Unrequited Love is Over, Fend for Yourselves (5 Chapters Left to Complete) - Chapter 24

“Your Highness, Crown Prince. You left without a word to me—just what exactly have you done?”

The next morning, the moment Alex saw Reinhart, he began interrogating him. Reinhart, who had been receiving help dressing with arms outstretched, met Alex’s gaze in the mirror.

“What have I done, exactly?”

“Count Pigmen, House of Claire, House of Schupraher—so I heard you met them all yesterday. What on earth does that mean?”

“Oh, that? It’s all settled nicely.”

“Settled?”

“Yes. I went and resolved everything peacefully. Even brought back a cute attendant.”

Reinhart pointed downward, and the boy who had just been fastening Reinhart’s belt bowed deeply to Alex.

“My name is Lahwin.”

“No, seriously—”

Alex tried to speak further but just sighed instead.

“Picking up absolutely anyone like this… No, never mind.”

He couldn’t say more with Lahwin present. Giving up, he moved aside, and Lahwin continued the task he’d been doing.

“Lahwin.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

“Are you studying hard?”

“Yes.”

“Good. Keep it up. That way, I can put you to work just like I do with that counselor over there.”

“I shall do my utmost to be of service to Your Highness.”

“You certainly understand quickly.”

Reinhart smiled at Alex, clearly teasing him, so Alex sighed again. Then he noticed something placed nearby and asked,

“Did you bring this from Count Pigmen?”

Alex curiously examined the golden egg resting on a small, plush cushion.

“It radiates golden light—how fascinating and lovely.”

“Lovely, you say… It kept me awake all night.”

Though Reinhart grumbled, Alex knew he wasn’t serious, so he simply asked something else without further comment.

“You don’t know what sleeps inside it, do you?”

“We’ll find out once it hatches.”

“Shall I take a look?”

Just as Alex asked, Reinhart finished dressing and turned around.

“If you’ve got the time, by all means.”

At his words, Alex rose from his seat.

“Shall we go to that gathering, then?”

Reinhart stepped forward toward the meeting he’d arranged for the sake of the future.

[This is the timeline separator]

‘I don’t understand what situation the Crown Prince is in right now.’

I returned to the past the moment I died, so I know everything up to the point of my death—but the Crown Prince acts as if he knows nothing, yet somehow knows far too much.

[What I know amounts to barely a handful of things. If I had to give it a name, I suppose you’d call it… precognitive dreams?]

‘Dreams or not, it just means you know some things and not others.’

That’s precisely why he’s seeking me—the one who supposedly knows the future.

“Etienne?”

“Yes?”

Etienne looked up at the voice calling her.

“What are you thinking so deeply about?”

It was Sera, Marchioness Claire.

“I was just thinking about the gathering we’re attending today.”

‘The one that’s been moved up by a whole year.’

Etienne swallowed the rest of her sentence.

“We were rather sudden about it ourselves. We’ve been moving very cautiously until now.”

Etienne nodded in understanding at Sera’s explanation.

“But His Highness the Crown Prince personally visited our house and asked His Majesty to move the gathering forward.”

As expected, only the Crown Prince could shake the future I know.

“By the way, do you know what kind of gathering this really is?”

Those who knew understood it was a meeting of houses supporting the Crown Prince, but no one could openly say so.

Thus, they created a public pretext—that a few close noble families were simply gathering for some ordinary occasion.

“No.”

‘A flower-arranging gathering.’

“It’s a flower-arranging gathering.”

Though Etienne already knew this, she pretended ignorance as best she could. Sera continued,

“Do you know whose idea that was? Mine and Duchess Schupraher’s. Last time we met, we discussed what kind of public reason would work well, and suddenly realized something Fernando and you had in common—you were both as lovely as flowers! So we decided on a flower-arranging gathering.”

Etienne gave an awkward smile. Though her mother was dearly beloved, she found these long-winded stories rather uncomfortable at times.

Etienne glanced at her father, silently pleading for help. They were already en route to the gathering, and she couldn’t just step out of the carriage to escape her mother’s chatter.

Marquis Claire caught Etienne’s look and gave a knowing signal.

“Everyone says Etienne reminds them of red roses—must be because she takes after you so closely.”

“That’s not true at all. Etienne takes after you.”

