Chapter 105

Rumors spread that Layla Amerigo had spent the night in a hotel with the Emperor. This came from Cade, who had never had an affair with any woman. Thanks to this, there were even rumors that maybe Layla might become the Empress.

And that was Chloe’s chance.

Layla seemed to be very angry with the rumors and Chloe’s abandonment of her, but with time, she would understand Chloe.

Chloe opened the door to everyone who looked over her wall. They were the ones who came to lay their spoon on Chloe’s chance. They were hoping for a benefit when Layla became the empress.

‘Finally our Layla is shining.’

In the meantime, Layla’s excellence had not been highlighted and had been oppressed by Abella. Even though Abella was not meant to go against Layla. With Layla’s determination and her ability to read the current trend, she could have made Amerigo ten times larger.

Besides, wasn’t Abella cursed?

While the story of the epidemic was spreading, rumors erupted that Layla had become the emperor’s mistress, so the first issue was buried.

That was a bit of a shame.

‘Lucky girl.’

It was an opportunity to completely bury Abella. And it must have worked with a trick she had in mind.

Chloe thought of this and that and bounced the abacus egg.

Chloe was recording bribes, such as cash and land papers, in her safe throughout the day. A hum came out of nowhere.

The beginning was great, but the end could be even better. It was okay to say that she couldn’t become the Empress right now. Wasn’t there a precedent that most started as the mistress and ended up as the empress? Chloe could bet that Layla would be one of those precedents.

‘Abella is over now. Kill yourself with something like Sirius.’

It was regrettable that Chloe was excluded from the succession structure because she was born as the second daughter, not Amerigo’s eldest son.

What if Chloe was born as the eldest daughter and she became the head of Amerigo? Layla wouldn’t have had to suffer like this.

‘But it’s okay now.’

Layla would become the Empress.

*

The news of the epidemic seemed to sink to the bottom because Layla became the mistress. However, Abella did not forget about the incident. Cade said he would take Layla as his mistress for Abella’s sake.

She didn’t know what kind of utility value Layla had, but if he didn’t act like so, as Cade said, it would be revealed someday that she was a loss to Abella.

Abella chewed her thoughts along with the meat.

It felt as if her head had hardened.

She almost forgot that Arsene was in front of her.

“Abella.”

It was only after he called Abella several times that she came to her senses.

“Ah……”

“……”

Arsene smiled awkwardly. He didn’t know when the relationship started turning like this. Now, Cade pressed and pressed Arsene to leave Abella and the Grand Madam of Sirius forced him to break up with Abella.

Arsene was confused and repeated her thoughts.

The will of Grand Madam Sirius was strong.

Usually, when conciliating something like this, she would tell him to break up for Abella, but she said it was for Arsene. It was Arsene, not Abella, who got hurt.

He couldn’t even guess what the reason was.

Now, he was only struggling to hold Abella.

“Abella, I heard that not long ago you saw an Opera with the Emperor.”

“Ah… that’s…” Abella smiled awkwardly.

It wasn’t because she wanted to see it; she was dragged away by Cade’s coercion, but she nevertheless didn’t have a bad time. Abella nodded her head.

“It’s true.”

“It’s us pretending to be engaged. Let’s go see it too.”

In fact, Arsene may feel it a little too. Abella’s eyes widened at the fact that the relationship between the two of them was reaching its peak.

It was because she felt that the word “pretending to be engaged” had a sharp edge. Did Arsene know how to say that? The Arsene that Abella remembered was a boy considerate of others and used a soft tone of voice.

No matter how unreasonable he might be, he was not the type of person to bring out a tone of criticism against anyone.

Abella bit her lips.

Maybe this memory was wrong?

‘Ha.’

She couldn’t figure out where she was supposed to start. What are the memories that Abella erased, and why was it so jumbled up? Abella nodded her head, clenching her teeth.

“Yes.”

As she spent more time with Arsene, something might come to mind. As it was before this. Abella rubbed her temples to relieve her sharp headache.

