I Got My Engagement Annulled… Even Though We Were Never Engaged - Chapter 10

“Good morning, Adeline. You’re as lovely as ever.”

It had already been five days since Lord Fevan began his stay at the Cambrelive family’s country house.

Somewhere along the way, how he addressed me had shifted from “Lady Adeline” to simply “Adeline.”

My father, having fully recovered thanks to the medicine I made, was now completely absorbed in his magical potion research using the Eternal Roses gifted by Lord Fevan. He remained holed up in the laboratory he’d built within the mansion, only showing his face during meal times.

Though I was exasperated that he showed no concern as a father—despite a man who’d declared his intent to court his daughter living under the same roof. This was typical behavior for him once he got like this. He’d stay shut away in his lab until he was satisfied. Having seen this scene play out since childhood, I’d grown accustomed to it.

My mother merely laughed, saying, “I wonder if he’ll be content after a month or if he’ll break his previous record of two and a half months.”

…Still, for the Crown Prince to so casually gift such a large quantity of Eternal Roses upon hearing his friend intended to court a woman. That was going too far, wasn’t it?

Those roses were truly valuable. They weren’t the sort of thing to be handed out so freely for the sake of wooing a woman. If he kept that up, those who’d received them as honors would be furious.

The Crown Prince surely had his own reasons, so as a mere count’s daughter, it wasn’t my place to comment but even knowing they were being used up as research materials, could His Highness really remain indifferent?

No matter what wonderful medicines my father developed, if they required Eternal Roses as ingredients, they’d never reach the market. Frankly, the only result would be medicines that served no purpose for the country. The moment Eternal Roses were involved, the price would skyrocket, meaning any completed medicine would likely only be usable by royalty.

…Could it be that Father, despite having recovered, had no intention of returning to social functions?

Well, if he went back now, he’d surely hear those utterly disgraceful rumors about me, so perhaps it was for the best he didn’t.

“Sigh…”

“Adeline, why the sigh?”

“Because the beautiful person before me is spouting such nauseating flattery.”

“I keep telling you, it’s not flattery.”

Lord Fevan shrugged as if to say, why won’t you believe me?

Originally, this man had proposed out of a sense of responsibility for the disgraceful rumors circulating about me, so why did he insist on spouting these sickeningly sweet lines about how cute I was every single day?

At this rate, it really felt like I was being courted.

“Adeline, going for a walk? I’ll join you.”

“…Sigh.”

I sighed again.

Somehow, whenever I tried to step out for a walk to get some fresh air, Lord Fevan would inevitably appear at the entrance. How did he always know my movements? No, I knew. Our servants were definitely leaking information to him.

…Our servants had completely taken Lord Fevan’s side!

They seemed to believe that if they let this opportunity slip away, I’d never have another chance at marriage. Well, that possibility was quite high, so they weren’t entirely wrong… but because of that, they were in full push-Adeline-toward-Fevan mode. My privacy was completely violated.

“I’m only going to the nearby hill.”

“Understood.”

“There’s nothing interesting there.”

“You’re there.”

Oh?

Did that mean he interpreted me as “interesting”?

Even I, as a young lady of marriageable age, wouldn’t be pleased to be described as “interesting.”

What exactly was I to Lord Fevan?

Some rare toy or animal? Was that how he saw me? I didn’t understand, but it made me irritated.

“Monsters sometimes appear in our territory, you know. The town has a barrier, so they can’t enter, but the area around the hill isn’t protected, so we might encounter one. Do you still want to come?”

“If you tell me that, I have even less choice but to accompany you. It could be dangerous!”

“It’s not dangerous. Even if one appears, they’re weak monsters. I can handle them alone.”

Strong monsters rarely appeared near populated areas.

And I had inherited my mother’s talent for magic. I wouldn’t lose to some ordinary monster.

“If there might be monsters, why go to the hill?”

“…Just because.”

“Hmm. Well, I’ll find out if I come along.”

It seemed he was determined to follow me no matter what.

Resigning myself, I informed Bail that I was going to the hill and set off walking with Lord Fevan.

We left the mansion and walked in the opposite direction of the town.

Climbing the small hill covered in short grass, we reached the top where a single large maple tree stood.

It was mid-autumn, and the lush leaves were beginning to turn red.

Aside from the maple tree, there was nothing particularly noteworthy about the place, and Lord Fevan walking beside me looked puzzled.

After a while, reaching the summit, I faced south and took a deep breath.

“…I see.”

Looking in the same direction as me, Lord Fevan smiled softly.

“It’s a beautiful spot.”

“Isn’t it?”

