Unrequited Love is Over, Fend for Yourselves (5 Chapters Left to Complete) - Chapter 8

  1. Home
  2. Unrequited Love is Over, Fend for Yourselves (5 Chapters Left to Complete)
  3. Chapter 8
Prev
Next

Etienne, having finished dressing, immediately called for Butler Letin. As soon as the butler appeared, she handed him a box.

“What is this?”

“A gift box.”

“To whom should I deliver it?”

“Open it and take a look.”

At Etienne’s amused reply, the butler paused briefly in thought before reaching out his hand.

Whenever the young lady smiled like that, it meant something amusing was afoot. So, after opening the box and peering inside, the butler asked, even more puzzled than before,

“There’s nothing in it?”

“Put in a piece of paper listing the gifts the staff wish to receive.”

“The staff of the Marquisate?”

“Yes. I’d like to buy them the presents they desire.”

Hence, the gift box. Etienne raised her index finger.

“Start by writing down your own wish first—I’ll buy yours right away.”

“Why the sudden idea?”

“Just… because I’m grateful.”

“Hmm… Am I allowed to wish for something as well?”

“If it’s something I can grant.”

Etienne pressed the box into the butler’s arms, telling him he could write as much as he liked. As she turned to leave the room, the butler called out to her from behind.

“Where are you headed?”

At the butler’s question, Etienne beamed and nodded brightly.

“There’s someone I want to see.”

“May I ask who?”

“Yes. Someone I absolutely must meet—for my future.”

Crown Prince Reinhart—the ill-fated heir who was destined to become emperor but died suddenly one day. And House Claire, which had fallen into decline along with Reinhart.

The first person Etienne thought of upon regressing was Fernando. It just so happened to be the day she saved him from the pond, and regardless of the outcome, she had saved him—so now it was Reinhart’s turn.

‘I must find out how he died. And if I can prevent it, all the better.’

The crown prince’s death had raised many questions. At the same time, many had incurred the emperor’s wrath simply for having followed him.

Etienne wanted to unravel the mystery surrounding the prince’s death and set things right. But there was one problem:

‘I currently have no connection whatsoever with the crown prince.’

In her previous life, she had viewed him only as the future emperor, and he likely saw House Claire as just another noble family among many. Their relationship had amounted to little more than a few passing encounters.

A year later, however, she would have met him again—as the daughter of a house that supported the crown prince, on the occasion of her seventeenth birthday.

‘I can’t wait until next year.’

Even if there was nothing she could do right now, she wanted to meet the crown prince as soon as possible.

“Who exactly is this person you must meet?”

“I’ll tell you after I return.”

She intended to tell him only after meeting the person, since she might not succeed today. Etienne left, leaving the butler with his curiosity unsatisfied.

[This is the timeline separator]

“We’ve arrived.”

Etienne hadn’t even noticed when the carriage passed through the gate—she was already at the outer court. Though she still needed to go further to reach the inner court, she had instructed the driver to stop here.

Stepping down from the carriage, Etienne glanced around briefly before raising a hand toward the staff who followed her out.

“Everyone, go back.”

“But when you return to the Marquisate…”

“I can manage on my own.”

Having disembarked, Etienne dismissed everyone except Zen, her guard knight.

The maid and servant who always attended to her, and even the coachman, hesitated in confusion—but Etienne turned sharply without a moment’s hesitation.

“Let’s go.”

At Etienne’s words, Zen silently followed her. Only the staff she had just sent away remained behind, looking utterly bewildered.

Until recently, their young lady had acted as though she couldn’t do anything without them—and now she seemed like a completely different person overnight.

Walking with only Zen in tow, she gradually felt at ease.

“May I ask why you’re walking?”

Trending

“Because I like this path.”

“My lady, you say?”

“Of course not. I’ve only been here for the first time today.”

To Zen’s question, Etienne replied readily and without difficulty. Nobles usually rode carriages straight into the inner court.

They seldom showed interest in the outer court, which commoners could also enter. Nobles behaved as though they cared nothing for the carefully landscaped gardens or precisely trimmed sculptures.

Etienne herself had always taken the carriage straight to the inner court before. She hadn’t known why—she’d simply learned to do so by following her father.

There was no real reason not to stroll through the outer court. So from today onward, she intended to make use of it.

Etienne walked slowly, with only Zen following behind, muffling his footsteps. Passersby glanced curiously at her in her ornate dress.

Yet Etienne paid no mind to their gazes; she leisurely wandered the outer court, admiring her surroundings.

“I missed out on so much.”

Back when she believed Fernando was the only happiness in the world, she’d had no time to look around.

