[“It would be best to keep our distance for a while. Depending on the situation, breaking off the engagement might be better. I will speak to Duke Winchester myself.”]

Just when Diana was rejoicing that Edwin’s heart had turned toward her, she received a letter from him that felt like a bolt from the blue—only two days after they had been intimate.

The moment she read the contents, the happiness that had enveloped her vanished instantly like melting snow, replaced by a pain that felt as though someone had stabbed her heart.

Hadn’t he confessed his feelings just the night before? How could his heart change so abruptly, cutting things off with a single stroke?

He had said he wouldn’t let her go. He had whispered sweet words suggesting he would only love her.

Had it all been a lie? Diana shook her head as she recalled the sweet words he had spoken to her.

“That can’t be…”

Edwin wouldn’t lie. But if that wasn’t the case, what did the contents of this letter mean?

No matter how she looked at it, the letter didn’t seem like something Edwin would send her. She could hardly believe it was even his handwriting.

Diana fingered the necklace around her neck. It was the one Edwin had secretly placed on her while she was sleeping.

It was the first time she had received a gift from him other than a sword. That’s why she believed his sincerity. Was she wrong?

Wasn’t it too much to mention breaking off the engagement after giving her a gift? Could it have been a parting gift?

Just before Diana suggested they keep their distance, she had shown Edwin affection. Just to see him one more time.

Had Edwin thought the same? If so, he shouldn’t have said he would reveal his heart to her. He shouldn’t have given her false hope. But why…

‘Ah. Why did he do this? I don’t understand.’

The more she thought about it, the more confused she became. Thinking about it alone wouldn’t solve anything.

Had he sent a letter with the same content to her father? What would her father think?

Diana immediately headed to the study to meet Duke Winchester.

“Father, I received a letter from Lord Lauderdale…”

“I know.”

As soon as she knocked and flung the door open while shouting, Duke Winchester immediately cut her off.

Seeing his furious expression, Diana was at a loss for words. Despite having much to say, she couldn’t utter a single word.

“It might not be bad to break off the engagement now.”

But when the words “breaking off the engagement” came from his lips, she could no longer hold back.

“Are you serious? Didn’t you approve the engagement? Why are you suddenly saying this?”

“Well, you see…”

Duke Winchester wore an expression suggesting it was difficult to explain. Could it be that her father had also heard those rumors? If Diana had heard them, it was impossible that he hadn’t.

“Surely it’s not because of the rumors circulating in society?”

“N-no, it’s not that.”

“Then why? What’s your reason for suddenly changing your mind?”

“Because I think it would be better.”

“But why? Just why…”

Tears welled up in her eyes, but Diana held them back.

Why did they have to break off the engagement now? Faced with this unexpected situation, Diana didn’t know what to do.

One thing was certain: her father wouldn’t say such things lightly. This meant he clearly thought Edwin was at fault and was considering breaking off the engagement.

Was he worried she would get hurt?

“Don’t blame Lord Lauderdale. I was the one who suggested breaking off the engagement first.”

Afraid that her father might criticize Edwin, Diana hastily made up an excuse.

“You suggested breaking off the engagement first? Diana, why would you suddenly say such a thing to Lord Lauderdale?”

Duke Winchester wore an expression of incomprehension.

“M-my feelings cooled. I’ve been rejected once before. So I was just thinking of playing with him for a while.”

Though the current situation was unexpected, hadn’t she already considered breaking off the engagement? 

So Diana had to lie to Duke Winchester to ensure the engagement would be broken off due to her fault.

“Is that true?”

“Of course. So even if the engagement is broken off, please don’t blame Lord Lauderdale.”

“Alright. I’ll do that.”

Though he wore a skeptical expression, Duke Winchester didn’t contradict Diana’s words. That was fortunate.

However, Diana also felt uneasy. Why did it feel like she couldn’t change her fate no matter how hard she tried?

She feared her past life might repeat itself. That’s why Diana had to implore the Duke.

“Even if my engagement with Lord Lauderdale is broken off, I will never get engaged to Young Master Orkney, so please don’t think of pairing me with him.”

“A-alright.”

Though he seemed quite surprised, the Duke listened to Diana’s opinion.

This should be enough, right? Surely she wouldn’t be forced to marry Clive?

In the current situation, even if Clive tried, he couldn’t force a marriage with Diana. As long as her father opposed it, marriage was impossible.

