Epilogue 1

“Why are you always neglecting your fiancée?”

“What do you mean?”

Cedric was surprised to hear such news from his friend. 

Neglecting my fiancée? Had I ever done such a thing?

Since the Duke of Bristol’s health had rapidly declined, Cedric had been busy acting as his father’s proxy. To keep the news of the Siren Kingdom’s Chancellor’s poor health from spreading, he had to stay active.

All of this was due to the orders of His Majesty the King. The King had been implementing policies unilaterally, ignoring the opinions of the nobles. This was possible because the Duke of Bristol and his retainers were backing him.

Since the next Chancellor was unlikely to follow the King’s wishes, he wanted the Duke of Bristol to remain in the position. Thus, Cedric had to accompany the Duke under the guise of successor training, checking on his health whenever he went out.

He had donated a lot to the Academy, so he was allowed to skip classes and only take exams. He admitted that he hadn’t been able to take care of his fiancée during this time.

But writing to her about twice a month couldn’t be considered neglect. In fact, since Ophelia never replied, he thought she didn’t consider him her fiancé.

“Your fiancée, I mean. She always attends events meant for couples alone.”

“What? Why are you telling me this now?”

“Huh? You didn’t know?”

No one had informed Cedric that Ophelia was attending events alone. 

How had this happened?

“Since when?”

“Since when? It’s been quite a while. Six months, maybe? She seems to be struggling because of the rumors about you.”

“What rumors?”

“That you’re having secret meetings with Young Lady Somerset?”

“What nonsense is that?”

“Is it a false rumor? It’s already spread throughout the Academy.”

“D＊mn it. How am I the last to know?”

Everyone knew except him…. He felt like a fool.

“Well, you were always attending classes and then returning to the Ducal estate. You skipped many classes for successor training.”

His friend chuckled and patted Cedric on the shoulder.

To be the only one unaware of a baseless rumor…. This wasn’t good for his reputation as a fiancé.

He should have asked directly. Then he could have explained the truth. Ophelia not replying to his letters or attending events alone suggested she was still upset with him.

It seemed her anger had deepened while he was too busy to notice. He couldn’t let things continue like this.

“Are you worried about the gloomy girl?”

Unaware of the situation, his friend mocked Ophelia.

“Don’t call her that strange nickname in front of me.”

“Why? Are you embarrassed that such a girl is your fiancée?”

There was no reason to be embarrassed. Ophelia, while not a dazzling beauty, was pretty enough to catch anyone’s eye. Clear skin, round eyes, and delicate, elegant features. There wasn’t a single unattractive aspect. He even felt he didn’t want to lose her to other men.

Yet he hadn’t expressed these feelings because he was shy.

Cedric, praised for being perfect in every way, had one thing he wasn’t good at: romance. While he excelled at everything else he tried for the first time, he was clumsy with love.

He was usually perceptive, but in front of Ophelia, he turned into a fool. Normally, he made cold, rational decisions, but when Ophelia was involved, his personal feelings clouded his judgment.

‘Anyone would think I wanted this engagement. I didn’t like it either!’

He hadn’t meant to belittle Ophelia. He only said those things hoping his interest in her would fade. Claiming he didn’t want the engagement was just an excuse because he was embarrassed.

But to think she would misunderstand….

He didn’t know how to comfort Ophelia when she was angry, but he realized he should apologize for inadvertently hurting her.

However, just then, the Duke of Bristol’s health took a sudden turn for the worse, and he missed the chance to apologize.

‘Young Master, there’s a big problem. The Duke has collapsed.’

After crumpling the unfinished letter to Ophelia and throwing it into the trash, Cedric immediately headed to the Duke of Bristol’s bedroom to check on his condition. 

Inside, the Duke lay pale on the bed, while his personal physician stood nearby, fidgeting nervously. 

Judging by the Duke’s groans and the cold sweat dripping from his face, it was clear that his condition was quite severe. 

‘What on earth happened? Did he stop taking his medicine?’ 

‘He has been taking it, but it seems the pain persists despite the medication.’ 

Until now, the Duke of Bristol had been enduring his pain with the painkillers Ophelia had created. However, it seemed the effects of the medicine were starting to wear off. While the medication wasn’t entirely ineffective, its effects were sporadic, forcing Cedric to take over the Duke’s duties whenever his condition worsened. 

After spending his days in a whirlwind of responsibilities, Cedric had finally found a moment of peace and sent an apology letter to Ophelia. But winning her forgiveness was no easy feat. 

Even amidst his busy schedule, he had made an effort to invite Ophelia out on a date, but her response never came. 

She must be truly furious. 

Cedric resolved to continue sending letters twice a month, waiting patiently for Ophelia’s anger to subside. He believed that, given enough time, her fury would eventually cool. 

After all, who could possibly steal his fiancée away? Cedric arrogantly thought there wasn’t a single man better than him, so there was no way Ophelia would turn her attention to someone else. 

* * * 

Cedric was the eldest son of one of the Kingdom’s five ducal families. With his tall stature, striking good looks, and sharp intellect that allowed him to master anything he learned, he was admired by many. Even experts in their fields were often left speechless by his abilities. 

He was so gifted that people often referred to him as a genius. But if there was one flaw in Cedric, it was his overwhelming arrogance, which reached the heavens. 

