Unrequited Love is Over, Fend for Yourselves (5 Chapters Left to Complete) - Chapter 13
Back in her room, Etienne immediately lay down on the bed. Setting the letter aside for a moment, she fiddled only with the invitation, watching the family name appear and disappear beneath her fingers.
“I remember they used to hold a banquet around this time.”
The House of Count Pigmen had long maintained neutrality before belatedly allying with the Second Prince to survive.
Given the Second Prince’s temperament, he wouldn’t simply leave Count Pigmen alone after the latter had clung to him like a bat flitting from place to place—yet surprisingly, Count Pigmen swiftly secured his position.
“Then there’s only one reason.”
Count Pigmen must have done something to win the Second Prince’s favor.
“But what could it be?”
She suspected he must have done something related to the Crown Prince to earn the Second Prince’s approval, yet without concrete evidence, she couldn’t be certain.
Nor could she simply go ask Count Pigmen directly. Not only would he never willingly divulge such information, but whatever had transpired might not even have occurred yet.
“When exactly did Count Pigmen side with the Second Prince…? Three years from now? Four?”
Lacking detailed knowledge on the matter, Etienne let out a sigh.
“If only this concerned the past—I’d find a way to learn the truth somehow….”
“By using your restoration ability, my lady?”
At the sudden voice, Etienne lifted her head to find the butler standing beside her.
“When did you get here?”
“I came right after finishing my duties.”
“I see.”
“You must have been too tired to notice my presence, my lady.”
“Letin…”
Etienne trailed off awkwardly. This was precisely why she disliked conversing with Lani in front of the butler—he had clearly noticed she’d used her restoration ability.
When Etienne pressed her lips shut stubbornly, the butler sighed.
“That ability is still too taxing for you, my lady. Please refrain from using it as much as possible.”
“But wouldn’t anyone want to see what a half-burned piece of paper originally looked like?”
“Well, most people wouldn’t.”
“I suppose you’re right.”
Seeing Etienne accept his words so readily, the butler stepped closer.
He pulled a chair to her bedside and sat down, taking her hand and gently massaging it.
“The power unique to the Marquis’s direct bloodline is exceptionally rare and precious—it’s an ability many covet.”
A cool sensation spread from where the butler touched, prompting Etienne to close her eyes. Under such soothing massage, she decided even his nagging was worth tolerating.
“But that isn’t the only reason we maintain the Restoration Chamber and keep this ability secret. Using such power before adulthood, with an immature body, always carries a price. If your body weakens from using it, that alone becomes a grave danger.”
The Letin family had served the Marquis’s house for generations. Given that the butler was older than her father, he might well understand the current Marquis’s family better than anyone.
‘Using this power with an immature body…’
He was right. She was still in the midst of growing, and recklessly using her restoration ability took a heavy toll—energy siphoned from her bones and muscles sometimes triggered symptoms akin to anemia.
“It’s just fatigue this time, nothing serious.”
At Etienne’s excuse, the butler squeezed her hand tighter—cool yet painful.
“Are you saying it’s better than collapsing from overusing a greater power?”
“Well… not exactly…”
“Please wait until you reach adulthood. Only then should you properly test the extent of your ability. Until then, avoid using it at all costs.”
This was precisely why she’d tried hiding her use of the ability from him…
‘I already know exactly how strong my ability is.’
At eighteen, Etienne had collapsed from a high fever—and upon waking, realized her power had fully matured.
“You don’t know, but I’m actually really strong. Probably as strong as the first head of our house?”
“Is that so?”
The butler chuckled indulgently, taking her vague boast as childish confidence.
“But it’s true…”
Her power surpassed even her father’s. Yet despite wielding such strength, she had failed to save her family.
Etienne forced a bitter smile and clasped the butler’s hand in return.
“But at least we learned something good.”
That Lani wanted her younger sibling.
“Yes. Thanks to that, I enjoyed dessert to my heart’s content.”
