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To the point that no one could blame her for her rights and wrongs.
"He has been deprived of everything because of me and has grown up struggling. I don't want to harm Rosia any more."
It was a choice that the unnecessarily proud and stubborn Ayla would make.
That's why it was even more frustrating.
'Looking at Ayla's attitude back then, it seems certain that she still has feelings for me.'
He thought he could have her easily, but he became impatient when he couldn't.
But Kadin soon thought she would break her stubbornness.
'There's no way she, who has lived her whole life as a noble Young Lady of the Duke's Noble house, can adapt to an ordinary life.'
Starting with the decline in living standards, the way people around her look at her and their attitude toward her will change drastically.
Ayla, unable to withstand this, would eventually have no choice but to come to him.
And then, as he thought, a woman walked into the garden.
"Ayla?"
But soon Kadin's face was horribly distorted as he identified the other person.
"Ayla? Who were you waiting for?"
The person who walked into the garden was not Ayla, but her friend Freya.
Freya contorted her face as if she was annoyed.
"Have you been waiting for Ayla until now?"
Kadin replied with a stiff face.
"Don't talk nonsense."
"You don't know what kind of humiliation I had to go through today because of you, do you?"
He, too, had heard the news that had happened during the day.
'Did Freya bully Ayla?'
He didn't know why she said she was humiliated when she was the one who touched her first.
The thought of her bullying poor Ayla made him feel even more displeased with Freya in front of him.
He hardened his expression and asked Freya.
"You were Ayla's best friend. But it seems like you don't care about the current situation?"
"Oh, that's right."
Freya twisted the corners of her lips.
"But that's when Ayla was a Princess Consort of the Blanche Noble house. I don't care about her anymore."
Kadin knew that Freya had a deep sense of inferiority toward Ayla from the past.
But she had no choice but to hide that feeling from Ayla because of her lower status.
'Now that Ayla has become a commoner, she's openly revealing her animosity.'
Freya frowned and muttered.
"It's annoying that a commoner was above me."
Then, a faint smile formed on Freya's face as she recalled one person.
"That's right, Kadin. Have you met Rosia? She's a good kid. I think she'll listen well."
"……."
"You'll be engaged soon, so get to know her. You can't let your relationship with the Blanche Noble house be cut off because of this. Of course, Rosia will have to work hard to be recognized by the other children."
Kadin's face hardened at Freya's words.
He also thought that as his engagement with Ayla was canceled, he would naturally be newly engaged to Rosia.
'I know, but it doesn't feel good.'
Perhaps it was because he learned that Ayla had rejected him because of Rosia, but these days, he felt unpleasant just hearing her name.
Besides, Kadin knew why Freya was rushing his engagement with Rosia.
It was because she was dreaming of an engagement with Darian Celestia, who was first in line to the throne.
There were not many Noble houses in the empire that could form a relationship with the Imperial Family, so Freya was always wary of the surrounding noble Young Ladies who could become candidates.
Her dream was to rise to the most noble position in the empire.
'If it's the First Prince, he'll be able to seize the throne naturally.'
Second Prince Adolf was the Empress's son, so he had no choice but to be pushed back in terms of legitimacy compared to Darian, whose mother was the Empress.
There was also a Princess born to the former Empress, but she rarely showed herself due to health problems.
He said to Freya with a sneer.
"You're already so worried about me, so do you feel threatened by Rosia?"
Freya frowned at Kadin's words.
"If you know, get rid of that commoner now. What if Rosia cares about you and her?"
Get rid of Ayla?
Kadin scoffed and replied to Freya in a sharp tone.
"It's none of your business."
"Kadin... what are you thinking?"
"Freya, don't cross the line."
Kadin left the garden after saying those words.
It was because she didn't come to him, so he was going to meet her first.
He didn't think Ayla was the kind of person who could cut off her feelings so quickly.
'Maybe she said she wanted to break off the engagement to get my attention.'
If so, Ayla's gamble was successful.
Kadin was starting to care about her.
"Excuse me, do you know where Ayla went?"
"K, Kadin? Ayla..."
Kadin grabbed the students of the Faculty of Magic passing by and asked about her whereabouts.
Fortunately, it wasn't long before someone who knew her location appeared.
"Ah, I saw her a little while ago! She went into the infirmary."
"I see, thank you for letting me know."
To go to the infirmary during lunch, he could imagine what Ayla would look like right now.
'Maybe she's crying. Because the kids won't treat her like they used to.'
Even if a little time passed, Freya would start bullying Ayla.
He knew very well what the end of someone who was disliked by a noble was like through the arrogant commoner of the Swordsmanship Department.
'Even if you just look at that famous Felix guy, you'll know, but you're making a foolish choice.'
Hoping that Ayla would quickly realize the reality, Kadin opened the door to the infirmary.
Just as he opened the door, he saw her.
The sunlight shining through the window seemed to melt on her skin, and her face was shining brightly.
'She was originally this beautiful.'
But Ayla had become less attractive, always looking like she was being chased by something.
She was definitely that kind of woman...
She had changed a few days ago.
Rather, even though she had become a commoner, she looked more confident.
The corners of Ayla's lips were drawing a beautiful curve.
'Who is she smiling at like that?'
Kadin turned his gaze to where Ayla was looking.
There was Felix, the commoner knight he had always ignored.
She smiled at that commoner like that?
At that moment, Kadin felt anger rising to the top of his head.
Ayla's words suddenly came to his mind.
"I need to know my place now. It's really sad, but I'm no longer in a position to be with you."
Could it be that the sense of self-awareness she was talking about at that time was playing with a commoner as soon as she broke off her engagement with him?
Besides, the two of them were close enough to be suspicious.
Watching them, Kadin felt jealousy boiling inside him.
'Have the two of them known each other before? No, if that were the case, there's no way I wouldn't know.'
To him, Ayla was always a natural presence by his side.
He was sure that no matter what he did, she would never leave him.
That solid belief now seemed to be collapsing.
Kadin, unable to bear it, finally opened his mouth.
"What are you two doing now?"
"Kadin? Why are you here..."
Ayla looked back at him with a flustered face.
Kadin rebuked Ayla in a harsh tone.
"I asked you what you're doing here with that guy."
Ayla stared at Kadin and Felix alternately with wide eyes.
Soon, she guessed what Kadin had misunderstood and calmly calmed her mind.
'It's better this way. I'm going to spread rumors that I'm dating Felix later.'
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