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Chapter 21
Even with his sarcastic tone, Leblanc couldn’t respond because she didn’t remember him clearly. All she vaguely recalled was that things hadn’t ended well between them. However, her lack of memory also suggested that it wasn’t exactly a pleasant memory.
“Let’s talk for a moment. It’s important.”
Leblanc was reluctant, but she followed him. Soon, he led her to a secluded corner. After glancing around nervously, he raised his voice irritably.
“It was a real mistake! It couldn’t be helped!”
“So… what are you trying to say?”
Leblanc’s voice sharpened as her annoyance began to surface. He widened his eyes in apparent frustration and continued.
“Sure, I cheated, but it was all planned by the Duchess! She introduced me to that woman and even used it as an excuse to insist on breaking the engagement. I’m telling you, it was all orchestrated by Duchess Verti! I’m just as upset about it as you are!”
“What?”
“I got scolded by my father for breaking the engagement and shaming the family. Do you know how hard that was? I still don’t get it. Why would the Duchess do something like that?”
Relton shook his head in disbelief, but Leblanc, having grasped the situation roughly, could only sigh.
The engagement to Viscount Relton had been arranged under Gate’s direction. However, Verti, who always kept an eye on Leblanc, disapproved of her marrying into a prestigious family. At the same time, unpleasant memories long forgotten began to resurface.
“Do you really think someone like you deserves to be a viscountess? You’ll only disgrace the family! Besides, I hear Viscount Relton has a wandering eye. I’m giving you advice as a woman, not just as your mother. Marrying a man like that will only make your life miserable. Think carefully—this is why I’m giving you this advice.”
After the engagement was decided, Verti would often call Leblanc in and feed her such disparaging words. That wasn’t enough, though—behind the scenes, Verti arranged for another woman to be attached to Relton, breaking off his engagement to Leblanc.
Realizing this, Leblanc couldn’t suppress her displeasure. She stared blankly into the air, her expression cold and emotionless.
“I should have torn out that snake’s tongue…”
Her deadly serious tone made Relton flinch slightly. There was something different about Leblanc from how he had always known her. Still, a faint smile crept across his face.
In truth, Relton had liked Leblanc very much. She was, after all, a princess of Arnetio, noble and seemingly perfect, with a compliant personality and even a meek, self-effacing demeanor. Leblanc Arnetio was the perfect bride. Although the engagement had been broken due to Verti’s scheming, it had been a mere mistake.
“Anyway, it was all the Duchess’s doing. So, let’s meet again. Convincing the Duke will be difficult, but I can handle that…”
“Huh?”
Leblanc frowned sharply, clearly irritated by everything he said, and stared up at him.
“Are you deaf, or just shameless? Surely the news of my marriage into the viscount family has reached you. Do you think it doesn’t matter if a married woman is involved because you’ve always cheated?”
“Hey, isn’t that a bit harsh? I’m trying to apologize—do you have to act like that?”
“Harsh? Should I just accept everything when you apologize? The real problem is this: because people pamper nobility like you or others like Legasian, you start thinking you’re someone important.”
Leblanc recalled her half-brother with his droopy nose. The thought alone made her shiver.
“Just look at how he talks. I hear you married a baron with no real distinction—compared to such a man, I’m far better. If my husband were embarrassed to be seen with me, he wouldn’t even come to the festival.”
“What are you saying? You came together.”
“What? That little kid who was sticking to your side is your husband?”
“Yes. That’s right.”
Relton suddenly burst into exaggerated laughter at Leblanc’s calm answer, unaware that her expression had hardened. He held his stomach and laughed loudly.
“Wow, even if you’re foolish, you married someone like that with the name Arnetio? Are you out of your mind?”
“Don’t speak so crudely. That story about being foolish is from when you were engaged to me. Now, I’m perfectly sane.”
Leblanc’s deadpan reply made him increasingly annoyed.
“Don’t get so arrogant just because you earned a countship. Do you really think you’re someone important?”
“At least it means I don’t have to grovel in front of someone like you. Right, Viscount?”
Relton’s face contorted with anger. Until recently, Leblanc couldn’t even meet his eyes, and now she was ignoring him with her head held high.
Yet, a sly smile soon spread across his face. Narrowing his eyes, he scrutinized her from head to toe and whispered softly.
“But that guy clearly lacks—!”
At that moment, Leblanc, her expression cold, clamped a hand over his mouth. He tried to pull it away, but her grip didn’t budge.
“Ugh—!”
“I told you not to speak crudely with that filthy mouth.”
Leblanc couldn’t contain her rising anger. Though she wished she could crush his head, it wasn’t yet the right moment.
Dark smoke swirled around his mouth with an ominous aura. In unbearable pain, he showed the whites of his eyes and desperately grabbed her wrist.
“Forget what happened today. You’ve never seen Erkis, never met me. Just remember this: if you speak like that again, your tongue will be torn to shreds.”
White foam at his mouth, he slowly nodded. When Leblanc removed her hand, he collapsed to the ground, looking as if his soul had been drained. His body trembled violently, and his tongue, once blackened, gradually returned to its normal color. He would be unable to speak properly for at least a week or ten days.
“How crude…”
Leblanc clicked her tongue and retrieved a handkerchief to wipe her hand. Then, a very familiar voice called from behind.
“Countess?”
“Erkis!”
Startled by Erkis’s sudden arrival, Leblanc roughly moved the collapsed Relton aside and rushed toward him.
“When did you get here? Are you okay?”
“Just now. I feel better after some fresh air. On the way back, I heard your voice… but who’s that person?”
Erkis’s gaze fell on Relton, and she instinctively blocked him, speaking nonchalantly.
“He seemed pretty drunk. I called the guards when I saw him lying there. They’ll be here soon, so let’s go.”
“Then should we stay by him until the guards arrive—?”
“No, it’s fine. He’s just asleep, nothing serious. Let’s go.”
Suddenly, Leblanc stopped and clutched her chest. Seeing this, Erkis asked worriedly,
“Are you feeling unwell?”
“No, just a bit tight. Let’s go.”
Returning to her usual composure, Leblanc stepped ahead and left the area.
Despite her calm tone, her mind was in chaos. Though only a brief moment, the pain was indescribable. A strange, creeping sense of unease enveloped her as if her heart were about to burst.
Back at the city center, the two spent the remaining time enjoying the festival. Being outside in the cold for so long made their hands and feet numb, and their noses red, but Leblanc was happy to be creating memories with Erkis.
As the sun began to set, the street stalls gradually closed, signaling the festival’s end. Looking around, Leblanc felt a subtle sense of regret. Despite spending all day together, the time had felt too short.
“Shall we head back? I think we’ve seen most of it.”
“There’s still somewhere we haven’t been.”
“Really? Where?”
“Over there.”
With a faint smile, Erkis lightly grabbed her sleeve and led her into a secluded part of the forest. Surprised by his sudden action, Leblanc glanced down at his hand holding her sleeve.
