Chapter 51

Her memories with the prince no longer held any value for her.

“Let’s say you really are the ‘Brother’ I met at the orphanage, President. So what? What changes? Just because I misunderstood and was mistaken, what’s the point of telling me the truth? Prince or not, you’re still just the President!”

Strangely, as she spoke, Diane’s chaotic and complicated thoughts became clearer and more concrete.

Whether the President was the prince or not, what did it matter?

What meaning was there in figuring it out now?

It meant nothing at all.

Even when she believed the Duke was the prince, nothing changed.

Her relationship with the Duke did not change, and all she ever felt was the painful distance between them.

And now, if the President was the prince?

Other than the sad reality that her memories had become unsightly stains, what else would change?

Would she dislike the President any less just because he was the prince?

No! Absolutely not!

She disliked him even more.

All that remained was the dirty feeling that her beautiful memories had been nothing but deception, misunderstanding, and mistakes. Nothing could change the fact that she disliked the President and that the President ignored her.

“What… does that mean.”

Although it sounded like a question, the tone was more like a mutter as it slipped from the President’s lips.

His face looked dazed, as if he’d been struck by a stone.

Uncharacteristically so.

Was her response really such a shock to him?

His expression seemed as if he, too, had cherished their memories, and her words that the memories meant nothing had wounded him.

As if she had poured salt on his own memories.

For a moment, Diane wondered if she should stop talking. But she soon changed her mind.

He was none other than President Edward Wale.

He was not the type to be swayed by others’ words.

Especially not someone who had always thrown harsh words at her without a second thought, and who had treated her as his ‘Professional Beauty’ at his own whim. There was no way he was truly shocked by her words.

If anything, it was more likely he was simply distracted during their conversation.

And even if she hadn’t known, he had known all along that the girl from that day was her—if those memories were truly precious, how could he have treated her so carelessly?

No, that expression was probably just disappointment that the woman he thought would be moved by the revelation was not, after all.

“You claim you were that prince, so I’ll believe you. You say you lied about your age, so even though I doubt how much I should trust a liar, I’ll believe that too. But I’m not that crying little girl from when I was eight anymore. I don’t need a prince. You didn’t need to come all the way to my room just to tell me. So please, just leave my room now.”

“…….”

Edward Wale just stared at her, completely at a loss for words.

“Please leave.”

Diane said it again.

“Please leave, President Edward Wale.”

She repeated herself.

“Not a crying little girl?”

Finally, his closed lips opened.

He wasn’t leaving, but seemed to want to say more.

“Yes. I’m not a child anymore.”

“Then why were you crying just now?”

“…….”

“You’re still a crybaby.”

“……!”

Diane’s face twisted.

Edward Wale grabbed her hand holding the handkerchief and began forcibly prying her fingers open one by one.

His grip was so strong she couldn’t resist.

Finally, he managed to open all her fingers, snatched the Duke’s handkerchief from her hand, and left her room.

Diane stared blankly at her hand, which the President had grabbed.

Her wrist and fingers were red.

“Crazy man.”

Her reddened hand looked like proof of her trampled memories.

* * *

It was time for the formal dinner.

At the table sat only Adrian, Edward, and Leon—the three men of the Wale family.

“Why isn’t Teacher coming?”

Leon looked toward the door.

Normally, after finishing her reading lesson by five, Diane would either chat and play in the classroom until dinner at five thirty, or come down to the dining room a little early to wait for dinner with Leon.

But today, she had left the study right after class, saying she’d go to her room for a moment.

She promised Leon she’d play with him after dinner.

But she hadn’t shown up at the dinner table.

Since her first day as a resident, she had never once been late for a meal.

At Leon’s muttering, Adrian glanced briefly toward the entrance.

“Rodin!”

It was Edward, who had been silent until now, who called out to Rodin as he entered the dining room.

“Why isn’t Miss Diane Lina coming down?”

“The Teacher said she won’t be joining dinner tonight.”