“Father never touches sweets—how come you eat them so well?”
“Raising you must have changed my taste, my lady.”
Letin grinned playfully.
“So it’s all my fault, then…”
Having never bested the butler in an argument, Etienne muttered sulkily.
“In any case, never use your restoration ability again.”
“Alright.”
She agreed readily, yet carefully avoided giving an absolute promise.
“Then let us move on to another matter.”
At the butler’s words, Etienne bolted upright.
“You have more to say?”
It wasn’t over yet? Her patience had run dry.
“Whom do you intend to accompany?”
“Oh…”
At the butler’s question, Etienne flopped back onto the bed. She no longer even wanted to glance at the letter tossed beside her.
“I’m flustered—proposals came from two people at once.”
Of all people, the Crown Prince she’d only met once, and Fernando suddenly acting overly friendly.
“Whom will you choose?”
“I’m in a bind because of the rumors swirling around the Crown Prince—why is he doing this?”
“Who will you pick?”
“And why is Fernando acting like this? If he’d always been interested in me, fine—but he wasn’t, so…”
While murmuring to herself and ignoring the butler’s persistent questions, Etienne soon realized her mistake.
She glanced at his face, hoping he hadn’t understood—
“Something must have happened between you and Master Fernando.”
Of course. The butler never let anything slide.
“There is something.”
That she’d returned from the future was Etienne’s secret alone—a nightmare she alone must bear, never to be shared.
‘I don’t want to tell him his own neck was severed in that future.’
“Why are you staring at me like that?”
“Your wrinkles have deepened.”
“Wrinkles appear with age—it’s only natural.”
“I hate it.”
“You dislike the sight?”
“I hate that I’m growing up while you’re growing old.”
“Then whom have you chosen as your future husband? His Highness the Crown Prince, or Lord Fernando?”
“Letin!”
Her pity for him vanished at the sight of his amused expression.
[This is the timeline separator]“The Crown Prince submitted a partner request?”
Fernando frowned, his eyebrows furrowing. Before him, a knight stood at attention and spoke.
“Yes. I heard it directly from the butler of House Claire.”
“When?”
“He said they’d just received the letter when I arrived.”
At the knight’s report, Fernando tossed his sword aside. His focus broken, today’s training ended there. Without hesitation, he turned and strode away, prompting the other knights in the training yard to bow respectfully.
“The Crown Prince claims he has no partner—why choose Etienne of all people? They only shared a single cup of tea.”
He himself had interrupted that brief encounter—so what else could possibly have happened between them to warrant a partner request?
Accepting someone as a partner was practically an admission of closeness—which made the Crown Prince’s behavior even more baffling.
The knight followed Fernando silently, hearing his complaints but saying nothing.
Fernando claimed the Crown Prince and Etienne had met only once—but Fernando himself hadn’t seen Etienne often either. The knight knew this well enough to stay quiet.
“Shall we visit House Claire?”
At the knight’s question, Fernando scowled and began to nod—then stopped abruptly, changing his mind.
“No. Let’s go to the Imperial Palace instead.”
It might burden Etienne if he approached her directly—better to eliminate his rival first.
To appear merely kind and gentle in Etienne’s eyes, Fernando resorted to scheming.
[This is the timeline separator]“So Fernando has inserted himself again.”
Upon hearing Alex’s report, Reinhart’s voice rose and fell melodically—a clear sign of his displeasure.
“Have you never considered that perhaps it’s you who’s intruding, Your Highness?”
Alex calmly pointed out the obvious.
“Me? Intruding?”
“Why insert yourself between two sixteen-year-olds?”
“Why shouldn’t an eighteen-year-old join sixteen-year-olds?”
“To be honest, it doesn’t quite suit you.”
Like the Crown Prince, Alex was also eighteen—and equally puzzled by Reinhart’s behavior.
“Wouldn’t it look better if those two walked into the banquet hand in hand?”
“What’s so good about that?”
