Chapter 1 – Broken Engagement (Part 3)

The ducal residence was bustling in the middle of the night. While Duke Asillious and Reubellina were at the imperial palace’s banquet hall, the servants of the ducal household had gathered to hold a party.

“Our lady is finally becoming an imperial princess!”

“Phew, how long we’ve waited for this.”

“Thinking of all the efforts our lady has made…”

“And what about the work we’ve done!”

The servants were chattering amongst themselves and ate their food merrily.

It was then that the news came that interrupted their feast.

A servant guarding the manor’s main gate rushed in and shouted to them.

“Ev-everyone, go to the entrance! The Lady’s carriage…”

“Why would the carriage of the one attending the banquet be…”

“The carriage has arrived!”

“What nonsense is that.”

The servants waved their hands, dismissing the ridiculous claims. It was unthinkable for Reubellina to return to the ducal residence now while the imperial banquet was still ongoing.

But their expectations were completely off the mark.

The door of the ducal residence opened, and Reubellina appeared. The servants in the reception room were thrown into confusion, and could not properly react. Seeing them, Reubellina waved her hand.

“Just continue what you were doing.”

“My lady, what on earth…”

“Don’t ask, just keep doing what you were doing.”

Sighing, Reubellina trudged up to the second floor as the watching servants held their tongues, worried whispers only breaking out once she had completely disappeared.

“What happened?”

“Oh no, it seems something has happened.”

“Nah, impossible.”

“The Duke hasn’t returned yet, has he?”

“Did she come back alone?”

The servants fell silent, observing the situation. Their celebration had come to an end. Their concern for Reubellina was genuine, and they couldn’t force the party to continue.

In the end, only silence pervaded the ducal residence in the middle of the night.

***

Once in her room, Reubellina threw herself onto the bed. Her mind was too cluttered to sleep.  Lying still, she couldn’t help but kick her legs into the air. Unsatisfied with just kicking, she grabbed a pillow and started beating it against the bed.

“Damn him!”

Seeing the feathers fly, she felt a bit calmer. So Reubellina continued pummeling the pillow.

“How dare that scumbag talk about loving another woman in front of me? Is he insane?”

Over the years, she had spent a tremendous amount of money to uphold Inferno’s status in the imperial family. It was thanks to her that he could dress at a level similar to the crown prince, as she had secured the most famous fashion houses in the empire to design his clothes every season.

“And he took all the credit without saying a single word about me!”

That was not all. When a sudden drought hit the empire, the money she used to buy and distribute flour to the people was from her own pocket. But her name was never mentioned when she used her own funds to help the imperial subjects.

Thinking about it now, it seems he had no intention of acknowledging her at all. All her good deeds were only used to elevate Inferno’s reputation.

“Now that I think about it, he really is an asshole, isn’t he?”

As the pillow full of feathers became deflated, Reubellina picked up another one. Punching that pillow, her anger subsided a little. Thoughts about the future crept into her mind, which had been filled with cursing Inferno.

It had been a whole 10 years. The period she had lived as Inferno’s fiancée. If she were to announce their breakup now, she was sure those vulture-like noble ladies wouldn’t keep silent and be happy.

Inferno was the envy of the young ladies because he looked so handsome. And Reubellina, who was betrothed to him, was the public enemy. She had endured well so far, but now, facing the broken engagement, she wondered what kind of trouble would arise.

‘It’s obvious. They’ll start badmouthing me everywhere.’

Even if she wasn’t the cause of the broken engagement, they would cling to her and attack. There were plenty of people who were jealous of Reubellina.  It would be fortunate if it was just the noble ladies gossiping, but the noblemen wouldn’t remain silent either.

The second prince, Inferno, had made many enemies, despite his lack of power. Outwardly, he was a warm and gentle prince, but his indecisive personality prevented him from treating people fairly.

He had no standards when it came to dealing with people. He didn’t differentiate based on status or character, but simply treated people based on his mood at the moment.

It was Reubellina who had helped conceal the rumors. No, it was Duke Asillious.

