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Chapter 2 — Siena’s Circumstances
…A crazy woman.
Yeah, considering I had been crying, laughing, getting angry, and looking serious all by myself, it probably did look that way.
Still, wasn’t it incredibly rude to say that to my face?
My temper flared, and I sprang to my feet.
Even when I had been sitting and looking up at him, I had nearly bent my neck from how tall he was. Now that I was standing, I realized he was even taller than Damian.
“Why are you talking to a crazy woman? Are you trying to get yourself into trouble?”
“You were the one who spoke to me first.”
“…”
That was true.
But didn’t most people just avoid someone like me?
Instead of deliberately striking up a conversation.
Or at least think, There must be some story behind this, and quietly pretend not to notice, giving the person a little space out of consideration.
Why am I even thinking about this? I should just hurry back.
Gathering what little composure I had left, I turned my back on him with as much dignity as I could manage.
As I brushed the dirt off my dress from sitting on the ground, I pretended not to notice his gaze.
Don’t talk to me. Don’t act like you know me.
Perhaps he understood the message I was broadcasting with my entire body, because although he continued staring, he didn’t say another word.
After straightening my dress, I walked back to the carriage as if nothing had happened.
The coachman silently opened the carriage door for me, but his awkward expression avoided my eyes.
Judging by the look on his face, he had definitely witnessed my embarrassing display.
Just as always, I quietly climbed into the carriage as though nothing had happened.
The moment I stepped out of the carriage at Count Hargreaves’ estate, the butler caught me and practically dragged me into the drawing room.
When I was shoved inside, Count Hargreaves sat there with his arms crossed, his face flushed red as he struggled to contain his anger.
Beside him, the Countess held her forehead with a pale face, letting out one exhausted sigh after another.
I quietly crept over and crouched in front of the couple like a criminal, placing both hands neatly on my knees.
Has word already spread?
Well, I had made such a spectacle of myself in the middle of the street. It was only natural the rumors would spread in no time.
At times like this…
“I’m sorry.”
The best strategy was to bow my head completely.
Unable to lift my face, I heard the Count let out a hollow laugh.
“Apologies are only meaningful the first few times. That ridiculous apology of yours comes out like a habit now.”
Even while clutching the back of his neck because his blood pressure had clearly risen, the Count’s sarcasm and scolding didn’t stop.
Are you out of your mind? Who do you take after? Is throwing tantrums the only thing you’re capable of? Why can’t you be even a quarter as good as your brother?
And then, just as always, came the final remark.
“Do you even realize how far above your station your engagement to Duke Ortiz is?”
Of course I do.
I’ve heard it so many times my ears could bleed.
As always, the Count began reciting the story behind the engagement as though it were a well-rehearsed script.
The prestigious House of Duke Ortiz, a family of distinguished heroes, and the House of Count Hargreaves, a newly wealthy family with nothing but money, were never meant to mix.
Yet Damian and Siena had become engaged because of Damian’s grandfather.
He had been gullible and indecisive, ruining every business venture he touched and becoming the very beginning of the decline of the once-renowned House of Ortiz.
When the family was suddenly left destitute, Siena’s grandfather—the previous Count Hargreaves—lent them money.
In return, he demanded the engagement of their future grandchildren.
The engagement could have been canceled once the debt and interest were fully repaid, but the previous Duke—Damian’s father—was just as financially clueless, wandering wherever he pleased without the slightest sense for money.
As a result, the debt remained unpaid.
The engagement was still valid.
And the burden had fallen entirely upon Damian’s shoulders.
However, Damian proved to be far more capable than anyone had expected.
Rumor had it that his recent business ventures were thriving, and people even said he had nearly finished paying off every debt except the one owed to Count Hargreaves.
“Use your brain for once! Unless you want him to break off the engagement!”
Lately, Count Hargreaves had become increasingly anxious that Damian might repay the debt and make the engagement disappear altogether.
Instead of trying to earn Damian’s favor, I kept causing scenes. The Count shouted that if I absolutely had to make trouble, I should at least do it cleverly enough not to become the subject of gossip.
“Oh, I’m the only one worrying myself sick! I’m the only one whose stomach is in knots! When is that foolish girl ever going to realize how lacking she is?”
That was another line I heard all the time.
The Count always insisted that Siena had inherited his own lovely appearance—an absurd claim—but beyond her looks, he constantly criticized her for being inferior to Damian in every way.
