PVSS 5

chapter 5

* * *

The next morning.

I headed to the imperial palace with Dominic to file a change-of-use application for the building and to register the opening of my stationery shop.

Dominic still didn’t have an official identity, so he couldn’t enter the palace in human form. Instead, he had transformed into a longsword and was currently in my hand.

After arriving in front of the palace in a hired carriage, I verified my identity and made my way to the office responsible for business registrations.

Passing through a crowd of people and then through a garden path that resembled a small trail, I soon reached the office.

It was quiet, with barely any people around—aside from one tall man standing in the distance.

‘A good start.’

Humming softly, I walked forward.

But then, someone blocked my path.

“…It’s been a while.”

It was the male lead—and my fiancé—Duke Lenox Hessman.

“……”

Of course, I tried to ignore him and walk past. There was no reason for me to acknowledge him.

The problem was that he had openly called out to me in the middle of the palace grounds.

“Lady Meldenique Babeloa.”

Perhaps because we were inside the imperial palace, he wore a gentle smile as he looked at me.

‘What? He used to treat me like I was invisible.’

I frowned, recalling the things he had said in the past.

At first, Lenox had approached Meldenique warmly.

“Lady Meldenique. Good morning.”

Rumored to be cursed, Meldenique had no one by her side—and she quickly gave her heart to him.

“Your Grace… do you not dislike me?”
“Of course not. You are necessary and useful to me. Call me Lenox.”
“Y-yes… Lenox.”

To Meldenique, who was shunned by everyone, he had been her only salvation.

But the moment he had fully captivated her, Lenox flipped his attitude completely.

“You are not beautiful. That dress doesn’t suit you.”

He controlled her clothing and makeup,

“As you know, you have no talent for business.”

And dismissed her abilities.

“Why are you doing business with Sheria instead of me?”
“Because you are incompetent, and Lady Sheria Babeloa is competent.”

Even though he knew Meldenique felt inferior to Sheria, he constantly compared them.

When Sheria and Lenox became partners at a ball, Meldenique asked:

“You’re not… involved with Sheria, are you?”

Lenox was skilled with words. He manipulated Meldenique, who suspected an affair.

“Listen carefully. If I were to cheat with Lady Sheria, it would only be because you are not attractive enough for me.”
“That’s not about my attractiveness—”
“Are you defying me?”

In this way, he subtly controlled her.

So that Meldenique—already despised—would lose her self-esteem and fall into ruin.

“It is only because it’s me that I treat someone like you this well.”

Eventually, Meldenique came to believe she was foolish. She handed all decision-making over to him.

“Listen only to me. We will marry, no matter what.”

Because she loved him so deeply, she endured all the contempt, disregard, and gaslighting.

‘Because Meldenique loved Lenox that much.’

As I recalled the past, his low voice echoed coldly in my ears.

I glared at him.

‘What a lunatic. The more I think about it, the angrier I get.’

The memories of his subtle contempt, neglect, and verbal abuse stirred my anger.

As if sensing my emotions, the sword in my hand vibrated slightly—as if telling me to calm down.

But I tightened my grip.

Either way, he was someone I had to face eventually. And since he approached me first, there was no reason for me to act timid.

“Greetings, Your Grace, Duke Hessman.”

He frowned slightly, as if puzzled that I hadn’t addressed him as “Lenox.”

I looked him over—from his black hair to his brown eyes.

Even though he was a knight who wielded a sword, his pale skin suited his cold, expressionless face perfectly.

He definitely had the looks of a male lead.

To me, though, he was nothing more than a cheating bastard.

After scanning my face, he asked calmly,

“Lady Meldenique, I heard that you left your family.”

“Yes, Your Grace. Since I’ve left the family, I’m now just Meldenique.”

At my response, he whispered coldly,

“That’s impossible. I haven’t given permission—what do you mean?”

“……”

“End this little rebellion within a month. I do not like the woman who will become my wife living recklessly. We’re planning the wedding soon, aren’t we?”

I openly frowned.

‘You’re talking about marriage while cheating?’

I was momentarily speechless.

At this point—after I had already squandered ten billion becquerels—he was already romantically involved with my younger sister, Sheria.

