Chapter 15: I Stole Yeuju's First Love
The romantic atmosphere was shattered by Daniel's loud, clueless voice.
Aster, who had placed his hand on my shoulder, withdrew it and took a step back, clearing his throat awkwardly.
I, too, laughed awkwardly and shook my hand.
"The Duke of Malphion is looking for you."
"Daniel doesn't usually look for me."
I made an excuse, feeling guilty for some reason.
Aster looked down at me and then smiled slightly, leaning in.
"As I said earlier, I'm very jealous. I don't want my lover to be close to this guy or that guy."
"It's completely over between Daniel and me."
I grumbled involuntarily.
Aster patted my shoulder as if to comfort me. We headed toward Daniel, who was calling my name at the top of his lungs, leaving behind a sense of regret.
After leaving the garden, we found Daniel not far away.
Seeing me, Daniel ran over but stopped short when he noticed Aster standing beside me with a stern expression.
"Your Majesty is here as well."
"You must remember what I told you, Duke."
A cold chill ran down my spine from behind.
I approached Daniel without looking back.
He seemed hesitant to speak in front of the Emperor about what Tatiana had told him.
Aster, sensing the tension, shrugged his shoulders.
"Another one of those childhood friend talks, I see. I'll leave you two alone, so talk and come back when you're done."
Aster stepped aside to give us space.
Once his figure had completely disappeared, Daniel spoke urgently.
"Tatiana is acting strange."
I was taken aback, thinking he was going to say something more significant.
After a moment, I glared at him and snapped.
"You looked for me just to tell me this?"
"Didn't you and Tatiana play childhood friend games, calling each other 'Titi' and 'Danny'?"
My blunt tone made Daniel flinch.
"Well, we're just friends."
"Rationally, no matter how close you are, you don't follow a married woman around calling her by a pet name."
When I still harbored hope in this world, I had told him this many times.
It was during the period when Tatiana was cycling through men and leading them around.
I wanted to save Daniel from that absurd group, even though no one else could.
But I received a cold response.
Surprisingly, this world had thoroughly excluded any ill will toward Tatiana.
As a result, it was I who was vilified, as if in reaction.
Daniel, who had witnessed this up close, was the one who saw it most vividly.
"I've told you this many times, Daniel."
Had his affection for me decreased?
But since I couldn't see it, it didn't matter.
"I'm sorry, I was young back then."
Surprisingly, Daniel apologized.
It was the second time after Wilhelm.
Daniel, who had been tense, relaxed at my words.
He sat on a rock in the garden and said,
"Phew... It feels like I've woken up from a spell. What exactly happened to Tatiana, or to me?"
"When you fought with Tatiana, I felt something strange."
I, too, felt that the world, which had moved for Tatiana, was gradually changing.
Perhaps something had changed for him as well. My heart raced.
"Um, it's like... a feeling of something cracking? And I felt something I've never felt before."
"Ah... It's... disgusting."
The words that came out of Daniel's mouth were more than I had expected.
For the beloved heroine to be disgusting.
I found this situation incredibly amusing.
"Just now, she was pouting in front of the Archduke, complaining that you didn't help her dance with the Emperor."
"She even threw a tantrum behind your back?"
I burst out laughing at the thought.
The heroine, standing in front of Andrew and Daniel, insisting on dancing with another man.
"I bet she wanted to die when I danced with Aster."
"Phew... You're right. I didn't know I could be so jealous."
At least on this point, I was certain.
The original work's influence was weakening.
Daniel's current confession about Tatiana's absurd behavior was one piece of evidence.
'Come to think of it, Lily mentioned that there were bad rumors about Tatiana.'
During our academy days, no matter what Tatiana did, there were never any bad rumors about her.
But this time, it was different.
Rumors of her involvement in the annulment of my engagement to Wilhelm spread, and her reputation worsened.
I smiled, lifting the corner of my mouth and stroking my chin.
So, this was what had been making me so sensitive lately?
"Really, was she always like that?"
"Yeah. You just didn't notice it before."
Then, what was the reason for the weakening influence of the original work?
I recalled how she had nervously fiddled with her bracelet.
"Hey, Daniel. I have a question."
"Do you remember the bracelet I gave to you and Tatiana?"
Daniel thought for a moment and nodded.
"Oh, the one Titi, I mean, Tatiana always wears?"
"Yeah, that one. Do you remember where you got it?"
"Hmm... I don't remember exactly. It's been so long, after all."
I was slightly disappointed that he couldn't recall the source.
It would have been a good opportunity to investigate the origin of the bracelet.
"Think harder. Do you remember anything?"
"Um, I think I bought it at the academy festival... when we went for fun."
"Is it just a common bracelet? Not related to magic?"
"Um... I think the seller was a magician."
He couldn't remember clearly. It felt like a headache was coming on.
"Hmm. But I can't be sure. Why don't you ask your mother? She might know more about such things than I do."
I praised Daniel for finally saying something useful and stood up.
This was the most valuable information I gained from the ball tonight.
"Thanks for today. One piece of advice: don't be so nice to Tatiana in the future. Your life will get noisy."
I turned away, leaving Daniel nodding dumbly.
It was time to return to Aster, who was waiting for me.
The tumultuous ball was over.
As soon as I returned to the ducal mansion, I grabbed the bracelet and went to find my mother.
"Lily, do you know which room Mother is using?"
"Um, yeah. I'll go check."
"No, I'll ask the butler. I need to talk to her anyway."
I left the room and asked the butler about my mother's whereabouts. He replied with a slightly pleased expression.
"She's in the duchess's room."
I felt a surge of excitement at his unexpected answer. I thought she would be staying in a guest room, but the duchess's room?
'So, Father still has feelings for her.'
Their divorce wasn't simply the result of their love running out.
Mother was too busy, and so was Father.
One was supporting and running the magical community, while the other was doing the same for the family.
Especially during the period when Aster ascended to the throne and numerous civil wars broke out, things got worse.
They rarely returned home even once a week, and then my engagement to Daniel was annulled.
'They must have had a huge fight.'
I accepted the situation calmly, but my parents were different.
Mother was furious that I had been humiliated because she had blindly followed the absurd prenatal engagement.
Father was deeply hurt by her words, and eventually, their long-standing discord erupted.
'After the divorce, they both struggled a lot.'
Despite their divorce, both my parents cared enough about each other to ask about my well-being to check on the other.
But the problem was their pride, which neither would bend.
'I shouldn't be like that.'
Taking my parents as a cautionary example, I stood in front of the duchess's room and knocked.
"Mother, do you have a moment?"
"Huh? Yes, of course. Wait a moment."
I heard a clatter from inside.
After a moment, the door opened.
Mother's face seemed redder than usual.
I looked up at her silently. She turned her head slightly, avoiding my gaze.
Mother noticed the bracelet in my hand and asked.
"Ah, this is why I'm here! Do you happen to know what kind of gem is attached to this bracelet?"