The Only Way to Break the Curse is Through Contact with You - Chapter 32
The next morning, Roeni showed up at the office looking fresh, as if what happened before, when the doctors had shaken their heads and said there was nothing they could do, was a lie.
Although she looked a little pale, she looked much better than a few days ago.
Though there was a hint of resentment in the fierce way she looked at him as if something had gone wrong.
“I’ve come to finish the story I couldn’t finish then.”
Roeni said bluntly with her pouted lips. She secretly looked at him with her eyes wide open, but Diart, who was skilled at reading the opponent’s movements due to his long battlefield experience, couldn’t miss that much.
“Don’t.”
Diart pretended not to know and leaned his back on the sofa. Soon after, the maid brought tea. Diart watched Roeni drink tea with a cup in her hand. At that time, he didn’t know, but it seemed that the reason she dropped the cup was due to her physical condition.
Roeni, who felt his gaze, looked up. Then she quickly put down her cup and brought up the main topic.
“The essence of a deal is give and take, right?”
Roeni was full of self-confidence as she smiled brightly. It was clear that she thought Diart would naturally accept the deal she proposed. He thought she would either play tricks with her wish-granting ticket or demand that he withdraw the divorce. But what she wanted was quite the opposite.
“What I want is for the Duke to grant my wish.”
If she had wanted a diamond mine or other jewels, he would have been willing to give it to her, but when she suddenly asked for a wish, he wondered what she had in mind.
What’s more, Roeni’s first wish was very unexpected.
“For the first one, I would like you to expedite the divorce process.”
He wondered if she was using her wish to manipulate me, as she always does. Or demand that he withdraw the divorce. But what she wanted was quite the opposite.
He thought it was some kind of trick or a ploy to make him change his mind. But in fact, Roeni seemed to be the one who wanted the divorce more than he did.
Diart couldn’t take his eyes off Roeni’s face, who looked very relieved for some reason.
Clearly, Roeni Wheaton no longer had feelings for him.
There was no room for suspicion, considering that she attended social gatherings with a clear purpose and made appointments to meet the Crown Prince, who was famous for his numerous flirtations.
It was an unexpected event, so he should have just ignored it, but he couldn’t. Part of him thought he was just curious about her sudden transformation, but it seemed strange to be fixating his gaze on a woman he had never really looked at before for such a simple reason.
Yesterday, he watched Roeni sitting in the garden with her maid, laughing and eating ice cream. At that moment, I thought that her laughter, which he usually found annoying, sounded quite pleasant. And at that moment, Diart realized that he was not in his right mind.
It seems that recently, Diart himself has become a different person. Because otherwise, he couldn’t understand why he was concerned about Roeni.
“Suddenly becoming concerned about a woman I didn’t even pay attention to before? That must be it.”
Diart turned his head at the voice that delved into his thoughts.
Lambert had gathered the knights during their post-training break and gave them a lecture on dating.
“I found it annoying and frustrating that she was chasing after me all this time, but now that she’s actually seeing another man, it feels weird. Something feels empty. What? Why am I feeling like this?”
“Yes, it feels exactly like that… No, I mean, yes.”
Among the knights who were staring at Lambert with great interest, Jetho nodded vigorously, then hesitated, and nodded again.
“Do I like her? But no, it’s not that. I don’t even have the thought of wanting to date her. Do you know what this is called in technical terms?”
“What?”
The knights sat up straighter. Lambert, who had been slouching, sat down next to Jetho and draped his arm over his shoulder.
“Fi. Shing. Ma. Nage. Ment.”
“What? Fishing management1어장 관리요 can be roughly translated as ‘stringing someone along’ or ‘keeping someone on the hook.’ It refers to the behavior of maintaining a romantic or flirtatious connection with someone without committing to a serious relationship, often for manipulative purposes.?”
“Like this, I won’t accept your feelings, but it’s unpleasant when your interest fades away, so I’ll throw you little treats to keep you from looking elsewhere. I don’t want what you have to offer, but it’s a waste to give you to someone else.”
“Well, that’s… “
“In short, she’s a horrible bitch, so get over your feelings, Jetho Ache.”
“Huh? N-No… I mean, it’s not about me, it’s about a friend.”
Surprised, Jetho quickly objected. But his trembling voice made it clear to anyone listening that he was flustered, undermining his credibility. Lambert looked at him with pity and shook his head.
