Chapter 1 – Broken Engagement (Part 2)

Seeing no way out, Louis confessed the situation with a resigned face. Explaining the other side of the “just because” excuse, Louis’s expression left Olivie speechless.

“She said it’s been about four months since she found out.”

“……”

‘Just because’ would have been better.

If there was one thing Olivie could not tolerate in her life, it was an illegitimate child.

‘Illegitimate children are absolutely not allowed.’

‘Of course, don’t worry. You’re the only one for me.’

Of course, she didn’t believe the sweet talk about being the only one. But she wanted to believe his promise that there would be no illegitimate children. The issue of illegitimate children was something Olivie had firmly addressed from the beginning of their engagement.

Not only with Louis but also with the Caylen family.

And yet.

“Pregnant.”

“……Yes.”

Louis, sighing deeply while looking at the floor, nodded his head.

Looking down at the floor, Louis let out a long sigh and nodded.

“I’m sorry.”

At his final, decisive “sorry,” Olivie ran her hand through her neatly combed red hair. It felt as if her insides were boiling over. The back of her neck was stiff and tense. At that moment, she could completely understand the saying that tears come when you’re extremely angry.

‘This is driving me crazy.’

Olivie took a deep breath. She wanted to scream, but the fact that she couldn’t was only making her more frustrated.

She tried to calm herself by pressing her chest firmly, but…

“I love her. I want to take responsibility.”

Louis’s heartfelt confession of love for another woman, oblivious to the situation, made Olivie tilt her head back. She couldn’t help but laugh out loud.

A myriad of thoughts flashed through her mind.

‘Should I kill this bastard?’

‘Should I talk to my brother about hiring an assassin?’

‘Or should I tell my father to ruin his family?’

‘Oh, right. There’s Emily’s family too. They’re a Duke’s family, so they could probably crush a mere earl’s family, right?’

She let these thoughts run through her mind as she closed her eyes.

“Sigh.”

But killing him was secondary, and given how things had turned out, there was only one conclusion.

Breakup.

She couldn’t tolerate Louis’s behavior, which had exceeded the limits of her patience.

It wasn’t as if she couldn’t get married without him, and if it came to it, living alone without marrying wasn’t a bad option.

It was just a shame about the time they had spent together.

“Alright. Let’s do that.”

“Really?”

So she nodded.

Then she saw Louis’s eyes darting around, as if trying to grasp her true intentions. Seeing his very Louis-like behavior, one corner of Olivie’s mouth twisted.

“When a coward like you falls in love, gets a woman pregnant, and wants to take responsibility, of course, I should step aside.”

Louis’s face flushed slightly as he rubbed his lips at her deflated laugh.

But despite Olivie’s sarcasm, it seemed that her agreement was more important to him, and he awkwardly smiled.

“Thank you. I’ll explain everything to my parents.”

“Oh.”

The mention of parents brought to mind the faces of the Earl and Countess of Caylen. Olivie checked, just in case.

“Do Earl Caylen and the Countess know about this?”

“I told my mother, but not my father yet.”

Louis shook his head.

As expected.

That irresponsible behavior was consistently pathetic.

“Then what should—no, never mind. I’m sure you’ll handle it well.”

Olivie, who had stopped herself from habitually meddling, shook her head.

She didn’t want to care anymore.

They were nothing to each other now, after all.

“Explain it properly so it doesn’t affect me.”

“Yes, Lie, I’ll go to your parents myself and apologize. I’ll tell them they can keep both the engagement gifts and the wedding gifts.”

“Let’s not make a big deal out of what’s expected.”

Olivie laughed, almost in disbelief.

“You know that your family isn’t the only one with money, right?”

Knowing there’s nothing more childish than bragging about money, but unable to stand his pretense, she nodded towards his wrist.

“That watch on your wrist is from our family too.”

“……”

“And the fabric of the clothes you’re wearing was imported by our family, wasn’t it? Plus, the shoes you’re wearing and the cufflinks on your sleeves. Aren’t those gifts I sent?”

Louis, who had been looking down from his watch to his shoes, finally blushed.

As Olivie said, everything he was wearing had come into his possession, directly or indirectly, through the hands of the Elphano family.

“You should know when to stop showing off in front of someone superior.”

How many times had her father, Earl Elphano, helped maintain the Caylen family’s dignity?

Even though they were both earldoms, there was nothing in which the Caylen family could stand above the Elphano family, whether in wealth or family history.

Nothing at all.

Yet, just because he was her fiancé, Earl Caylen had indulged him a few times, and he seemed to think he was someone truly remarkable.

‘He doesn’t even realize that I picked him so I could live as I wanted.’

That’s why her father always said that a person should know their place.

Olivie clicked her tongue softly.