“I still can’t forget the moment Etienne was born—the sight of that child, who looked just like you, sleeping peacefully in my arms…”

Etienne covered her face with both hands.

Her mother had clearly stopped speaking to her, so her father had helped—but the conversation that followed wasn’t what Etienne had hoped for at all.

Etienne looked at them meaningfully, hoping they’d stop—but her parents had already vanished into their own private world.

[This is the timeline separator]

“House of Claire.”

At Alex’s announcement, Marquis Claire and his wife entered the venue, followed by Etienne.

The gathering was held at Elysia Garden, the place in the capital with the most flowers, and they had rented its largest greenhouse.

Etienne followed her parents, rubbing her tired ears. She’d been forced to listen to stories about her childhood all the way until they arrived.

‘At least the butler isn’t here—that’s a relief.’

He would’ve surely teased her, saying things like, “It’s all because they love you so dearly—just think how precious you are to them both!”

‘I wonder if there’s any way to return separately…’

She wanted to go home as comfortably as possible. While pondering her options, she felt someone’s gaze and looked up.

It was a man with long green hair tied in a single tail. When their eyes met, he gave a slight bow and a polite nod.

Etienne returned the greeting and stole a quick look at him.

‘Counselor Alex.’

The Crown Prince’s closest confidant, the man who had practically grown up alongside him—the one who knew him better than anyone, and who had… vanished after the Crown Prince’s death.

‘The one who disappeared without a trace.’

That meant he might have been involved in the Crown Prince’s death.

‘If he’d reappeared afterward, I would’ve heard rumors about where he’d been.’

He hadn’t shown himself again before my death.

Meeting his gaze now felt strange. Just as Etienne fell into thought while watching Alex, Alex, too, seemed lost in thought as he looked at her.

‘The person the Crown Prince often mentions.’

Alex had always been by the Crown Prince’s side—he was the only one the prince ever truly opened up to.

Lately, the Crown Prince had frequently spoken two names: Fernando and Etienne.

When mentioning Fernando, he’d seemed slightly irritated, but whenever Etienne came up, he sounded genuinely curious and as if he enjoyed her company.

Clearly, the Crown Prince felt warmly toward Etienne—though he probably saw her merely as a pleasant, younger sister figure. But Alex thought differently.

It was more than that. A deeper feeling was building—one that might change entirely once Etienne came of age. Therefore, he needed to see whether Etienne was truly fit to become Crown Princess.

That was precisely what mattered most to Alex at today’s gathering.

‘I’ll find out by watching.’

His eyes would stay fixed on Etienne all day.

Meanwhile, Etienne, now inside, looked around at those who had arrived earlier.

‘Fernando isn’t here yet.’

She didn’t see House of Schupraher, but House of Pigmen was present—and also…

‘House of Josh.’

Hana was already seated, laughing merrily as she chatted with peers her age.

“I told you so, didn’t I?”

“Yes! You have no idea how excited I was then.”

“If you say it like that, I’ll get embarrassed!”

Hana covered her blushing cheeks with both hands, and the others laughed fondly at her adorable gesture.

Etienne hesitated as she watched them.

All the young people were gathered there—she ought to join them, yet felt no desire to.

‘I don’t even want to get close to them.’

She already knew exactly who they all were, yet speaking to them felt awkward.

And the most uncomfortable of all was undoubtedly Hana.

“Oh? Etienne.”

Hana noticed her belatedly, looked surprised, then quickly smiled and called out, eyes crinkling. At Hana’s call, the others turned to look at Etienne too. Now there was no escaping.

Etienne forced her heavy feet to move and approached them.

Starting a new relationship—like with Fernando or the Crown Prince—was possible, but not easy.

They were already close friends of Hana’s, and in her past life, Etienne had often felt like an outsider awkwardly forcing her way into their tight-knit group.

She didn’t want to relive that feeling again.

“I am Etienne Claire.”

She’d begun with this exact greeting long ago, too.

“Etienne, you don’t need to be so formal.”

Hana smiled and lightly touched Etienne’s arm.

“Who here is a stranger to you?”

“Well… I suppose.”

Hana was right. Most of them had known her since childhood—but recognizing faces didn’t mean they were close.

Etienne wore an awkward expression, and Hana carefully asked,

“Etienne… you’re not uncomfortable around us, are you?”

Of course she was—but she couldn’t possibly say that outright.