3. How to take revenge on a cheating lover

It was probably around that time. That was when the rumors started spreading that the youngest son of the Sel Wio family had fallen for the prima donna and was frequenting the opera house.

Still, Satin tried to laugh it off as much as possible.

People chasing after famous actresses were as common as pebbles on the street. Satin, who had been at the academy from twelve to seventeen, had seen many people who admired others.

At the academy, she, Gjorn, and Rublier, all from the guardian families, were in prominent positions. Especially Rublier, who was considered a future prospect for the Holy Knights even at that young age, had students following him with envious eyes.

Not only that, but Kirion, the first son of the Holy Pope, had also entered the academy two years before them. When she saw Kirion, the heir to the Pope, even Satin was overwhelmed and bowed her head.

So, she understood from experience. People with high positions or innate abilities naturally attract attention, especially if it’s a position or talent they don’t possess themselves.

Delilah had a tendency to show off, while Gjorn was more reserved. So, it was entirely possible for Gjorn to admire someone with such opposite talents as Delilah.

But that should have stayed within the bounds of an actress and a spectator. That way, Satin could have laughed it off, joking about discovering a new side of her fiancé.

Satin stared blankly at the street where a group of people had just passed.

What had she just heard? Her mind couldn’t process it.

“The youngest son of the Sel Wio family challenged someone to a duel!”

“A duel? Why?”

“Why? Because of Delilah, of course.”

“Oh, the prima donna of the opera house?”

She was momentarily dazed.

“…Miss? Are you alright?”

Larie shook her with a face that looked like she was about to cry. Satin slowly regained her senses.

So that’s why. That’s why he insisted on a date at the opera house despite his injured leg.

That’s why he kept mentioning Delilah’s name, ignoring her.

While she was preparing for the wedding and choosing dresses without her fiancé’s help, her fiancé was at Delilah’s opera house with flowers. And then he ended up dueling for her. A man known to be engaged, just three days before his wedding.

Her blood ran cold.

Larie was pacing back and forth.

“What should we do?”

“…Let’s go to the Sel Wio estate.”

Going to the duel location now would either mean it was already over, or if it was still ongoing, it would be too crowded with spectators to find a place to stand.

Moreover, it would be embarrassing to be seen as the fiancée who rushed over after hearing the news. It was better to wait for Gjorn at the Sel Wio estate and confront him there.

Satin got into the carriage. Despite the beautiful season, an unexpected chill set in. Her hands trembled.

* * *

The sound of footsteps echoed quietly in the hallway where she had asked for no one to pass.

Hearing the presence, Satin straightened her back. Gjorn, who had brought Delilah home, soon found Satin sitting in the middle of the parlor and hesitated. Their eyes met. Satin stood up abruptly and walked towards him.

“Satin…”

Gjorn called her name.

Satin immediately slapped him across the face.

“Let’s break off the engagement.”

She had made up her mind while waiting for Gjorn. The conclusion came easily.

“Wait, Satin.”

“If we get married after this, it’ll be a disgrace for both of us.”

“Listen to me, Satin. There’s a reason for this.”

Only then did Satin glance at Delilah. The singer, who had been charmingly smiling and talking, now had a swollen, red cheek.

“I know her circumstances. So, there’s no need for me to know. What I know is that my fiancé dueled for another woman. And by tomorrow, everyone in this city will know and gossip about it.”

“Satin. Delilah’s patron kept harassing her. If she didn’t listen, he would hit her and even tried to do terrible things. Can’t you understand a little as a fellow woman?”

Gjorn’s story about Delilah being abused by her patron seemed true, as Delilah looked more pitiful than ever.

Even though Gjorn had also been slapped, his face showed almost no trace, while Delilah’s cheek was swollen and painful-looking. She had heard before that Delilah’s patron was a hot-tempered and violent person.

However, Satin knew that patrons who treated their sponsored singers or actors with respect were surprisingly rare. No matter how glamorous they looked on stage, no one knew what happened behind the scenes.

There must have been an incident. That’s why Gjorn had gone so far as to challenge a duel in front of everyone to take Delilah away. He wasn’t so foolish as to not consider the consequences.

But who would understand her, the one who suddenly found herself in a position to call off her wedding? Why did she have to be the only one to understand?

Satin looked at Delilah.

“Too bad.”

That was all she had to say to her.

Gjorn had brought Delilah home, so anyone could see that his lover was now Delilah.

The young master of the Sel Wio family and the beautiful singer of the opera house. It was sure to be a hot topic for a while. A nobleman who appeared like a savior to rescue the actress, who hid a tragic story behind her glamorous appearance, from danger. This was a reality more dramatic than Delilah’s performances.

Soon, plays or stories inspired by this couple would become popular. Satin wanted to remove herself from that narrative. She didn’t want to be labeled as the unfortunate noble lady who lost her man to a singer.

There was no way she could go through with this marriage. She would never step into the wedding hall.

On her way back from the Sel Wio estate, Satin made up her mind firmly. However, her parents were just as determined to convince her.

