I've Tried Going Back to Life After Dying - Chapter 35

“May I ask the reason for your invitation today?”

Since it was Clifford who had told her not to stand on ceremony, Hildegard decided to abandon formalities.

Dispensing with lengthy greetings, she cut straight to the point.

“Hmm. I was thinking we might dissolve your engagement.”

“Don’t be absurd.”

Atrey reacted instantly.

Though they were fellow students of the same age, the other party was the heir to a marquisate. For the second son of a viscounty, this was beyond disrespectful.

Yet Clifford flashed Atrey that same infuriating grin. This unflappable expression was Clifford’s trademark. Even Hildegard, who had been his wife, could count on one hand the times she’d seen him genuinely flustered.

But more importantly—

What on earth was Clifford saying? Rank made no difference here. Strictly speaking, none of the three present actually held titles yet they were all still being raised as noble children.

Even if they did hold titles, breaking an already established engagement was absolutely forbidden.

If he truly wanted this, he would have quietly pulled strings behind the scenes to sabotage the arrangement.

It was unclear whether Clifford currently had that kind of influence, but he seemed to have made this outrageous statement fully aware it would draw criticism.

“Hildegard’s engagement has already been registered with the state.”

“I know.”

“Then there’s nothing more to discuss. Come, Hildegard, let’s go.”

Atrey wasn’t normally hot-tempered. But though he appeared calm now, his tightly controlled voice betrayed his inner fury. Only concern for Hildegard’s feelings kept him from lashing out at his own discourtesy.

“Now now, won’t you sit down, Atrey?”

“Huh?”

Hildegard was startled when Clifford suddenly addressed Atrey without honorifics.

Atrey, who had been about to rise and take Hildegard’s arm, froze with a “What?”

No wonder he stopped. This was likely their first meeting.

“Um… do you two know each other?”

“Of course not. We’re complete strangers. I’d prefer to keep it that way.”

Atrey’s immediate answer satisfied Hildegard.

“Come now, we’re schoolmates, aren’t we? First names are perfectly natural.”

“Oh? Then, Clifford.”

Atrey in combat mode wouldn’t back down an inch.

“Save your nonsense for your dreams. Hildegard is my fiancée. I won’t hand her over to you.”

Atrey had thrown rank and propriety to the winds, almost as if he’d given up entirely.

“Ha. It’s no nonsense. I was actually the first to propose to Hildegard.”

What? Being addressed so familiarly nearly made Hildegard exclaim aloud.

But she held her ground.

“That proposal was declined.”

“Ah, so it was.”

“Then—” “But that was for Lauren’s sake, wasn’t it?”

What? Now he’s dropping Lauren’s honorifics too?

Hildegard was more bewildered than angry. This was the Clifford she remembered always so adept at cornering people with his slippery words.

“Lauren has nothing to do with this.”

Hildegard decided to abandon decorum too. With this man, you had to confront him head-on or lose.

Clifford seemed amused that Hildegard had entered serious mode.

“I’m to inherit my house. And my husband will be Atrey. No one else is possible.”

Atrey murmured “Hildegard” softly beside her.

“Then there’s no problem. You understand, don’t you? It’s possible for a married woman to simultaneously serve as head of her birth family.”

What Clifford said was true. In rare cases where both heirs married, a wife could inherit her birth title while married into her husband’s house.

But that was only in unavoidable circumstances. This was entirely different from inheriting a subsidiary title.

Moreover, Hildegard and Atrey’s engagement had full family approval. For an unrelated marquis’s family to interfere was outrageous.

“It was me who introduced Lauren to Professor Vincent—”

“Ah. With ulterior motives, of course. I wanted to curry favor and draw Lauren to my side. I’d heard how much your parents dote on her.”

Hildegard was dumbfounded by Clifford’s complete lack of guile.

“Clifford, you—”

Unthinkingly, she used the familiar address from their past life. He hadn’t changed at all.

Hildegard remembered:

“My dear, forgive me, but I’ve decided to take a mistress. A viscount’s daughter. A charming girl.”

That day too, Clifford had abruptly confessed to Hildegard if it could even be called a confession. There’d been no hesitation, no guilt whatsoever.

“My feelings for you haven’t changed. That much is true.”

She hadn’t wanted that kind of truth.

“Don’t look at me like that. I don’t want to hurt you. You’ve done nothing wrong. If you must blame someone, blame only me. The young lady is innocent.”

As if a mistress could be innocent! Yet Clifford spouted such nonsense with full awareness.

This man just like in their past life, was he planning to toy with them again?

“Hildegard?”

Noticing her change, Atrey called out involuntarily.

Her fan creaked ominously in her grip. Her clenched hands had gone white with tension.

“Hildegard, calm down. Beating this fool won’t help anything. That fan’s your new favorite, isn’t it? You’ll break it.”

Ever perceptive, Atrey had sensed Hildegard was about to start whacking Clifford with her fan.

“He’s right, Hildegard. Hitting me gains you nothing. I’ll accept your apology for violence in exchange for dissolving your engagement.”

“You… you scheming Clifford!”

The insult slipped out, making Clifford laugh uncontrollably.

“Ahahahaha!”

“Huh?”

His uproarious laughter completely deflated Hildegard’s anger.

“Lord Clifford, your jesting goes too far.”

“Yes yes, I know, Eloise.”

Even his maidservant felt compelled to admonish him.