Unrequited Love is Over, Fend for Yourselves (5 Chapters Left to Complete) - Chapter 18

Having washed and changed into another dress, Etienne said she still had things to do. So Fernando made plans to meet her again later and returned to the fountain where Etienne had fallen earlier.

Earlier, while searching for her after she vanished from the hall, he had run into the Crown Prince.

[“Why are you following me?”] [“I’m merely looking for Etienne. Since our goals seem the same, shall we move together?”] [“I have no desire to do so…”] [“What if I find her before you do?”]

Each time Reinhart replied with such ease, Fernando’s patience wore thinner.

[“Do you harbor any special feelings for Etienne?”] [“If you ask whether I like her, I can say no. If you ask whether I’m interested, I can say yes.”]

Reinhart didn’t even feign affection for Etienne.

[“Don’t hover around Etienne with such half-hearted intentions.”] [“That sounds as if you’re saying I may circle her freely once my feelings deepen.”]

As Reinhart kept countering him point by point, clearly intent on trailing him to the end, Fernando was just considering how to forcibly shake him off when a sound reached his ears.

“The sound of water.”

At the time, he hadn’t known what it was, but now he realized it must have been the splash when Etienne fell into the fountain. Yet the Crown Prince beside him hadn’t heard it.

I haven’t awakened my water affinity yet. In frustration, I once thought it better to die than remain unawakened and even jumped into a lake. That incident hadn’t even been a month ago…

“Did it tell you?”

Fernando asked while gazing at the water. If the water had informed him of Etienne’s fall, perhaps he had gained some ability himself.

Fernando dipped his hand into the water and closed his eyes. Ripples spread outward in circles from his hand—but suddenly reversed direction, flowing back toward him.

Amid this strange phenomenon unseen by anyone else, Fernando saw a hand pushing Etienne’s back as she fell into the water. It was small and pale.

‘A woman’s—or perhaps slightly smaller.’

Not a child’s, yet not quite an adult’s either.

Fernando opened his eyes. He’d seen the hand that pushed Etienne but not the face. Still, that was enough.

“I’ll catch you.”

No matter how long it takes. I will.

[This is the timeline separator]

“You don’t know why your younger brother came here?”

“He merely heard there was a rare item and came to see it.”

While Fernando was at the fountain, Crown Prince Reinhart was meeting privately with Count Pigmen. He sat in the count’s office—in the count’s very chair. Count Pigmen stood before Reinhart, flustered.

“Your hobby is collecting curious artifacts, correct?”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

“A most admirable hobby.”

At Reinhart’s words, Count Pigmen lowered his head to hide his troubled expression. Because of this hobby, he kept having to meet with princes one after another—what was admirable about that? Yet he couldn’t say so plainly.

“Didn’t Ludvi say earlier he’d take that golden-glazed porcelain?”

“Well… it’s a piece said to choose its own owner. I only keep it in storage. Unless it selects His Highness the Second Prince as its master, it remains nothing more than a decorative object, so I truly can’t say.”

In truth, Ludvi had indeed asked to take it, but he couldn’t admit that either.

“How fascinating—that the porcelain chooses its master.”

Reinhart leaned back against the chair and fell silent. Count Pigmen hesitantly asked,

“Does Your Highness have no interest in it?”

He was anxious, fearing the two princes might quarrel over it. Reinhart merely waved his hand dismissively.

“It’s not mine to begin with.”

“Are you… truly sure?”

Wouldn’t one want such a curious object? At Pigmen’s repeated question, Reinhart gave a faint laugh.

“Actually, something else caught my interest far more.”

“Something else?”

“Yes. It’s not in your household, so no need to worry.”

At Reinhart’s swift addition, Count Pigmen secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

“You claim not to know why your brother came here, so let me rephrase: where was the last place he visited?”

At Reinhart’s question, Count Pigmen recalled a location reported to him earlier by his butler and opened his mouth.

[This is the timeline separator]

“I heard Hans works here—is that correct?”

“Yes, but the stable hand Hans had to quit due to illness.”

“Illness?”

At Etienne’s question, the stable hand from the count’s estate bowed his head even lower.

“He was kicked by a horse’s hind leg while tending to it. He said he’d return once recovered, but since he hasn’t healed, he hasn’t come back yet.”

“I see.”

Etienne had come all the way to the stables, thinking Hans—Rani’s father—was still working here, only to miss him.

“Then do you know where Hans lives?”

“I’m not sure myself.”

“What about his son, by any chance?”

“Well…”

The stable hand, who had answered promptly until now, suddenly grew evasive. If he truly didn’t know about the son, he would have said so outright—yet he didn’t.

That meant he knew Hans had a son. Then why couldn’t he answer?

“In truth, Hans’s son does come here occasionally, but I don’t know exactly when.”

“Why does he come?”