“Get over yourself and find another nice girl, you minnow-like2“송사리” can refer to a weak or powerless person, often used as a metaphor to describe someone with little influence or authority bastard.”
“Oh, no. It’s really not about me…”
As Jetho timidly tried to object until the end, the knights who had gathered around him patted his shoulder. While Jetho was wiping away tears from the camaraderie that comforted him by offering to set him up on a blind date with a pitiful face, Lambert approached Diart and spoke in passing.
“But sometimes the tables can turn.”
So, you must always engrave deep in your heart the truth of doing well while you have it, okay? Lambert, who said it meaningfully, smiled mischievously. Diart, who was already feeling complicated, was annoyed with Lambert’s smirking face which seemed to know everything.
Lambert, who had been kicked in the thigh by Diart, sighed and chuckled for a long time, wondering what was so funny.
* * *
Am I doing this fishing management thing Lambert was talking about?
Diart looked at Roeni, who was soundly asleep, snoring.
Certainly, there were similarities between what he said and his own situation, but he had never wanted Roeni’s attention. On the contrary, he wished for her to go away.
Moreover, he had no other woman besides Roeni, so it was contradictory to call it fishing management.
Diart stood up from the chair and took confident strides. He stopped in front of the sofa and observed Roeni’s face with a scrutinizing gaze.
‘Her face looks pale.’
He pulled out his oldest memory of Roeni from his hazy memories. In an instant, he remembered the violet irises that looked down at him with a more bewildered expression as she stroked his chest after invading his room.
‘Back then, she had quite a bit of flesh, didn’t she?’
The plumpness of her cheeks seemed to have diminished noticeably.
‘Come to think of it, she seems a bit thin now.’
No, in fact, he couldn’t remember what the original Roeni looked like because he had never looked at her closely. But he could tell she was unwell, with her pale skin that had lost its luster, hair that had lost its shine, and bags under her eyes that didn’t look like the pampered aristocrat she was.
Diart recalled Roeni from yesterday, who was covering her nose with a blood-stained handkerchief.
‘I thought she was making excuses not to attend the banquet. But it wasn’t the case.’
He had accepted the invitation because it was to introduce the Empress’s niece, and there was a good chance that the informant who was passing information to an enemy country would be there.
He couldn’t bring a sick person with him, and it would be impolite of him to attend alone. He was contemplating whether to postpone it for another opportunity.
“I’m thinking of moving out of the mansion.”
Suddenly, he remembered Roeni’s nonchalant remark earlier as if it was nothing important.
Diart, who was quietly looking down at Roeni who had fallen asleep, leaned down to remove the book she was holding in her arms. As his hand was about to grab the book, Roeni’s closed eyes fluttered open.
Diart and Roeni’s eyes met in close proximity. And at the same time,
“Ahh!!”
Roeni screamed as if she had seen a monster, pushing him away with a startled shout. Diart, who was standing in a clumsy position, defenseless, was pushed back in an instant and stumbled backward. Half-lying in front of the sofa, he used his hand to support himself as he looked up at the standing Roeni.
Breathing heavily as if truly surprised, Roeni suddenly realized the situation and covered her mouth.
“Oh my goodness! I’m sorry, Duke! I was just so startled.”
Diart silently placed the book he was holding on the table and stood up from his seat.
“You look tired, you can read the book later and leave.”
Ignoring the flustered Roeni, Diart crossed the study and headed towards his desk.
“I didn’t push you on purpose. I was just momentarily startled because I opened my eyes and you were right in front of me. Please forgive me.”
“Alright, just go.”
“You’re not going to take it to heart, are you?”
After confirming several times what she was so worried about, Roeni left the study and Diart sat down heavily on the chair, brushing aside his fallen bangs. He looked like a mess after doing something foolish.
Diart’s mood soured, thinking about Roeni who had looked at him as if she had seen a monster. So now that she has lost interest, she thinks she can just walk away?
“Your change in attitude is as sharp as a knife.”
* * *
Translator
- 1어장 관리요 can be roughly translated as ‘stringing someone along’ or ‘keeping someone on the hook.’ It refers to the behavior of maintaining a romantic or flirtatious connection with someone without committing to a serious relationship, often for manipulative purposes.
- 2“송사리” can refer to a weak or powerless person, often used as a metaphor to describe someone with little influence or authority