“Satin, is your wedding three months away or three weeks away? Everything is already prepared, and the invitations have been sent out. How can you break off the engagement just three days before the wedding? There’s no one in Caldeblanca who doesn’t know your wedding is in three days.”

“The Sel Wio family laughed at the idea. No matter how well a singer sings or how beautiful she is, she can’t possibly become the lady of the Sel Wio family.”

Delilah is limited by her status. Even if it were a reasonably good family, the gap between a guardian family and an actress was enormous. Gjorn didn’t seem prepared to overcome that status gap and take her as his official wife.

After hearing Satin’s request to call off the wedding, her parents had rushed to the Sel Wio estate and returned with a much calmer demeanor. Satin was astonished and questioned them.

“Gjorn wants to go through with this wedding?”

“Why wouldn’t he? He said he would.”

“He said he rescued her out of pity because her situation was so unfortunate. Her name was Delilah, right? That singer. She said she never dreamed of marrying him over you. She even said she wanted to kneel and apologize if she caused you any harm.”

“Gjorn said he brought her because she had nowhere to go for now, but of course, he would send her away after marrying you.”

Even if they sent Delilah away, it would be to a place under the influence of the Sel Wio family. Getting a nearby vacant house was nothing compared to the cost of the wedding. They would keep Satin in her house and Delilah in a nearby one. Her head throbbed. She didn’t even want to imagine it.

Do they think I’m a fool?

Satin wasn’t fooled.

“Did he say he would maintain two households so confidently?”

Caldeblanca does not permit bigamy. But people sometimes fall in love with others even while having a legal spouse. There was only one name for such people: mistress. Since the rise of free love, the number of mistresses had noticeably increased.

“She’s nothing more than a mistress, and you are the small mistress of the Sel Wio family, Satin. You should understand with a generous heart.”

It seemed her parents had not gone to the Sel Wio estate to protest Gjorn’s affair with Delilah. Instead, they had agreed on the difference in status between Satin and Delilah.

Her patience ran out. Satin felt a surge of anger.

“How can I live with a man who has a mistress even before marriage!”

“Satin. You are not a child anymore.”

“How can you expect to live a life solely for yourself, being born into a guardian family?”

“If I’m not a child, if I’m born into a guardian family, does that mean I can’t have a marriage where I’m happy?”

For her entire life, she would have to be married to Gjorn without expecting anything from him. If her husband didn’t come home, she would have to guess he went to see his mistress.

This was a marriage proceeding despite knowing Gjorn had a mistress. At first, Gjorn might be very considerate of her feelings, but over time, he would say something like this:

“I’m sorry, Satin, but you knew about this marriage. You accepted this marriage. If you understand, we can all live peacefully.”

Gjorn, who was gentle but timid and introverted, would likely react this way. It made her shudder.

“Satin.”

But her parents’ persuasion didn’t stop.

“What’s wrong with having a mistress? You’re not marrying Gjorn because you love him anyway. Because of this incident, Gjorn will live his whole life feeling sorry for you. The Sel Wio family will also owe you a debt of gratitude.”

A marriage based on the interests of both families rather than love.

That was true. Their marriage was arranged by their parents. Even though they were called one of the five guardian families, it didn’t mean they shared power equally. The Del Mare and Sel Wio families had not produced any outstanding figures for a long time. On the other hand, the Ka Dillon family often produced exceptional descendants. There was even one in Satin’s generation.

Rublier Ka Dillon.

The man who was said to be a prodigy from the age of five when he first held a sword.

The prenatal engagement between Satin and Gjorn was a strategy to check the dominance of the Ka Dillon family among the five families. It was also a means to strengthen their family’s power. When children were born and Rublier started to make a name for himself early on, Satin’s and Gjorn’s families were relieved they had arranged the engagement in advance.

If asked if she loved Gjorn as a man, Satin would honestly answer that she didn’t know. Just because the engagement period was long didn’t mean friendship would suddenly turn into love.

Of course, it was a deeper feeling than simple friendship. A feeling between friendship and love. But they would live relying on affection and loyalty because they had known each other for a long time. She believed this without a doubt.

Even without love, she believed that loyalty and trust would allow them to live together as each other’s only partners for life.

“So, Satin, don’t make a fuss over this matter anymore.”

In the end, she only confirmed her parents’ firm stance that the wedding couldn’t be called off.

* * *

Satin locked herself in her room. As she pondered deeply, Larie, who was keeping her company, asked worriedly.

“Miss, what are you thinking about so deeply?”

“Larie. If a man cheats on me with another woman, what would be the best way to take revenge?”

The question came out impulsively. Larie shook her head in shock.

“What? Revenge? Oh no, Miss. Don’t have such scary thoughts.”

“Larie. Don’t say ‘what can we do about it now.’ Think of me as a friend, not your lady, and just tell me anything. I feel like I’m going to be dragged to the wedding hall and soon die of frustration.”

Understanding Satin’s distress, Larie pondered deeply before speaking.

“My mother once told me that in such cases, you should sleep with his best friend. That’s the most shocking thing you can do.”

Satin’s mouth dropped open.

Oh my. I should stop talking. I really should stop talking.