So as long as she wasn’t entangled with Clive, there would be no chance of marrying him.

Now, even if he spoke to her first, she would ignore him, and even if they met by chance, she wouldn’t even greet him!

If she behaved that way, everyone would think Diana and Clive weren’t on good terms, and the probability of marrying him would decrease further.

Returning to her room, Diana sighed deeply as she looked at the bed. Fortunately, she didn’t need to worry about Clive for the time being, but the problem was her relationship with Edwin.

Having told her father that she wanted to break off the engagement first, her relationship with Edwin could now be considered completely over.

She had already made up her mind about this…

She should have cleared her mind and wished him happiness as he returned to his original lover. She should have felt relieved.

But she couldn’t. How could she forget when memories of him in her bedroom were etched in her mind?

“Why did I act in a way that made me misunderstand? I shouldn’t have acted that way…”

It would have been better if she had just let things be when she said she wanted to sort out her feelings. Then her heart wouldn’t ache as much as it did now.

He should have let her go when she decided to break off the engagement. How could he give her false hope only to betray her like this?

Only after pouring out words of resentment toward Edwin could Diana calm her heart. Only then could she reconsider the situation she was in.

“There must be a reason for his sudden change in behavior. Yes, there must be.”

Though it was shameless, Diana gradually felt a desire to believe in Edwin. That his confession-like words the night before were sincere, and that there must be a reason for his words about keeping distance.

Though she convinced herself of this, she couldn’t shake off her anxiety. She still worried about Lady Queensberry.

Surely his heart hadn’t suddenly changed because of Lady Queensberry?

Diana didn’t know much about her. Come to think of it, while rumors about Diana had been circulating, nothing had been heard about Lady Queensberry. As rumors about Diana spread, everything about Lady Queensberry remained veiled.

So Diana knew nothing about her personality or her social relationships.

Was it just her imagination that someone seemed to be hiding her existence?

It was a mistake not to have asked in detail about his relationship with Lady Queensberry and what kind of person she was while they were lost in their passion. 

Perhaps the problem was that she had been reassured by his mere statement that they were friends. Maybe it was wrong to trust Edwin’s words too much.

“Sigh.”

How could she not ask about important matters because she was consumed by instinct? 

She had believed Edwin when he showed jealousy and said he would reveal his true feelings. That must have been her mistake.

What was the point of constantly associating him with Lady Queensberry when it might not be because of her? In the end, the one getting hurt was Diana, herself.

Diana tried to shake off all negative thoughts. She wanted to believe in Edwin, who had shown his honest self the night before.

Even if the result led to the breaking off of their engagement, she intended to believe in his heart until the end, knowing that she shouldn’t hold onto Edwin out of selfish thoughts.

However, her resentful feelings toward him didn’t seem likely to disappear for a while.

* * *

“Lady Winchester, there’s a rumor that your engagement will be broken off. Is it true?”

Young ladies who happened to meet Diana in the square surrounded her. Judging by the boxes piled in the hands of the servants standing behind them, they had already finished shopping and seemed intent on relieving their fatigue with trivial rumors.

It hadn’t even been a week since she received Edwin’s letter, but somehow the story of their broken engagement had already spread throughout society.

She had avoided attending social gatherings to escape these young ladies who seemed intent on tearing her apart like hyenas, but who would have thought they’d meet in the square?

“…”

When Diana didn’t respond, the young ladies seemed excited. They appeared to hope that her engagement with Edwin would be broken off soon.

“Oh my, it seems to be true.”

“Indeed. Wasn’t it a one-sided engagement from the beginning?”

The general belief was that Edwin wouldn’t break off the engagement at the cost of being at odds with Duke Winchester. So everyone seemed to think Diana was the cause of the broken engagement.

She had recently exchanged embarrassing conversations with Edwin in the square, but why didn’t those rumors spread while only the unfavorable ones did?

“What terrible thing did she do that even Duke Winchester couldn’t intervene?”

“I heard rumors that she secretly brought a man in at night?”

Before Diana could respond, Lady Cavan, who had come to the square with her, approached and shouted at the young ladies who were speaking recklessly.

“What are you saying? If you’re going to spread false rumors, you should consider that you’re making an enemy of the Winchester family. Should I personally visit Duke Winchester and tell him about this?”