But even that wasn’t strictly true when examined closely. More precisely, they hadn’t truly spent the night together. They hadn’t gone all the way. For some reason, Maximus had watched her lying quietly on the bed, let out heavy sighs, and left halfway through.

‘Is that why he wants to break off the engagement?’

Ariel believed she had done her best to respond to Maximus’s demands. She couldn’t understand why she had to hear a declaration of broken engagement.

“Hah.”

But he seemed displeased even by Ariel looking at him with innocent eyes that knew nothing. Just like that night they had shared, he let out a deep sigh. He even ran both hands through his hair in frustration, seemingly more exasperated than Ariel, who didn’t understand the reason.

Ariel sat across from him, watching his behavior without moving a muscle like a doll. Maximus, observing her like this, could no longer hold back and spoke honestly. So honestly it became a problem.

“I can’t imagine living with someone as lifeless as you.”

“What did you say?”

Lifeless—this was the first time Ariel had heard such words. Of course, it had to be the first time. Maximus was the first man she had ever spent a night with.

“What’s the point of holding a woman who just lies there like a wooden log on the bed? My thing that stands up fine with other women won’t even get hard.”

“……”

“No matter how much wealth the Naiad family has, I can’t live like that.”

“You can’t get everything you want from a political marriage.”

Ariel tried to calmly recite what could be gained from a political marriage. But the more she spoke, the louder Maximus became.

“See! I really can’t live and die with a boring woman like you. I want someone more seductive! More coquettish!”

“Do you want a courtesan?”

“If I went looking for a courtesan and made her my mistress, would the Naiads just sit still?!”

“They wouldn’t.”

Father would certainly rage about how dare anyone disrespect the Naiads. He wouldn’t think of it as disrespecting Ariel by keeping a mistress. Rather, he was the type who would be genuinely furious about disrespecting a daughter of the Naiads.

“I prefer a woman like Lady Blanc over someone like you. So break off our engagement.”

Lady Blanc was famous for cycling through men. A woman who had accumulated wealth by repeatedly remarrying older men. While she didn’t have the honor of the Naiads, she certainly possessed considerable wealth. 

Still, Ariel found it extremely unpleasant that he compared her, a Naiad, to another woman. The efforts she had made to live as a Naiad weren’t something that someone like Maximus Roysel could mock.

In this situation, Ariel had nothing to say to Maximus. While it would be awkward to tell her family about being rejected, the Naiads wouldn’t actually lose anything from this incident. Of course, there might be some disruption to the joint business ventures between the families.

“You seem to have made up your mind.”

“Yes.”

Ariel thought it was rather fortunate. If she had truly spent their wedding night with him, Father would have been angry that her value in the marriage market had decreased. Wasn’t that why she had responded to Maximus Roysel’s demands before? 

Simply because he was her fiancé and she thought she would marry him—nothing more, nothing less.

“Understood. I’ll speak to my parents first.”

When she mentioned telling Count and Countess Naiad, Maximus flinched slightly, but he still seemed unwilling to change his mind. Yes, if he had intended to change his mind over something this trivial, he wouldn’t have demanded a broken engagement while comparing her to other women.

“Then.”

Ariel bid farewell to Maximus, who looked at her with disgust mixed in his gaze, maintaining proper courtesy. It was far too bland a farewell for someone who had been her fiancé for over three years. Maximus was even more irritated by her demeanor. But she no longer felt any reason to care about someone who was no longer her fiancé.

There were plenty of people who wanted the high reputation of the Naiad name anyway. Before long, her family would introduce her to another suitable man who wouldn’t damage their honor. 

Perhaps he would be more beneficial than Maximus Roysel, or maybe someone acceptable even if slightly disadvantageous.

‘I don’t know who it will be, but since it’s a political marriage anyway, it doesn’t matter.’

This thought remained unchanged even after parting with Maximus and reporting to her father and mother. Both were slightly surprised to hear that Maximus wanted to break off the engagement, but they soon accepted it. The Count was only quietly angry that Maximus hadn’t spoken to him, the family head, first.

Thus Ariel gained a brief period of freedom. Her parents granted Ariel a certain degree of liberty. Of course, this came with the condition that she must not tarnish the Naiad family’s honor. 