“They’d look adorable and fresh.”
Hearing this, Reinhart shot Alex a wounded look.
“…Alex. Anyone hearing this might think I’m thirty-eight. I’m barely eighteen.”
“Eighteen is legally adulthood. Compared to them, you’re clearly not on the same level.”
When Alex emphasized that gap, Reinhart stood up abruptly. Alex assumed the displeased Crown Prince would storm out—
But instead, Reinhart stopped before a mirror. Staring at his own reflection, he turned to Alex.
“With a face like this, wouldn’t I suit Etienne well enough?”
Alex refused to say what Reinhart wanted to hear.
“Regardless, with both His Highness the Crown Prince and Lord Fernando submitting requests simultaneously, the choice now belongs to that young lady. Whoever she picks, I suspect the true star of this banquet won’t be Count Pigmen—but Etienne.”
In high society, where gossip spread faster than anywhere else, Etienne’s choice of partner would undoubtedly become the talk of the town.
“At this point, I’m genuinely curious myself who she’ll choose.”
When Alex stepped back as if becoming a mere spectator, Reinhart turned his gaze back to the mirror.
“But must she really be forced to choose? I worry she’ll be frowning in distress, unable to decide.”
“Who? That young lady, Etienne? Wouldn’t this be a happy dilemma for her?”
“I fear she’ll see it not as happiness—but as genuine trouble.”
Any noblewoman would surely delight in such a situation. Assuming Etienne was no different, Alex couldn’t easily accept Reinhart’s concern.
“So I intend to help her choose easily.”
“…What are you planning?”
The Crown Prince was saying something strange again. Seeing Alex’s uneasy look, Reinhart met his reflected eyes in the mirror.
“We just need to remove the other option.”
Delighted by his own clever idea, Reinhart hurried out, leaving Alex alone to sigh.
“You’re just afraid Fernando might outdo you.”
After all, two peers of the same age would naturally suit each other better.
Male lead is a clingy little husband
One-line summary: The male lead is initially an arrogant, noble, love-deprived brat, later a cute, clingy, scheming little jealous one.
Introduction:
One day, Lu Yuner’s soul transmigrates into a female-dominant world. She enters the Imperial Academy and takes up the position of a doctoral instructor, teaching classes and grading schoolwork.
One day, she encounters the young prince Su Qingwan secretly skipping class from the male academy.
As a result, Su Qingwan is punished.
From then on, Su Qingwan sees Lu Yuner as a “thorn in his side”.
But before long, this “thorn” becomes the person he cherishes most, and he goes to great lengths to win Lu Yuner’s affection.
Mini scene 1:
One day, the sun is high in the sky but Su Qingwan still hasn’t gotten up for class.
Servant Xiaoyuan: “Young prince, it’s time for class. You’ll be late otherwise.”
Su Qingwan says arrogantly: “I’m not going. I am the esteemed prince, my status is so noble, why should I suffer this hardship? Besides, isn’t learning all this just to please women? Hmph, they’re not worthy!”
Mini scene 2:
After Su Qingwan falls for someone, he completely changes. He no longer skips class and diligently learns how to be a good husband and father. But he discovers that Sister Yuner is always surrounded by admirers.
Drunk and overcome with jealousy one day, he clings to Lu Yuner, crying beautifully like a pear blossom in the rain.
Su Qingwan: “Qingwan likes Sister Yuner.”
Lu Yuner: “Young prince, you’re drunk.”
Su Qingwan: “Qingwan isn’t drunk. Qingwan likes Sister Yuner, likes you so much, likes you to bits…” Before he can finish, Lu Yuner’s eyes flash with emotion and she leans in closer.
[Reading Guide]
1. The female lead is gentle, gracious, humble and polite but not weak. The male lead is initially an arrogant, noble, love-deprived brat, later a cute, clingy, scheming little jealous one.
2. 1v1, a bit torturous in the beginning but definitely sweet later on.
_____
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