2.11

As things had gone as he wanted, Leon should have felt relieved, but instead, he found himself feeling even more stifled. The farther he walked away from Ellen, the heavier his steps felt, as if burdened by an unseen weight.

Ellen stood still, staring blankly at Leon’s retreating back. 

Was I too eager? Did I come on too strong and make him feel pressured? Is that why he told me we should break up now?

Even though she had thrown away her pride and begged, Leon didn’t budge. His resolute demeanor made it clear that she couldn’t hold onto him any longer.

There was nothing she could do to change the situation at that moment, so Ellen chose to let him go for now.  

She had prayed with all her heart, but now she wondered if her prayer had been too impure for it to be answered.  

“Ha… I think I was too greedy.”  

Ellen muttered to herself quietly, as if scolding herself.  

Every time she tried to seduce him, Leon seemed like he might give in, but he never actually did. There had been some progress, so she thought that with just a little more effort, she could win him over.  

But no. He never gave in. The man she loved was surrounded by a high, unyielding wall of iron.  

“So, I’m not the one, after all.”  

Being rejected by the same man twice hurt. She had expected it, but the pain was sharper than she imagined. Thankfully, she didn’t cry. Perhaps it was because the reality of it hadn’t sunk in yet.  

As she stood still in the same spot, the realization of being rejected gradually began to hit her.  

What kind of behavior did I show him?  

Memories of all the things she had done for Leon began to surface. She had tried to show only her bright side, fearing he might dislike her. She had been cautious not to do anything that might annoy him, always watching his reactions. She had always smiled, or so she thought.  

Ah.  

Now that she thought about it, she hadn’t smiled earlier.  

No matter what Leon said, Ellen had always smiled. But this time, she couldn’t bring herself to smile. Instead, she felt tears welling up.  

What kind of expression did I have when he said goodbye? I wish I had been smiling. I wish the last image of me he saw was one of me smiling.  

Ellen regretted it too late, but there was nothing she could do now.  

***

“Have things been going well with Sir Guilford?”  

“….”  

The next day, Ellen went to a dessert shop with Donna. Though she didn’t feel like going out because of her gloomy mood, she didn’t want to show her sadness outwardly, so she reluctantly agreed to Donna’s suggestion.  

She had tried to smile and say yes, but she wasn’t sure if her expression had actually conveyed a smile.  

She couldn’t bring herself to say that she and Leon had broken up. She wanted to keep it hidden, but Donna’s expression suggested that she had already figured something out.  

It was strange that Donna had suddenly decided to cheer her up and take her to a dessert shop.  

“Why aren’t you answering?”  

Donna, who had been calmly sipping her tea, widened her eyes. She slammed her teacup down with a loud clatter.  

“You know you’ve been forcing a smile since yesterday, right? Don’t tell me… did you two break up?”  

“…Yeah.”  

Ellen hesitated before answering. Admitting it made the breakup feel all the more real, and even uttering that single word felt incredibly difficult.  

“That bastard….”  

A string of curses spilled from Donna’s lips.  

“….”  

Ellen said nothing and simply listened to Donna’s rant. Strangely, it felt like her frustration was easing a little.  

“I told you to go after him. And yet he rejected you? What the hell? Didn’t you say you kissed and he even touched your chest?”  

“Shh!”  

Ellen, who had been silently listening, quickly stood up and covered Donna’s mouth.  

“Are you crazy? How can you talk about something like that in a public place?”  

“The crazy one is that guy. He does all that and then says he doesn’t have feelings for you?”  

“We didn’t do everything. He always stopped midway, and in the end, he broke up with me without going all the way.”  

“When?”  

“Yesterday.”  

Ellen’s voice was drained of energy.  

“I thought something was off since yesterday.”  

Donna shook her head knowingly, as if she had already suspected it. It seemed she had an inkling that Ellen and Leon had broken up.  

“….”  

Ellen let out a deep sigh and slumped back into her seat.  

“You two lasted about three weeks, right? That’s a long time. Sir Leon Guilford really does live up to his reputation as an impenetrable fortress, doesn’t he? If he weren’t, he would’ve been taken by another woman long before you even had the chance to try. So, what are you planning to do now?”  

“I’m going to try one more time.”  

Ellen had spent the entire night thinking. Should she let things end like this and return to Alber Village, or should she try one last time?  

She came to a conclusion: she would try to seduce Leon one last time. Only then would she have no regrets.  

She had decided that it was better to act on her feelings now than to live with regret later. However, since they had already broken up, she needed to think carefully about how to win him back.  

“….”  

Donna looked at her with an expression that seemed to ask if she was out of her mind.  

“Even if I step back in the end, I want to do everything I can first.”  

With nearly a month having passed, she only had one more chance left. Even if she had already been rejected twice, it didn’t matter. If she could spend even just one more day with him, she felt she could endure being rejected three or four times.  

“What’s so great about a guy who makes bets involving women?”  

Donna looked at Ellen with a disapproving gaze.  

“It’s because of that bet that I was able to get close to him.”  