They met frequently as if by fate, grew fond of each other, and Lenox openly showed interest in Sheria despite already having a fiancée.

‘He publicly ignored me and always took Sheria’s side.’

Even now, he was probably enjoying this secret romance while belittling Meldenique.

‘Thinking no one knows about their affair.’

With Sheria currently away in the warm southern holy nation for a vacation, Lenox was likely deepening his longing for her even more.

And yet he was talking about a wedding?

‘He’s insane.’

Since we’d run into each other anyway, I decided to make my stance clear.

“Your Grace, I already knew.”

“…What do you mean?”

Though his attitude remained calm, his gaze couldn’t hide his irritation.

He looked at me as if I were a nuisance.

Like I was some kind of insect.

‘He hates me so openly—it’s strange the old Meldenique didn’t notice.’

Then why was he so determined to marry me?

Looking straight at him, I spoke clearly.

“I mean your relationship with Sheria.”

Lenox and Sheria whispered sweet words to each other.

People suspected their relationship, but they pretended otherwise on the surface.

‘They didn’t want to be labeled adulterers.’

Some even pitied them, saying that if not for Meldenique, they could have been together.

In The Enchanted Lovers, Meldenique was nothing more than an obstacle to love—a blemish in high society.

Even though she was Lenox Hessman’s actual fiancée.

“…Ah.”

He seemed surprised for a moment, but quickly regained his composure and smiled.

“Didn’t I tell you it’s not an affair? I told you to trust only my words.”

In the original story, even after such humiliation, Meldenique couldn’t break off the engagement.

She clung to him desperately—because she loved him.

But I was different.

‘An affair is an affair, no matter the excuse.’

“I don’t want to hear excuses.”

Fixing him with a glare, I spoke clearly, each word deliberate.

“I intend to break off our engagement.”

“…What?”

For the first time, his eyes widened in shock.

“Oh, I’ll even offer you an alternative. You can marry my younger sister Sheria. That way, the arranged marriage between our families can still proceed without issue. Clean and simple, right?”

Rarely flustered, Lenox spoke,

“I’ve always said this—I have no intention of marrying Sheria. Unlike you, she is elegant, beautiful, and lovely, but—”

‘What is he even saying right now?’

I looked at him like he was ridiculous.

As if intoxicated by his own dramatic love story, Lenox trailed off and shook his head.

“Yes, she’s different from you in many ways. But regardless, I intend to marry you.”

I didn’t even know where to start criticizing.

So he wanted romance with one woman and marriage with another?

Unbelievable.

But I had no intention of playing along.

“I see. So you won’t marry Sheria?”

“That is correct.”

“Then why not marry Lady Hildegart? As for me, I refuse this marriage.”

There was about a 30-year age gap, but hey—he could try to overcome it.

I believed in fighting nonsense with nonsense.

At my words, he looked momentarily speechless and rubbed his face.

“Lady Meldenique Babeloa… what kind of trick is this?”

So this still wasn’t enough for him.

I slowly slid the sword from its sheath.

Though I had dulled its edge to make it look like a self-defense weapon, Lenox was clearly taken aback.

“…You’re drawing a sword in the imperial palace? You dare, against me?”

I looked straight at him.

Just as expected, he was visibly shaken.

‘No wonder. The woman he always belittled is now standing up to him.’

And there was one more person panicking.

‘W-what are you doing, Mel?!’

Dominic.

Apparently, they could only communicate telepathically in emergencies—and this definitely counted.

‘Sorry. I’ll give you a bonus.’

Dominic quickly changed his stance.

‘Make sure it’s in gold.’

With his approval, I gripped the hilt tightly and slammed the blade into the ground.

Bang!

The tip of the sword sank deep into the earth.

After offering Dominic a brief moment of silent apology, I spoke to Lenox again.

“Perhaps you don’t understand, so let me make it official—Your Grace, I request the annulment of our engagement.”

Driving a sword into the ground was a sign of issuing a duel.

Of course, I wasn’t formally challenging him.

‘If you don’t agree, I’ll make it happen one way or another.’

Still, Lenox couldn’t help but be shaken.

I stared at him, then pulled the sword back out and smoothly returned it to its sheath.

“Well then. Since you now understand my position, I’ll be sending the formal annulment papers to your residence soon.”