The Barons and Viscounts were a bit lacking for their family, and the Dukes were honestly difficult for her parents to consider due to her personality. So they weighed various conditions. A position that was neither too high nor too low, a territory that wasn’t very wealthy, a family without a long history, but smart enough to handle tasks well.

A family that could only hold onto something substantial by living off the Elphano family.

That’s why they chose the Caylen family and Louis, who could inherit it.

He was conveniently close in age to Olivie. Although his incompetence was a flaw, they thought it was something the Caylen family could adequately support.

But they hadn’t expected Louis to act like this.

‘Well, this is just like Louis.’

Olivie clicked her tongue lightly at his pettiness, mistaking others’ achievements for his own, and turned her head.

“I wish you happiness.”

“……”

Not wanting to stay there any longer, Olivie stood up and offered a short farewell.

“Then.”

“R-Lie.”

But Louis, who stopped her with a slight nod, looked up at her. His small eyes, as if filled with melancholy, made Olivie frown slightly.

“What?”

“Although our relationship ends here, I sincerely hope you meet someone you love and find happiness too, Lie.”

Ignoring her cold response, Louis smiled faintly, making it difficult for Olivie to maintain her composure. She used to think this was his charm, but had she lost affection for him? Even that expression seemed fake and repulsive now.

“Enough is enough.”

“……What?”

Unaware of Olivie’s emotional shift, Louis seemed quite flustered by her demeanor. And Olivie no longer showed him any leniency.

“Where does a guy who cheats on his fiancée and asks for a breakup get off acting like a good man?”

With a cold retort to Louis, who pretended to be a good person to the end, she turned around.

She didn’t want to stay there any longer, and she couldn’t imagine what she might do if she did. She might explode in anger and rip all the hair from his head, she thought, barely containing her emotions as she took a step.

“Still, Lie, if you meet someone good later, let’s all meet and laugh together.”

“……”

“After all, we’re friends, aren’t we? Let’s wish each other happiness.”

His nonsensical words from behind made her pause.

‘Let’s all meet and laugh together.’

‘We’re friends, aren’t we?’

‘Let’s wish each other happiness.’

In other words, wasn’t he saying, in a roundabout way, that they should meet with his future wife and not cause trouble?

‘That bastard, seriously!’

As the anger that Olivie had been suppressing surged, she turned her body and threw the teacup on the table directly at his face.

“Olivie!”

Louis, startled by the coffee streaming down his face, jumped up from his seat and shouted. But she wasn’t afraid of his outburst. She placed the teacup down with a clatter and muttered the words she had been holding back.

“What a load of crap.”

“O-Olivie? What do you mean…?”

Louis stared at her, shocked by the crude language that didn’t match her refined appearance.

But Olivie, unfazed by his gaze, turned away with a refreshed expression.

“……”

In that moment, she noticed that everyone in the dessert shop was looking their way.

They were coughing and turning their gazes away, but it was clear they had been watching them all along. From people whispering to each other while glancing at Olivie to those openly observing.

She couldn’t even imagine where the conversation had leaked from, and Olivie bit her lip.

Her face flushed, and her eyes stung.

It felt like her pride had been shattered and thrown to the ground.

The rumor of being dumped by her fiancé would spread quickly, and she’d be infamous for throwing tea in his face and shouting.

‘My parents will find out too.’

Olivie held her forehead.

Honestly, she didn’t care about anything else.

But the thought of facing her parents’ disappointed looks left a bitter taste in her mouth. Although it wasn’t her fault, remembering how much her parents had deliberated over this marriage…

‘It’s annoying.’

She ran her hand through her hair and bit the soft flesh inside her mouth.

But the situation had already happened, and she didn’t want to show any more disgraceful behavior.

So she calmly forced a smile.

With her chin slightly lowered, she painted on as much elegance as she could muster and turned toward the door as if nothing had happened.

However.

“Looks like she got dumped, huh?”

“Indeed. Poor Miss Elphano.”

The voices whispering behind her froze her in place.

“She’s at an age where she’s more than ready to marry, it’s quite sad.”

“She’s already twenty-two.”

“Should she start looking for a second marriage?”

“Surely not.”

“But she’s the daughter of an Earl.”

Their increasingly blatant mockery made her clench her fists.

She wanted to shout at them right then and there, but she couldn’t imagine how the rumors would spread if she did.

‘It’s already the worst.’

She couldn’t make things any more difficult for her parents, who had lived their lives prioritizing social reputation and noble values. Olivie clenched her fists tighter. It felt like her nails were piercing her palms, but the pain brought her back to her senses.

She knew what she had to do here.

‘Yes.’

She needed to get out quickly.

Leaving the scene was the best option.

She desperately needed fresh air.