Still, Ariel planned to make the most of the slight freedom she had gained before becoming engaged to another man. Though this would only mean her outings could be slightly longer.

‘Perhaps this time I’ll prepare for marriage immediately upon engagement.’

Since she had reached marriageable age, Father would certainly marry her off quickly, like selling her before her value in the marriage market dropped further. She had no major complaints since she thought all noble ladies her age were in similar situations. She only hoped her next partner would be someone with a bit more manners, not a ruffian who would compare her to other women to her face.

However, three days later, Ariel discovered that this broken engagement was a bigger problem than she had thought.

It happened when she attended a social gathering as usual. Strangely, more people were snickering when they saw her. Even those who had always sought her out to greet her first were now laughing at her from a distance. Ariel was puzzled by people’s reactions, which she had never experienced before.

Even though news of her broken engagement had spread, broken engagements weren’t that uncommon. Even if her value in the marriage market had dropped slightly, she hadn’t thought it was something to be ridiculed to this extent. 

But the contemptuous gazes that followed Ariel after she appeared at the gathering showed no sign of letting up. Unaccustomed to such treatment, Ariel didn’t know how to respond properly.

‘Just for a broken engagement, I’m receiving this kind of treatment? That’s never happened before.’

She was a Naiad, after all. While Ariel was struggling to understand the cause of this strange situation, the answer came surprisingly quickly. Marian Estrica, a marquis’s daughter who had been sending her unfriendly looks, spoke loudly enough for everyone to hear.

“Even the great Naiads are no exception, it seems.”

“Pfft, isn’t that a bit too harsh?”

“It is pitiful, but how lacking in feminine charm must she have been… What good is a great family if the person isn’t great?”

Marian. Someone who had always been dissatisfied that the mere Count family of Naiad stood shoulder to shoulder with ducal and marquis families. This wasn’t the first or second time she had made such remarks for Ariel to hear, so Ariel couldn’t help but know.

“I don’t like that attitude. She’s just from a count’s family, after all.”

“Isn’t it too pathetic to bring up some prophecy child from over a hundred years ago?”

She had never hidden her hostility toward Ariel at social gatherings like this. Ariel had simply thought the young lady was being childish and hadn’t even bothered to respond, which only made the other party more heated. Today she had planned not to respond again, but she heard something she shouldn’t have.

“How lacking in feminine charm must she have been for Roysel to give up on a Naiad?”

Ariel unconsciously turned her gaze toward Marian. Marian smiled with satisfaction when Ariel, who was usually impassive, finally reacted. Everyone present knew she was taking this opportunity to completely look down on Ariel.

“What did you just say?”

“Oh, well. There’s an interesting rumor going around in society.”

At Ariel’s question, Marian fluttered her fan, covered her mouth, and giggled. Ariel refuted her words seemingly unperturbed.

“It must be baseless gossip. Like most rumors are.”

“I wonder about that. Since it’s coming from the fiancé who spent the night with her, it doesn’t seem like gossip.”

“……”

“Where there’s no fire, there’s no smoke, right? There must be a reason for such talk to come out.”

Coming from her fiancé. Ariel finally learned that Maximus Roysel had been spreading malicious gossip about her to others. Since it was such an intimate matter, she couldn’t hide her expression in time. Thinking she had cornered Ariel, Marian now put away her fan and openly sneered.

“Lifeless stone. If it were me, I wouldn’t be able to hold my head up.”

“That has nothing to do with me.”

Lifeless stone. Words she didn’t even want to utter. And she didn’t want to think of herself as that type either. Though Ariel denied the rumor, Marian and her followers didn’t believe her at all and snickered.

“Oh, is that so? Pfft.”

Ariel was angry but maintained her usual elegant smile. She judged that managing the situation was more urgent than dealing with these women right now.

“Then I’ll be going.”

“Lady Naiad!”

“What is it?”

“I’m saying this for your sake, but why don’t you visit some courtesans? You might improve a little.”

At Marian’s insult, Ariel clenched her fists tightly. But she had no words to refute in this situation. 

No matter how much she insisted she wasn’t a lifeless stone, she had no evidence. It would only invite more ridicule from them.