You And I Live In Different Worlds (Completed Main Story) - Chapter 16
For a while after that, the two of them remained distant.
Whenever they occasionally crossed paths in the hallway, they exchanged only a brief, formal greeting and nothing more.
At mealtimes, Eda usually did the talking, while Edric and Melie merely nodded in agreement with her words, never addressing each other directly.
‘Why have these two become so quiet all of a sudden?’
Eda found their sudden awkwardness puzzling, but she didn’t think too much of it—she simply assumed they just had nothing to say to each other and let it go.
Inwardly, she was even somewhat relieved. She had hoped they would stop being so casual with each other at this point—for the sake of her son’s dignity.
Unaware of Eda’s thoughts, however, Melie resolved to be the first to reconcile with Edric.
Not only was she the type who couldn’t stay uncomfortable for long, but she also felt that continuing in this cold state was disrespectful to the Felton Dukedom, which had taken her in.
Melie took out two of Edric’s favorite teacups.
She brewed the Darjeeling tea leaves with even more care than usual.
She hoped that sharing his favorite tea over a warm, friendly chat would help dissolve the tension between them.
“Hmm… this smells wonderful.”
Oz, who had silently approached, inhaled the freshly brewed amber Darjeeling deeply through her nose and sighed with admiration.
“Are you having tea with His Grace after such a long time?”
“Yes.”
Hearing the words “after such a long time,” Melie felt a pang of bitterness.
They used to share tea and conversation every day as if it were the most natural thing in the world—but now, she had to deliberately gather her courage just to approach him.
“His Grace will surely be pleased. He loves tea brewed by you—and he loves you as well.”
‘I really hope he still feels that way now.’
Melie silently prayed with all her heart.
The hurt she once felt over him not seeing her as a woman already seemed like something from a distant past.
How cruel was the price for daring to hope for more than just friendship? If only they could go back to being good friends again, she’d do anything.
Melie picked up the tray with the teacups and stepped out of the kitchen.
Just as she passed through the living room and entered the lobby—
“…!”
She froze at the sight of Edric descending the central staircase.
Dressed neatly in a black suit, he clearly intended to go out.
“Your Grace, the carriage is ready.”
The butler hurried over and bowed deeply.
“We’ve already sent word ahead to the Adel Marquis House that Your Grace will be arriving shortly.”
Edric walked past him with an indifferent expression. His confident stride seemed to slow for just a moment as he passed Melie.
“….”
Melie swallowed hard.
She’d expected him to stop and say something—but Edric didn’t even glance at her from the corner of his eye.
“Cancel all my appointments for this afternoon.”
He gave that order to the butler, then quickly strode past her, as if to make up for that brief hesitation.
Melie felt as though she’d turned invisible.
She simply didn’t exist in his mind anymore. To him, she was nothing at all.
‘This is my own doing.’
Melie lowered her head helplessly.
The carefully brewed tea was still steaming.
“I wonder… did he notice there are two cups?”
Melie murmured softly, staring down at the now meaningless teacups.
She felt not just a premonition, but a certainty—that perhaps she and he could never return to how things once were.
[This is the timeline separator]“Ah….”
An ambiguous smile flickered across Rosalyn’s face.
It was a fleeting smile—like a leaf trembling precariously in a storm, ready to vanish at any moment.
“Did I… hear you wrong just now?”
“No, you heard me correctly.”
Edric confirmed politely.
“Let’s call off our engagement.”
“….”
In the end, the storm won.
The last trace of Rosalyn’s smile vanished completely.
After a brief look of bewilderment, she lifted her teacup as if her throat were parched.
A slight tremor passed over her lips as she drank—but when she set the cup back down, she had regained remarkable composure.
It was the demeanor of a noble heiress, trained never to lose grace under any circumstances.
“I see. That’s surprising.”
She lifted her chin with an air of practiced ease as she spoke.
“What’s the reason? Have you found another woman?”
“Yes.”
Edric answered without hesitation.
His shamelessly confident attitude left Rosalyn speechless once again. She gave a derisive snort.
“So you’re admitting fault? What will you do if I demand compensation?”
A faint smile appeared at the corner of Edric’s lips.
“I’d be happy to offer a voluntary consolation payment—but as for any demand from your side… Hmm. I wonder if that would even be possible.”
His calm, composed retort left Rosalyn uneasy. Edric continued in a placid tone.
“Unlike certain others, I have absolutely no evidence of fault on my part.”
“What do you mean by that…?”
“I trust the Lady of House Adel understands my meaning better than I do.”
“….”
“Don’t you agree?”
Rosalyn was rendered speechless.
This man, Edric Ryan Felton, had outwardly granted his fiancée freedom in her personal life—while secretly collecting every possible piece of evidence against her. The man praised as the epitome of noble integrity had been employing such underhanded tactics all along!
“Don’t misunderstand me. I merely prepared in advance for any unfortunate incidents. Given that this union involves multiple powerful noble houses with complex interests, such precautions were only reasonable, wouldn’t you agree?”
Edric explained his reasoning in a voice utterly devoid of emotion.
Meanwhile, Rosalyn’s feelings had long since slipped beyond the control of reason.
“Just who is this woman?”
She demanded, her voice thick with indignation.
“At the very least, it’s only proper to tell me that much. Or… is she so utterly insignificant that you’d be embarrassed to even name her?”