“If it weren’t for you, I would’ve gone straight to those two men and grabbed them by the collar. Because of you, I only spread rumors about the guy who proposed the bet, making him out to be a shallow man who gambles with women. Otherwise, I would’ve included Sir Guilford in those rumors too.”  

Unable to tolerate Ellen being treated as a mere plaything, Donna had subtly spread word about the bet. She kept Ellen and Leon’s names hidden, only mentioning Logan’s name.  

To Ellen, Logan was someone who had given her an opportunity, but to Donna, he was trash.  

“Thank you for that.”  

Ellen smiled at Donna, who clicked her tongue in disbelief. Donna looked at her as if she were incomprehensible.  

“A bet, you say?”  

At that moment, an unfamiliar woman’s voice interrupted their conversation. Both Ellen and Donna turned their attention to the source of the voice.  

The woman, with her round eyes and striking violet irises, was undeniably beautiful.  

The moment Donna saw her face, her own eyes widened in shock.  

No way. 

Ellen, too, thought she recognized the woman. 

Wasn’t she someone we had seen at the ball?  

“You’re Miss Ellen Novary, correct? I’m Mia Guilford. I’m sorry for suddenly interrupting your conversation.”  

When Ellen and Donna didn’t respond, the woman awkwardly introduced herself.  

“Ah….”  

The moment Mia introduced herself, Ellen’s eyes wavered with unease. Talking about the bet in a public place where someone might overhear… it had been reckless.  

Had she overheard our conversation? 

Ellen nervously watched Mia’s expression.  

“I was curious about the woman my brother is dating. He wouldn’t say much about you, and you rarely attend balls, so I never had the chance to meet you. It’s a shame.”  

Mia spoke as though nothing had happened, naturally continuing the conversation. It seemed Leon hadn’t mentioned the breakup yet.  

“Would it be alright if we talked for a bit?”  

Mia smiled gently. Ellen and Donna exchanged glances before forcing smiles and nodding reluctantly.

As soon as she sat down, Mia asked Ellen about her first encounter with Leon. Ellen slowly explained her experience to Mia.

“Oh my, brother was really too much.”

Despite being born from the same womb, Mia was bright and lively, unlike her taciturn brother. She reacted as if Ellen’s story was her own, fully absorbed in it.

“No, it’s understandable. So many young ladies try to talk to him, he might not remember me.”

“In that sense, my brother is indeed cold-hearted. But do you still like him? Don’t you feel bad about being used in a bet?”

Although Mia had learned about the bet from overhearing their conversation earlier, she pretended as if she already knew to avoid revealing that she had found out through their slip of tongue.

“Yes. I didn’t mind being used. Though now, it’s all for nothing.”

Ellen gave a bitter smile.

“Why?”

“…Because he broke up with me.”

After hesitating several times over whether to speak or not, Ellen finally decided to tell the truth. She figured Mia would find out soon anyway.

“He broke up with you?”

“Yes.”

Mia asked again, tilting her head with surprised eyes. 

In fact, Mia had found it strange ever since Leon mentioned he suddenly had a girlfriend. He didn’t seem to show any interest in other women, so the idea of him having a girlfriend didn’t make sense.

She tried not to believe it, but when she confirmed it directly from Leon’s mouth, she couldn’t help but believe it.

How odd.

When she asked what kind of woman Ellen was, the answer she received was suspiciously devoid of affection. Yet recently, Leon had changed. It was subtle, but noticeable enough for Mia to think he might have feelings for Ellen.

And now they had suddenly broken up? No matter how much she thought about it, Mia couldn’t understand what Leon was thinking.

Did he really just use Miss Novary for my sake?

Mia could guess from Ellen and Donna’s earlier conversation that Ellen had been dating Leon because of a bet.

Mia had a rough idea of what the conditions of the bet might be. After that day, Logan hadn’t approached her.

She had briefly felt an attraction to Logan, but she had the discernment to recognize a playboy and intended to end things after a brief conversation. 

Yet Leon never trusted her completely, and as a result, Ellen suffered all the consequences.

Because of me, someone else is suffering! This is absurd.

“Do you still have lingering feelings for my brother?”

Mia thought she might be able to help Ellen. 

Ellen seemed pitiful for being used in a bet between two men, and since Mia felt responsible for the situation, she wanted to help even more. If Ellen wanted revenge on her brother, Mia was willing to assist with that too.

Therefore, she asked Ellen to confirm whether she still had feelings for Leon.

“…Yes.”

Ellen hesitated before answering.

Oh my goodness. Even knowing it was a bet, she dated him, got dumped, and still has lingering feelings…. Just how much does she like my brother?

Mia found Ellen to be foolish, pitiful, and admirable all at once. Ellen’s determination to not give up, despite being rejected twice, seemed impressive.

I can’t let this go on! I need to help somehow.

Regardless of Leon’s feelings, Mia decided she would help the two meet again. She wanted Ellen to be able to capture her foolish brother’s heart.

“I’ll help you.”

Mia smiled warmly.