Unrequited Love is Over, Fend for Yourselves (5 Chapters Left to Complete) - Chapter 20
“Crown Prince will come today.”
Duke Schupraher’s heavy voice reverberated through the dining room. At his words, Duchess Schupraher, who had been eating, and his children all turned to look at him.
Fernando was the heir to the duchy, but he had other siblings as well.
“What business brings His Highness the Crown Prince?”
At the question from Laila, the youngest and only daughter, Duke Schupraher shook his head.
“I don’t know.”
At his answer, Fernando silently scoffed inwardly.
‘There’s no way that sly fox doesn’t know. He wouldn’t open his own door unless he knew the purpose—yet he’s lying…’
“But it doesn’t seem he’s coming with ill intent, so treat him well when he arrives.”
“Yes, Father.”
Laila nodded happily. Not satisfied with that alone, she added excitedly,
“But isn’t His Highness the Crown Prince incredibly handsome? Whenever I’m with my friends, we talk about nothing else but him.”
It wasn’t unusual for girls gathering together to talk about handsome men. Thus, Duchess Schupraher said with a gentle smile,
“Don’t you ever talk about your brother? Fernando is very handsome too, you know.”
At her mother’s question, Laila made a sour face as if deeply offended.
“Of course not! What’s so handsome about him…?”
Even as Laila grimaced at him, Fernando continued eating silently.
“My goodness! Fernando is so dashing. That’s precisely why the child of House of Claire chose him as her partner.”
At the mention of Etienne, Fernando let out a slight smile. He didn’t care about Laila’s chatter, but hearing Etienne’s name always pleased him.
“That just means her taste is strange. Why would she pick Brother of all people when His Highness the Crown Prince was right there? Not that I mind—actually, I’m glad His Highness hasn’t gotten involved with anyone.”
Laila behaved as if the Crown Prince had clearly won in any comparison with Fernando.
Yet Fernando didn’t seem bothered at all and remained focused on his meal. He had no desire to meet the Crown Prince and planned to go to the lake once dinner ended.
“How is your training progressing?”
Duke Schupraher asked Fernando.
“It’s going well.”
“That’s vague. Are you just wasting time without sensing anything?”
Instead of answering, Fernando moved his hand. Instantly, Laila’s water glass trembled. The water inside began swirling, then slowly rose out of the glass.
As everyone watched, Fernando flicked his hand once. At that exact moment, the swirling water dropped straight down.
“Kyaa!”
Right onto Laila’s skirt.
“Brother!”
Ignoring Laila’s shriek, Fernando stood up from his seat.
“I’ll go practice now.”
“Very well, off you go.”
Duke Schupraher readily let him leave, clearly delighted just that Fernando had gained control over water. Only Laila, wronged by her brother, sulked alone.
After leaving the dining room, Fernando recalled the Crown Prince’s face. He had the usual eyes, nose, and mouth—nothing special—and a disagreeable personality.
So why was everyone making such a fuss? He suddenly wondered whether Etienne also thought the Crown Prince was handsome.
“What about me?”
His thoughts drifted to his own face. Did Etienne think he was handsome?
Fernando, who had been heading toward the lake, stopped in his tracks. Should he go ask Etienne right now?
It seemed like a good idea, so he changed direction—but froze immediately upon seeing someone approaching.
It was Crown Prince Reinhart.
He briefly considered pretending not to see him and walking past, but his hesitation lasted just a moment too long. By the time he noticed, the Crown Prince was already right in front of him, so Fernando simply offered a brief bow.
“I see you’re on your way somewhere. Go ahead.”
“Do you have something to say to me?”
“To you, Fernando?”
Reinhart, arms crossed, scanned Fernando up and down before flatly replying,
“I don’t think I have anything to say to you, of all people.”
“I wouldn’t have done that to you,” Reinhart muttered quietly to himself. Fernando walked past without acknowledging the words. He disliked that prince.
[This is the timeline separator]
Etienne looked down at the paper in her hand—the same paper where Lani had written her wish and where she herself had used her restoration ability.
“So I can now read the past and future.”
Originally, she had only possessed the ability to restore objects, but because of the Crown Prince, she had gained foresight into the future.
Just like the person the Crown Prince had been searching for, Etienne now knew what was to come. The Crown Prince would die, and her family would be destroyed by the hands of the Second Prince, who would become Emperor.
Meanwhile, House of Schupraher would survive unscathed, and Fernando… would likely become lovers with Hana.
“That’s the one thing I don’t know.”
Even Etienne didn’t know what would happen after her own death. She had loved Fernando and had poured out her heart before ascending the scaffold. But still…
“Why has everything gotten so tangled? If the Crown Prince saved my life, I can’t possibly just leave him be.”
Though she hadn’t revealed she was the one he sought, her heart felt heavy.
Her thoughts, once merely “If I fail to prevent the Crown Prince’s death, my family will fall,” were now confusingly shifting toward “I absolutely must prevent the Crown Prince’s death.”
“But my family comes first… Maybe it’s better not to say anything at all?”
If she couldn’t guarantee she’d prevent his death, it was better to keep it hidden entirely.
“Instead, perhaps I could help him secretly.”
That seemed the best course for now—but of all people, the Crown Prince had asked for her help directly. Even if she refused once or twice, what if she ended up having no choice but to assist him?
“Should I avoid the Crown Prince for now?”
Would that ease her mind a little?
“Miss.”
“Huh? Lani?”
As she pondered this, someone came rushing toward her in a panic—it was Lani. Etienne stood up still holding the note, and Lani quickly reached her side.
