3.7

She should not have been greedy. The price of greed had been too high.  

She had come to put an end to her love, but instead, her feelings had grown, leading to an even greater disappointment. It felt hollow, as though her heart was completely empty.  

She had tried to change from two years ago, but in the end, nothing had changed. Foolishly, she had once again hoped on her own and ended up disappointed on her own.  

This time, it was even worse. Ultimately, her self-esteem had been completely shattered.  

“Would it have been better if I hadn’t liked him from the start?”  

Two years ago, she had run away, and that had weighed on her mind, so this time, she had resolved not to run. But she couldn’t help it. If he had been a cruel man, she might have cursed him. But he wasn’t, so she didn’t want to.  

“Still, isn’t it too much to be rejected three times?”  

A laugh escaped her lips. It was so absurd, so unbelievable, that she couldn’t help but laugh. After being rejected twice, she had thought it wouldn’t matter if it happened three or four times. But it wasn’t true.  

After being rejected three times, she no longer had the strength to endure. She was exhausted. If she were rejected one more time, she felt as though she might disintegrate into ashes.  

She hadn’t expected to win his heart when she tried to tempt him one last time, but being rejected still hurt.  

“Still, I achieved my original goal.”  

Ellen kept trying to comfort herself. If she didn’t, she felt like she wouldn’t be able to endure the situation.  

Thinking back, her initial goal when she came to Melchia had been achieved. She had wanted to see her first love’s face one last time.  

And, if she looked at it in detail, Ellen had achieved even more than her original goal. She had dated him and even given him her purity. Wasn’t that a success in itself?  

It had been a short time, but she had made many memories. So why be greedy? People’s hearts didn’t move as she wished, after all.  

Ellen reprimanded herself for being greedy and kept telling herself to let go of her desires.  

If she let go of her greed, everything would be fine. All she had to do was stick to her original plan and end things cleanly.  

Cheer up!  

She wouldn’t resent Leon because she had anticipated this from the beginning. She had dared to hope that his heart might change, but that had been nothing more than wishful thinking.  

You weren’t planning to be greedy from the start. You got what you wanted, so why cry?  

To preserve the beautiful memories, it seemed better to leave things as they were. It was to avoid getting hurt even more the next time they met.  

However, what bothered her was that, just like two years ago, she would have to return to the Novary household as if she were running away.  

* * *

Last night, it had been Mia who had lured Ellen and Leon into the same bathroom. She had expected that something would happen when a man and a woman faced each other n*ked, which was why she had taken such a bold step.  

She had hoped there would be significant progress between the two, so she had spent the night with a pounding heart, unable to sleep. As soon as she woke up, she eagerly went to find Ellen.  

Had the two of them spent a blissful night together?  

Of course, she had considered the possibility that things might not go as expected, given how uptight Leon could be. Still, she had no doubt that the relationship between the two, who had broken up, would have grown closer.  

[Knock, knock.]  

“Miss Novary?”  

But the moment she knocked on Ellen’s door, she felt that something had gone terribly wrong. A sense of foreboding washed over Mia.  

No matter how many times she knocked, there was no response. Panicked, she opened the door and found only a letter apologizing for leaving in a hurry.  

“What on earth happened?”  

Ellen wasn’t the type to leave without a word, leaving only a letter. Something must have happened during the night.  

“Did I make a mistake? Did I meddle unnecessarily?”  

She had admired Ellen’s sincerity in writing to Leon every day, even after being used in a bet, and her ability to smile and say it was fine.  

She had found Ellen’s ability to smile, even after being rejected, admirable, which was why she had wanted to help her.  

Of course, if Ellen’s feelings had been entirely one-sided, Mia wouldn’t have helped. She had sensed that Leon also had special feelings for her.  

She had wanted to make her brother realize his feelings and stop trying to end things with Ellen.  

But it seemed something had gone wrong in the middle.  

Was it because of me?  

Unable to figure out what had happened, she went to find Leon. When she knocked and entered his room, he looked as though he had just bathed. His expression showed no sign of anything unusual. He seemed the same as always.  

Did I misjudge the situation? Did she leave because of something urgent?  

Mia tried to gauge the situation by observing Leon.  

“Brother! Did you know I invited Miss Novary to the residence yesterday?”  

“I know.”  

Leon’s voice was calm.  

“Did something happen with Miss Ellen?”  

“Why do you ask?”  

“She left this morning without saying a word.”  

“What?”  

The tone of his calm voice rose. Seeing his surprise, Mia became even more uncertain about what had happened the night before. If he had rejected Ellen again, he would have expected her to leave without a word.  

What on earth happened?  

“I was going to propose, so why….”  

Normally, Leon wouldn’t have said anything, but as Mia was about to leave the room, she heard something unbelievable escape his lips.  

“Propose? To Miss Novary?”  

“Yes. I’m thinking of marrying her.”  

Wouldn’t it be good news if the two were getting married? It was a good thing, so why had Ellen left so suddenly?  

“Congratulations. So, you love Miss Novary, right? That’s why you’re marrying her, correct?”  

Something felt off. Mia asked, hoping her ominous thoughts were wrong.  

“….”  

Leon didn’t respond.  

She hadn’t expected him to say he loved her, but she had at least anticipated something along the lines of liking her or being fond of her. But all her expectations were dashed.  

Mia let out a deep sigh. She was now certain that something had gone wrong.  

“Have you told Miss Novary directly that you want to marry her?”  

“No. Not yet. I plan to tell her soon.”  

“….”  

It was all Leon’s own thoughts, without any consideration for Ellen’s feelings.  

Mia was relieved that he hadn’t spoken to Ellen yet. Judging by his demeanor, there was no trace of love in his tone.  

What woman would want to marry a man who spoke so dispassionately, driven only by a sense of duty?  

Still, Ellen, who hadn’t given up even after being rejected twice, might accept.  

Mia felt another question arise. Something felt strangely off. Why was one person deciding to marry while the other left without a word?  

This won’t do. I’ll have to go to the Courtney Earldom myself to meet Ellen. This is too frustrating to leave alone.  

Mia clicked her tongue and left Leon’s room.