🔊 TTS Settings
Chapter 2
Golden hair that shone brilliantly.
Eyes as blue as a calm lake.
The young woman had pale, slender features and a beauty that looked as if it had been carefully sculpted.
I’ve never seen her before…
As their eyes met, Emilia blinked.
Is she one of Mrs. Romans’ guests?
Judging by her expensive clothes, that seemed likely.
Ever since Cedric had passed his exam, Mrs. Romans had occasionally invited guests over for tea.
Looking at Cedric, Emilia waited for an explanation.
“Who is she?”
“W-Well…”
Cedric stammered instead of answering.
At the same time, he stepped forward, deliberately blocking the woman from Emilia’s view.
Just then—
“Ced, may I introduce myself?”
The young woman stepped forward again and gently placed her hand on Cedric’s arm.
Emilia’s eyes naturally fell to the delicate white hand.
Ced?
It was a nickname that even she had never used.
A strange feeling of discomfort tightened her chest.
Then the woman spoke.
“My name is Reyna Illake. It’s nice to meet you.”
“Ah, I’m Emilia—”
Emilia stopped in the middle of introducing herself.
The woman’s name sounded familiar.
A moment later, her eyes widened.
Reyna Illake?
That was definitely the name of the heroine of this novel.
The illegitimate daughter of a count’s family.
The heroine who entered a contract engagement with the male lead to escape her family.
Don’t tell me…
Emilia looked at the woman again.
Now that she thought about it, her appearance matched the novel’s description perfectly.
Why is she here?
And why is she at my fiancé’s house?
Just like Emilia, Cedric was a person who had never appeared anywhere in the original story.
Besides, until Reyna met the male lead, Kaiden, she was supposed to have stayed at the count’s estate.
As if sensing Emilia’s confusion, Reyna explained.
“Cedric and I were childhood friends. We happened to meet again in the capital. Isn’t that right, Ced?”
“Y-Yeah… That’s right. We ran into each other on my way back to the inn. Haha.”
“How lucky it was to meet you again in such a lonely city.”
Reyna smiled shyly as if remembering that happy day.
They were childhood friends?
Emilia had never known that.
She quickly searched through her memories of the original novel.
Come to think of it…
Before it was revealed that Reyna was the count’s illegitimate daughter, the story mentioned that she had lived in the countryside.
So that’s when they met.
Even so, not all of her questions were answered.
No matter how happy she was to see an old friend… would she really follow him all the way here?
Just then, Mrs. Romans walked over to the entrance with a puzzled look.
“Why are you all still standing out here…? Emilia? What brings you here at this hour?”
Reyna smiled brightly and spoke first.
“Instead of standing here, why don’t you come inside?”
She acted as if she were the owner of the house.
Emilia looked at Cedric and then at Mrs. Romans.
Neither of them seemed to think Reyna’s behavior was strange at all.
Am I… the only one who thinks this is strange?
A strange feeling rose inside her.
But whether Reyna noticed or not, she urged her again.
“Yes? Please, come in.”
“…All right.”
Emilia slowly nodded.
Whatever was happening, she couldn’t just leave without facing it.
* * *
Dinner was surprisingly lively.
Mrs. Romans asked Reyna about her life.
Cedric happily shared memories from their childhood together.
Clink. Clink.
Only Emilia remained silent.
Even though she was sitting at the same table, she felt as though she were stranded alone on a lonely island.
But more than that loneliness, Cedric’s behavior bothered her.
His eyes seemed to see only Reyna, his childhood friend.
I know… it’s natural to be happy to see an old friend again.
Even so…
She had come all the way here because she was worried about him.
Yet he treated her as if she didn’t even exist.
“Ced—”
She started to call his name.
Then she stopped.
No matter what, this wasn’t something to discuss in front of an unrelated person.
Instead—
Clack.
She deliberately set her spoon down loudly.
Only then did everyone at the table turn to look at her.
“I don’t feel very well, so I’ll excuse myself. I’ll wait in the guest room for a while.”
“What?”
Without waiting for Cedric’s response, Emilia stood up and walked away.
To be honest, she wanted to go straight home.
But she stayed because there were things she needed to ask Cedric.
Why didn’t he contact me even once?
And what exactly had kept him away for so long?
* * *
As soon as Emilia entered the guest room, she frowned.
Did I really upset my stomach?
She had only used it as an excuse to leave the table.
Yet the food she had eaten really seemed to be sitting heavily in her stomach.
She gently pounded her chest with her fist.
Knock. Knock.
A soft voice came from outside the door.
“May I talk with you for a moment?”
“Come in.”
As soon as Emilia gave permission, the door slowly opened.
Reyna stepped inside.
“What is it?”
“Well…”
But Reyna hesitated instead of speaking.
“Let’s sit down first.”
“Thank you.”
At Emilia’s gesture, Reyna sat in the chair across from her.
Even then, she remained silent for quite a while.
Emilia quietly waited.
What could she possibly want to talk about that she’s hesitating so much?
Was she worried about what had happened during dinner?
As Emilia wondered…
“I actually came because I have a favor to ask.”
“A favor?”
The unexpected words left Emilia confused.
Not Cedric… me? We’ve never even met before.
“What kind of favor?”
At last, Reyna lifted her head.
Their eyes met.
There was determination in Reyna’s beautiful blue eyes.
“Please break up with Cedric.”
“…What?”
The words that came out of Reyna’s mouth were so unbelievable that Emilia instinctively asked again.
“Did you just tell me to break up with Cedric?”
Reyna nodded.
“I know this is sudden. But if you truly care about Cedric, then please be the one to end your relationship with him.”
She tightly held Emilia’s hand across the table.
“Cedric’s future is only going upward now. But if you stay by his side, things will become difficult for him.”
For a moment, Emilia couldn’t find any words.
Is she saying… I’m only holding Cedric back?
To be fair, Reyna wasn’t completely wrong.
If someone wanted to climb higher, having connections with powerful noble families was a great advantage.
And the easiest way to gain those connections is by marrying a noble lady.
On the other hand, Emilia, a commoner with no influential connections, could never help Cedric in that way.
But still…
She had gone far beyond the line.
Those were incredibly rude words to say to the fiancée of a friend she had only recently reunited with.
“Whether I become an obstacle to Cedric’s future or not is something only time can decide.”
Emilia answered firmly.
“B-But—”
“More importantly, you’re a third party. You have no right to say something like that to me.”
At those words, Reyna bit her lip tightly.
But only for a moment.
She hurriedly spoke again.
“I can help Cedric! I can introduce him to the sons of noble families I know, and…”
“That’s enough, Reyna.”
Emilia interrupted her.
“Are you saying you want to become Cedric’s fiancée instead of me?”
“……”
Reyna lowered her head without saying a word.
That silence was answer enough.
So… that really is why she’s doing this?
