I Was Happy to Be Dumped by My Fiancé, But Something Seems Off - Episode 48

Finding my father in the vast venue turned out to be surprisingly easy. Nobles whom Bertina also recognized were gathered around him, and when his deep purple eyes found her, he excused himself from the circle.

“Have you finished speaking with His Highness?”

“Yes. We agreed to do our best as future dukes.”

“I see.”

Father said nothing about the next engagement. Bertina suspected it was probably because of Argent. Seeing her father looking somewhat tired, she suggested they return home. He replied that he would stay a while longer and told Bertina she could return whenever she wished before heading off elsewhere.

Until now, only gentlemen had been able to approach her father’s side where Agnes always clung to him, but now women were speaking to him too. While most were greedy individuals aiming to become mistresses or secure the position of second wife, there were also some who had known him for a long time and spoke to him with genuine concern.

Even if there were many things she didn’t know, she could learn them going forward.

In the end, Bertina remained with her father until the ball ended, and by the time they boarded their carriage and arrived at the Annaloro ducal estate, the date had already changed.

——Six months later.

Bertina was diligently working through the young duke’s duties as usual, with stacks of papers piled around her desk. A few days earlier, a cold had spread through the estate, and both Bertina and her father had inevitably caught it. Argent, not being human, had been ordered by Bertina to care for the sick father and daughter along with the servants. Though he grumbled about having no time to be lazy, he still looked after everyone.

As Bertina worked through the paperwork that had accumulated while she was bedridden with the cold, Argent stood by her side, checking the documents for any errors.

“Why don’t we take a break once we’ve made some progress?”

“That sounds good. Staring at these documents for so long has made my shoulders stiff.”

“Shall I massage them for you?”

“Please.”

Putting down the documents he was holding, he moved behind Bertina and touched her shoulders.

“Haha, they’re really stiff.”

“Ouch, it seems they’re stiffer than I thought.”

“You could have taken a break sooner, you know.”

“Oh my, that’s my line to you.”

Long ago, when she had picked up Argent, he had told her he wanted to be lazy and hated boredom. Bertina had thought that if he hated boredom, he couldn’t possibly be lazy, so she asked him to become her attendant.

‘Should I use magic to do everything?’

‘No need. I’ll ask for your help when my own strength is no longer enough.’

‘You’re strange. I heard most humans like to take it easy.’

‘I want to see how far I can go with my own abilities.’

Convinced, Argent restrained his use of magic except when Bertina asked for it.

“Do you still have the desire to be lazy?”

“Well, yes.”

“Then you should find a master who will let you be lazy. I have no intention of letting Argent just laze around.”

“You’re a cruel owner. You should take care of your pet until the very end.”

“Of course. I’ll take care of you for life. In return, please help me out.”

“Fine, fine.”

Back when she had hoped Riet might break off their engagement, Argent had told her that if she left the Annaloro family, he would marry her. At the time, she took it as words of concern for her, who had nowhere to go. Now, when she asked what he had truly meant by those words, he widened his eyes and gave a wry smile, saying, “Oh, come on.”

“It was sincere. With Bertina, I thought I could stay with you until you die.”

“And now?”

“Now it’s the same.”

Whether as an attendant or a husband, being by Bertina’s side remained unchanged.

After finishing the shoulder massage, she thanked him, saying the stiffness had eased.

Standing up from her chair, she hugged Argent, who was still behind her. Though he remarked, “This is rare,” he wrapped his arms around her back.

“Once in a while is fine, right?”

“Maybe so.”

“Alright, once break is over, we’ll continue.”

“Fine, fine.”

Separating from Argent, Bertina sat back down in her chair and resumed her paperwork.

Though exasperated, Argent thought it was just like her and resumed helping as well.

-END-