Far to the south, between the mountains, a blue horizon was visible. The sea.

“I love this place. The view is wonderful, and the distant sea is so beautifully blue.”

It was also a place of a small memory.

From my childhood, I don’t remember how old I was, but I was definitely under ten.

It was around the time I was becoming aware of my own features, and I was much more insecure back then than I am now.

Having a beautiful mother and older sister, I’d look at my own face in the mirror and wonder, Why aren’t I pretty?

One day, that pent-up frustration exploded, and I ended up sobbing uncontrollably.

That was when Father brought me here.

—Adeline, you say you dislike your face, but to me, you’re my adorable, precious princess.

Father never said my face was cute.

Perhaps somewhere in his heart, he felt guilty that I took after him.

He probably understood that, compared to my overwhelmingly beautiful mother and sister, I wouldn’t believe him even if he said I was cute. After all, I had two impossible standards of comparison right beside me. No matter how much I tried to convince myself, seeing those faces every day made it impossible to have any confidence.

Maybe that’s why Father’s words sank straight into my heart.

If he’d said my face was cute, I would have resisted. But because he said I was his adorable princess; I could accept it honestly.

—Someday, a wonderful prince will appear who will tell Adeline she’s cute. Just like I did. Well, in my case, it was a princess.

Come to think of it, I recall him saying something like that afterward.

…A prince who calls me cute… Ah…

I glanced sideways, then shook my head in a fluster. No, that’s not it.

He only feels responsible for me; he doesn’t genuinely think I’m cute. I mustn’t be fooled.

“The wind feels nice.”

Sitting at the base of the maple tree, Lord Fevan narrowed his eyes.

I sat down a little distance from him and gazed vaguely at the distant horizon.

We had been silently enjoying the view for a while when I felt that if I were to have an honest talk with Lord Fevan, it had to be now.

Lord Fevan proposed out of a sense of responsibility, but I dislike the idea of marriage as an obligation.

If he didn’t properly understand that, I feared he would just continue half-heartedly courting me like this.

I really couldn’t tolerate that, and I’d feel sorry for Lord Fevan too.

While Lord Fevan caused me trouble, apologies had already been made on his behalf by the Marquis of Levesius. There was no need for further apologies regarding that incident.

My lack of popularity wasn’t something that started recently; it was fundamentally my own issue. One strange rumor wouldn’t cause a dramatic change. Since things wouldn’t change much, there was no need for him to feel responsible.

…Besides, Lord Fevan is the eldest son, right? Someone like me could never manage a marquis household… especially not the chancellor’s family. He should choose someone more suited to his status.

“Lord Fevan.”

When I turned and called his name, he—who had been looking straight ahead at the scenery turned his beautiful aqua-blue eyes toward me.

Those eyes were so stunning, I inadvertently caught my breath.

“Hmm?”

His voice was sweet and gentle. This man must be incredibly popular with women. Against my better judgment, I could somewhat understand why Adrienne Canteloupe would lie to get him.

“Um… As I said before, I dislike the idea of marrying someone out of a sense of obligation. You don’t need to take responsibility. So, you don’t have to worry about what happened that day anymore.”

“But you were hurt, weren’t you?”

“Whether I’m hurt or not is my problem. You’ve already apologized sufficiently, and I dislike this form of responsibility-taking. I will marry someone I want to marry. I won’t marry out of obligation.”

Well, it’s not like I’m in a position to be choosy, but I do have that much pride.

Lord Fevan’s eyes widened slightly, then he smiled softly.

“Okay.”

What did “okay” mean?

Tilting my head in confusion, Lord Fevan continued smiling.

“Then, if it’s not out of responsibility, it’s fine, right?”

“I don’t understand what you mean…”

“That you’re adorable.”

Not this again, I thought, exasperated.

When I scowled, Lord Fevan looked puzzled.

“You made that face before too. Do you dislike being called cute, Adeline?”

“No one looks at my face and calls me cute.”

“That’s why I’m telling you Adeline, you are cute.”

Remembering we’d had a similar back-and-forth before, I decided to stop pressing the issue. It would be pointless anyway.

As I silently returned my gaze to the scenery, Lord Fevan remained quiet for a moment before asking, “Hey.”

“Can I ask you one thing?”

“What is it?”

“Who was the man that made you think ‘I don’t want to marry out of obligation’?”

I gasped sharply and turned my eyes back to Lord Fevan.

“Someone must have told you that, right? There was a man who said that to you before me. Won’t you tell me? I’m really curious.”

Why did Lord Fevan care about that?

I had no obligation to tell him, but if I did, he might give up on me. Thinking that, I decided to share a little story from my past.