“Please… help me.”
Lani dropped to her knees and clutched Etienne’s skirt.
“What’s wrong all of a sudden?”
“Please save my little brother.”
At Lani’s desperate plea, Etienne studied her face closely. Her cheeks were soaked with tears, as if she’d been crying endlessly.
On the day after the banquet, Etienne had shared everything she knew with Lani and even gave her money for her father’s medicine. Yet now, seeing Lani’s expression, something had clearly gone very wrong.
“They’ve arrested my brother.”
“Arrested?”
“They say he touched the Count’s belongings.”
Fearing Etienne might not fully grasp the situation, Lani forced back her sobs and continued,
“He’s on the run, but they’ll catch him soon… Father… hic.”
Her attempt to explain clearly had reached its limit, and Lani finally burst into tears.
“Do you know where your brother went?”
Lani nodded vigorously.
“He’s probably at the place where we used to meet. I’ll take you there.”
Lani sprang to her feet and led the way, with Etienne following closely behind. Just as they were about to leave the room, the butler stepped in front of them.
“No, Miss.”
“Butler Letin.”
“This could cause trouble with House of Count Pigmen. Knowing how serious this might become, I cannot possibly let you go.”
“But Lani’s brother is in danger!”
Lani stamped her feet in frustration. Etienne, watching her, turned to the butler and pleaded,
“Just this once.”
“No. If it were Lani herself who’d stolen something, we could intervene on grounds that she works for House of Marquis. But her brother? Absolutely not. Moreover, stealing from a noble is a grave crime—shielding him would be utterly unacceptable. You know that, Miss.”
“I’ve seen Lahwin myself. He’s just a child—can you really just abandon him?”
“Yes.”
The butler spoke firmly. His expression was grim, likely because it involved Lani, yet his resolve not to let Etienne go remained unshaken.
“Butler Letin.”
Etienne, meeting his eyes, gently pulled his arm down.
“I came back to save everyone.”
Until the Crown Prince revealed his secret, that’s what Etienne had believed—that she’d returned to prevent the coming tragedy.
That was how precious everyone in House of Marquis was to her.
“So don’t pretend you can ignore even a small sacrifice.”
With resolute eyes, Etienne walked past the butler.
“Miss.”
“If anything goes wrong, I’ll take full responsibility.”
With those words, Etienne followed Lani without looking back. The butler watched her retreating figure and let out a long sigh.
“Nothing to be done, then.”
Since the young lady had made up her mind, his duty now was to find a way to support her.
[This is the timeline separator]“I should… ride a horse…”
Etienne hesitated briefly after rushing out. Riding a horse would be much faster than taking a carriage. But she was only sixteen and still learning to ride.
She felt confident she could handle a horse perfectly—but whether this young body would obey her will was uncertain.
Just as she considered taking the carriage for speed instead—
“Etienne?”
She turned at the sound of her name and saw a welcome face.
“Fernando.”
He was galloping toward her on horseback. As he pulled the reins to slow down and dismounted with practiced ease, Etienne broke into a bright smile.
Fernando asked as he approached her,
“Where are you headed?”
“Mm. But what about you? What brings you here?”
Etienne looked at him with hopeful anticipation. If he hadn’t come for some urgent matter but simply to see her, everything would become easier.
“Well… I came to see you.”
“That’s perfect.”
Hearing the answer she’d hoped for, Etienne tightly grasped Fernando’s hand and smiled.
Fernando glanced oddly at his captured hand, then nodded. He didn’t know what was “perfect,” but if Etienne was happy, that was enough for him.
“There’s somewhere I need to go—will you come with me? You’d only need to go as far as the nearby area.”
“You’re asking me to give you a ride on my horse, aren’t you?”
Fernando quickly deduced Etienne’s urgency. The moment she nodded, he took hold of her waist.
My Ex-Girlfriend Is The Regent In The Female-dominant World (Male lead transmigrates to the matriarchal world)
Two years ago, Gu Sui picked up a homeless woman in ancient costume from the street.
Apart from occasionally claiming to be a princess from a female-dominant country due to illness, her figure, appearance, intelligence, and martial arts skills were impeccable.
Naturally evolving from roommates to girlfriends, as time went on, Gu Sui found it increasingly difficult to tolerate her queen syndrome.
“Mu Jiulu, can you stop controlling me inside and out? Let’s break up.”
Gu Sui made a breakup call, and since then, he couldn’t find any trace of her.
A year later, Gu Sui, who was planning to move, woke up the next day and found himself in a different place.
“Young Master, today is the day you choose your Wife-master through martial arts competition at Jade Dew Pavilion. Please get up quickly.”
Gu Sui: Who am I? Where am I? What am I doing?
As the only son of a general’s mansion in a female-dominant dynasty, the young empress personally issued a decree allowing Gu Sui to select his Wife-master through martial arts competition. Whoever could defeat him could marry him.
Gu Sui: “……”
He didn’t inherit the original owner’s martial prowess, so anyone could defeat him! And what the hell is a Wife-master?
Forced to come to Jade Dew Pavilion, the densely packed women below made Gu Sui’s agoraphobia act up, and his face was full of resistance.
Until he saw the Regent sitting on the second floor, with a smile on the corner of her lips, her eyes wicked and nonchalant.
Hmm… she looked a little familiar.
It turned out that the Regent also found him a little familiar.
Mu Jiulu fiddled with her bone clasp, her deep gaze locked on the man who was out of place in this world.
“Finally, I found you.”
Male transmigrates into female-dominant world
One-sentence summary: What goes around comes around, taking turns in the crematorium
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