That way, as I looked around a little, I saw some slightly familiar pub signs.

“Huh…? If I walk a little further from here, I think I’ll reach the restaurant street?”

Fortunately, it doesn’t seem like I’ve arrived at a completely unfamiliar place.

‘Should I head towards the bustling area, take a carriage, and go to the hotel, or should I just wait here?’

I wanted to wait as long as possible, but I was deeply conflicted as the festival street seemed like it would remain in that state for a long time.

‘Even if Reus doesn’t come first, it seems like at least one escort might come…’

But just as I was leaning towards waiting a little longer.

“Ah…!”

Someone grabbed me firmly, causing me to let out a short sound as I was dragged backwards.

I was so startled that I lost my footing. Just as I was about to fall, the person who pulled me yanked my arm and stood me up. Then, they called my name in a slightly dazed voice.

“Roel…?”

I frowned deeply at the appearance of someone I never expected to meet here.

“You, why…”

“Is it really you, Roel…?”

The one who grabbed me was Casien.

‘He changed his hair color and is wearing different clothes than usual, so how did he recognize me?’

I was already in a bad mood due to the sudden encounter, and I frowned deeply at the unbearable smell of alcohol wafting from him.

Seeing my extremely distorted expression, I felt Casien’s body stiffen slightly. But I had no room to care about that.

‘This won’t do. I shouldn’t wait, I need to go to the restaurant street and head straight to the hotel.’

“Roel…”

I deliberately didn’t answer and firmly shook off Casien’s hand. And I swiftly turned around, but before I could take a few steps, I was caught again.

“Roel, let’s talk for a bit.”

“I have nothing to talk about with you.”

“I still have things left unsaid because I left like that last time, okay? Just listen to this… Please, let’s talk. Please…”

He looked so unstable that I thought it might be okay to listen to him for a moment.

But because it was a festival street, I couldn’t be with Casien any longer.

If someone were to see us like this, it was certain that absurd rumors would spread in an instant.

‘There’s no reason to listen either. The conversation ended long ago.’

I mercilessly brushed off Casien’s trembling hand. And this time, I tried to move my steps quickly, but my body was roughly turned around.

“Ah…!”

Casien, who stepped closer to me, grabbed my wrist and walked with large strides into the alley behind the pub.

“Let go! Let go of this! Ah… it hurts!”

I tried to break free somehow, but the more I struggled, the stronger Casien’s grip became.

My wrist hurt so much that I couldn’t even let out a small groan and was dragged away like that.

Casien only stopped when he reached a dead end in the alley where there were no people. Then, he abruptly let go, startling me.

“Roel, I-I’m sorry… I didn’t mean to, I was afraid you’d run away again…”

When he was holding me so tightly that it left marks, and now he says he’s sorry. But even as he apologized, he didn’t let me go completely.

Soon, Casien, who turned pale, knelt down in front of me without warning and held both of my hands.

“It’s all my fault.”

“…”

“So don’t go… I’m really sorry… It was all a mistake, really. It was really a mistake, Roel.”

“Haa…”

It’s always like this when I’m with Casien. I can’t do anything of my own free will.

Isn’t it the same now? It’s been months since we broke up, but I’m helpless because of Casien, who does whatever he wants.

‘And even if I try to run away from here…’

All four sides are blocked by walls. The only remaining escape route is also blocked by Casien with his back turned, making it difficult to run away.

‘Will the escorts be able to find me?’

With the thought of somehow buying time until then, I changed my attitude a little.

“…How long are you going to be like this?”

At my words, Casien slowly raised his head.

I don’t know what happened to him in the meantime that his appearance became so battered.

The corners of Casien’s eyes were swollen to the point of irritation, and his eyes were deeply sunken, as if he had been sleepless for a long time.

His hair was completely disheveled, and his lips had no color at all, looking like a patient.

“Roel…”

“If you have something to say, say it all now. Because this will be the last time we face each other like this.”

“Why…”

Casien looked up at me with somehow resentful eyes.

My eyes automatically frowned at the unbelievable reaction.

“If you have nothing to say, then…”

I only moved my body slightly, but his trembling hands shot up and desperately grasped the hem of my skirt.

“Roel! Don’t go. I’ll speak! I’ll speak… So don’t go. Don’t leave me behind and go. I’ll really speak… I’ll say everything…”

Large teardrops began to fall from Casien’s eyes.

