After two years of engagement, Violet was leisurely embroidering a black snake pattern to practice the needlework skills she had learned in her lessons.

“Good thing it’s a snake. It would have been disastrous if it were a squirrel or tiger.”

Violet, who had little talent for embroidery, felt proud that her work, which could have become an unidentifiable animal, was producing a decent result.

She was concentrating on the final touch, embroidering the extended tongue with red thread, when the door suddenly burst open without a knock.

It was Margaret, her personal maid.

“My lady, something terrible has happened.”

Since Margaret only entered without knocking in truly urgent situations, Violet’s crimson eyes sparkled with curiosity the moment the door opened.

Pausing her needlework, she asked, “What happened?”

“Well, the Snake Duke says he wants to cancel his engagement to you.”

“What? Suddenly? Are you sure you didn’t mishear?”

Violet’s previously cheerful expression instantly hardened.

She stood up abruptly with wide eyes, causing her pink hair, which flowed down to her waist, to sway with the movement.

“Yes. Everyone’s in an uproar since receiving the news of the broken engagement. Complete chaos.”

“What reason did he give?”

“I don’t know that much.”

Since arranged marriages based on mutual interests rarely ended suddenly, Violet asked again.

“Are you absolutely sure you didn’t mishear?”

“No, I’m certain,” Margaret replied with confident eyes.

Violet immediately tossed aside the embroidery hoop she was holding and left the room. She headed straight for her father’s study.

She hadn’t met the Snake Duke many times during their engagement, perhaps fewer than ten occasions.

Most of those meetings had been at social gatherings where they had only danced together, so they hadn’t even exchanged many words and had no strong bond.

Nevertheless, she had tried to fulfill her duties as a fiancée, and now this! What was going on?

Furious at this betrayal, Violet couldn’t just sit still. She needed to confirm if Margaret’s information was true.

She stormed toward the study, but even before reaching it, she could hear commotion from inside.

Sensing something was seriously wrong, she flung open the door with a sense of foreboding to find the Count, Countess, retainers, and even the butler in discussion.

Regardless of what conversation they were having, Violet confronted Count Mori directly.

“What on earth is happening?”

“Violet, well…” 

The Count looked troubled, fidgeting uncomfortably. His demeanor confirmed that Margaret hadn’t given her incorrect information.

“I heard a letter came announcing he wants to break our engagement. What reason did he give?”

“No specific reason was written. There were only words of apology and a promise to pay compensation for his wrongdoing.”

“Just like that? Suddenly?”

“Yes.”

Even for an arranged marriage without love, could someone really just unilaterally announce the cancellation of an engagement overnight?

Unable to contain her rising anger, Violet clenched her fists and shouted, “So what are you going to do about it? Are you going to let him break it off however he pleases?”

“What else can we do? We should accept the compensation. He’ll probably offer a substantial amount of consolation money, and we should take comfort in that.”

Count Mori looked bewildered. It seemed he was planning to simply accept the money and be done with it.

“Is that all?”

“Is there something else you want?”

Disappointed by her father’s unwillingness to take any action, Violet yelled at the Count.

“Of course! How can an engagement be broken so suddenly? Don’t just accept his apology, send a letter of protest immediately. Is money all that matters?”

“I understand why you’re angry, but that would be difficult.”

“Why?”

“How can I protest when I don’t want to give up the compensation? The Duke Queensberry will visit the mansion soon to discuss this in person, so prepare yourself.”

From Count Mori’s perspective, even with the broken engagement, he could still recover the money he had lost in business, so he couldn’t bring himself to protest. He was being cautious, fearing he might not even receive that money if he pushed too hard.

“Is compensation all that matters? If this was going to happen, why didn’t he break it off earlier instead of now?”

“The Duke must have his own reasons. Let’s just accept it.”

Their engagement had lasted a full two years!

Violet felt that all the time she had spent taking bridal lessons to adapt to the snake clan had been completely wasted.

“How can you say that? My life has changed because of this!”

“Don’t tell me this is about Leon. He’s already married and living well, so he was never meant to be your partner anyway.”

“No. If it weren’t for this engagement, he would have been my mate. Why did I have to lose my partner?”

The reason Violet was so angry was that during these two years, Leon had quickly married another woman to forget her.

She had let go of her first love, consoling herself with the thought that she too would live happily. That was her only comfort in a situation where she had no choice but to let him go. Now the Snake Duke had torn her firm resolution to shreds.

Moreover, thinking that Leon might have waited for her had she known the engagement would be broken like this, a wave of anger surged within Violet’s heart.

“Violet, that’s enough. It was Leon who made that choice. You should respect his decision.”

The Count tried to calm Violet down, as she was going too far.

He wasn’t wrong, but the past that couldn’t be recovered felt so unfair. The anger was too much to bear!

Tears welled up in her eyes, but Violet bit her lower lip hard, trying to hold them back.

As her clenched fists trembled, the Count’s eyes filled with sympathy at the sight of her.

“I’m sorry for being an inadequate father.”

“Shouldn’t we at least demand to know the specific reason for breaking the engagement?”

“I’m sorry.”

Unable to give a proper answer, the Count simply repeated his apology.

Seeing her father bow his head in shame, Violet realized she had unfairly directed her anger at him.

In the current situation, her father was probably suffering more than anyone else, so what good would come from pressing him further?

“No, you have nothing to be sorry for.”

Suppressing her rising anger, Violet left the study.

Her footsteps were heavy as she walked down the corridor. She stomped forcefully with each step, venting her frustration, causing loud thuds.

That wretched snake!

She resented the Snake Duke who had neglected her all this time and then suddenly broke their engagement when he decided she was no longer needed.

He had waited two years, couldn’t he wait just one more?

Her body was gradually changing, and she felt her heat cycle would come soon, which made the Duke’s decision even more regrettable.

No. Maybe this was all her fault to begin with.

Her resentment toward the Snake Duke suddenly shifted direction, turning toward herself.

In truth, she could guess why the Duke had broken their engagement. It was probably because her heat cycle hadn’t come yet.

Looking at it differently, perhaps he had waited quite a long time, two years, for someone who couldn’t yet fulfill her role as a woman.

Why hasn’t her heat cycle come yet…

Having been an adult for quite some time but still unable to properly fulfill her role, Violet blamed herself for the lack of changes in her body.

Returning to her bedroom, she picked up the handkerchief that had fallen to the floor. Although it wasn’t finished, seeing the black snake pattern made her anger rise again.

“I don’t know why I bothered with this useless thing!”

Though she regretted the effort she had put into the embroidery, her anger toward the Snake Duke was greater, so she immediately revealed her hidden sharp claws and tore the handkerchief to shreds.

Then she buried her face in her pillow and sobbed loudly. The more she thought about it, the more her past entanglement with the Snake Duke felt both unfair and empty.