Chapter 8 – Part 7

“The point.”

Olivia cut him off coldly. Gael roughly ran a hand down his face.

“Fine, the point.”

Gael shoved his hands into his pockets just like Olivia had. She found it so annoying that she pulled her hands out of her robe pockets and crossed her arms.

“We may be distant now, but we were once engaged. We loved each other. We never made things difficult for each other!”

Unable to contain his frustration, Gael pulled his hands out and placed them on his hips, spinning in place.

“You’re hurt by my words and swayed by Marsden, but how can you treat me like this? I can only think that this whole situation is because you doubted me.”

“Then think that.”

Olivia’s indifferent response made Gael grip his hips tighter.

“You must have expected this outcome when you gave your statement during the interrogation. Why are you taking it out on me?”

Olivia’s retort only made Gael more agitated.

“Because I found a way! A way to break the curse, a way to come back to you! That’s why I…”

Gael, choking on his anger, covered his mouth with his hand. Olivia let out a soft “Oh.”

“So, you’re saying that your association with Buck Rodley was to find a way to break the curse? Then why didn’t you mention this during the interrogation?”

“To protect you, of course. If Marsden used our relationship against us, it would have been problematic.”

“Excuse me, Count Abyss. Your statements are contradictory. You said it was to protect me, yet you were worried about our relationship being used against us?”

“What I mean is—”

“Don’t you get it, you idiot? You kept quiet because you were worried about Ronae getting into trouble.”

Gael, struck by Olivia’s accusation, opened his mouth but couldn’t respond. It was widely known in society that Ronae had used magic to make Gael love her, though it was a topic often avoided.

Ronae had genuinely repented, and Hellebore had shown leniency on the condition that she be expelled from society.

Even so, the crime couldn’t simply be erased. Olivia tilted her head to the right.

“You know, no matter how much a regretful male lead denies his feelings, if he suddenly claims to love you later, that’s not normal behavior. Does that seem like the behavior of a sane person to you?”

Gael clearly didn’t understand all of Olivia’s terminology, but he knew it wasn’t a compliment.

“I was willing to let you use me for emotional realization, but your constant pestering has crossed the line. Let me make it clear. I have no interest in you anymore, so get lost. Go and tend to your starving, fading fiancée.”

If you don’t want to regret it later.

Olivia swallowed the last sentence, a minimal courtesy for Ronae’s sake.

Gael’s chest heaved as if he had been betrayed. It was almost comical.

“You… you’re making a mistake. You’re blinded by Troy Marsden and making the wrong choice. Do you think what happened to you on ‘that day,’ when you almost bled to death, has nothing to do with Troy Marsden?”

“No, I don’t think it has nothing to do with him.”

“Yeah, I thought you would deny it—what?”

“I don’t think it’s unrelated.”

Gael froze with a dumbfounded expression, unable to follow the context.

“He was the one who appeared immediately at the scene where I disappeared. He’s one of the prime suspects.”

“Then why…!”

“Listen, I’ve never taken anyone off the list of suspects, no matter how much I dislike or love them. To survive, I always judge calmly and rationally. That’s my principle. However…”

Olivia’s expression softened momentarily, as if thinking of someone, making Gael want to claw his eyes out.

“Even so, he is still have someone I love the most. And he’s not you.”

“Even when you lost your memory, it was Troy Marsden?”

“My condition doesn’t matter.”

Gael thought his expulsion from the capital was unjust. But now, Olivia’s words felt like a more dreadful sentence than any punishment.

“Hey, Gael. Why do you want to break the curse?”

“……”

“You already know. Even if I don’t choose Marsden, it won’t be you. So why do you want to break the curse?”

Tonight, Olivia felt unusually distant, like a star on a cold winter night. He almost wished she were a silent star.

“Because I love you.”

“No, you’re just hurt. Someone changed your feelings at will, and you lost the woman’s heart you barely gained. In the end, I left you. You probably also feel inferior to Marsden because I like him.”

Gael considered telling her to shut up but found himself helplessly swayed by Olivia’s words.

“It must be frustrating. It wasn’t the direction you wanted. But you must accept those situations with composure. You’re someone’s fiancee now, and soon to be a father. You need to grow up. If you can’t handle it, then don’t come to us and vent your frustration.”

‘Us’ Gael’s face twisted in a grimace, but he maintained a composed demeanor toward Olivia.

“Even so, the fact that I loved you doesn’t change.”

“Sure, maybe you did love me.”

‘Marsden said you used magic to make me love you. But still.’

“The past is the past. I don’t believe you acted out of goodwill. If you’re guilty, I’ll reveal your guilt to protect myself and him.”

“Liv!”

“So, stop using that nauseating nickname. It makes me sick.”

Gael’s eyes darted around, unsure of what to say. This was too humiliating. In the end, it was always Marsden?

“Time’s up. Ten minutes.”

Olivia pointed her eyes at the clock on the wall. Gael stared at the clock in disbelief.

“We’re not done yet….”

“Buddy, I’m coming in.”

But Gael had no chance to continue. Marsden, who had been listening outside, entered the room. Olivia had known all along, of course.

