Chapter 8: I Stole Yooju's First Love
Ignoring Tatyana, who was about to raise her voice, I looked at the ladies.
"We are in the process of breaking off the engagement, and it's true that I have a good relationship with His Majesty. But it's not a love triangle."
My statement made the boutique fall silent.
"Does this clear things up? I hope the right rumors spread."
As I watched their flustered faces turn red, I deliberately gave them a bright smile.
Perhaps because she had heard a word from Tatyana, whom she thought was on her side?
They apologized to me and left.
Once the inside was settled, I turned to Tatyana.
"Thank you for your help, Her Highness the Grand Duchess."
"Of course, we're friends."
She shamelessly called me a friend.
I ignored her words and bowed slightly to say goodbye.
"Your Highness, have a pleasant shopping experience."
It seemed better to do the preliminary investigation next time.
Being in the same space as Tatyana was not good for either of us.
I didn't want to leave any more fodder for the hyenas to tear apart.
Especially not at a moment like this, when I was receiving so much attention.
The only male lead Tatyana carried around like an accessory.
In fact, after marriage, Tatyana had cleanly severed all her male relationships.
She had cleared up her colorful male relationships and cut off all her promises with them.
Thanks to this, Raymond and Wilhelm hovered around her like dogs in heat.
Thinking about it, it was understandable why Wilhelm had gone crazy, wanting to become her lover.
Tatyana, who had never contacted him, had approached him first, so he must have thought it was an opportunity.
However, there was one person who was excluded from this cleanup.
All thanks to the good facade of being childhood friends.
"Tatyana asked me to. I know you're angry, but we've known each other for years. Do you really have to talk to me like that?"
The kind Daniel was always like this.
"I'm sorry, but I'm busy now."
I didn't want to have this tiresome conversation.
As I tried to ignore him and turn to leave, Tatyana grabbed my hand.
On her small, pretty hand, I saw the bracelet I had seen a few days ago.
Tatyana looked like she was about to cry.
The gazes around us became even sharper.
'If this keeps happening, it's going to be a problem.'
I needed to draw a line with Tatyana. I slowly nodded and went outside.
We moved to a small café not far from the boutique and sat in a private room.
Tatyana, who had always been bold after taking my lovers, was now cowering.
According to the news Lili had told me, rumors about Tatyana's numerous male relationships were spreading secretly.
Of course, my mood improved in the opposite direction.
"What did you want to talk about?"
Tatyana fiddled with the bracelet on her wrist and asked me.
"Are you really that close to His Majesty?"
After clinging to me so desperately, this was all she could ask?
I found it absurd and deliberately teased her.
"Hmm. Why are you so curious?"
"That's... He was my first love, too."
"Oh, really? His Majesty was your first love?"
I already knew this but pretended not to.
"Yes. So when I heard you were seeing His Majesty..."
"Why? Does it feel strange to be on the receiving end for once?"
At my words, Tatyana's face hardened.
She stammered, almost on the verge of tears.
"Is it because of Bill? I told you it was a misunderstanding."
At her words, I leaned back and laughed.
"It's not all Wilhelm's fault. But he did open my eyes."
"I thought that if Bill got married, we could still be close like before. We were originally friends."
"Titia, the world calls that 'managing a harem.'"
I said, watching her habitually fiddle with the glass beads of the bracelet.
At my words, she closed her mouth. The room became a bit more peaceful with Tatyana quiet.
In the awkward silence, I lifted my teacup.
Seeing her different from usual, a childish competitiveness arose in me. I wanted to provoke Tatyana more.
"You can't interfere with my relationship with Aster, Titia."
"Aster? You're on a first-name basis with His Majesty?"
"Ah, sorry. We agreed to use first names only when we're alone, but it's become a habit."
I deliberately rubbed it in.
Her beautiful face twisted, and I felt a thrill.
I wondered if I had become this mean.
"So, are you seeing His Majesty to get back at me?"
"I don't think we're close enough to talk about that, do you?"
"I thought we were friends, Karin."
"Sorry, I've never thought of you as a friend."
At my words, Tatyana roughly pulled the bracelet off her wrist and slammed it on the table.
I was worried it might break, given how much she cherished it.
Then she glared at me and muttered in a surprisingly cold tone.
"Not a friend... since when?"
"Since Daniel broke off our engagement and you showed up like nothing had happened."
At my words, Tatyana bit her lip. The thin skin tore, and a drop of blood seeped out.
She had taken my lovers so many times, yet she reacted like this just because I was dating her past first love.
"Karin, Titia didn't mean to. Sir Wilhelm acted on his own..."
Finally, Daniel, who had been watching from the sidelines, stepped forward.
They say a meddlesome sister-in-law is worse than a nagging mother-in-law.
I smiled cleanly at Daniel and said,
"Shut up, Daniel. You and Wilhelm are the same kind of scum."
Daniel closed his mouth, perhaps remembering his past mistakes.
Unable to bear it any longer, Tatyana jumped up and ran out of the store.
"Have a pleasant shopping experience."
Daniel, who was about to chase after her, muttered at me,
"You're really mean, Karin. You two are friends. You could have shown her some mercy!"
"Why should I? I already told you, I'm not her friend."
For a moment, a look of contempt appeared in Daniel's eyes.
It was as if he couldn't even remember what he had done.
"And, 'once'? When did the duke become so stupid he can't count?"
"It's not all Tatyana's fault."
"Then, it's all my fault?"
"Maybe I have poor taste in choosing stupid men."
The Daniel referred to as a stupid man surprisingly looked guilty.
That face reminded me of the first betrayal I had forgotten.
Daniel, my first fiancé, whom I had believed to be kind, was a coward.
"While secretly seeing other women, the one who was shaken maintained a dignified demeanor. He didn't care about me, his fiancée, but was only worried about Tatyana getting caught up in a scandal."
"The one who was most hurt was me. They were all just trash. Maybe I should thank Tatyana for taking them away from me."
All of this was what Daniel had done.
He was more worried about Tatyana than me, who had been dumped.
He was so concerned that Tatyana would bear the brunt of the scandal.
In the end, the rumor spread that I had been so obsessed with the kind Daniel that I was dumped, and my reputation suffered.
"Isn't that right, Daniel?"
At the memory of the past, Daniel's face turned pale.
Still, he had a bit of conscience left, so he didn't push me with absurd words.
He just ran out without even saying goodbye to me.
After the two left, Lili shouted. She was holding a wooden tray.
"If Duke Malphiron had said one more word, I would have hit him."
"Looks like you're the only one on my side, Lili."
Still angry, Lili pounded the cushion a few times with her fist.
"They're really disgusting. Why are they acting like that in front of you?"
Lili cursed, looking out the window at Tatyana, who was crying and Daniel, who was comforting her.
"Maybe they can't help it because they like each other so much."
"Ugh, it's a good thing you didn't marry a man like that, Miss."
At Lili's words, I chuckled and took a sip of the cold tea.
Beyond the teacup, I saw the bracelet Tatyana had left on the table. Once a gift from a lover and a symbol of friendship.
I picked up the worn, shiny bracelet.
Just in case, I held the bracelet up to the sunlight.
'Of course, I can't see anything.'
Then, something appeared above Daniel's head, who was comforting the crying Tatyana through the window.
A bar and numbers, like the affection meter in a game.
And every time Tatyana cried and said something, the affection meter increased slightly.