“What? Why!”

“She said she’s feeling unwell.”

At Rodin’s words, Edward and Adrian exchanged glances.

Adrian immediately looked away when his brother met his eyes, but Edward kept glaring at him with eyes full of anger.

“Teacher isn’t eating dinner?”

Leon pouted.

“Hm… Then let’s begin the meal.”

Adrian spoke as if to block both Edward’s glare and Leon’s complaints, and Rodin signaled the maid to bring out the food.

Edward now glared at Rodin.

“Rodin. Are you going to starve the teacher?”

Diane had clearly said she wouldn’t eat dinner, but strangely, Edward spoke as if Rodin were refusing to feed her.

“I’m not starving her, the teacher said she wouldn’t eat. In fact, sometimes it’s better to skip a meal if you’re feeling sick.”

Rodin’s correction made Edward’s mouth twist.

“Well, Rodin, you can skip meals when you’re sick. But Diane Lina might not be the same, so send up at least some soup later.”

“……Yes.”

Rodin answered after a brief pause, showing he didn’t agree with Edward at all.

But he followed his master’s orders anyway.

After that, only occasional conversation between Leon and Adrian was heard at the table; Edward didn’t say a word until the meal was over.

* * *

After dinner, Adrian went to his study and took out Diane Lina’s letter from his drawer.

He sat at his desk, resting his chin on his fists, and stared for a long time at the recipient’s name on the envelope.

[To my beloved Gale Tertz.]

Gale Tertz.

What was the relationship between this man and Diane Lina?

He could have looked into it, but he hadn’t.

He didn’t need to pay that much attention to her, and just from seeing Edward keep Diane Lina away from Gale, he could guess the basics.

Definitely not family by blood—just a young man.

Originally, he had planned to have the letter delivered to the President’s office at Wale Corporation when Edward returned to Rettrang.

That would have been most satisfying for both Adrian and Edward.

But it wasn’t the right thing to do.

He could see, as plain as day, how Diane Lina was unsettled because of him.

And yet, he hadn’t stopped.

No, maybe he hadn’t been able to stop.

In the end, Edward had called him a ‘bastard,’ and since Diane Lina entered the house, she had done something she’d never done before—she’d skipped dinner.

He should have stopped.

Saying he couldn’t stop was just an excuse.

He was Adrian Wale, a man who could control his actions by will.

Gale Tertz and Diane Lina were people he had no reason to let into his life.

There was no need to be insulted or doubt his own self-control because of people like them—just a coincidence, their lives on different tracks from his own.

He pushed Diane Lina’s letter to the side of his desk and picked up his pen.

He was going to write a formal proposal to Earl Lautrec.

Once the proposal was sent and he received the acceptance letter from the Earl, the engagement would be official.

After that, during the engagement period, the exact wedding date and details would be arranged.

The engagement could last a few months, or even years, but given his age, it likely wouldn’t be long.

In fact, the Earl had shown clear signs of wanting to take the proposal letter with him when he left the Wale mansion this morning.

But Adrian hadn’t mentioned anything about the proposal, nor given any hint about when he’d send it.

It wasn’t that he had feelings for the Earl’s daughter, but he didn’t dislike her either—he just couldn’t bring himself to finalize the engagement.

Of course, he used Leon’s reluctance to accept her as a reason, but it wasn’t the full story.

Leon would probably react the same to any young lady.

He was a child who needed a mother, but from the way things were now, it seemed he wouldn’t open his heart to any woman except the reading teacher for a while.

It was true that the need to fill the position of Duchess started with Leon, but considering his own age, it was time to think about remarriage.

The longer the Duchy went without a lady of the house, the more cracks would appear.

Yes, Leon’s opposition was just an excuse.

He simply hadn’t wanted to hand over the proposal letter.

But now, he needed to stop this pointless behavior.

He could control his emotions by doing what needed to be done.

For example, by writing a proposal to the right woman and proceeding with marriage as he should.