“You’re dressed like this?”

Marsden approached Olivia, shielding her with his body. Olivia tilted her chin up.

“Should I have dressed up to greet him? I didn’t want to see him, but it was a necessary conversation. Plus, I had things to confirm.”

Peeking out from behind Marsden, Olivia saw Gael. His eyes bore the same deep abyss as before. There was an emotion dirtier than jealousy or inferiority.

Gael turned his back and left the room. For a moment, it seemed like he had resolved something.

* * *

Change doesn’t happen overnight. Small actions or words eventually accumulate and return as significant impacts, and Gael’s heart was no exception.

In the past, when he was ignorant, he believed he belonged to the ‘people who don’t believe in love’ category. He often felt attracted to others, but no one ever inspired his devotion.

“Count Abyss, I like you. I truly love you. From the moment I first saw you… I’ve loved you.”

Even when Ronae confessed her feelings, it was the same. By then, he had already lost his soul and heart to Olivia Charbert. He had learned from Olivia that seeing the one you love look at someone else could drive you to madness.

“I’m sorry, but I have someone I love.”

Gael was fervently courting Olivia, so another woman’s confession didn’t matter to him. It was as if he had forgotten it entirely.

Marsden happened to be absent then. It was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, and he was convinced he would regret it forever if he missed it.

“Why do you like that person?”

He wasn’t swayed by her desperate plea because he was confident in his feelings for Olivia. He believed they would never change.

“How can I explain falling in love from the first moment I saw her? Can you?”

After replying indifferently, he turned away. Gael thought he would never have a private conversation with Ronae again. Even if they ran into each other, he believed there would never be a genuine moment between them.

Looking back now, he regrets not responding with a bit more kindness back then. If he hadn’t rejected her so coldly, maybe Ronae wouldn’t have resorted to that kind of magic. Then, he wouldn’t have lost the woman he barely won over forever.

“You’re here?”

As always, she greeted him weakly as he entered. Her eyes, which used to look at him with fervor, no longer had the same intensity. Gael’s breath subtly quickened.

‘Who are you to have your feelings fade? Do you know what I just had to hear from that woman because of you?’

“Step aside.”

He couldn’t stand the sight of her. Her regretful demeanor, as if she were the one who had gone mad, her attitude of doing anything to turn things around—it was all repulsive.

“Don’t talk to me until you’re ready to confess whatever scheme you and Marsden were planning.”

The thought of them having secret conversations still made his stomach churn.

This woman had no right to be with any other man. She had committed a terrible sin and should love only him until she died.

“Are you jealous?”

“Ha.”

Gael laughed hollowly and turned his head.

“Don’t be ridiculous. Once the magic is undone, I won’t care who you meet.”

Yes, it had to be undone. He couldn’t live in the same space with a woman who had twisted his life.

“What if it can’t be undone?”

As Gael tried to leave, Ronae grabbed him again.

“You know. It was a ‘magic formula’ only my grandfather knew. He invented it.”

“Are you proud of being the descendant of a dirty sorcerer?”

In the past, Ronae would have argued that her grandfather was a sorcerer, not a sorcerer. But now, she was calm. Gael didn’t like that at all.

“Weren’t you the one who pleaded that your grandfather’s magic made a mess of my feelings? Are you suddenly proud of that dirty lineage?”

The world believed that Ronae herself used the magic to make him love her, but it was her grandfather who actually cast the spell. Ronae had begged her grandfather to use magic just once for her, and he had broken his own rule of never using dark magic to grant her wish.

Later, after her grandfather’s health deteriorated and he passed away, she went around claiming she was the one who had done it, seemingly out of guilt.

“No, it’s just that… my due date is approaching, and I was wondering how you feel about this child.”

Gael turned fully to face her. He sneered.

“Why, are you eyeing the only heir to the countship? Finally showing your true colors?”

“No.”

Ronae shook her head calmly. The sneer vanished from Gael’s lips.

“I know you might abandon me eventually because of my sins. I’ve already given up on your heart.”

“What?”

“But I need to ask this. Do you have any intention of being a father to this baby? That’s what I’ve been trying to talk to you about.”

Gael was speechless. His already tangled thoughts became even more chaotic.

He had intended to give a perfunctory answer and leave, but something told him he shouldn’t take this question lightly.

Even when he tried to find a suitable response, no words came to mind. Unfortunately, Ronae misinterpreted his silence and gave a bitter smile.

“I know, the servants say you told me to stay home to protect the baby and me, but it was just to vent your anger. My grandfather’s magic… no, magic has led to everyone’s unhappiness. It’s all my fault.”

Gael’s eyes widened. It was the first time Ronae had referred to her grandfather’s ‘magic’ as ‘magic.’

“Maybe I got my answer a long time ago.”

Ronae walked past Gael without saying her usual goodnight, sleep well, or stay by my side. She didn’t beg for affection this time.

Gael stood frozen for a while, his heart pounding loudly in his ears.

A large crack appeared in his firm resolve, and the sandcastle of his determination began to crumble.

* * *