Unrequited Love is Over, Fend for Yourselves (5 Chapters Left to Complete) - Chapter 11
She looked younger than the last time I saw her. Hana’s face, once pure and feminine, still bore traces of youthful naivety, giving her a somewhat lively air.
So this was what Hana was like as a child. Looking at her now through adult eyes, I saw things I hadn’t noticed before.
Hana’s youthful face plainly reflected her emotions.
‘So she had feelings for Fernando.’
This was before the gathering supporting the Crown Prince had even begun. That meant none of us had properly interacted yet—everything would happen a year from now.
Yet Hana’s face, as she looked at Fernando, held unmistakable joy.
‘Then why didn’t they end up together?’
Fernando had liked Hana and had indirectly expressed his feelings. But seeing Hana now, it seemed she’d already had feelings for him back then—so why hadn’t it worked out?
‘It’s none of my business, so I suppose I’ll never know.’
I couldn’t very well go ask Hana herself…
“Lord Fernando, hello.”
Etienne watched quietly as Hana greeted Fernando sweetly.
‘If their first meeting was supposed to be at the lake, but that never happened… does that make this their first meeting now?’
Hana should have met him when I pulled Fernando out of the lake—but that changed. Unsure how Fernando would act now, Etienne simply observed him in silence.
“I’ve always wanted to greet you properly whenever I saw you, my lord.”
Fernando remained silent. Yet Hana, as if unperturbed, spoke gently, a shy smile blooming on her face like a flower.
“What is it?”
“I have something to say to you, Lord Fernando.”
“As you can see, I’m busy right now.”
He answered firmly, as if he didn’t even care what she wanted to say.
‘This reaction… wasn’t what I expected.’
I hadn’t anticipated the ripple effects of their altered first meeting would show up like this. Etienne stayed out of their conversation, watching the situation unfold.
“I visited House of Schupraher recently. I’d wanted to see you then, but you seemed occupied, so I left quietly.”
‘Ah—she’s referring to when Fernando fell into the lake, and I dragged him before the Duke.’
“What is it you want to say?”
Despite Hana’s careful words, Fernando’s attitude remained unchanged.
‘Today doesn’t seem like the right time.’
Etienne, observing the two, had a strong feeling things wouldn’t go well.
But Hana seemed to think otherwise. She glanced awkwardly around before her eyes met Etienne’s.
‘Did she just… light up when she saw me?’
It happened too quickly to be certain, but it certainly seemed that way.
“Etienne’s here too.”
Etienne gave a slight nod.
She’d known Hana since they were even younger than they were now. Their similar ages and shared gender meant they often crossed paths at banquets—and thanks to the tangled web of noble connections, they kept meeting unintentionally.
‘We are friends, at least…’
Her memories from returning to the past weren’t fully sorted yet. She couldn’t even recall when she’d last met Hana.
“It’s been… a while.”
“Yeah, really a long time, Etienne.”
Fortunately, Etienne’s half-hearted greeting seemed appropriate enough—Hana welcomed it pleasantly.
That seemed sufficient, so Etienne stayed quiet. But then Hana spoke again.
“If you’re having tea, can I join you?”
“Oh…”
‘So she really did light up when she saw me.’
Hana had clearly spotted Etienne as a convenient excuse to stay and interact with Fernando. Etienne’s gaze drifted to Fernando in response to Hana’s request.
Just as expected—his expression made it clear he didn’t want Hana intruding. Etienne gave an awkward smile.
‘Why drag me into the middle of this?’
They could simply exchange greetings, share names, and talk about which houses they belonged to—that would be enough.
If Hana stayed, Fernando would feel slighted; if I sent her away, she’d be hurt.
‘Guess I have no choice.’
Etienne stood up.
“Sorry. I was just about to leave anyway…”
By disappearing, she’d prevent Hana from staying—making it easier for Fernando and giving her a valid reason to refuse Hana’s request.
It was a surprisingly decent solution for something thought up on the spot, and Etienne smiled inwardly.
“See you both later. Fernando. Hana.”
Fernando frowned, and Hana’s lips twitched as if she had more to say—but Etienne pretended not to notice.
‘Time to go home.’
That was the easiest option.
[This is the timeline separator]“Was everything alright, miss?”
“There was something, but I’ll say there wasn’t.”
Etienne answered lightly to Butler Letin’s question. She’d met the Crown Prince, Fernando, and Hana.
She’d only intended to see the Crown Prince today, but past connections kept unraveling one after another—making it an exhausting day.
“Then, did things go as you wished?”
The butler deftly rephrased his question.
Back in her room, Etienne headed straight for the bed and sat down. Right now, a soft bed was far more appealing than any chair or sofa.
“I met the person I wanted to. Earlier than expected.”
She recalled her meeting with the Crown Prince. Whether it was because she hadn’t seen him in years or because she’d glimpsed a different side of him, the encounter left quite an impression.
Thinking of his striking looks and the effortlessly smooth conversation, Etienne felt she could get along well with him—regardless of his royal status.
“Might that person be His Royal Highness the Crown Prince?”
“…How did you know?”
Etienne tried to remember if she’d ever told the butler she wanted to meet the Crown Prince—but she was certain she hadn’t.