Now she couldn’t even feel what the food tastes like. Abella chewed the meat that felt inorganic. The texture was as tough as rubber.

“What opera do you want to see? I heard that there was a new drama recently.”

“Anything is fine. In fact, I don’t know much about opera.”

Cade didn’t ask Abella. He just did what he liked… In the end, Abella found it all to her taste. She remembered that it was not too loud, but moderately calm, and the content resonated with her heart.

Weird.

She thought Arsene knew more about Abella…

Zzing-

Abella lowered her head as she stroked her dizzy head. It was when Arsene reached out his hand towards Abella.

“Abella!”

‘Abella!’

The voices overlapped.

Abella blinked her dim vision. It was Arsene’s voice. Abella in the memory turned her head.

‘Where are you going!’

‘Stop chasing me, Arsene, I said I had a promise.’

‘What kind of promise?’

Arsene asked this while holding Abella’s wrist forcibly. In his eyes, anger and an obsession that Abella had never felt before simmered. Well. Where was Abella going?

‘You’re going to meet Cade! Is that it!’

‘Oh, really. Can’t I see Cade? I’d rather hang out with him!’

‘Don’t hang out with that bastard! You are mine. You should be by my side…’

“Abella!”

Abella raised her pale face. She had a tired expression as if she was about to vomit because of what she saw in her memory.

Abella continued stuttering, “Ah, Arsene?”

“Yes. What’s the matter? What’s wrong with you?”

Arsene, who asked with concern, was unfamiliar. The gap between him and Arsene in her memory was huge. In her memory, Arsene was only about 10 years old. However, he felt coercive and violent. She was about to burst into tears at the power that chased and pulled Abella as she ran away.

Arsene?

Not Cade, but Arsene?

Abella bit her lip, confused.

What the hell did Abella just see?

“Are you all right now? Shall I call the doctor?”

Abella shook her head as she grew pale. “I’m okay, I’m okay.”

“You don’t look good at all.”

“I think I should go back and rest.”

“……”

Arsene kept his mouth shut with a dissatisfied face, but he had no choice but to agree. It was because Abella’s condition was not so good.

His anticipation faded.

He actually thought he would be able to get Abella back when he heard about Layla and Cade. She’d come back to the former Abella.

But she seemed to have gone a step further.

Arsene’s hand did not catch Abella. As he tried to support her, she slipped out of his arms.

Abella smiled awkwardly. “……I’m sorry. I’m in a very bad shape right now.”

She didn’t even want his touch?

Arsene clenched and opened his fist, looking down at the rejected hand.

Why?

He forgave Abella.

She abandoned him and left, didn’t he forgive and accept Abella?

But why did Abella turn away from Arsene?

Ah… Was it because of Cade?

Him or that lawyer?

Arsene slowly opened and closed her eyes. Indescribable emotions were boiling inside.

Arsene still liked Abella, but neither her or the ones around her helped Arsene. At least Abella shouldn’t do this! Even for Arsene, who had been waiting for Abella for a long time.

Arsene wet her lips.

“You want to go to Cade?”

“What?” Confused, Abella looked at Arsene.

“Are you rejecting me to go to that bastard?”

“Arsene!”

Abella stepped back from him. It was only after seeing her shake her head with a terrified face that Arsene came to his senses.

Oh no.

“I’m—I’m sorry. Abella. I must have been blind because I was jealous.”

Then he quickly painted a smile on his face. However, no matter how hard he tried, she didn’t smile like before.

Arsene sensed that something sleeping inside him had begun to wriggle. Perhaps this was foreseen.

From the moment Abella noticed that she was distancing herself from Arsene as well.

Abella turned her back without a word and walked away from Arsene. On her backside, Arsene read a fierce refusal.

Arsene stared at her back with a strange expression.

Somehow he got used to the image of her back.

*

It was that night that Abella heard that the culprit behind the plague was Layla.

That day, Abella’s definition of Arsene and Cade was completely reversed.