Not Even a Husband - Chapter 1.8

The air was sweet, and the voice that wrapped around her ears was even sweeter.

Isabel approached after checking if the silver sable fur stole he had given her was in place and if the pearl necklace he had gifted her was hanging properly.

Her steps were light, but thinking of the proposal she would soon receive, her heart beat so fast her mouth went dry.

As Isabel sat on the opposite chair, feigning composure, Jerod pushed a glass towards her.

Even without preamble, a kind compliment reached her ears. “The banquet seems to have ended well. You worked hard. Everyone was full of praise.”

“And Jerod ?” Isabel asked quickly. She was curious. More than everyone else being satisfied, it was most important to her that Jerod was pleased. “The moment I saw you, I thought you cared more about the North than I do.”

It was the highest praise. Isabel, who had unknowingly tensed up for fear of seeming inadequate in his eyes, smiled softly.

Jerod pulled at the corners of his mouth in a smile and poured wine into both glasses.

Just then, a romantic melody drifted faintly from within the hall. Beneath the moonlit balcony, surrounded by the rich scent of grapes, the handsome man was breathtakingly captivating.

“This is the first drink we’re sharing,” Jerod said, raising his glass lightly with a nod.

“Y-yes.” Isabel, her heart pounding, stammered and followed suit, raising her glass. A pleasant clinking sound echoed as the glasses met.

He might not have meant anything by it, but Isabel imbued his every word with meaning and downed the wine in one gulp. A bitter, dry taste accompanied by a rich flavor immediately warmed her body.

“You’re drinking too fast.”

“It’s fine. It’s my favorite wine.”

It was a lie. She had only ever tasted sweet Moscato.

The alcohol content was higher than she expected, and her esophagus immediately burned, but Isabel pretended to savor the taste with a composed expression. She had heard that knights drank wine instead of water on the battlefield. Soon to be a lord’s lady, she didn’t want to give the impression that she couldn’t even handle a glass of wine.

“You’ve really grown up.”

“With just one glass of wine?”

“And you’re so kind.”

His blue eyes swept appreciably over the silver stole Isabel wore.

The luxurious stole, its fur shimmering with silver, felt as soft as silk and was far warmer than any fur stole she had used before. For Isabel, who suffered from the harsh northern winters every year, Jerod had returned with two carriage loads of sable fur offered as tribute. It would probably take two winters to wear them all, even if she changed one every day.

“Thank you, Jerod . I’ll only wear this from now on.”

At her words, Jerod pulled at the corners of his mouth in a smile and tilted his wine glass. The dark liquid swirled and flowed between his lips. He looked like a model hired by famous painters for a hefty sum. Her heart fluttered again, tirelessly.

“Isabel.”

At that moment, Jerod set down his wine glass and called her name. A flush of heat rose from her head to her toes at his gentle voice. Feeling her body temperature rise even faster, perhaps due to the alcohol, Isabel swallowed hard.

“I’ve wanted to say this for five years, but I’m only saying it now.”

‘What do I do? Is it now!’

Her heart felt like it would leap out of her throat. This was finally the proposal; she didn’t want to miss a single word. Isabel tensed her shoulders and listened intently.

“Let’s end this engagement.”

“……What?”

It was a strange statement. Isabel paused, waiting for his next words. Did he mean they should end the engagement and get married? But no further words followed. A sense of unease crept in, and Isabel, tense, babbled incoherently.

“Jerod ? I think I missed what you said because of the music. What did you just say?”

“I said, let’s break off the engagement.”

‘What?’

Her pounding heart plummeted. Her lips stiffened.

Jerod , his face calm, explained in a gentle voice. So calm and steady, it felt almost heartless.

“We should have broken off the engagement before I came of age, so it’s my fault it’s gotten this late. I will take responsibility for the annulment process and your subsequent marriage.”

“J-just a moment, Jerod .”

“Your assets spent in the North during this time will also be fully vested until the annulment process is complete. I will return what cannot be repaid equally.”

“Just a moment.”

“Of course, this includes all the hardships you’ve endured in the North for the past 10 years. I intend to repay them in the form of a dowry when you marry.”

“A dowry!”

What was this man saying?

She thought it was a dream, but it was reality. If she let him continue, he would return to the banquet hall and declare the engagement broken right away. Isabel retorted in a trembling voice.

“Jerod , I am not your daughter.”

“I know.”

As if anticipating her objection, her fiancé, who spoke of repayment as if settling a debt, looked at her calmly. “I am your fiancée. Who, who gives a dowry to someone else while marrying off their fiancée?”

She felt frustrated and indignant. As Isabel tore off the fur stole, his calm blue eyes narrowed. Completely opposite to the satisfied gaze he had moments ago, like a sated predator.

Unaware, Isabel threw the stole onto the table. “Isabel, think rationally.”

Watching her, his cold gaze deepened. But his voice became even gentler, as if to soothe her.

“When we got engaged 10 years ago, none of us had a choice. But now, you have the right to choose freely.” Jerod said gently but firmly.

Choose the life you truly want. Don’t make the foolish choice of being bound to the North, to me, for life, without experiencing anything else. ‘This man is serious.’

Her eyes welled up. Even Isabel, who always thought positively, felt there was no hope. Jerod was resolute. His voice was gentle, but he had already made up his mind.

Getting angry for a moment, feeling hurt or betrayed by such a man, would only lead to him offering an even larger dowry. In the end, Isabel decided to face him with her true feelings.

“I love you.”

Isabel said in a trembling voice, but with earnestness.

“Not from the beginning, but now, I love you, Jerod . I truly do.”

Having confessed this much, she thought Jerod would reconsider. But the answer that came back was firm.

“You’re mistaken.”

“Mistaken…?”

“I am your guardian. It’s easy to confuse trust in a guardian with feelings for someone rational. It’s perfectly possible.” Jerod drew a line, softly but resolutely.

“You’ll know when you meet someone you truly like. You’ll know what feelings for a man you love are like.”

“Jerod !”

“And they will surely be different from the feelings you have for me.”

Her nose tingled. Her heart, so easily denied, felt like it would burst into tears.

He was now claiming to be her guardian, not her fiancé, simply because he had watched over her since she was young. A figure like a father or an older brother, not a man.

‘I’m not a child, what woman confuses that?’

Isabel clenched her fists under the table, trying to control her emotions, and asked, “Then what about you, Jerod ?”

Her beautiful amber eyes, now reddened, gazed at him pleadingly.

“Don’t you have the same feelings for me? Jerod , you’re always so kind to me. You’re not like that with others.”

Isabel lightly covered his hand on the table with hers. His hand, which she touched directly, not her forehead or hair, was larger and heavier than she had imagined. So much so that she wondered how such hands could have touched her so gently.

“You came every night last week, checking my forehead at dawn because I was sick.”

What man would do that if he didn’t love her? Even blood relatives wouldn’t go to such lengths for a grown woman . “You love me too, Jerod . That’s why…”

“Love is between a man and a woman, Isabel.”

His large, heavy hand pulled away from her pale, soft one and stroked her hair.

“I don’t see you as a woman.”