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As if deeply shocked by that fact, Kadin opened his mouth blankly, then closed it again.
Perhaps he thought this:
‘If I plead earnestly, she’ll have no choice but to accept me.’
That if he apologized sincerely, she would eventually overlook everything and come back to him. As she always had.
But in the end, he couldn't offer any rebuttal.
‘There’s no way he’d have anything to say.’
Ayla turned away coldly, adding one last remark.
“Thanks for the advice, but I’ll take care of my own affairs.”
To graduate early, she needed to accumulate as many diverse achievements as possible, and the most prominent among them was the Subjugation Contest.
Regardless of what Rosia and Freya were planning, she had to participate in the event.
‘Just don’t let my guard down.’
If she mobilized everything she had built up so far, it probably wouldn't be too difficult to confront them.
‘I might even be able to drive Rosia into a corner with this.’
Thinking that way made her feel complicated. A mix of slight tension and anticipation made her heart flutter.
Left alone, Kadin blankly mulled over Ayla’s words.
“No, you’ve already completely lost my trust. You had chances to hold onto me, time and time again. But you didn’t.”
It was as if she was declaring that their relationship had ended a long time ago.
As if no matter how much he tried to hold on, she would never return.
…Just where did things go wrong?
Kadin recalled the moment he first met Ayla.
Back then, she was far more timid and shy than she was now.
At their first meeting, she hid behind Gerard, barely showing her face.
“Hi, I’m Kadin Rate.”
“…Ah, hello.”
Such a sight might have seemed cute to the adults, but it didn't particularly impress the young Kadin.
The preciously raised Princess Consort couldn't even be his playmate.
Moreover, Ayla was especially flustered only in front of Kadin.
Her bewildered face, her stammering speech, her slow gestures.
All of it was frustrating and annoying to the young Kadin.
“Hey, Kadin! Isn’t that your fiancée?”
“Fiancée, my foot. How could I marry someone so ugly and frustrating?”
“Is it okay to say that? She’s listening, haha.”
The moment the young girl, who had been approaching with a welcoming expression, paused at those words was still vivid. As was the sight of her turning away with a tearful face.
At that moment, even his young heart felt a pang of regret, but his pride prevented him from apologizing.
Back then, receiving recognition from his peers was more important to him than caring for his fiancée’s feelings.
It was the same even after some time had passed.
Kadin always put Ayla on the back burner, and Ayla never complained about it once.
No, far from complaining, she always looked at him with longing eyes.
As if she believed that one day he would return to her.
Perhaps that was why. He never realized how precious she was.
In fact, he had never really thought she was ugly.
In his eyes, Ayla was always beautiful. Elegant and noble, befitting a noble Young Lady.
But that nobility sometimes felt suffocatingly boring and frustrating.
So, he deliberately associated with other women in front of her, as if to show off.
When her usually composed face twisted with jealousy, he felt strangely thrilled.
At such times, he fully realized that she loved him.
Conversely, when he saw other men approaching her, he felt uncontrollably angry.
But he didn't want to reveal such petty emotions, so he stubbornly ignored and hid them.
He believed that being swayed by emotions like love was unsightly.
Kadin quietly placed his hand over his chest.
Thump, thump—his heart began to beat rapidly as he thought of Ayla. He had avoided it as if running away, but now he couldn't even deny the feeling.
Suddenly, this question arose.
Perhaps… if he had been honest about his feelings from the beginning, Ayla wouldn't have left him?
If he gave up everything and desperately begged her now, wouldn't she look back at him again?
But when he recalled her chillingly cold gaze, he couldn't muster the courage.
“I’ll say it one last time. Don’t interfere in my affairs anymore.”
It was unbelievable. That Ayla could be so cold to him.
Perhaps this was the price for looking down on her as a commoner and trying to manipulate her as he pleased.
Until then, he had thought that she would love only him for the rest of her life… He didn't know how precious she was because she was always by his side.
But the words and actions he had already spoken could not be taken back.
“Damn it…”
Suppressing the rising self-reproach, Kadin staggered away.
The mere fact that Ayla might never return to him made him feel as if he was sinking endlessly.
Isabel’s Boutique in the Imperial capital.
Taking advantage of a rare weekend, Ayla and Peony were having dresses made here.
On the surface, it looked like a leisurely outing, but it was actually part of a plan to attract a cosmetics manufacturer.
‘I’m glad I received so much money from the Imperial Palace.’
After Piyo hatched and recognized her as its master, the Imperial family bestowed a large sum of money upon her in the name of maintaining her dignity.
Thanks to that, she could visit a high-end boutique that supplied the Imperial family without any burden.
Peony scrutinized the dress Ayla was wearing with a hawk-like gaze and opened her mouth.
“Hmm, this is good enough. It seems sufficiently flashy.”
“Really? It looks a bit too revealing to me.”
“You said you needed to exude an arrogant and extravagant atmosphere, right? Then this is perfect.”
Isabel, the owner of the boutique, nodded at the Princess’s words.
“Of course. These days, many people wear even more revealing outfits than this. But our clothes really suit you well.”
Peony also agreed with her words.
“I know, she surprisingly pulls off this style well. You’re so pretty, Ayla.”
“I was worried you’d feel awkward since you usually enjoy simple styles, but my concerns were unfounded.”
“Of course, our Ayla looks pretty in anything.”
While Peony boasted with a proud face, Ayla looked at herself in the mirror, examining her appearance from various angles.
She was used to wearing only school uniforms, so wearing such a fancy dress after so long was extremely uncomfortable.
The purple velvet flawlessly enveloped her small body, revealing her curves as they were.
The deeply cut chest area was embroidered with dazzling gold thread, sparkling like starlight.
With the addition of pearly eye makeup, she looked every bit the haughty and glamorous noble Young Lady.
Her outward appearance was perfect, but Peony had a worried look on her face.
“But can you do it well? You’ll have to act like someone with a completely opposite personality to you.”
“……”
“Acting like a troublemaker who’s running wild because she trusts Argenta… I can’t imagine it.”
Ayla simply chuckled at her words.
“I’m more worried about whether Felix will be able to keep up with me.”
“Did you tell Felix about your plan?”
Ayla frowned.
“I told him roughly. I asked him to follow my lead and use his common sense.”
A few days ago, Ayla had mustered the courage to visit Felix right after class.
It was her first time seeing him again after receiving his confession, so she was very nervous. At the same time, she was filled with worries.
‘What if Felix asks me to give him an answer to his confession….’
Apart from acknowledging her feelings for him, Ayla didn't have the capacity to accept his feelings right away.
How could she date when she was already overwhelmed with driving out Rosia and finding the mastermind?
Therefore, Ayla was even prepared to refuse him indirectly if he demanded an answer immediately.
But contrary to her worries, Felix greeted her very warmly.
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