold on her waist and exhaled deeply. Though Brienne wasn’t bothered, she wondered if kneeling while holding her was uncomfortable for him.

When she tried to pull back slightly, he leaned in even closer.

“I’m sorry. I promised this wouldn’t happen again, but it did.”

“It wasn’t intentional.”

She truly felt indifferent now. Even when he apologized, it didn’t bother her. In the past, hearing him say sorry would have made her feel guilty for being by his side.

Cardin’s breath touched her bare skin, making her feel strange. His warmth enveloped her entirely, as if his presence was consuming her.

‘Should I tell him now?’

It seemed like the right moment to share the news of her pregnancy. She took a deep breath and was about to speak when he said,

“The family laws will change soon, so you don’t need to worry about the child.”

“Cardin, I…”

“Honestly, I never wanted a child.”

“……”

“As long as it’s just the two of us, I’m satisfied.”

“But…”

“Brienne.”

His calm voice resonated deeply, making her pause. Unable to say what she wanted, she remained silent as he continued.

“Having a child now would only complicate things.”

Her heart sank. After a moment, she managed to ask,

“Why?”

Though it was a short question, her voice trembled. Cardin’s words felt sincere.

“With the family laws changing, I’ve already dealt with inheritance matters. Redoing the paperwork and processing everything would take over a month.”

“It’s just a month of effort.”

Brienne tried to think positively, no matter what. Cardin, sensing something in her words, pulled back slightly to look at her. When their eyes met, he smiled faintly and kissed her forehead. His lips lingered for a moment before parting slowly, releasing a soft breath.

Looking at her calmly, Cardin spoke.

“You don’t need to be so attached to having a child. All I need is you.”

Her feelings were conflicted. His gaze and expression were bright and refreshing, but her heart felt heavy. She couldn’t bring herself to speak.

At that moment, Damon approached.

“Your Grace, it’s time for you to leave.”

It seemed Cardin had stopped by briefly during a free moment. He embraced her tightly, burying his face in her neck and inhaling her scent before kissing her one last time and standing up.

“I’ll get going. I might be late today.”

Brienne nodded, and Cardin lingered for a moment, looking at her, before leaving the drawing room. Once he was gone, the surrounding silence felt endless. She stared ahead blankly, unconsciously placing her hand on her stomach.

She didn’t feel anything in particular, but her hand remained there for a long time, as though expecting to sense something.