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Chapter 3
After returning to the ducal mansion, Elina stared blankly as she replayed what had just happened.
What went wrong?
No matter how much she thought about it, she couldn’t find anything she had done wrong.
Was it because she suddenly asked for an escort right after he finished training?
But Kaian’s breathing hadn’t been unstable, and they hadn’t walked long either.
So that wasn’t it.
Wait…
There was one possibility.
Does he really like me that much?
If his feelings for her were that deep, then everything made sense.
Verdin might be a bastard, but he wasn’t careless.
There had to be a reason he went as far as destroying the entire Estria family.
He wasn’t someone who would act on mere suspicion.
So if that information came from Verdin himself—
then Kaian truly loved her deeply.
Even in her past life, whenever they met, Kaian had never acted warmly toward her.
That must mean—
he had been desperately trying to hide his feelings.
It made sense.
If someone had just ended things with a relative and then suddenly rushed toward her—
that would be strange.
Expecting him to reveal feelings he had hidden for so long so easily—
that was too much.
He’s kind of cute.
Whether married or unmarried, whenever women gathered, they never stopped praising Kaian.
Verdin also had many admirers—
but no one dared to speak of him openly in front of Elina.
So the fact that such a popular man was deeply in love with her—
was hard to believe.
And yet—
she felt strangely proud.
Elina, who had been clutching her dress tightly, now began smiling to herself while staring into space.
Masha looked at her with concern.
“Miss… you’re scaring me…”
“I’m just in a good mood.”
“You feel like a completely different person overnight… especially about His Highness…”
Earlier, when Elina returned earlier than usual, Masha had been confused.
So Elina briefly explained everything—
that she had given up on Verdin and would no longer meet him like before.
At that, Masha had almost rushed to call a doctor, and Elina had to stop her.
She wanted to tell Masha the truth—
but even she herself couldn’t fully accept that she had returned to the past.
And if she told this story—
it wouldn’t end with just calling a doctor.
She’d run straight to my parents…
Fortunately—or unfortunately—
her parents had gone on a short trip, just like every spring.
After finishing their busy winter duties, they always took a spring vacation.
Perhaps that was one of the reasons their relationship remained so strong.
“I already knew His Highness didn’t have feelings for me. I just finally sorted out my own.”
Elina chose the most believable excuse.
She had already used it on Kaian, so it should pass easily.
Looking at Masha, she saw her on the verge of tears.
“Miss…!”
Before she could react, Masha hugged her tightly, almost crushing her.
“M-Masha?! Let go…!”
“You made the right decision! To be honest, I never thought His Highness was right for you!”
“…What?”
Elina froze at the unexpected answer.
In her past life, Masha had never said this even once.
I guess she couldn’t…
Back then, if anyone said even a single bad thing about Verdin, Elina would crush them without hesitation.
Even Masha must have hidden her true feelings.
Thinking about it made Elina feel guilty.
“His smile always felt creepy. His lips were smiling, but his eyes were cold. I didn’t like it.”
Masha spoke seriously, as if afraid Elina might change her mind.
Even for the powerful Estria family, such disrespectful words about the Crown Prince were dangerous.
At that moment—
Elina remembered Masha’s blood-covered body from before.
The memory of her growing colder sent fear down her spine.
“Masha, what if someone hears you?”
Elina whispered urgently.
“I’ve never said this to anyone else. It’s just us here. I’ll be careful, Miss. Don’t worry.”
Even so, Elina couldn’t fully relax.
Even the servants she trusted had betrayed her before.
Still, being cautious wouldn’t hurt.
“Don’t say things like that to anyone but me, okay?”
“Of course. And I didn’t like how cold he was toward you either.”
“Was he?”
Elina tried to recall, but she couldn’t remember a time when Verdin treated her coldly in front of others.
He cared a lot about appearances.
He wasn’t overly affectionate—but not openly cold either.
But Masha thought differently.
“He looked polite on the outside, but everything he did showed indifference. No man treats a woman he loves like that.”
Elina blinked in surprise.
She hadn’t realized Masha was so perceptive.
If she had heard this in the past, she would have completely disagreed.
But now—
it reassured her.
Breaking off an engagement at her age could have been seen as reckless.
But—
Even my parents didn’t really like the engagement.
They had never openly opposed it, but they weren’t happy about it either.
The only ones who truly welcomed it were probably Elina herself—
and the Emperor.
Through marriage, he would gain the powerful Estria family.
Verdin hadn’t broken the engagement because the Emperor favored it.
Though he was the only heir, he wasn’t especially loved.
So Verdin always tried not to fall out of favor.
“Then, Masha… what do you think about Kaian Ovilion?”
Elina asked, hoping to gather more information.
“The young duke?”
“Yes. What do you know about him?”
“Well… I haven’t seen him often, but he’s changed a lot.”
“Changed?”
“When he was young, he was cheerful… but now, people say he’s cold-blooded. Even when I saw him a few times, he felt very distant.”
Hearing that, Elina faintly remembered the cheerful boy he once was.
If his feelings had lasted since childhood—
then it made sense he hid them so deeply.
Watching the woman he loved follow another man all the time—
he probably didn’t even have the courage to confess.
Unrequited love leaves deep scars.
And the longer it lasts—
the deeper those scars become.
So he wasn’t cold just to me…
Now everything made sense.
She had thought he rejected her coldly—
even mistaking it for contempt.
But that wasn’t it.
He was simply that kind of person.
And perhaps—
he just didn’t yet have the courage to face her openly.
I’ve been there too.
Of course, Elina wasn’t the type to wait shyly.
She quickly came up with another plan.
“Masha, the preparations for my birthday—are they going well?”
“Of course. The Duke checked everything many times before leaving.”
Every year, the Estria family held a grand celebration for her birthday.
Elina smiled.
“I should write a letter to Sir Kaian.”
“I’ll prepare it right away.”
With the partner position still empty—
this was the perfect chance to get closer to him.
