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Chapter 36
Frederic knew all too well that even if he had gone to the Imperial Palace, he wouldn’t have been able to see Charlie. She wanted to climb higher in life—there was no way someone like her would have met with a mere baron’s son like him.
Still, Frederic agreed with Charlie’s words. If it could bring her even a little comfort, then his small efforts didn’t matter.
Charlie looked around the park. Her eyes were full of longing for those innocent times she could never return to.
She pointed at the oldest tree.
“Is that the tree? Frederic, do you remember? The one I kept yelling I wanted to climb? But then you went up first and fell down and got hurt.”
“Yeah, it’s that tree. I still have the scar on my leg.”
“Really? Still? I thought it would’ve healed by now. That’s kind of amazing. You have to show me later!”
“Sure. If you want to see it.”
Frederic’s voice was gentle, softer than ever. Completely different from how he usually was with Delphine.
“Back then, we used to play without thinking. It was fun. We’ve changed a lot since then, haven’t we?”
“……”
There was a faint sadness in Charlie’s voice.
Frederic looked at the side of her face and held back his reply.
You say we’ve changed, but I haven’t changed much. I still love you, and you’re still my whole world.
Instead of speaking, Frederic gave her a bright smile. Charlie’s cheeks turned slightly red again.
Even without words, Charlie could feel it. That Frederic was still the same—and that his heart hadn’t changed one bit.
Frederic… you’ve always been the same.
Suddenly, her chest ached. Deep down, Charlie had always wished for someone better than Frederic.
To be exact, she wanted someone just like Frederic—but born into a duke’s family.
My family will never accept you, Frederic.
Her heart grew heavy. Because the truth was, she could never be with the man who had made her feel true love.
Going against her family’s orders was simply unimaginable.
Charlie pouted and made a playful face.
“Frederic, where’s the gift you promised me?”
“Oh, the gift.”
Frederic pulled out a small jewelry box from his inner pocket. It was a set of jade-decorated pearl earrings and a necklace he had bought in Brunic.
The moment Charlie received it, she untied the ribbon and opened the box. Her face lit up when she saw the pearls.
“Thank you! It’s so pretty. I want to try it on right now.”
She took out the necklace and naturally handed it to Frederic. He gently helped her put it on like he’d done many times before.
“But, Frederic.”
“Yeah?”
“This isn’t the gift you promised me, right? It looks brand new.”
“Ah… that…”
Frederic hesitated. He wasn’t sure if he should tell her that he had given the original gift to Delphine. But he didn’t want to lie to Charlie.
“I gave it to Delphine.”
“Delphine? Delphine Flerain?”
Charlie’s gaze instantly turned sharp.
She never imagined she’d hear Delphine’s name from Frederic’s mouth. And to hear that he gave her the gift meant for Charlie? Unbelievable.
Frederic nodded.
He knew Charlie better than anyone. And he knew that his words just now had hurt her deeply.
Charlie’s eyes narrowed.
“Delphine. I heard she’s working at your house. Is that true?”
“Yeah, it’s true.”
“Why? Why is she working at your house? She’s the daughter of the Duke of Flerain. Does her family know she’s working for a lowly baron’s family?”
“……”
Charlie put special emphasis on “lowly baron’s family.”
She was deliberately choosing words to hurt Frederic. She didn’t like the fact that Delphine was in his home. As upset as she was, she wanted to make Frederic feel just as bad.
“She said she needed money.”
But Frederic answered calmly. He was used to Charlie trying to hurt him with harsh words. This wasn’t new.
“Still, I don’t like it. Another woman living in your house…”
Charlie suddenly felt uneasy.
She thought of Leo earlier.
Back when she was in the Imperial Palace, Charlie had heard that Leo broke up with Delphine. She also knew the reason—Leo talked too much about her.
When I first heard it, I was sure Leo would come back to me. But now… what is going on?
Hearing that Leo had broken up because of her had made Charlie truly happy. At the time, her position in the palace was unstable.
So in a way, Leo breaking up and possibly coming back was her chance. If she could get back together with Leo, she could at least restore some honor to her family.
But earlier today, Leo didn’t even look at me. He went straight to that girl. Why?
Charlie pressed her thumbnail hard under her index fingernail.
Frederic quietly looked at her hand. He knew that when Charlie felt anxious or angry, she always did this.
“I shouldn’t have gone to the palace. I shouldn’t have met Leo. I should’ve stayed with you. But my parents kept pushing me, so I had no choice.”
“……”
The moment he saw her today, Frederic realized: her time in the Imperial Palace had completely broken her.
It made sense. Back in the small city of Shairo, Charlie was the most beautiful and brilliant woman. But in the capital, she was just another face in the crowd.
She had tried competing with others to catch the prince’s eye, but in the end, she was discarded.
Frederic understood all of that. But still, seeing Charlie so completely worn down—it hurt.
The Charlie he loved had been warm, innocent, and full of sunshine.
But the woman standing before him now was filled with jealousy, insecurity, and pain.
Even so, Charlie is still Charlie.
Frederic still loved her.
He even thought—maybe he could help her heal. Maybe if he stayed by her side, the Charlie he once loved would return. That hope was enough for him.
Charlie pressed even harder—enough for a drop of blood to appear. Her other fingers were already covered in scabs and calluses from doing this over and over.
Frederic saw her injuries but didn’t say a word. He didn’t ask anything either.
He just slowly reached out and held her hand. This time, Charlie didn’t pull away.
“……”
Tears welled up in Charlie’s eyes. But she swallowed hard and looked at Frederic with a cold expression.
“If only you were the son of a duke. We could’ve been married already, living with our adorable kids.”
“……”
“Why were you born into a baron’s family? This is all your fault—because of your low status.”
“……”
Charlie knew exactly what would hurt Frederic. And she said it on purpose.
She wanted her words to stab into his heart—because that meant he still loved her. She wanted to see his eyes fill with pain and despair.
That’s right, Charlie. If this is what you want…
Frederic understood her completely. He knew that the more hurt he looked, the more comfort she felt.
So he let the pain show. He let her wound him—if it meant she could feel even a little peace.
* * *
After everyone left, the empty banquet hall felt lonely.
I stood in front of the mermaid statue that hadn’t been moved yet and stared at it for a long time.
“…The mermaid looks kind of sad.”
The way she leaned, she seemed to be waiting for someone—or maybe full of regret.
“The mermaid… looks sad?”
“Ah! You’re still here?”
It was Tiago. He folded his arms and looked at the statue beside me. I glanced at it again too.
“Delphine, can I ask you something?”
“Sure.”
“Would you rather know a painful truth? Or live peacefully, not knowing the truth and only seeing something beautiful?”
“That’s a very mysterious question.”
“Well, this statue is a mystery.”
I thought hard. What do I really want? A painful truth—or a comfortable lie?
The old me—Seo Joo-hee—would have definitely chosen the lie. I just wanted to live a peaceful life.
But… it’s a mermaid statue. How could I not be curious?
“…The painful truth.”
Tiago looked straight at me. His eyes were intense—but also warm.
“The painful truth is… this mermaid statue is a real mermaid.”
“A real mermaid…?”
“Yes. What we’re looking at is a mermaid turned to stone. Mermaids can only survive on their island. If they leave it, they turn to stone.”
Suddenly, I remembered what my mom had said—“It was expensive because it’s real.”
So that’s what she meant.
A shiver ran down my spine. This mermaid, who once swam freely in the sea, was now frozen like this, turned to stone.
