Riena lowered her gaze shyly, then gathered her courage again and looked him straight in the eyes.

Even without speaking, they could feel each other’s emotions. If anything was lacking, it was only Riena’s courage.

The courage to say she never wanted to part from him, that she wanted a true marriage, not a false one, and to spend her life with him.

Nevertheless, Cassel looked happy. Riena decided to be content with that for now.

Thus, the two danced together three more times after their first dance before finally slipping away from the crowd.

It was a night where even the murmurs of people saying the two seemed to truly love and cherish each other sounded delightful.

“I’ll be right back.”

“I’ll be waiting.”

Cassel reluctantly let go of Riena’s hand, looking regretful. She slowly headed to the lounge to touch up her makeup and attire.

As she was passing through a deserted corridor, she happened to glance outside.

‘Raoul?’

Raoul Berna was standing in a corner of the garden. Riena stopped in her tracks and hurried towards him.

He was wearing the dark-colored knight’s uniform, just like she had seen in a dream once.

“Raoul!”

Noticing her, Raoul hurriedly put out the cigar he was smoking. Then he tried to leave.

“Wait, just talk to me for a moment!”

Riena managed to catch up and grab his arm. But Raoul shook off her hand rather roughly.

“Talk? About what?”

“We still have things to discuss, don’t we?”

“Do we? I’m not so sure.”

“Don’t speak so harshly, let’s talk slowly.”

“Oh? Well, let’s hear what you have to say.”

Raoul led Riena to a secluded spot. Then he crossed his arms and tilted his head defiantly. Riena found this change in her once affectionate childhood friend unfamiliar.

She stumbled over her words.

“I sent you letters several times. Why didn’t you reply at all?”

“Letters? Well, I didn’t receive any.”

“That’s not possible.”

“Then maybe my servant burned them.”

“Raoul, how could you say that?”

When Riena protested in a slightly angry voice, Raoul questioned her accusingly.

“What about you? Did you try to resolve everything with just letters?”

“…Huh?”

“I clearly told you in my letter that nothing happened with that bastard Winckler. But after that, all you did was send letters. If you really cared about me, shouldn’t you have come to see me in person? Honestly, I thought you would ask to meet first.”

“I’m sorry. I needed time to sort out my thoughts too.”

“What did you need time to sort out?”

“I also wanted to find out what happened between the two of you, and think about how to resolve this situation.”

Riena continued speaking.

“And you know that even if you’re my old friend, it’s difficult for us to meet alone right now. I wanted to come see you too, but there are eyes watching. It wouldn’t have been good for either of us.”

“Ha, fine. Let’s say that’s true. So what did Duke Winckler say? Was there something I don’t know about?”

“…No, I didn’t hear his reasons.”

Raoul continued to lash out at her.

“Ria, you saw it too, but that day I was unilaterally humiliated by Duke Winckler. It wasn’t just being treated as an unwelcome guest. I’ve experienced many things living in the capital, but I’ve never been so insulted as I was that day.”

“That… I’m sorry.”

“No, you don’t need to apologize. The one who should apologize is Duke Winckler.”

Riena spoke as if admonishing him.

“That’s why I sent the letters. Cass said he wanted to formally apologize to you. He also said he wanted to invite you to dinner.”

In fact, Riena had sent a letter to Raoul right after hearing Cassel say he would apologize.

And the servant had definitely said he properly delivered the letter to Raoul’s mansion, but there was no reply, so she wrote two or three more letters after that.

However, Raoul never responded to any of the letters.

That’s why she rushed over as soon as she saw him, but she didn’t expect Raoul to react so intensely.

“So?”

“…Huh?”

“Are you trying to smooth over everything with just letters and a dinner invitation?”

“Smooth over…?”

“If he really wants to apologize, tell him to come find me in person. Tell him to kneel before me and beg, or bow his head to the ground.”

Riena was truly bewildered.

