“Ah, Aria!”

Lloyd took a deep breath as soon as he woke up and looked for Aria. However, Aria was nowhere to be seen.

Thinking of Bawin’s face, he bit his lip and tried to get up.

“Argh…!”

But the pain rushed in and he couldn’t get up.

Groaning, he lay back down and curled up.

‘Damn it! If only this wound was healed!’

Lloyd gritted his teeth as he looked at the wound on his side.

He was confident that if it weren’t for this wound, he wouldn’t have lost to Bawin so helplessly.

Afraid that the wound would open up, his movements had become sluggish, and that’s why he lost. He was sure that if he fought again with a healthy body, he would definitely win.

If Bawin had heard it, he would have snorted, but there was no one else in the room.

“Clea Odoi.”

He quietly called out the name of the person responsible for making him like this, filled with hatred.

It was clearly a lighter wound than what Clea had suffered, but for him who had lived a comfortable life all his life, it was quite a big wound.

Especially when he remembered that the wound was caused by Clea, his anger boiled even more.

Starting from leaving his side without permission, trampling on his pride, and finally taking away everything that belonged to him.

Family, friends, and even the family.

His life, which had been on a smooth path, was completely ruined because of her.

He wanted to strangle her with his own two hands for taking everything away from him.

‘I will definitely pay you back for this humiliation I felt.’

Lloyd still harbored futile thoughts.

Even if he reluctantly accepted it at first, he believed that the vassals and other nobles who valued bloodline would never accept her.

And he vowed that after reclaiming the family and everything with the help of those who would come forward to assist him, he would return the pain he felt to her.

However, there was one thing he failed to consider.

That was the fact that there would be no one left to point a sword at Clea, who would soon become a member of the imperial family.

Pointing a sword at her, who would become the crown princess, was no different from treason.

Even if the noble faction checked the imperial power, there was no reason for them to commit treason just to help him.

He was trying hard to forget the pain with delusional fantasies.

But then, someone appeared beside him.

“Are you awake?”

It was Aria’s lady-in-waiting.

Recognizing her, Lloyd frowned. He was annoyed that she appeared long after he had woken up.

He wanted to point out her attitude towards her mistress if he could.

But that wasn’t the important thing right now, so he tried to show generosity.

Lloyd cleared his throat and asked.

“…Where is this place?”

“It’s a hotel.”

Clearly, he was in his right mind until he was forcibly dragged out of the salon.

But on the way to the carriage, the pain gradually intensified, and he eventually collapsed.

And when he woke up, he was here.

Why was he in a hotel, not the ducal residence?

If it were someone else, they would have thought it fortunate that they weren’t left lying where they had collapsed, but Lloyd felt disappointed.

For not taking him straight to the ducal residence.

He fought for her and ended up like this, but there was no one around him except the lady-in-waiting.

Perhaps because he could only look at the situation self-centeredly, he didn’t understand that Aria was in a difficult position because of him.

“Where is Aria?”

“…”

On the other hand, the lady-in-waiting was dumbfounded by the way he calmly asked for Aria’s whereabouts.

After causing such a commotion outside. If he were a decent person, shouldn’t he feel at least a little sorry for Aria?

He had done nothing for Aria.

When Aria was suffering hardship from the designer, he just watched, and when Bawin appeared to help, he even interfered.

The lady-in-waiting couldn’t forget what Aria had said when her confinement had just ended.

That she would never marry Lloyd.

Now she clearly understood why Aria was so reluctant to marry Lloyd.

Lloyd was the worst, both as a husband and as a close friend.

“Why aren’t you answering? Where is Aria?”

When the lady-in-waiting didn’t answer despite his question, Lloyd finally raised his voice.

Perhaps because of his unseemly appearance, the lady-in-waiting didn’t feel any fear.

But she couldn’t ignore him again.

So she was about to answer reluctantly when someone’s voice was heard from the doorway.

“You’re awake.”

Lloyd’s gaze naturally turned towards the door.

“Aria!”

There stood Aria, whom he had been looking for so desperately.

The disappointment and anger he had felt just a moment ago melted away in an instant.

He kept calling Aria’s name, treating the lady-in-waiting as if she weren’t there.

