Chapter 7: I took away Yeuju's first love
Yeuju, Daniel, and Tatiana were close friends since childhood.
Daniel was very popular, and the most significant part of his route was the melodramatic power of loving a friend's friend.
Daniel had his heart set on Tatiana, not me, since childhood, and he would buy two of the same items and give them as gifts, using our close friendship as an excuse.
'In the original story, I didn't like that at all.'
It was only natural. Who would want to share a lover, no matter how close the friendship?
Anyway, this bracelet was a significant motif in Daniel's route.
It's just that it's useless now.
"Throw it away. I don't understand why you still have it."
"It was cherished for a long time..."
Lily muttered, sounding reluctant.
"That was from Daniel. Each of us got one, just like Tatiana."
"I'll take care of it quietly."
Lily, startled by my words, pushed the bracelet into the pocket of her apron.
Come to think of it, Tatiana treated this bracelet with great care.
She would wear it even to important events, knowing she would be ignored.
"Lily, give it back to me."
"Shouldn't we throw away such ominous items?"
Lily reluctantly handed me the bracelet.
I held the bracelet up to the light of the chandelier.
Sure enough, it was just an ordinary glass gem.
Just as I was about to give it back to Lily, something appeared on the bracelet, like noise.
"Why are you doing that, Miss?"
"Lily, didn't you just see something strange on it?"
"No, I didn't see anything."
"I definitely saw something strange..."
I held the bracelet up to the light again, but the strange phenomenon didn't reappear.
Lily, who had been watching my actions, seemed a bit scared and said, sweeping her arm.
"Maybe we should throw it away quickly. What if it's cursed?"
If it were, my mother would have known.
"Better to keep it just in case."
I opened the drawer of the side table and put the bracelet inside.
Lily still looked uneasy as she watched the drawer.
Duke Hunt was happy until recently.
His business was thriving, and he had a grandson, which made his life complete.
Despite his outstanding sword skills, Wilhelm, not being the eldest son, was a sore spot, but even his engagement was secured.
However, the document in front of him made him forget about his business and his adorable grandson's smile.
"You... What have you done?"
The duke felt like what he was reading was a lie.
[Engagement Cancellation Request]
It hadn't been long since they held a modest but beautiful engagement ceremony.
The document demanding a high compensation and a forgotten sea made his head spin.
What shocked him even more was the reason for the cancellation.
"A mistress, and with the Duchess of Gloucester, no less."
Wilhelm's lips tightened at the duke's words.
Feigning calm, he spoke firmly.
"The duchess is mistaken. The Duchess of Gloucester and I are not in that kind of relationship."
"Are you saying the duchess is lying?!"
"It's a misunderstanding."
But the duke didn't believe his son.
Even after graduation, Wilhelm couldn't forget his first love, Tatiana.
He thought it might get better after she got married.
But he kept lingering around the Duchess of Gloucester, and it wasn't the first time he was caught.
When the Duke of Pioneia proposed the marriage, the duke pushed Wilhelm, who was vehemently refusing.
He thought having a woman of the duchess's caliber by his side would make him settle down.
"Are you saying the duchess is making it up?!"
"I've already said it's a misunderstanding. Seeing me and Tatiana being close... "
"Tatiana? What kind of ridiculous name is that!"
Wilhelm's attitude made the duke dizzy.
If he's like this in front of me, what did he say to the duchess?
He instinctively felt that this marriage was over.
'But it's the Duke of Pioneia. We can't afford to make enemies.'
To avoid that, they needed to part ways as smoothly as possible.
If Wilhelm could humble himself and beg the duchess, there might be a chance.
"Go and apologize immediately. Do you think marriage is a child's game?"
Wilhelm left the office, feeling a headache.
At the same time, he regretted his past honesty.
He ran his hand through his hair and muttered.
"I should have just lied."
He had maintained a relationship with Tatiana that was more than friends but less than lovers for a long time.
He felt guilty towards the duchess, but could human feelings change so easily?
Wilhelm couldn't let her go.
At first, he thought it was possible.
He put aside his feelings and got engaged for the sake of success and the family.
But after the engagement ceremony, he received a message from Tatiana.
From a woman who hadn't met him since her marriage.
When they met again after a long time, she was as beautiful as ever.
With her long silver hair and innocent smile, Tatiana looked like a fairy.
'If Bill gets married, it will be easier to meet! It will be much better than being single.'
He understood that Tatiana wanted him as a lover.
He wanted to seek Karina's approval.
Since their relationship was purely strategic, he thought she would understand.
'Who would have thought Tatiana would feel inferior?'
As soon as their relationship started to wobble, communication with Tatiana was cut off again.
Like parched earth after a brief rain.
He wanted to do whatever it took to restore his relationship with Tatiana.
And there was only one way to do that.
'I have to prevent the cancellation at all costs.'
The perfect knight, Wilhelm, detested lies to the point of obsession.
So, he never thought about winning Karina over with sweet words.
He decided to tackle the problem head-on.
If he apologized sincerely and explained the benefits of continuing the engagement, Karina would surely understand.
Wilhelm sighed and began to think of a proposal that might persuade the duchess.
With the wedding postponed, I had more than enough time.
People advised me to focus on the wedding, but my passion had long run dry.
I no longer trusted anyone or had the desire to get married.
This strange world had always been lenient with Tatiana but quite harsh on me.
The stigma of the cancellation always stuck to me.
'So, it's better to just pretend to date the Emperor.'
I wanted to focus on something else to distract myself.
After some thought, I decided to use the sea I had taken from Wilhelm to expand my business.
I planned to develop it in a different way from her.
For that, I needed to do some preliminary research.
I knew nothing about fragrances.
When I arrived at the most popular perfume boutique, I noticed familiar faces.
My luck was particularly bad today. It just so happened that the noblewomen close to Tatiana were also at the boutique.
I scanned the room to see if Tatiana was there, but fortunately, she wasn't.
I decided to ignore them and focus on the fragrances.
"Isn't that the Duchess of Pioneia?"
A small but audible voice.
"Oh, it is. I heard she's getting engaged again, but she looks happy."
"Recently, there's a rumor that she's attached to the Emperor?"
The voices grew quieter after that.
They were probably gossiping to their heart's content.
Rumors always get distorted.
The scandal between me and Aster was a mix of half-truths and lies that spread everywhere.
Because of the cancellation with Wilhelm, it seemed like I was clinging to the Emperor.
"Don't mind them, Miss. They're just jealous."
I had experienced this more than once.
What bothered me more was the person who always appeared to play the righteous one.
"Stop it. Karin can hear you!"
Unfortunately, their voices were too low to hear clearly.
"Why are you spreading such ridiculous rumors about seducing the Emperor and being caught with two men?!"
Instead, Tatiana's shouting made everyone in the boutique hear the gossip.
I could feel people's gazes.
In the end, I had to turn Tatiana around by grabbing her shoulder.
Her anger over my affairs as if they were her own was laughable.
These people couldn't even hurt me.
I faced her, unsure if her angry expression was real or an act.