She’d left the house keeping quiet, unsure if she’d even encounter him—so how had he found out? The butler calmly placed a box on the nightstand and replied.
“Word reached me that you had tea with His Highness the Crown Prince today.”
“Oh…”
“Along with the young master of the Duchy.”
So the incident Fernando mentioned had truly happened.
“It’s already spreading as a rumor?”
‘Even so, it’s only been a few hours—how does even the butler know already?’
“Only that a noble young lady shared tea with the Crown Prince—that’s the extent of the rumor so far.”
The butler stepped back from the nightstand and gave a faint smile.
“I simply have sharp intuition, which led me to realize that noble young lady must be you.”
Etienne shook her head helplessly at the butler’s cheeky reply. He’d guessed, and she’d fallen for it like a naive fool.
“Your identity as the rumored young lady will likely be revealed soon. People wandering the Outer Citadel are already spreading the word diligently.”
“Nothing stays hidden, it seems.”
Etienne smiled resignedly and picked up the box on the nightstand. She gave it a gentle shake—small clinking sounds came from inside. Her servants’ written wishes must be in there.
“If the rumors bothered you, you would’ve met more discreetly.”
At the butler’s pointed question, Etienne nodded.
“You’re right. But just in case anyone asks, say I happened to meet him while strolling through the Outer Citadel.”
A chance encounter wouldn’t look suspicious. And since Fernando ended up joining them for tea anyway, it all seemed natural.
As Etienne reached into the box, the butler folded one arm across his chest.
“There will surely be many more noble young ladies strolling through the Outer Citadel now.”
With that, as if looking forward to what lay ahead, the butler left the room.
Alone again, Etienne pulled out the first slip of paper, curious about her servants’ wishes. The first one simply read: “Time off.”
“I see. You want a rest.”
That was reasonable enough. She set it aside and unfolded another slip.
“You’d like to try a different job for a day?”
Perhaps their current duties felt dull. Etienne placed that slip beside the first and picked up another.
“Hmm?”
This one felt different from the others.
The paper wasn’t crisp—it seemed heavily crumpled. When she unfolded it, sure enough, it was unlike the rest: half-torn and bearing clear marks of someone’s attempt to smooth it out by hand.
The wish itself was simple—just a desire for a very sweet dessert.
“How strange.”
Etienne tilted her head. Most servants couldn’t write, so the handwriting on the other slips all appeared to be from one person—likely the butler writing on their behalf.
But this slip had different handwriting—somewhat elegant, in fact. Etienne wondered who the owner of this particular wish slip could be.
“What should I do…”
After a moment’s hesitation, Etienne made up her mind and looked at the slip. She gently cradled it in both hands—and faintly, as if stirred by an unseen breeze—
When Etienne slowly released her hands, the crumpled paper was gone. Only a crisp, brand-new sheet remained.
“If the butler finds out I used my ability on this, I’ll get scolded.”
The power Etienne had used was Restoration—the unique ability of House of Claire.
Originally, House of Claire was known for its exceptional restoration skills. Indeed, the Marquis’s residence even had a dedicated Restoration Room, where numerous items had been repaired over the years.
But that was merely a facade—to conceal a secret known only to the direct bloodline.
Those who carried Claire blood, including the Marquis himself, possessed the rare ability to restore objects without any tools.
It was said the first head of the house had such extraordinary Restoration ability that he could even read people’s memories. His descendants, however, weren’t nearly as gifted—direct heirs of House of Claire could only restore objects.
Even so, that alone was remarkable enough. Should their ability become known to the world, who knew what dangers might follow?
Thus, the first head established the Restoration Room, pretending objects were restored by human hands.
“Even the Emperor wouldn’t have known.”
Etienne murmured, recalling the Emperor at the time of her death—the current Second Prince. He’d killed her parents and destroyed the Restoration Room.
He probably believed he’d erased all evidence linking Etienne to the Crown Prince’s death. But he never imagined she’d retained any proof.
In truth, Etienne had received an object from a knight who’d come to deliver her a message—and restored it in prison.
But choosing to take that secret to her grave had been entirely her own decision.
Gazing at the now-perfectly smooth paper, as if dispelling memories of her past life, Etienne murmured to herself,
“Let me see what it says…”
Indeed, the original wish was separate—words far heavier than any dessert request.
Male lead first thought she played hard to get, only to realize she
really disliked him
Short intro:
What she can’t stand the most is the streets full of effeminate men, especially that so-called top beauty whom she avoids at all costs.
Shen Yaoxing looks at Jiang Mingyue, who keeps approaching her with coy shyness.
Shen Yaoxing: Bro, don’t be like this, I’m really about to throw up!
She fears nothing in heaven or earth, except for him getting close to her.
*
At first he thought she was just using the trick of feigning indifference to attract his attention. Later, he learned that she truly despised him.
This dealt a heavy blow to Jiang Mingyue, and he vowed to make her, like everyone else, fall at his feet in worship!
***
Synopsis:
Before transmigrating, Shen Yaoxing only wanted to find a reliable man to spend her life with. Who knew that after transmigrating, she would become a reliable woman herself…
A forced misandrist, highly skilled, and reliable female lead
vs.
An initially aloof and arrogant, later morbid, obsessed male lead
_____
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