As Etienne pressed further, the stable hand looked distressed. Just then, the sound of quick footsteps approached.

Etienne looked past the stable hand and saw a small figure running toward them.

“You again—what are you doing here?”

Like Etienne, the stable hand had spotted the child and scolded him. He gestured for the boy to leave, but the child shook his head stubbornly.

“Let me see the master.”

“That won’t do any good, no matter how much you ask.”

“But I must meet him.”

He was a boy of about ten. Etienne stared intently at his face. Though dirty from lack of washing, he resembled Rani.

“Come back tomorrow. Then I’ll find a way to…”

“You won’t do it.”

“Rawhin!”

“You always say ‘come tomorrow’ but never let me meet him afterward.”

“Well…”

Flustered, the stable hand trailed off. The more uneasy he looked standing between Rawhin and Etienne, the deeper Etienne’s suspicion grew.

“You won’t even give my father his wages, but you must at least pay for his medicine! Why won’t you?”

“Boy, what’s so grave about getting kicked by a horse…”

“It was the count who caused it!”

“Rawhin!”

“The count mounted the horse, then suddenly whipped the reins, making the horse kick my father with its hind legs! Even if it was the horse that struck him, the count caused it—should we just let it go?”

“Quiet. Do you know where you are…”

“I can’t take it anymore!”

Rawhin stepped backward. The stable hand reached out to stop him, fearing what the boy might do—but Hans slipped away like an eel and vanished instantly.

“I… hah.”

“So that boy must be Hans’s son?”

The stable hand, who had remained silent until now, flinched at Etienne’s question and nodded.

“Yes, that’s right. I don’t know where the boy went—he’s quick and impossible to pin down. Are you… ordering me to catch him?”

Worry flickered across the stable hand’s face. Since Etienne had kept asking about Rawhin’s father, he feared she might order him to seize the child.

‘What should I do?’

After a moment’s thought, Etienne simply turned away. She gave no order to bring the boy.

‘Now that I’ve seen his face, I can find him again.’

That was her reasoning. The best course now seemed to be returning to the mansion, telling Rani what she’d just learned, and asking the butler to have someone look into it.

As Etienne left, she suddenly bumped into someone blocking her path.

Her gaze, which had been fixed on his chest, slowly lifted upward—past his throat, to his lips—and she inwardly groaned.

‘The Second Prince.’

Why was he standing right in front of her?

‘Could he know I followed him earlier?’

To hide her tension, Etienne lowered her eyes and bowed politely.

“I greet His Highness Prince Ludvi Gagnien.”

“Etienne Claire?”

“Yes.”

“So you’re the daughter of Marquis Claire.”

As Reinhart murmured to himself, Etienne scanned the surroundings. This was the front of the stables—a place rarely visited except by those tending the horses.

Especially not by someone of princely rank.

Thus, the likeliest reason for his presence was to meet her. Evidently, he’d caught her following him earlier.

“I heard you’re the girl receiving partnership proposals from famed men, so I followed you…”

At the mutter from above, Etienne looked up.

“…only to find a fussy child.”

“That…”

Etienne nearly snapped back but forced the words down.

‘He’s only a year older than me—how dare he call me a child?’

Neither of them was fully grown; who was he to call her childish? It was infuriating.

“What? Something to say?”

“…Nothing.”

“But your face says otherwise.”

“No, it doesn’t.”

She had much to say but kept silent. The Second Prince, however, took offense at her expression.

Frustrated and resentful, Etienne forced a smile. Upon reflection, “fussy child” wasn’t even a serious insult.

Her dislike for the Second Prince seemed to have made her overly sensitive. She decided not to engage him further—but the Second Prince showed no sign of letting her go and continued.

“Why would two men pursue someone like you, who isn’t even fully grown and still smells of milk?”

“I don’t know myself.”

“Did they say they liked you?”

“I haven’t heard such words.”

It hadn’t been a confession, but one had clung to her skirt without letting go. At the Second Prince’s question, Etienne briefly wondered if Fernando truly liked her—but quickly shook her head.

She’d seen how Fernando liked Hana. Compared to that, his current behavior was no different from a hatchling newly emerged from its shell, blindly chasing after its mother.

‘So I’m Fernando’s mother bird.’

While Etienne sorted through these thoughts, Prince Ludvi asked again,

“Shall I apply next time? You’d become even more famous—what do you think?”

At his mutter, Etienne replied with a strained smile.

“That’s unnecessary. I’m already famous enough. I’ll take my leave, then.”

Etienne bowed politely—ensuring the rejected party wouldn’t feel slighted—and hurried away.

It was as if she were fleeing from the Second Prince.

‘I want to know what he’ll do, yet I don’t wish to face him.’

Apparently, she wasn’t yet free from the Second Prince’s gaze—even the memory of her beheading still haunted her.