Chapter 2.3

The betrayal stung even more because she had thought so highly of him. 

He should’ve just left her alone instead of pretending to care. 

Her patience completely worn out, Ophelia did something she knew wasn’t proper. 

She flung the door open with a loud bang. 

Both men immediately turned their gazes toward the door, and Ophelia stood there, glaring sharply at Cedric. 

She shouted, 

“Anyone would think I wanted this engagement! I didn’t like it either! If you hate being engaged to me so much, why don’t you just tell the Duke? My father is so stubborn he wouldn’t have listened anyway!”  

Cedric’s eyes widened in shock, as if he hadn’t expected her to overhear. 

“Ophelia, wait a moment—” 

“Enough. Spare me your excuses! If you hate this engagement so much, tell the Duke to annul it. I’m completely fine with that.” 

From that day onward, Cedric was no longer Ophelia’s fiancé but her sworn enemy. 

Even after that incident, Cedric neither apologized nor offered any explanation, and Ophelia’s anger never subsided. 

If anything, her resentment toward Cedric only grew stronger as time passed. 

It was much later when an apology letter finally arrived, but by then, Ophelia’s feelings had already completely cooled. 

[You’ve probably heard about my situation from the Earl, but I’ve been overwhelmed lately. That’s why I couldn’t apologize sooner. I’m sorry if I hurt your feelings. I never meant it the way you think.] 

Situation? What situation! 

Her father hadn’t mentioned anything about Cedric’s circumstances. It was probably because whatever Cedric’s excuse was, it wasn’t worth passing along. 

Does he think this counts as an apology? Does he think apologizing this late would feel sincere?

Even after receiving the apology, Ophelia didn’t feel the slightest bit better. She crumpled up Cedric’s letter and threw it into the trash. 

But even after that, she couldn’t calm her anger. She kept glaring at the trash can, seething with frustration. 

Why am I even wasting my energy getting angry at Cedric?

After staring at the trash can for a while, Ophelia came to a realization. 

She hadn’t wanted this engagement either, and she already knew Cedric felt the same way. 

So why was she so upset about his opinion? 

If they hadn’t been engaged in the first place, none of this would have happened. 

[Fine. I’ll accept your apology. But if you ever want to annul the engagement, feel free to do so. There’s no need to feel burdened.] 

Ophelia pretended to accept Cedric’s apology while subtly expressing her own stance. 

If Cedric initiated the annulment, it would be a relief for her. 

After sending the letter, Ophelia waited for Cedric to take the first step toward breaking off the engagement. 

But no such response came from him. 

At the same time, he continued to neglect her. 

Cedric’s indecisive behavior only fueled Ophelia’s anger further. 

How disappointing!

As a result, Ophelia began to think of Cedric as a coward. 

He didn’t have the courage to tell the Duke he wanted to annul the engagement, yet he refused to acknowledge Ophelia as his fiancée. 

To her, he was nothing but a hypocrite. 

Ophelia kept these feelings to herself. 

If she told anyone she disliked Cedric for such reasons, they would undoubtedly scold her, saying she didn’t appreciate her good fortune. 

Everyone thought Cedric was a polite and well-mannered man. 

Complaining about him would only harm her reputation. 

Who would understand her? 

No one would. 

So, Ophelia kept her grievances about Cedric locked away in her heart. 

But then, he suddenly started acting differently. 

It was the first time he had visited her like this, let alone brought her dessert. 

She was still unsure how to interpret Cedric’s sudden change in behavior. 

Her thoughts were so jumbled that she didn’t want to think about anything anymore. 

Judging his attitude based on one day of change would be premature, wouldn’t it?

She had enjoyed the dessert, so she decided to simply accept his gesture of goodwill for now. 

But she reminded herself not to be completely fooled by the dessert. 

* * * 

The next morning, as soon as Ophelia set foot on campus, she noticed everyone’s eyes were on her. 

Normally, no one paid any attention to her unless something significant happened. 

So, it was clear that whatever had drawn their attention must have something to do with Cedric. 

As she tried to figure out what had happened, a rumor about Cedric reached her ears. 

“Did you hear? Last night, Young Master Bristol and Young Lady Somerset were seen having a secret rendezvous near the back gate.” 

“A secret rendezvous last night? By the back gate?” 

Ophelia recalled the moment she had run into Cedric the previous night. 

