Chapter 33: She Stole My First Love
"If you want, let him do it."
Andrew turned away from her. Tatyana, feeling drained, leaned against the wall.
The onlookers began to murmur among themselves.
"I heard there were problems between the Duke and Duchess... It seems to be true."
"I heard that rumor too. Well... what can you do."
Though some words were inaudible, they certainly weren't saying anything good about Tatyana.
Daniel called out to Tatyana with a worried voice.
"Are you okay? Do you want to go back?"
Tatyana buried her face in his embrace, as he always comforted her affectionately.
Tears welled up in her eyes.
"Just, just a moment, Tatyana."
Daniel pushed her away with a troubled expression. Though he looked pitiful and sympathetic as always, that was all there was.
He found it increasingly difficult to treat her as he used to.
'Besides, this is... crossing the line.'
Moreover, the Duke was still there. Such physical contact was far too intimate to be allowed between friends.
"Tit, I'll take you home."
Tatyana, with a dazed look, reached out and touched her bracelet.
Though it had dropped, her affection level was still high.
'He would never betray me.'
Tatyana followed Daniel's lead, moving her feet.
They passed through the brightly lit garden, heading for the main gate.
"I've called a carriage. It'll be here in a moment."
Tatyana stared at Daniel's hand holding her wrist.
Startled, Daniel let go of her hand.
"Sorry, did it hurt too much?"
He was as affectionate as always, but Tatyana could tell.
He was drawing a line and stepping back.
Anxiety began to rise again.
"Have you had enough of me?"
"W-What are you talking about, Tatyana."
"Why did your attitude suddenly change?"
Daniel's face contorted in pain. This had been a mistake from the start.
If he had set better boundaries, if he had mediated properly, things wouldn't have gone so wrong.
"I should have treated you this way from the beginning, Tatyana."
"You're married. Our relationship was too casual to be just friends."
"Is that bad? We've gotten along well so far."
They hadn't. They had just pretended.
Everyone had pretended, laughed it off.
Daniel had done the same.
In the end, that indifference had become a sharp blade that stabbed Karina.
Daniel recalled the rumors he had heard after Karina's engagement was broken. At the time, he had dismissed them as trivial, but now they seemed absurd.
"I'm sorry, Tatyana. I want to set boundaries."
Tatyana looked at Daniel with a blank expression. She couldn't believe it.
The carriage Daniel had called arrived at the gate on cue.
Seeing the determination in her eyes, Daniel stepped back.
After confirming he was gone, Tatyana got into the carriage.
Everything was a mess. She was tired and her head ached.
"Why is everything going this way?"
Nothing was going as planned.
After Andrew, even Daniel, whom she had firmly trusted, was leaving her.
Yes, if Karina disappeared, everything would be solved.
She needed a more solid plan.
The carriage suddenly stopped. Tatyana, thrown forward, fell to the carriage floor. She got up.
She shouted at the driver outside. Screams could be heard from beyond the wall.
"I-I'm sorry. There's someone in front... Just, just a moment. Hey!"
The carriage door burst open.
Wilhelm's blue hair, shining in the moonlight, looked colder than ever.
Tatyana stepped back to avoid Wilhelm as he entered the carriage.
Her back hit the carriage wall. The expressionless face that approached her crumbled instantly.
"Why, why are you avoiding me, Tit."
Tatyana looked down at the crumbling Wilhelm, tears streaming down his face, with a strange expression.
Tatyana lifted Wilhelm into her arms.
Above his tear-streaked face, the affection level remained at its maximum.
The effort to raise his affection level in a short time after the news of his marriage to Karina was in vain, and he had even lost the copy system he possessed.
With Daniel also distancing himself, Tatyana was cornered. She reached out and cupped Wilhelm's cheek.
His red eyes shimmered with tears. The sight of a man crying gave Tatyana a thrill and confirmed his affection, which she found satisfying.
She gently wiped his cheek and whispered,
"I avoided you because it was all for you."
"Yes. People were starting to suspect our relationship..."
Wilhelm was confused. A mistress wasn't necessarily a bad thing. Especially in a political marriage like his and Tatyana's.
Since their marriage wasn't based on love, they had tacitly accepted the existence of mistresses.
Wilhelm asked, trying to hide his trembling heart. The vague unease he had felt was becoming more real.
"I thought we would become that kind of relationship. Didn't you, Tit?"
Tatyana laughed awkwardly, trying to hide her surprise. Of course, she had let him think that, but she had never intended to make him a mistress.
Most importantly, when she realized the rumors about her were spreading, she couldn't help but shrink back.
This was a first for her, making it even more painful.
"I just didn't want people talking about us."
Wilhelm was still uneasy.
During the time he couldn't reach Tatyana, he had suffered from anxiety.
He had almost nothing left.
He had given half of his inheritance to Karina and was suspended from the knights.
He might even be expelled.
At home, he had to endure the cold treatment from his family.
Just by choosing Tatyana, he had lost so much.
"Wil. Even though I'm married, you know my feelings for you are genuine."
Tatyana soothed him with gentle words, as if understanding his feelings.
"It won't happen, don't worry."
Once, Wilhelm had been everything to Tatyana. The bright days of the past flickered before her eyes.
Tatyana patted his back as he collapsed. Wilhelm closed his eyes quietly.
Wishing her words were sincere.
Back at the Duke's residence, Tatyana washed up and changed into her nightgown. When the servants were all asleep, she left her room and headed for Andrew's bedroom.
Andrew's bedroom was the farthest from her room, as if symbolizing the psychological distance between them, which made Tatyana's heart ache.
She had arrived at the door but couldn't bring herself to knock.
Three years had passed since their marriage, but his disdainful gaze was still unbearable.
Taking a deep breath, Tatyana knocked and asked,
After a moment, the door opened from inside. Andrew's deep purple eyes looked down at her.
Andrew chuckled sarcastically.
"Do you think you have the right to ask me for anything?"
"Can we talk inside instead of here?"
Tatyana glanced around, nervous. She had developed the habit of being cautious, but when did it start?
Sighing, Andrew stepped aside.
Tatyana quickly entered and let out a short sigh.
"What is your request? Speak quickly."
At Andrew's urging, she nodded.
"I want you to let Wilhelm join the Silver Dragon Knights."
Andrew burst out laughing at the absurd request.
"Ha, you want me to let your lover join my knights?"
"Wil is not my lover! We're just very close friends."
"Ah, I see. But that's not what others think."
Andrew mocked her with a sneering tone.
"Who in their right mind would give a position to a man rumored to be their wife's lover?"
Provoked, Tatyana shouted,
"Wilhelm is one of the few Sword Masters in the empire. Don't you need to recruit talented people, even if they are enemies?"