🔊 TTS Settings
Chapter 19
“…Because I feel guilty.”
Even without opening her eyes, Leriel could hear Feric scoff. Well, it was laughable—after committing something so awful, saying something like this now.
Left with no choice, she added a little more.
“And I’m sorry to you. Being forced to marry someone you don’t even love—how pitiful is that?”
“……”
“Huh?”
Several seconds of silence followed.
Leriel, who had been keeping her eyes closed, cautiously opened just one eye to look ahead. She wondered if such a ridiculous excuse had only fueled his anger.
“I’m sorry,” he said. “You’re… sorry to me.”
But he wasn’t angry. Nor did he seem simply grateful.
He was looking at Leriel with a complicated expression that couldn’t be defined in a single word.
Faced with emotions she had never seen from him before, Leriel couldn’t say anything and simply met his gaze. The fourth finger wearing the engagement ring twitched, trembling once.
‘I don’t know.’
But Feric’s mind was just as tangled. Of all the things he had heard from Leriel so far, this was the hardest to believe.
That the reason she wanted to break off their engagement was because she felt sorry.
It was absurd. He knew he should scold her for such nonsense. And yet, he couldn’t understand why even grabbing her shoulders and pushing her away felt so difficult.
More than the vicious side of her he had seen over the past month, he wanted to believe the woman now listing her apologies to him.
Even though he had wished for the engagement to be broken, he also couldn’t bring himself to let her go.
At its core, was this hatred—or an emotion that had been twisted into something else?
Everything was unclear.
Perhaps it would be more accurate to say he didn’t want to know.
“Let’s just leave it at that for now.”
And so Feric deliberately cut off the conversation.
He couldn’t allow himself to keep wavering like this over an excuse that was obviously a lie.
“But it’s true…”
Watching him rise from his seat and speak coldly, Leriel muttered resentfully.
Even that small complaint echoed in his ears.
Pretending not to hear it, he grabbed his coat and went outside. Leriel followed along in little hurried steps, saying she would see him off.
Even that irritated Feric.
Was this really the same woman who had waved him away impatiently, telling him to leave as soon as the engagement ceremony was over?
‘I should stop letting myself be swayed.’
After convincing himself that this, too, was part of Leriel’s intention, Feric didn’t even respond to her farewell and strode away coldly.
Each step toward the carriage carried his confusion. He had hated her so deeply, yet he found himself shaken by nothing more than a single, superficial apology—and he hated himself for it.
‘I definitely hate her, so why…?’
But he didn’t know.
That goodwill can pull at a person more strongly than malice ever could.
When someone born into wealth suddenly donates their entire fortune to society and becomes penniless, or when a murderer who once mocked his victims suddenly kneels before the bereaved family and offers a sincere apology.
When a man who has spent his entire life stealing ends up donating the very things he stole—we can’t help but feel curious about what lies behind it.
Feric was no different. Faced with her sudden transformation into a good person overnight, he found himself irresistibly drawn in.
How far that emotional turbulence would spread, however, was something even he couldn’t predict.
‘A month should be enough. To find out what kind of person she really is.’
So he decided to wait one month.
There was no reason to refuse her proposal, and fleeting interest, after all, tends to fade when constrained by time.
‘It has to be that way.’
During that time, he would slowly figure out whether she had ulterior motives—whether her good deeds were genuine kindness or hypocrisy wrapped in pretense.
‘It has to be.’
Whether this feeling was merely temporary, or a true emotional stir.
Determined to find a definite answer within the short yet long span of thirty days, Feric climbed into the carriage.
Through the swaying window, his handsome profile, glimpsed in passing, was filled with such a vivid dilemma.
At last, her period of confinement was over. It had been a long, grueling week.
Stepping outside the ducal estate, Leriel took a deep breath of the open air. The sensation of fresh air filling her lungs felt wonderful.
‘The weather’s really nice.’
The clear autumn sky was cloudless. Gentle sunlight warmed the crown of her head.
It was cool—perfect weather for doing good deeds.
Ignoring her parents’ earnest warnings before she left the house, she moved forward.
‘We trust you’ve learned your lesson by now, my daughter.’
‘Yes, please, come back as your old self. I miss the you who used to throw plates at the chef because the seasoning was off.’
Anwen’s voice brimmed with undisguised anxiety. Robrin dabbed at the corners of his eyes with a handkerchief, expressing his sorrow.
Seeing her parents’ faces grow more haggard by the day, Leriel felt a slight pang of guilt.
But only up to that point. Driving a few nails into her parents’ hearts wouldn’t kill them—but Leriel would die if she couldn’t sever ties with her family.
So what she needed to do today was already decided.
‘Where exactly did they say the White Wings headquarters was?’
Entering the city center, she walked while comparing her map to her surroundings.
A ducal lady wandering around without a single maid in tow wasn’t a common sight.
But what was she supposed to do when every servant fled at the mention of her joining a relief organization?
Haebel even locked himself inside and staged a sit-in.
‘You’re trying to make me join a relief organization, aren’t you?! Sister, how could you force something so horrifying on me!’
And so, in the end, Leriel had no choice but to go alone to join White Wings.
After wandering through the maze-like back alleys for quite some time, she finally found a building on the outskirts.
It was shabby, but neat. As she approached the door to grab the handle, a tidy handwritten sign on the nameplate caught her eye.
Welcome to the Civilian Relief Organization, White Wings.
Until the day good deeds change the world.
Just reading it made hope well up inside her. After calmly reading the sign, Leriel opened the door and stepped inside.
Beyond the modestly sized lobby, she saw the reception desk. A receptionist with a warm, friendly face looked up at the sound of the bell after writing something down.
“Welcome! Thank you for visiting White Wings! If you tell me the purpose of your visit, I’ll guide you right away—”
Greeting her brightly, the receptionist recognized Leriel. She froze for a moment, blinking blankly, then smiled again.
Relieved by such a natural reaction, Leriel let out a sigh of relief.
‘I thought I’d be treated like some kind of weirdo again…’
The memory of when she had gone to apply for volunteer work at the temple came vividly to mind.
Hadn’t she spent a full hour trying to convince someone who refused to believe her no matter how many times she repeated herself?
But perhaps people working at the kingdom’s largest relief organization were free of such prejudice. For Leriel, who was usually met with frightened looks wherever she went, this reaction was refreshing—and deeply appreciated.
“If you’re here to apply for a contract killing, you can do that in the building next door! This is a relief organization. Are you sure you’re in the right place?”
‘No, I’m not…’
Well, not exactly. She was simply being kindly misunderstood. Looking closely, it even seemed like the receptionist’s hands were trembling.
A relief organization and the notorious villainess—it was an odd combination.
“I’m here for an appointment with the chairman, Yulian. Please check.”
Fortunately, this time she had someone who could clear up the misunderstanding.
At the mention of his name, the receptionist checked the schedule, still half-doubtful.
Before long, Leriel was guided toward the office. Though the receptionist kept about five meters of distance, at least she showed the way.
The moment they arrived at their destination, the receptionist fled. Still, Leriel figured being shown the way was something to be grateful for and raised her hand to knock—
“Leriel!”
As if he had been waiting, Yulian burst out before she could even knock. He was like a puppy greeting its owner returning home.
She nearly got smacked by the door as it flew open. Stepping back, Leriel stared at him in disbelief.
‘If you’re the head of an organization, shouldn’t you be sitting calmly at your desk and waiting?’
Just how long had he been waiting for his walking money pouch to come, to dash out like this?
Thinking she could see right through him, Leriel stepped inside.
“Excuse me…”