She possessed no exceptional talent.
She wasn’t particularly intelligent.
She wasn’t even athletic.
To him, Siena’s only real value lay in becoming the Duchess of Ortiz.
“Where on earth did something like that come from?”
Count Hargreaves pounded his chest in frustration.
But I thought his harsh assessment was a little unfair.
If the only thing that mattered in a political marriage was fulfilling the role of the lady of the house, then why would extraordinary talent, exceptional intelligence, or athletic ability matter at all?
You could simply hire people who possessed those qualities and manage them.
So Siena wasn’t completely useless.
At least, that was what I believed.
Things are already this bad. If the engagement is broken off… ugh.
Being treated unfairly was one thing, but thinking about the future made everything seem hopeless.
After the broken engagement episode, Siena disappeared without a trace and never appeared in the game again.
If I had actually finished the game, perhaps she would have returned later.
But I’d been dragged into the game before reaching the ending, so I had no way of knowing.
Still, I was willing to bet her ending wasn’t a happy one.
“What are you still sitting there for? Get back to your room and stay there!”
At my father’s thunderous shout, I quietly rose to my feet.
If I tried to explain myself, he accused me of talking back.
If I stayed silent, he accused me of being defiant.
The smartest thing to do was simply disappear from his sight.
Though my heart was filled with complaints, I put on the most dejected expression I could and slowly shuffled out of the drawing room.
“Miss… are you alright?”
Mary, the only person in this house who ever took my side, approached me with a worried expression.
She was a maid around my age, with stiff ash-gray hair tied into twin braids and charming freckles.
“You’re going to write Duke Ortiz an apology letter, aren’t you?”
As she laid out writing paper on the desk, she asked the question naturally.
After all, that was what had always happened before.
But I shook my head.
“No. I’m not doing anything this time. It’s pointless anyway.”
“Ah… alright…”
Looking a little surprised, Mary carefully placed the stationery back into the drawer.
Watching the pink stationery disappear from view, I let out a deep sigh.
Light pink paper that even smells sweet. No matter how I think about it, it just doesn’t suit Damian.
Ever since childhood, Damian had carried the responsibility of the Duke’s household.
What he wanted was a woman who could walk beside him.
Not a child who needed him to do everything for her and constantly indulge her, but someone who could think, decide, and solve problems together with him.
Someone intelligent enough to take responsibility for House Ortiz in his place should anything ever happen to him.
A true partner.
Of course, Siena had worked tirelessly to become his ideal woman.
But Damian’s expectations were simply too high for her to meet.
Then again, it wasn’t just that. He never liked the Hargreaves family in the first place.
Perhaps because of the debt tying the two families together since their grandfathers’ generation, Damian had always felt uncomfortable around the Hargreaves family.
Besides, Damian was a man far removed from luxury and vanity.
He valued dignity and true nobility.
Count Hargreaves, on the other hand, lived by the philosophy of If I have money, why shouldn’t I show it off?
He never missed an opportunity to flaunt his wealth.
He was nothing like the kind of “noble” Damian respected.
Wouldn’t he be happier marrying someone who actually suited him? Honestly, with this face, Siena wouldn’t have trouble finding a husband anywhere.
I picked up the hand mirror and carefully examined Siena’s—
No.
My face.
Soft pink hair.
Deep rose-pink eyes.
Skin as white as polished jade.
Naturally rosy cheeks.
Soft red lips tinted with pink.
The only problem was that, despite her bright and lovely appearance, she always looked timid and lacking in confidence, which diminished her beauty.
When you’re treated like the unwanted child even in your own home, how could you possibly become confident?
With another sigh, I set the mirror down.
Mary, who had been secretly watching my expression, cautiously took the stationery out once more.
“Shouldn’t you apologize to Duke Ortiz after all?”
“Hm?”
“Whenever you apologized before, His Grace always forgave you. Please don’t worry too much.”
Smiling brightly on purpose, Mary dipped the large feather quill into the ink bottle.
Seeing my constant sighs and gloomy expression, she had apparently misunderstood.
She thought I was worried that Damian might refuse to forgive me this time.
“As you know, Miss, someone as honorable as the Duke would never neglect his fiancée for another woman. If you honestly apologize for misunderstanding him, I’m sure everything will be fine.”
Given Damian’s usual reputation, anyone would naturally think that.
But after the cheerful ding echoed through the room, the status window that appeared told a very different story.
