.jpg)
It was strange that she hadn't realized it before, but Kadin was truly a son of a bitch.
Ayla gritted her teeth.
To make matters worse, severe bullying began at the academy after that day.
‘It was because I became a commoner and didn't understand my place.’
Daring to push Kadin, a high-ranking nobleman, and refusing his generous offer was enough to make her the public enemy of all the students.
So, Ayla decided to show them what understanding her place really meant in this life.
‘I must go break off the engagement tomorrow.’
Having been engaged for 14 years, it was easy to figure out where Kadin would be.
Ayla decided to get things done quickly.
Kadin was always surrounded by friends.
As a famous figure in the academy, many people tried to exchange words with him.
On this day, Kadin's friends were glancing at him.
"Kadin, may I ask who the woman you greeted earlier was?"
They ran into Duke Cedric by chance as they were coming out of morning training.
Cedric, with his sharp impression and cynical personality, was someone all the academy students found difficult.
The Duke was with a woman with dark pink hair similar to his, and Kadin approached them without hesitation and greeted them.
"Greetings, Duke Cedric. If it's not rude, may I ask who this is...?"
Instead of Cedric, Rosia smiled brightly and took over Kadin's words.
"I'm Rosia Blanche."
"Ah, I see. I am Kadin, from the Marquis Reit Noble house."
After exchanging names, the two continued to exchange friendly words.
But it was obvious that there was something unusual between them.
Kadin's friends, who knew he had a long-time fiancée, were only puzzled by his behavior.
"That woman introduced herself as Rosia Blanche. Could there be another daughter in the Blanche Noble house besides Princess Consort Ayla?"
"Maybe since Ayla can't use Magic, they brought in someone from a collateral line?"
As the friends began to speculate, Kadin firmly denied their words.
"That's not it. Rosia is the real daughter of the Blanche Noble house. She's from the direct line."
Since it would be revealed anyway, Kadin casually revealed the story.
"What? What are you talking about?"
"Rosia is the real daughter of the Blanche Noble house? Does that mean they've been hiding her until now?"
"The children were switched. I only found out the day before yesterday. As soon as the Blanche Noble house confirmed the truth, they contacted our Noble house immediately."
The faces of Kadin's friends were filled with surprise at his words.
"Oh my god, so that's what happened. Everything makes sense. That's why Ayla didn't have any magical talent."
"How could something like this happen? Young Lady Rosia must have had a hard time."
They glanced at Kadin for a moment.
But Kadin was just reading a book, ignoring the gazes of others.
When Kadin didn't react, his friends got excited and continued to chatter.
"Certainly, Ayla's Magic skills were terrible for someone who was supposed to be the daughter of the Blanche Noble house."
"She couldn't even feel Mana."
After talking for a while, they were curious about what would happen in the future and cautiously asked Kadin.
"Kadin, what will happen to Young Lady Ayla now? Since it's been revealed that she's not of the Duke's bloodline, she won't be able to maintain her position as Princess Consort anymore, will she?"
"I wonder what the Reit Noble house said."
"Well, I'm thinking about it."
"Thinking about it? Does that mean you're going to continue the engagement?"
Kadin frowned slightly. Instantly, his friends fell silent.
He uttered a word to the boy who had spoken to him.
"You talk too much."
"S-Sorry, Kadin."
A deep silence lingered in the garden for a while.
In the midst of this, a commotion broke the silence.
"Isn't that Ayla over there?"
At the words of one boy, the gazes of those in the garden turned to one place at once.
There, Ayla stood, wearing a neat white dress, enjoying the cool autumn breeze.
She approached Kadin with a composed gait.
"Kadin, I have something to say."
Kadin sighed as he looked at Ayla.
‘Did she run over as soon as she heard I was here?’
She must be very anxious.
Having been abandoned by her family and facing the crisis of having her engagement broken off.
‘So, she came to the academy before the start of the semester to meet me.’
Thinking that, he chuckled.
Ayla, standing in front of him, was as beautiful as ever.
‘She always had a listless face, but I liked how her complexion improved whenever I encouraged her.’
Kadin loved Ayla's pathetic beauty.
Ayla's face, her aristocratic and noble character, even her weak personality.
‘Predictable and easy to handle. Not fun, but a good woman to marry.’
Thinking that, Kadin sipped his tea.
Ayla was in many ways the bride he wanted.
Her Magic skills were unbelievably poor for someone from the Blanche Noble house, but he could tolerate even that.
But that was all under the premise that Ayla was from the Blanche Noble house.
Now Ayla had become a commoner.
And he was someone who could not marry a commoner.
Kadin nodded gently and opened his mouth.
"Yes, what is it?"
Ayla opened her mouth immediately at his words.
Her expression was as calm as usual, but the end of her voice trembled slightly.
"I'm sure you've heard about it, right? That I've become a commoner."
Feeling a strange sense of incongruity in Ayla's appearance, Kadin stared at her for a long time.
He sighed deeply and decided to reassure her first.
"Yes, but I still love you."
The eyes of the nobles who were watching the situation widened. That's how shocking Kadin's words were.
Kadin stood up from his seat and took a step closer to Ayla.
He saw Ayla with her delicate impression in his view.
Her beautiful pink hair fluttered around her waist, and her yellow eyes were similar to the topaz color of the pendant on her necklace.
That necklace was something he had given to Ayla a long time ago.
‘She’s still a boring woman.’
Does she have no pride?
She's a commoner who might have her engagement broken off, and she's still wearing that necklace around her neck.
The reason Ayla wore the necklace he gave her so conspicuously was obvious.
‘She’s telling me not to abandon her.’
He couldn't marry Ayla, who was a commoner, as his wife, but there were plenty of ways to take her in.
"But..."
Ayla cut him off, looking straight into Kadin's eyes.
"Wait. Listen to me first, Kadin."
Kadin blinked in confusion.
It was because Ayla's tone was somehow different from usual.
It was embarrassing for him, who had only heard Ayla's gentle voice.
Then, shocking words flew into his ears.
"I want you to break off our engagement."
"What?"
Before he could react,
Ayla suddenly took off the necklace from her neck and placed it neatly on the book he was looking at.
"I'll return the gift you gave me too."
A cold silence flowed over the table at Ayla's bombshell declaration.
The people who were trying to laugh at her closed their mouths.
That was the same for Kadin.
He was staring at the necklace scattered on his book with a half-dazed face.
Soon, Ayla's voice clearly penetrated Kadin's ears.
"Since I've become a commoner, I probably won't be able to talk to you after today."
Of course, there was a rule in the academy that everyone should be equal.
To allow students to exchange opinions without being bound by their status.
But that only applied in front of the professors, and commoners in the academy could not even talk to nobles.
Except for a few commoners with outstanding talents.
In other words, what Ayla said to Kadin was not far from the truth.
Kadin opened his mouth with a dumbfounded expression.
"Ayla, I would have said that I don't care if you become a commoner. Of course, I can't marry you, but if we find another way to be together..."
"Are you saying you want me to be your mistress?"
.jpg)