He had been with a woman… 

“So, it really was a secret rendezvous? And the woman was Young Lady Somerset?” 

She wasn’t particularly surprised, as she already knew Young Lady Somerset had shown interest in Cedric. 

But hearing that Cedric had someone he truly loved stirred emotions in her that went beyond mere annoyance.  

Not only for Ophelia but for other women as well, Cedric had never shown such behavior before. She had no idea how to interpret the current situation. 

Enjoying a secret rendezvous with his lover, then acting as if nothing happened and even bringing her dessert—what was this supposed to mean? 

Betrayal, disappointment, anger, humiliation… Just imagining the two of them together brought a flood of emotions surging within her. 

She felt ashamed of herself for briefly softening her negative feelings toward Cedric just because of a single strawberry pie. 

As she nervously looked around, she noticed that everyone was staring at her with pity-filled eyes. Some were even sneering, mocking her openly. 

No matter how much she tried to hide beneath her cloak, it was no use. The black dress and her thick black hair braided into two stood out as uniquely hers—Ophelia, unmistakably. 

So, the engagement is finally going to be broken, huh? If they’re going to meet so openly, why didn’t they wait until after the annulment? 

Breaking off an engagement isn’t that simple. They must have their own circumstances.

The crowd’s murmurings mirrored the questions Ophelia herself was wondering. 

Would talking about it here led to any answers? Cedric, the person involved, would know best. 

The noisy chatter suddenly died down, the room falling silent as if a mouse had passed through. 

What was happening? 

Just as Ophelia wondered that, Cedric came into view, walking leisurely. 

The people who had been loudly gossiping just moments ago immediately shut their mouths when faced with Cedric. 

How cowardly. 

Walking beside Cedric was none other than the subject of the rumors, Young Lady Somerset. 

Seeing the two of them together wasn’t exactly surprising. Everyone knew that Young Lady Somerset was always clinging to Cedric. 

However, today, Young Lady Somerset’s demeanor was completely different from usual. 

Even with whispers surrounding her, she walked gracefully, her posture confident. 

Despite the fact that a secret rendezvous was hardly something to be proud of, she carried herself as though she had won the entire world. 

Ophelia couldn’t help but think.

Sure, I get it. Winning over the heart of a man who’s indifferent even to his fiancée might make you feel triumphant, but this is too much.

Cedric was still, officially, Ophelia’s fiancé. 

How could he disregard her to this extent? 

Ophelia glared directly at Cedric, and when their eyes met, she cursed him silently. 

‘What are you looking at, you scoundrel!’ 

Cedric merely shrugged his shoulders, offering no particular reaction. 

However, the students who witnessed this scene erupted into a frenzy. 

They began glancing back and forth between Ophelia and Young Lady Somerset, whispering amongst themselves. 

No doubt, the comparisons between the two had already started. 

A slender figure, an innocent style—Young Lady Somerset. 

And then there was gloomy Ophelia. 

The two weren’t even comparable. 

On top of that, the Granville family wasn’t superior to the Somerset family. 

Ophelia was fully aware of it. 

Those two were a much better match than she was. 

“This doesn’t make sense. If that’s how it is, why did he bring me strawberry pie yesterday…?” 

No matter how much she thought about it, Ophelia couldn’t understand Cedric. 

As she mulled it over, a plausible reason suddenly crossed her mind. 

Could it be that he used me as a shield to cover up his affair? 

If he pretended to get along with Ophelia, his fiancée, wouldn’t it prevent rumors about his infidelity from spreading? 

If that were true, it would be deeply disappointing. 

Until now, Ophelia had thought of Cedric as an indifferent man who simply had no feelings for her. 

But to think he was someone who would manipulate others for his own purposes… 

Was he really such a despicable person? 

“It seems like the two of them aren’t getting along. When do you think they’ll break off the engagement?”

“Probably soon, don’t you think?”

Lost in thought, Ophelia snapped back to reality when she heard the whispers around her. 

Her anger flared, but at the same time, she thought.

Maybe this is for the best.

It wasn’t as if she had ever liked this engagement. 

Even if she had wanted to break it off before, the issue of compensation had always stopped her. 

But if Cedric created a reason to annul the engagement himself, it would actually be a relief for her. 

If he initiated it, all Ophelia had to do was wait. 

There would be no more headaches caused by him. 

She should have felt lighter at the thought. 

But she didn’t. 

Instead, her mind kept returning to Cedric, driving her mad.