“I never even noticed such lovely flowers…”

Even when arranging bouquets and handling countless blooms, all her attention had been fixed on Fernando.

“Nor did I ever truly appreciate the shimmering lake.”

She’d only plunged into the water to save Fernando, never taking a moment to admire the lake itself.

“But now that I look, the world is full of beauty—especially here. I never realized how stunning it was, always rushing past in the carriage.”

Etienne turned toward Zen with a smile. Since he’d walked with her all this way, he must have seen the same scenery. She wanted his agreement.

“Don’t you think…”

Her words trailed off as she noticed someone standing before Zen.

A man with golden hair tinged with red and blue eyes that glimmered faintly green. People called the crown prince a gift from nature itself.

They said his hair resembled the sunset and the sun, and that his eyes held within them both the forest and the sea.

His face, so divinely formed, was said to be as beautiful as an archangel’s—anyone who saw the crown prince would surely sing his praises.

“I’m delighted you appreciate the beauty of this place.”

Etienne froze upon encountering the crown prince, while Reinhart glanced around with evident pride.

“Could you tell me more about what makes it so beautiful?”

“It feels… as though nature itself has been moved here.”

Though startled, she answered calmly. While the inner court boasted uniquely designed gardens in every corner, the outer court—though seemingly haphazard—followed nature’s own inherent order.

“That strangely puts my mind at ease, which makes everything appear even more beautiful.”

This wasn’t a fabricated line—it was Etienne’s genuine feeling from the heart. Reinhart stared intently into her eyes before letting out a soft chuckle.

“The flowers planted here—I brought the seedlings myself. And those trees lined up over there—I pruned them with my own hands when I was young.”

Reinhart strolled slowly, hands clasped behind his back. Etienne followed, keeping precisely one step behind.

“So few nobles recognize its beauty. I wished they’d stroll through the outer court, gather their thoughts, and enter the inner court calm and composed—but almost no one does.”

Listening to Reinhart’s regretful tone, Etienne looked around the outer court. She’d walked here hoping, perhaps, to cross paths with him. That was all…

“Yet you seem to understand my intention—that pleases me.”

Unable to meet Reinhart’s eyes as he smiled warmly, Etienne looked away. She, too, had walked here with impure motives, and thus couldn’t bear to hold his gaze.

But had there really been no noble who’d ever walked the outer court before? Probably no one had done so with the pure intention of simply appreciating its beauty.

Everyone had merely tried to decipher the crown prince’s inner thoughts and curry his favor.

And Etienne was no different.

‘After all, I want to save the crown prince for the sake of my own family.’

It wasn’t money or power she sought—but she did intend to benefit through him. So she couldn’t deny her impure motive, yet everything she’d felt while walking through the outer court had been utterly sincere.

Maintaining her distance from Reinhart, Etienne gazed at the scenery alongside him. At times, she paused briefly; when the sun grew too warm, she rested in the shade.

Though it seemed as if she followed Reinhart because he walked ahead, Etienne moved exactly as she pleased—and oddly enough, the crown prince adjusted his pace to match hers.

Finding it amusing, Reinhart chuckled lightly—almost as if he should be the one trailing behind her.

“What’s your name?”

“Etienne Claire.”

“So you’re the young lady of House Claire. Ah, yes—that rings a bell. And I do recognize your face.”

Reinhart nodded thoughtfully before turning away again.

“But you recognized me as crown prince right away?”

“Yes. I’ve seen Your Highness before as well.”

“Is that so? Then…”

ads

A hint of expectation flickered across Reinhart’s face.

“What was I like… the first time you saw me?”

Unlike earlier, when he’d merely admired and boasted about nature, now he offered a smile brimming with pride in his appearance. Etienne met that smile squarely before asking,

“May I speak honestly?”

“By all means.”

At Reinhart’s smug gesture, Etienne nearly laughed but held it back.

Countless people must have praised his looks before—now he clearly expected a similar reply from her. She knew what he wanted to hear, but she intended to answer truthfully.

“You were so adorable I wanted to take a bite.”

He’d been bursting with cuteness—absolutely precious. There was a cherub statue by the fountain with tiny wings, and it looked exactly like the crown prince.

So all she’d really wanted was to sit beside him and share some cookies. That was it.

“…Take a bite?”

Of whom? Me? Reinhart’s expression turned incredulous.

“Yes. The first time I saw Your Highness, you were very young.”

So it wasn’t ‘handsome’—it was definitely ‘adorable.’

Most Commented This Week
Prev
Next

YOUR COMMENT

1. Please write comments in English.
2. Inline comments are now available. Tap the end of any line in a chapter to share your thoughts instantly.