Chapter 09
Why on earth was her fiancé—someone with absolutely no connection to the imperial palace—standing with the Crown Prince?
Recalling Isabella’s actions over the past ten years, all carefully designed to avoid even the slightest rumor of scandal, Ianuel’s brow furrowed noticeably.
Until recently, she had always lingered around him as though she only desired marriage with him—yet now, in just a few days, she had begun demanding a breakup. He could not understand her strange behavior at all.
—“Don’t you dislike me, Lord Marquis?”
For some reason, her words surfaced in his mind at a moment like this. She truly was a nuisance.
A dull ache spread through his chest, and Ianuel clenched his fist without realizing it. His body moved on its own, stepping forward against his will.
“Your Highness. If I may, could I ask who is standing behind you?”
Meanwhile, Kaelus, who had kindly placed Isabella behind him, met Ianuel’s gaze. Unlike his usual indifferent demeanor, he looked somewhat uneasy.
‘So the rumors were true.’
The widely known gossip that the engagement between the Laces Grand Ducal heir and the daughter of the Lydian family—lasting ten years—was heading not toward marriage, but toward annulment.
Kaelus, now standing with the very subjects of that scandal shaking high society, looked at them with clear interest.
More precisely, his attention was entirely focused on the woman behind him. The temporary servant known as Selly Brown—he had recognized at first glance that she was actually the disguised young lady of House Lydian and Ianuel’s fiancée.
How could a noble lady, raised without lacking anything, be here as a mere palace worker rather than a lady-in-waiting?
Judging by how she avoided Ianuel, it was obvious she had planned all of this in secret. And Kaelus was more than willing to play along.
‘Well, I can always just ask her directly.’
First, he needed to remove the one interfering with their conversation from the room. Kaelus raised a hand toward Ianuel, who was stepping forward, stopping him.
“No. Stop right there.”
Then, as if speaking on behalf of Isabella hiding behind him, Kaelus added kindly,
“My friend says she doesn’t want to see you.”
Isabella, suddenly labeled as his “friend,” looked at him in disbelief. Feeling the sharp gaze behind him, Kaelus glanced back.
Reading the unease in her eyes, a meaningful smile curved his lips—like a child planning something mischievous.
“I didn’t expect to see you with your friend, Your Highness.”
“She is a very special friend. So please don’t interfere and leave.”
She is quite uncomfortable, after all.
At the word “uncomfortable,” Ianuel’s gaze wavered sharply. But only for a moment.
Returning to his usual emotionless expression, he bowed.
“My apologies, Your Highness.”
Despite his words, his feet refused to move easily. Ianuel forced himself to turn and leave the palace annex.
Even after a few steps, his body felt as if it were stuck to the ground.
The yellow hair that fluttered in the wind through the window seemed to linger before his eyes. The veins on the back of his clenched hand stood out sharply.
“She definitely recognized me.”
His voice slipped out between parted lips, laced with irritation.
Could she be deliberately acting out now because of his past indifference? The taste in his mouth turned bitter, like chewing tea leaves.
He knew she had overheard everything he and Genard discussed at her first academy symposium.
Of course, even now, those words had been careless, spoken in frustration under pressure from his future responsibilities as heir.
At the time, Isabella—who treated their engagement with seriousness, formed by their grandfathers’ agreement—had seemed tiresome to him. After that day, he had been careful not to irritate her, allowing himself to live comfortably for years.
Over the ten years of their engagement, she had always been by his side along with Hailey.
But now that he thought about it, she had never once had contact with Kaelus.
At least, not as far as he remembered.
Isabella, who had no ties to the palace, being close to the Crown Prince?
Ianuel’s dark blue eyes clouded.
‘Since when?’
Memories of his time with Isabella surfaced. Perhaps only before his younger sister Hailey went abroad for studies had they spent time together.
After Hailey left, the moments he shared with Isabella could be counted on one hand.
Had he ever once accepted her invitations to attend events together? The answer was obvious: no.
Even her coming-of-age ceremony—he hadn’t attended. If she was acting out because of that, it still made no sense.
—“I understand. It makes sense for someone in your position, Lord Marquis.”
—“As the Laces heir’s fiancée, I should endure it.”
—“I don’t really like crowded places, so I’ll reduce my social appearances.”
—“But next time, let’s definitely spend time together.”
She had always spoken as if she understood his busyness.
But had she smiled when she said it? Or had she been expressionless?
Now, it hardly seemed important.
Something in his chest felt tightly blocked. He loosened his cravat as if something were choking him and exhaled sharply.
“…A breakup.”
He didn’t want to create unnecessary disturbances when things in his life were finally going smoothly.
There was no one more suitable than Isabella for the Laces household.
Since childhood, his fiancée had always been Isabella. So marrying her was only natural.
Many nobles married for mutual benefit without love anyway. There was no need to insert emotion into this arrangement.
Therefore, there was no reason to break the engagement.
It would be more beneficial for both the family and himself to spend that time working instead of searching for a new fiancée.
If she felt neglected, he could simply wait until her feelings settled. There was no way Isabella—who had stayed faithfully by his side despite all the gossip in high society—truly intended to end things.
So this was just a childish tantrum. Her demand for a breakup would disappear in a few weeks.
Having arbitrarily concluded her feelings, Ianuel walked farther away from the annex with a calm expression, as if nothing had happened.
“Now then.”
The one who broke the silence after Ianuel left was Kaelus. Turning slowly toward Isabella, he looked at her with clear curiosity.
Under the dim lights, his amber eyes shimmered like a sunset.
The intense gaze made Isabella avert her eyes awkwardly.
If she moved even slightly, it felt like she might be swallowed whole. Tense, she barely managed to speak.
“Yes, Your Highness.”
He already knew her identity, yet he asked again as if he didn’t.
“You’re a commoner. There’s no reason you would meet Lord Laces, so why are you avoiding him?”
“That’s…”
“Is your name really Selly Brown?”
Kaelus watched her silently as she failed to answer immediately. Her eyes were filled with panic as she avoided his gaze.
“Hm. You’re really bad at lying.”
Like a small animal facing a predator, she looked at him anxiously. Her emotions were completely transparent, like glass.
So that’s why Ianuel never brought her to parties?
Kaelus tilted his head slightly as he recalled the past.
Once, during a palace banquet, he had asked Ianuel about his fiancée, who always attended alone.
—“When will I be able to meet your long-time fiancée?”
—“She is not someone worthy of Your Highness’s attention.”
Not worthy?
The woman before him now possessed the ability to relieve a suffering no one else could solve.
Kaelus raised one eyebrow playfully.
“Ianuel Laces’ fiancée, Isabella Lydian. I heard you requested a breakup recently.”
“…!”
For a moment her eyes widened, and then realization struck her—she had been completely exposed. Her gaze began to tremble like reeds in the wind.
