Chapter 1 (Part 3)

An annulment is not something one can decide alone. Engagements, annulments, and marriages require the approval of the heads of both families. In this situation, it means that Marquis Fedeurus has approved the annulment between Beonar and her.

The smiling face of Marquis Fedeurus, who adored her, came to mind. So she couldn’t understand Beonar’s words about the annulment.

The Marquis liked her, a spirit mage. But how could she accept that the Marquis agreed to Beonar’s request to annul the engagement just because he was tired of waiting for a fiancée who frequently went on deployments!

“If it’s because you found a better match, I could understand. But if the only reason is that you’re tired of waiting for a fiancée who went out on imperial orders, it’s hard for me to accept that as a reason for the annulment.”

Beonar smirked and said,

“I do not love you, Lady Yuliana Loengrin.”

“We are nobles. Did you forget this is a political engagement?”

“I! I…”

Yuliana was startled by his raised voice. Beonar sighed, lowered his voice, and continued speaking.

“No matter how much my father liked you, he permitted the annulment because I consistently expressed my dislike.”

“That is… a political enga…”

Yuliana shut her mouth, preventing herself from making a hasty excuse.

“Are you the only one unaware that I cannot feel any attraction to you as a woman? And I am tired of your rejection of physical affection.”

“That’s because!”

Even in an engagement, physical contact was not a necessity, and the reason she had avoided his touch was simply because she was embarrassed.

“I am not some rude person, and we are engaged… Yet you trembled at my touch… Other fiancées are said to be more receptive to their fiancés’ touches…”

Is this person standing before me really Beonar? He was so different from the kind and polite person I knew.

Her heart hurt so much. She could feel the tears welling up. But she must not show her anger or cry in front of Beonar.

“Although I understand you want to maintain proper conduct as the ‘Saint of the Battlefield,’ you seem inflexible to me.”

Yuliana bit the inside of her mouth to endure the humiliation from his sneering.

“Honestly, I only endured the engagement period because of the financial support you provided. But now, maintaining an engagement without feelings is harder than the money.”

The business support funds given out of gratitude and apology to the one who waited for her and supported her expeditions.

“For 9 years, you have received business funds from me, and now you find it hard to accept money from a woman you don’t love? It would be easier to understand if you told me you found someone else.”

“For your information, the business funds were given at your own discretion, so I have no reason to repay them.”

Beonar spoke without a hint of change in his expression.

She can’t understand his excuses about deployments or physical affection. They are absurd. It only seems like he is making excuses to annul the engagement. Explaining why she couldn’t accept his touch would only make her appear desperate. She can’t allow that.

Yuliana bit the inside of her mouth again. Her head hung lower as she felt overwhelmed by frustration and despair.

The party requesting the annulment should provide compensation, but Beonar was placing the blame on her.

There’s only one reason he’s saying this. The family responsible for the annulment must provide compensation to the other family.

“You want to annul the engagement but don’t want to pay compensation, so you are making excuses and blaming me.”

“Earl Loengrin has already signed to provide compensation. Anyway, that’s all I have to say.”

Beonar scoffed and turned to leave the reception room.

“Now that we are no longer engaged, we are strangers. Please do not cling to me. Lady Loengrin, I must go buy a dress for my new lover. Goodbye.”

He left after saying only what he wanted to say. The sound of the door closing was the only indication that Beonar had left the reception room.

Yuliana slumped into the sofa with a thud after Beonar left the room.

All the memories from the first time she met him until now dominated her mind. She did not love him, but she relied on and trusted him as her fiancé.

Yuliana tightly grasped the hem of her dress.

Her heart was noisy. She felt dizzy and nauseous.

“My lady! I’m coming in.”

The maid Luda tried to come in, but Yuliana refused.

“Leave me alone!”

She didn’t want to yell at Luda, but she couldn’t control her emotions.

She bit her lower lip hard, trying to calm her trembling lips as the sense of humiliation kept building. However, she couldn’t stop the tears from streaming down her trembling eyes.

She felt ashamed and humiliated for having imagined and anticipated his proposal on her own.

* * *

Matthias Loengrin frowned as he looked down at the letter of annulment sent by the Marquis of Fedeurus.

“Father, please stamp the annulment letter quickly.”

At Louis’s urging, Matthias retrieved the family seal from the magical subspace. He dripped wax onto the signature at the bottom of the document and pressed the seal firmly.

“Where is Lia?”

Matthias asked his son Louis while pressing his temples with his thumb.

“She went to her room after leaving the reception room.”

“Has she eaten?”

“Luda is taking good care of her. And Selenia is also coming to the estate.”

“Yes. It would be better for Luda and Selenia to be with Lia than us.”

Matthias sighed deeply.

“Father, we have been waiting for this annulment. Why the sigh?”

“While I am glad for the annulment, cutting off a 9-year engagement like paper will likely cause Lia great distress.”

“Sending her to a worthless family and causing her heartache would have been worse than this annulment.”

“Of course, you are right… But look at this.”

Louis picked up the annulment letter and slowly read from the first line.

[The responsibility for the annulment lies entirely with Lady Loengrin, and thus the compensation for the engagement will be paid by the Loengrin family to the Marquis of Fedeurus.]

“What the… Father, you don’t intend to pay compensation to the Fedeurus family, do you?”

“If paying compensation to that damned Fedeurus means we can annul the engagement… then paying and annulling it is the right thing to do.”

“Of course, I agree. But… it is frustrating, Father.”

“I understand what you want to say, but stop talking! Taking responsibility… and paying compensation is not a problem for the Loengrin family…”

“Father, I just…”

Louis continued with a complicated expression.

“Lia always praised Beonar and the Marquis of Fedeurus, saying she was happy with the engagement.”

Yuliana’s continuous praise of the Marquis of Fedeurus and his son Beonar was well understood by Matthias. It was to prevent Matthias from feeling guilty.

In the past, Matthias had apologized for the forced engagement due to Emperor Rezeph. But Yuliana had said she was satisfied with the engagement to Beonar.

<You don’t know how kind Young Lord Beonar is to me.>

<Look at the dresses and jewels the Marquis of Fedeurus sent me. I am so cherished.>

Yuliana had spent 9 years trying to reassure Matthias by defending them. That is why Louis had also decided to accept Beonar as family.

But then, without warning, they received notice of the annulment from the Fedeurus family.

“This incident must have deeply hurt Lia. But what I worry about is… Father, I fear that Lia, because of this emotional wound, might be afraid to trust and meet new people in the future… That is what worries me.”

“A wound received from someone you trusted does not heal easily. That is what worries me too. But… Lia resembles Rosaline more than anyone. She is a strong-hearted child. She will overcome this well.”

Matthias said, looking at the portrait of a beautiful blonde woman smiling brightly in front of the desk. Louis also shifted his gaze to the portrait and smiled.

“Louis, deliver the annulment letter to the Imperial Palace. I want to be alone until the evening.”

“Understood.”

Matthias handed the annulment letter to Louis. Holding the annulment letter, Louis left the earl’s estate with a determined face.

Noble marriages require the Emperor’s seal. Even if the heads of the families have stamped their seals, the annulment cannot proceed without the Emperor’s approval.

Yuliana and Beonar must annul their engagement. Although he hadn’t told his son, Beonar had committed many wrongs without Yuliana’s knowledge.

Every time he recalled them, he ground his teeth. Although it would hurt now to be betrayed by someone she trusted, the painful annulment was better than a torturous marriage.