Cassel was clearly in the wrong. Riena guessed he must have had his reasons, but getting angry at Raoul, who knew nothing, without explaining was not justified.

Cassel had eventually admitted his mistake and said he would invite Raoul to apologize.

Of course, that might not be enough from Raoul’s perspective. Even if someone apologizes, the other party doesn’t necessarily have to accept it.

She would have understood if Raoul was still angry.

But kneeling or bowing his head to the ground? That was an excessive demand.

As if reading Riena’s thoughts, Raoul sneered.

“What? Is the noble duke from birth unable to kneel even once? Will his knees wear out if he kneels?”

“That’s not what I meant.”

“You’re still taking his side, aren’t you?”

“What?”

Raoul slowly approached her. A man much larger and stronger than her, not even hiding his anger – Riena truly felt fear.

Before seeing this side of him, she had believed Raoul would never hurt her, but now it seemed he was fully capable of harming her.

Riena unconsciously stepped back, her face filled with terror. Raoul, who had been reaching out to her, seemed to realize his actions and put his hands behind his back. But he was still threatening.

“You saw me being spoken to like that by that bastard, and you’re still going to stay by his side?”

“That bastard…”

When Riena slightly frowned at the harsh words, Raoul sneered.

“What? A mere knight like me shouldn’t speak carelessly about the great duke?”

A mere knight. It was exactly the same words Raoul had said in her dream. Riena felt strange but refuted.

“That’s not it. It’s just not like you to say such things. And what do you mean by ‘mere knight’? Why are you saying that?”

“Because you’ve been ignoring me ever since you met that bastard. If you saw me as a proper friend or knight, would you have done that?”

“No, why would I ignore you!”

“Then choose. Is it me or the duke?”

At Raoul’s final question, Riena finally realized.

She could never go back to her previous relationship with Raoul. Or perhaps they had already crossed an irreversible river long ago.

Even if she were to divorce Cassel later, it seemed the rift that had formed could not be mended.

Unlike with Cassel, she thought she knew Raoul well because they had continued to interact, but that was arrogance.

Raoul had also changed through the many events that had occurred.

Well, Riena had changed too, so how could Raoul remain the same?

But she never expected him to change like this.

What had changed Raoul Berna so much? Or was the Raoul she knew never real to begin with?

Either way, it was heartbreaking.

How could he force such a painful choice on her?

‘Cass wouldn’t have done this.’

When she said she wanted time regarding the issue with Raoul, he had silently accepted her opinion.

Moreover, after thinking it over, he said he would apologize to Raoul. To be honest, why would Cassel say he would apologize? If he really disliked him, he could have simply stopped associating with the Bernas.

Yet he made that decision. It must have all been for Riena’s sake.

Cassel didn’t force her, he respected her.

But what about Raoul? He was throwing a childish tantrum without any consideration for Riena’s feelings.

While Cassel’s actions may have been the trigger, if this was Raoul’s true nature, she felt that something would have happened eventually even without that.

The thought of never seeing Raoul again was painful and sad to even imagine. It was also heartbreaking that the kind friend, Raoul Berna, no longer existed.

The friendship that had lasted for 20 years was stronger than expected, and not something that could be shaken off all at once.

But.

Riena carefully composed her expression and stared straight at Raoul.

“I’m sorry, Raoul.”

“…What?”

Raoul raised his eyebrows high, as if he hadn’t expected her to make this choice.

“Don’t tell me you’re choosing Duke Winckler over me right now?”

“…”

“Ha, Ria. Are you in your right mind?”

Raoul roughly messed up his neatly styled hair with his hand. Riena tried her best to speak clearly and deliberately.

“I’m more clear-headed now than ever before. I’ve thought it through properly and come to this answer.”

“No, you’re not in your right mind right now!”

Raoul’s face turned red, seemingly very agitated.

“How can you choose that bastard over a friend you’ve known your whole life? Are you blinded by a man?”