Once the tears started, they flowed endlessly, completely wetting both his cheeks.

Looking at that sight, my heart was more uncomfortable than… painful.

Wasn’t the affection that existed between us just my one-sided crush on him?

But I couldn’t understand at all that he was acting as if there was something more than that.

Casien seemed to be constantly biting his lower lip, trying to hold back his tears in order to somehow continue speaking. But the sobbing sound kept leaking out through his slightly parted teeth.

After just trembling his lips like that, Casien finally opened his mouth.

“Why… No, since when… Since when were you thinking of breaking up with me…?”

It seemed he had been holding on to what he heard from Reus the last time we broke up.

What Reus said back then wasn’t wrong.

But I couldn’t say exactly when I started to give up on my feelings for Casien.

However, I knew that we would eventually end up like this, so it would be right to say from the beginning.

“I knew I couldn’t marry you. From the day I first met you.”

“…”

“I clearly remember the way you looked at me back then.”

“That…! That was when I really didn’t know anything… It really changed afterwards, Roel. It was only like that at first, and I really loved you later, I really did. Please believe me.”

“You’re saying you loved me?”

“I loved you. I love you… I still love you now, Roel.”

The countless repetitions of disgust towards me in the novel. How could I, who directly faced it and was hurt every time, believe those words?

* * *

Back then, Casien felt an extreme aversion to everything surrounding him.

The eyes focused on him wherever he went, the insipid attitudes without any self-opinion. In particular, he was sick and tired of the women who clung to him, pretending not to.

He always had the habit of not being able to seriously date one woman, but it was undeniable that frequently repeating meetings during that period had an influence on that.

And it was enough to make Ercian Marquis, who couldn’t see the flaws in his son’s romantic view, step forward.

When stories about Casien started to circulate in high society too often, the marquis decided to cover up his son’s mistakes with a bigger rumor, even if it would be somewhat messily resolved.

It wasn’t because he was afraid of his son’s reputation being tarnished.

It was already a known fact that high society was particularly lenient towards men even if they committed such acts. And he also anticipated that the parents of the crying and protesting precious children of others would eventually step up to discipline them first.

Nevertheless, there was only one reason he wanted to actively resolve the rumors.

It was to show that such rumors could not make any blemish on Ercian Marquis and Casien Ercian, the only heir to the family.

‘If I attach a woman for him to get engaged to, the rumors will die down a bit.’

At that moment, the one who caught the marquis’s eye was none other than Roel Everbelle.

The eldest daughter of the Everbelle Count’s family.

Her family was satisfactory to the point of wondering why he hadn’t considered her as a marriage prospect until now, her relationship with men was very chaste without any worries, and her demeanor and way of speaking were flawless, making her the best bride candidate.

If he had to choose one thing he liked most about Roel’s qualities, it would definitely be her beautiful appearance.

He liked her clear eyes that could easily gain favor from anyone, and her facial features made up of elegant lines as if they were carefully sculpted.

A woman with a striking appearance that wasn’t too flashy but still stood out wherever she went.

Just tying her next to his son would make the woman’s aura make his son shine even more.

So there was no reason to look for another sacrifice.

When everyone was only looking for an opportunity to get engaged to Roel Everbelle, the marquis went to see Count Everbelle.

What the two wanted was clear, and the conversation was concluded very quickly.

Marquis Ercian obtained confirmation of his son’s engagement to Roel Everbelle, and Count Everbelle was able to get everything worthy of his daughter’s value into his hands.

Although Roel’s will and heart, which were most important, were completely excluded from the deal, no one made an issue of it.

Marquis Ercian was already satisfied as he was able to tie the best bride candidate next to his son at a lower price than expected.

But no matter how much he tried to bring the woman and seat her next to his son, it was useless.

The wretched Ercian rascal couldn’t fix his trash-like habits even right before meeting Roel Everbelle.

He told him to quietly behave until the engagement, but Casien couldn’t endure that brief moment and indulged in a life of debauchery again.

Casien, who was like that, only began to show some interest in the woman who would soon become his fiancée after learning that she was frequently mentioned by men his age.

It wasn’t just because she was his fiancée. Even though she was a woman he was going to get engaged to, there were so many men lusting after her that the stories never ceased.

Come to think of it, there were quite a few men who looked at him with envious eyes when they heard he was getting engaged.