He achieved success so effortlessly in everything he did that he rarely felt a sense of accomplishment. Instead, he often looked down on his peers who couldn’t keep up with him. 

‘What, you can’t even do that?’ 

That phrase was probably the one Cedric uttered most frequently. He belittled the efforts of others and was stingy with praise. 

Many found Cedric insufferable, but no one dared to say so aloud. After all, they needed to stay on the good side of the Bristol Ducal House. 

‘What should we do about this?’ 

The Duchess of Bristol had passed away shortly after giving birth to Cedric, and now the Duke himself had been given a terminal diagnosis. 

But the Duke’s only son was so arrogant and narrow-minded that the Duke couldn’t help but worry about him. Not knowing when he might pass away, the Duke feared that Cedric’s arrogance would lead to the downfall of their family. 

Unless there was someone among his peers who could humble Cedric, his inflated ego would remain unchecked. 

Fortunately, a girl appeared who could bring Cedric down to earth. At just eight years old, she had developed a powerful painkiller that was less harmful to the body. 

Her name was Ophelia Granville. 

Though it was known that she had an interest in herbal medicine, no one could have imagined that such a young girl would play a vital role in prolonging the Duke’s life. 

While the Duke’s personal physician had managed to keep him alive, the existing painkillers were not enough to alleviate his suffering. However, thanks to Ophelia, his pain subsided significantly. 

The appearance of this genius girl eased two of the Duke’s greatest concerns. First, her medicine allowed him to live a more comfortable life. Second, Cedric finally learned a lesson in humility. 

‘Don’t be ridiculous. How could such a genius even exist?’ 

Naturally, Cedric didn’t believe the stories about the genius girl. He was convinced there couldn’t be anyone more talented than him, so the news came as a huge shock. 

But after seeing the Duke’s improved condition, he had no choice but to believe it. Determined to confirm the existence of the girl who had wounded his pride, he insisted on meeting her. He was only allowed to do so after promising not to reveal her existence to the world. 

Ophelia was a shy, quiet child. Her timid demeanor didn’t leave much of an impression on Cedric at first. 

What’s this? She’s nothing special.  

Although Cedric had arrogantly thought that Ophelia was nothing special, the moment they began talking, he realized how mistaken he had been. 

Ophelia rattled off information Cedric didn’t even know. But it wasn’t just her knowledge that amazed him. What truly shocked him was how she treated herbal research as if it were a game. How could that even be possible? 

“Do you enjoy researching herbs?” 

“Yep!” 

Her innocent expression and sparkling, lively eyes. The sight of Ophelia humming a tune as she inspected herbs made Cedric feel as though someone had struck him on the back of the head. 

A frog in a well. That was the phrase that perfectly described him, and he could feel it deep in his bones. In the presence of a true genius, he was nothing but a small fry. 

Even if he studied herbalism for the rest of his life, Cedric was certain he would never surpass Ophelia. 

From that moment on, Cedric began to look at the world with a more humble perspective, and the Duke of Bristol felt relieved that he had introduced Ophelia to him. 

To be honest, what Cedric felt for Ophelia was closer to fondness than love. But he had never imagined anyone else standing by his side other than her. 

Her place beside him was a given—only Ophelia belonged there. Perhaps it was this arrogance that had worsened the current situation. 

Realizing that Ophelia’s anger had lasted much longer than he’d expected, Cedric finally began to understand that something was seriously wrong. 

He had tried gifting her desserts to gauge her reaction, but Ophelia only frowned, clearly unimpressed. 

Then, around that time, a rumor suddenly began to spread—that Ophelia had a lover. 

The moment Cedric heard the rumor, it felt like his bl＊＊d was boiling. Who dared? Who was bold enough to lay a hand on his fiancée? 

Until now, because no one had approached Ophelia, Cedric hadn’t felt the need to worry. But now, things were different. With a rival in the picture, the situation had become urgent. 

“How can I make things right?” 

Cedric knew that Ophelia had a sweet tooth and always kept desserts close at hand. 

So, if he wanted to win her over, he would have to keep using sweet desserts as his weapon. 

From then on, Cedric sought advice from his butler and began gifting Ophelia desserts, trying to win her heart. 

At first, his efforts were simply an attempt to make up for his past mistakes. But as time went on, things began to deviate entirely from Cedric’s original intentions. The more he got to know Ophelia, the more his feelings for her grew. 

Why does she seem so lovable? 

Ophelia’s pure and honest demeanor completely captivated Cedric. Although he had already cared for her before, her shy expressions now made him see her as a woman. 

Every little thing she did—her awkward, embarrassed movements—melted Cedric’s heart. It was a feeling he had never experienced before. 

Whenever he saw Ophelia, words of affection, which he normally would have found embarrassing, came out of his mouth without hesitation. He even wanted to hold her in his arms. His feelings for her were so overwhelming that even he couldn’t control them. 

Because of this, Cedric became even more determined not to lose Ophelia. He had to win her heart, no matter what it took. 

Throughout the process, he felt anxious and impatient, enduring quite a bit of emotional turmoil. But in the end, he succeeded. 

It made Cedric realize once again that Ophelia was not a woman who could be easily won.