Watching this, Aria’s gaze grew colder and colder.

Aria signaled to the lady-in-waiting with her eyes.

Understanding the signal, the lady-in-waiting left the room.

Now only Aria and Lloyd were left in the room.

“What’s your relationship with that guy?”

Aria almost let out a hollow laugh, knowing full well who he meant by ‘that guy’.

Why was he curious about that now?

Even if he heard the truth, there was nothing he could change in the end.

Aria wanted to tell him.

How much hardship she almost had to go through because of his absurd pride.

But she didn’t want things to get any noisier.

If he found out the truth, he would make a fuss again. Just thinking about it made her head hurt.

So Aria lied to him.

“We have no relationship at all.”

“Really?”

Aria finally let out a hollow laugh at Lloyd’s questioning if it was true.

Since when did he doubt her words like this?

During their academy days, he always believed whatever she said.

Even if the circumstances clearly pointed to Aria’s wrongdoing, if she said Clea did it, he would unconditionally believe her and curse Clea.

But come to think of it, the word ‘trust’ in their relationship was already worse than a worn-out shoe.

“I believe you, Aria.”

On the other hand, Lloyd, who had barely noticed the changed atmosphere, tried to somehow get through this situation.

Aria, of course, didn’t believe those words that lacked any sincerity.

“Yes, that’s enough then.”

Aria ended it just like that, finding it bothersome to argue with him.

Not knowing this, Lloyd felt relieved and changed the subject.

“I should have helped you choose your dress together. I’m sorry.”

When the dress was mentioned, Aria’s mood improved drastically.

In fact, the reason she came to see him was also related to this.

“It’s okay. Fortunately, I found the design I wanted after you left the salon.”

She had luckily found the design she wanted at the right timing.

“And I prepared your formal attire as well.”

“Really?”

Lloyd looked at Aria with a smile on his face, seeming pleased.

In fact, he also knew implicitly.

That Aria looked down on him, and that there was still someone else in her heart.

So he thought she wouldn’t care about his formal attire, but contrary to expectations, she had taken care of it.

She showed Lloyd a picture of the formal attire design.

“This is what you’ll be wearing that day. What do you think?”

It was a very stylish formal attire even in his eyes.

It was so believable that it could be worn by a groom getting married.

He also knew well that Aria disliked Clea.

So he thought Aria had prepared thoroughly to make Clea, who would be the protagonist that day, feel humiliated.

“How can there be anything lacking in what you chose for me?”

Lloyd was truly satisfied. It was the happiest moment in recent times.

“Don’t just say it roughly, take a good look and tell me. Anything you want to change?”

“No.”

Even if there was, Aria had no intention of obliging, but she asked again, emphasizing it so that Lloyd wouldn’t be suspicious.

Lloyd was completely caught up in the words she had uttered to make sure he didn’t feel anything strange.

He was too busy being happy.

“I want to see your dress too. It will surely go well with mine, right?”

“Sorry, Lloyd. I can’t tell you yet. I want to surprise you.”

“Then I’ll wait.”

Lloyd became at ease. He mistakenly thought that she was finally starting to accept him.

“When their wedding is over, it will be our turn.”

“…Yes, I suppose so.”

After Clea’s wedding, the next wedding to be held would be Aria and Lloyd’s.

Lloyd was eagerly awaiting that day.

He wanted to marry Aria as soon as possible and spend a happy time.

In contrast, Aria’s reaction was not pleasant.

In the first place, Aria had no intention of marrying Lloyd.

The story he was bringing up now was solely his wishful thinking.

Aria told Lloyd to rest a little more, then left his side.

Lloyd asked her to stay with him a little longer, but Aria didn’t stop as if she hadn’t heard him.

‘Lloyd, I won’t marry you.’

She would never marry him, even if she died and woke up again.

To do that, she had to create an excuse not to marry him.

It was coming soon.

The day when Lloyd would be called her marriage partner was not far away.

Because he would soon become the troublemaker who would ruin the most blessed day in the empire.

‘There are about two days left now.’

Time was running out.

She had to hurry and finish the preparations without being late.

Aria moved busily, leaving Lloyd at the hotel.

She was holding a piece of paper with something written on it.