As the Villainess Who Was Dumped, I Am Saved by My Childhood Friend from a Noble Family and Spoiled in the Frontier - Chapter 12

“I…”

“Listen, Nina. I consider you a very important person.”

“An important person?”

“Yes, you’re an old friend, and now we’re practically family.”

“O…okay.”

“Maria is younger, so there must be things you find hard to discuss with her. That’s exactly why you should rely on me properly. You’ve been pushing yourself too hard all this time. If you don’t stop, you’ll end up living completely alone forever.”

My eyes grew moist, my vision narrowing.

※

“Nina, I regret to inform you that you are unsuitable as the Crown Prince’s fiancée. I am breaking off our engagement.”

※

Remembering His Highness’s words, I felt as if my heart were being torn out.

“But regarding that matter, I bear some responsibility too.”

“Nina, you’re so responsible. I actually like that about you. But you were also a victim. No matter how strong you are, you were undoubtedly hurt. At your graduation party, where you should have been at the peak of happiness, you were subjected to such heartless treatment that felt like your entire life was being denied.”

“…”

“You might indeed have some things you need to reflect on. But those shouldn’t take priority over everything else. Nina, you’re far too patient. But the more you endure, the less anyone notices your pain. If you don’t say you’re suffering, no one will suffer alongside you.”

“But I had to be strong. If I wasn’t, I couldn’t stand at the forefront of our nation. So, I tried to be strong and righteous but because of that, he abandoned me.”

“Your efforts weren’t wrong, Nina. You became the strongest, wisest girl of all. You were right. But he couldn’t keep up with your righteousness. He was weak. And he was too sensitive to admit his own weakness. That’s why what happened, happened.”

“Lately, I’ve been thinking maybe I should have been more considerate of His Highness. Even though I understood his weakness, I might have cornered him; maybe it was my fault.”

“Nina. You shouldn’t blame yourself so much. You’re too kind. I believe your actions were correct. But sometimes, being right can corner the weak. His Highness needed to become stronger, but he couldn’t, and ended up cornering himself. That’s why he did what he did.”

“What should I have done? Please tell me, Lord Franz.”

“I don’t think we can ever forget our regrets. We too have been living with regrets ever since we lost our parents. But Nina, there’s a world of difference between living with regrets and living only while staring at them.”

He gently wrapped his hand around my left one.

“You mustn’t be bound by the past. Don’t forget your past regrets, but <<live in the present>>.”

I couldn’t look directly at his face. I never imagined he’d been thinking about me this much.

“It hurts, Lord Franz. I tried so hard, but no one acknowledges me. Rejected by the person I thought understood me most, watching him constantly cheat, I’ve been in so much pain. I wanted to cry. But I couldn’t.”

“It must have been painful, Nina. Here, you’re surrounded only by allies. So, cry as much as you need. Though all I can offer is my shoulder.”

“Thank you…”

Unable to even finish my words of gratitude, I took comfort in his words and sobbed like a baby.