“To be honest,”
Edric let out a short sigh before replying,
“she is somewhat beneath your standing.”
Rosalyn’s eyes widened in shock—she hadn’t expected such blunt honesty.
It was common for noble men to keep common-born mistresses, and though their true feelings might differ, most always claimed their lovers were worthy of pride before anyone in the world—simply because it sounded more impressive.
“…Then why not just take her as a mistress instead? Wouldn’t that be better? Just as you’ve shown me consideration, I’ll show you the same.”
Rosalyn didn’t want this engagement broken.
There was no match as advantageous as House Felton, and men as accomplished as Edric were exceedingly rare. He was the finest ornament to enhance her own worth.
“That’s not my way.”
But Edric rejected her offer outright.
“I have no intention of shuffling awkwardly between a lawful wife and a mistress. Once I decide a woman is the one for me, I’ll place her by my side—even if it means a slight loss of dignity.”
“What of your family’s honor, which you hold in such high regard?”
“Most damage to a family’s honor comes not from the lawful wife, but from the mistress—and more precisely, from the chaos caused when illegitimate children born of mistresses covet the rightful heir’s place.”
Rosalyn studied his face carefully. She realized she’d misunderstood this man entirely.
‘I thought he was just another upright, handsome nobleman.’
Yet here he stood—willing to discard every other excellent quality just to pursue a seemingly insignificant goal. For the first time since knowing him, Rosalyn found herself deeply intrigued.
Why hadn’t she seen it sooner?
She’d assumed he was just another arrogant noble heir—but he was, in truth, a man as headstrong and untamed as a wild stallion.
Had she realized that earlier, she might have seriously reconsidered her own entanglements.
Rosalyn couldn’t help but feel regret. He was far too good a man to simply let go like this.
“Still, please consider it once more.”
She pressed gently, trying to persuade him.
“It’s… not just for my sake, but for yours as well. After all, the mistress of a dukedom must possess proper dignity…”
“Lacking dignity can always be improved.”
“….”
“But feelings that were never there cannot be created.”
Edric was as unyielding as stone.
‘Just who on earth is this woman?’
Rosalyn was genuinely curious now. Had there truly been someone so captivating yet so clearly beneath noble standing around him? The only woman she knew of was Melie—but it couldn’t possibly be her.
Would Francis know? He was perceptive—if anyone had noticed what she’d missed, it would be him.
She’d ask him later.
“Then I’ll take your words as agreement to the annulment.”
The conversation had reached its conclusion. But… in truth, this was the most crucial moment.
“There is one final matter I’d like you to decide, my lady.”
“What’s that?”
“Who officially initiated the annulment—yourself or me.”
At this, Rosalyn gave a faint smile and leaned forward slightly.
It was a pose that accentuated her elegant bosom.
“You’d prefer that I be seen as the one who rejected you, wouldn’t you?”
It was an opportunity for her. She intended to use that request as an excuse to arrange a few more meetings.
“That’s not it.”
But Edric not only shattered her assumption completely—he didn’t even glance at the front of her dress.
“Since I am the one ending this engagement, I will bear the blame as well. You’ll be spoken of briefly as the woman who was cast aside—but as gossip always is, without fresh fuel, the talk will soon die down.”
“….”
“So please decide freely. Whichever way you choose, I will honor your decision.”
Each successive failure only heightened Rosalyn’s desperation—but she simply couldn’t bring herself to cling any further.
Edric stood like an immovable wall. Even leaving a single scratch upon it seemed impossible.
“Fine. I’ll tell you my decision now.”
She made up her mind right then and there.
Male lead reborn without memories — but he still falls for her.
The person he finds displeasing in this life turns out to be his cherished wife-master in previous life…
Xie Zhi and Fang Xianxing who had known each other for less than three days through a blind date sat in the same car in front of the civil affairs bureau. They had a disagreement and failed to get married.
Xie Zhi immediately took out his phone, slid through his contacts, and randomly selected the next marriage candidate.
The woman snatched his phone and hung up. Looking at his phone wallpaper, she awkwardly changed the subject: “An ancient painting, eh? It looks pretty good, it’s just that the person in the painting looks a bit like me.”
When he heard this, he sarcastically mocked her for being so delusional, completely unaware that, the person in front of him was the reincarnation of Wen Ru, the famous prime minister of Yuan Shun whom he most admired…
The female CEO who doesn’t want to get married with a divorce agreement in hand × The male archaeological researcher who will only get married if he’s sure he can get divorced
Chapter Comments (86)
Inline Comments (55)
He simply couldn’t accept the fact that he, Edric, was drawn to the utterly unre
He truly is a narcissist. Such big ego. It’s surprising he was ok with Rosaline having lover, not jealous ok, but didn’t that hurt his ego?
He could go days, weeks, or even years without seeing any other woman—it wouldn’
I’m glad he’s passionate about his affection(?) to Melie, but considering his personality, this’ll be disastrous
Children weren’t conjured from the sky or sprung from the earth—they were born o
So Francis’s idea did work. 😀😀 I bet he would have found all ‘decent men’s conveniently ‘indecent’
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I feel sorry for Millie; living in an environment that doesn’t suit you is incredibly harsh.
His mother is going to explode 😂😂😂 Please don’t mess this up 🙏🏼
I just can’t wait when the regret arc starts