The Duke, who was perfectly optimized to hiding Reubellina’s true personality, had no trouble concealing Inferno’s character.

‘And just when we were waiting for the wedding, this kind of thing happens!’

Reubellina continued punching the pillow, feathers flying everywhere.

Around the time the second pillow was getting flattened, she heard a knock on her door. Not bothering to hide the ruffling of the feathers, Reubellina called out for them to come in, and the door was promptly opened.

The visitor was none other than her father, the Duke of Asillious.

“Father…”

Reubellina’s throat closed up when she saw his face. But she couldn’t show tears in his presence. If she cried, he would ask what happened, and that would only make him worry.

“I was looking for you in the banquet hall, but you weren’t there.”

“I was tired.”

“Didn’t you have such high expectations for this important day of your life?”

At the Duke’s words, Reubellina swallowed dryly. She couldn’t bring herself to tell him in front of him that the engagement was broken, that Inferno had fallen for someone else.

“Uh…”

“Yes?”

“Was Inferno at the banquet hall?”

“Yes, he was.”

“Was there no incident?”

The Duke’s gaze grew serious as he looked at Reubellina, who was asking about Inferno. She asked him worriedly, and seeing the concern in her eyes, the Duke changed his expression and smiled brightly.

“No, there was no incident. He just briefly stopped by the banquet hall and then went somewhere else, so I thought I’d come look for you.”

“Is that so?”

‘So he still hasn’t announced the broken engagement right away.’

Of course not. It was an engagement sanctioned by the Emperor himself. To go to the Emperor and report that the engagement between the imperial family and the ducal family was being broken off just because of a Baron’s daughter would put Inferno in a very awkward position. He’s probably waiting for the right moment to break the news carefully.

She didn’t want to end it so easily.  But no matter how much she thought about it, she couldn’t come up with a good way to resolve this.

Thinking about the rude and vulgar words Inferno had thrown at her, the time she had spent with him felt like a fleeting illusion.

‘Do I… have to give up?’

The things she had heard from Inferno today were so shocking. He was so cruel, it was as if everything he had shown her before was a complete lie.

The more she thought about it, the more her head hurt. Yawning, she decided to just go to sleep.

As Reubellina blinked sleepily, the unwavering Duke looked at her tenderly and soothed her.

“Are you tired?”

“Yes. May I go to bed and speak to you tomorrow?”

“Of course. Of course.”

Without even changing her clothes, Reubellina lay down on the bed and covered herself with the blanket. The Duke then proceeded to tidy up the blanket she had covered herself with. Whispering to the blinking Reubellina, the Duke said.

“Sleep well.”

“You too, Father.”

The Duke blew out the candle, and the room was plunged into darkness. Reubellina tossed and turned tiredly for a moment before falling asleep.

The Duke waited until she had fallen asleep before leaving her room. As he stepped outside, a knight in his service fell in step behind him.

“Fleur.”

“Yes, My Lord.”

“Go find out what happened to my daughter.”

“Understood.”

The expression on the Duke’s face disappeared. The affectionate father had vanished, leaving only the cold-hearted Duke, the so-called iron-blooded chancellor.

From the beginning, the Duke had been against marrying Reubellina off to the second prince. If his daughter hadn’t taken a liking to Inferno, he would never have allowed the second prince near her.

Reubellina, who had excellent business acumen and had made a fortune since childhood by delving into trade, was too precious of a daughter to give to the facially gifted but otherwise lacking Inferno.

Sure, he had his swordsmanship, but both the heavens and the Duke knew Inferno’s skills were not that outstanding. Pampered by the imperial guards who fawned over him as the prince, Inferno’s skills had not improved at all. 

‘How could he truly develop when he was learning swordsmanship among knights who indulged him because he was a prince?’

But it had been fine, up until now. Reubellina had been covering for him, and the Duke had been concealing his shortcomings.

‘If you have made my daughter shed tears, you will have to pay the price, Second Prince.”

The ominous words slipped from the Duke’s lips as he walked the darkened corridor, and the servants of the ducal household accompanying him nodded solemnly.