Chapter: 03
Emilia was dumbfounded.
But perhaps because the situation was so absurd, she felt more shock than anger.
Judging by Reina’s current circumstances, she was probably going through an emotionally devastating time.
She must have been terrified of being sold off to some trashy noble at any moment.
‘Still… how could she try to steal someone who already has a fiancée?’
No matter how desperate she was, this crossed the line.
Emilia felt a headache coming on.
If the male protagonist ever found out about this later, he would be utterly speechless.
“Reina, I’m sure there are better choices waiting for you.”
That was all the advice Emilia could offer.
Even if she told her that she would eventually enter a contract engagement with the male protagonist and end up happily growing old with him, Reina would never believe it.
“No! You’re only saying that because you don’t know what I’m going through!”
Reina suddenly lifted her head and shouted.
“I really need Cedric…! I truly can’t live without him!”
Instead, she looked at Emilia as though she resented her for speaking so casually.
“And Cedric said he’s sick and tired of you too! He said he wants to break up with you! Even if you two stay together, you’ll only make each other miserable!”
Emilia’s expression froze.
Until now, she could dismiss Reina’s words as the desperate ramblings of someone in distress.
But what she had just heard…
“…Did Cedric really say that himself?”
Reina bit her lip tightly and nodded.
As if she hadn’t wanted to say those words.
The image of Cedric from the restaurant flashed through Emilia’s mind.
It felt as though someone had struck her across the head.
“So… please give Cedric to me.”
“…Just leave. I don’t want to hear another word from you.”
There was no reason to keep listening.
More importantly, she had to find out whether Reina was lying or telling the truth.
‘If… what Reina said is true.’
If the confidence Reina showed came from Cedric…
If Cedric’s comfortable attitude toward her hadn’t simply been because he was happy to see an old friend after a long time…
“You’re not leaving?”
Emilia stopped thinking and turned around.
But Reina remained rooted to the spot.
As though she absolutely intended to hear Emilia say she would break up with Cedric.
“Fine. Then I’ll leave.”
Emilia stood up and grabbed the doorknob.
She had intended to go find Cedric anyway.
But Reina’s desperate shout stopped her before she could step outside.
“I-I… I’m pregnant with Cedric’s child!”
Emilia’s arm fell limply to her side.
“…Say that again.”
“Sob… I’m sorry.”
“Don’t apologize. Say it again.”
“Hic… sniff…”
“Who exactly do you think has the right to cry right now?!”
At last, Emilia exploded.
Could Reina possibly be more heartbroken than the woman who had just been told that her fiancé had gotten someone else pregnant?
Just then, the door flew open.
“What’s going on? Why is everyone yelling?”
Emilia turned her head.
Cedric stood there.
He looked around the room, then spotted Reina crying miserably.
His eyes widened.
“Reina…? Why are you here…?”
He hurried over to her.
“What’s wrong?! Did Emilia do something to you?!”
Fidgeting anxiously, Cedric knelt beside Reina.
He wrapped an arm around her shoulders as gently as though she were his lover.
Seeing that, Emilia’s eyes grew cold.
“Cedric.”
“What.”
He answered absentmindedly while wiping Reina’s tears away.
“She says she’s carrying your child. Is that true?”
“…What?”
Cedric slowly turned his head toward Emilia.
“Reina… is pregnant with my child…?”
He looked completely stunned, as though the news had caught him by surprise.
Judging by his reaction, it seemed even he hadn’t known about the pregnancy.
Yet seeing his face only made Emilia want to laugh bitterly.
‘He isn’t even denying it or getting angry at such an outrageous accusation…’
Which meant one thing.
They had slept together.
And when she caught the faint glimmer of joy in Cedric’s eyes—
“…You’ve really lost your mind.”
Emilia clenched her fists tightly.
“You’re worse than an animal… How can you call yourself a human being after doing something like this?”
Only now did she understand why he had never once contacted her.
She had never been in his thoughts.
He had been too busy seeing Reina.
‘And I didn’t even realize it.’
She had spent all that time worrying that something terrible might have happened to him.
Thinking back on it now, she felt like a complete fool.
Then Cedric suddenly shot to his feet.
His face was bright red, as though he felt insulted.
“I-I’ll be blunt! What was I supposed to do when I couldn’t even see you as a woman?! You’re not sweet like Reina! You’re not lovable like her! You’re always trying to lecture me over every little thing!”
“…I lecture you?”
Emilia asked after a brief pause.
“Yeah! Do you know how miserable it made me feel every single time?!”
Cedric snapped as though years of pent-up resentment had burst out all at once.
“And Reina said she’d accept a guy like me! She even promised she’d make me a count!”
At last, he proudly lifted his chin.
“So what can you do besides hold me back for the rest of my life?!”
Emilia quietly stared at him.
From the perspective of the Illake Count’s family, Reina was nothing more than a shameful illegitimate daughter.
There was no way she could hand over a count’s title.
Besides, the count planned to sell Reina off for a high price.
There was no chance he would welcome someone like Cedric.
Anyone who thought about it for even a moment would realize how suspicious the story was.
That is, unless they had completely lost their head over Reina.
But what was the point of saying any of that now?
To Cedric, she was nothing more than a woman who didn’t know her place and constantly tried to lecture him.
“So… that’s really how you saw me.”
Emilia slowly lowered her head.
They had spent four years together.
The only reason she hadn’t immediately doubted Cedric after hearing Reina’s words was because of those four years they had shared.
‘I should slap him. Grab him by the collar and shake him.’
But strangely, she didn’t feel like doing any of that.
The strength slowly drained from her clenched fists.
More than anger, she simply felt exhausted.
She couldn’t stand sharing the same space with the two of them any longer.
‘I can’t breathe.’
As she silently turned to leave, Cedric angrily reached out.
“Hey! Where do you think you’re going?! I’m not finished yet! So let’s break u—”
Smack.
Emilia firmly slapped his hand away.
“I’ll break up with you… so don’t ever touch me with those filthy hands again.”
“W-What?”
Cedric flinched at the icy tone in her voice.
Taking advantage of the moment, Emilia ran out of the house.
The heavy rain that had started pouring blocked her path.
But she simply wiped the rain from her face as though it were nothing and kept going.
Creak.
Thunk.
Without even changing out of her wet clothes, Emilia collapsed onto her bed.
‘Bastard. Heartless bastard.’
Whether because of the rain or something else, her body felt as heavy as soaked cotton.
She covered her eyes with her cold arm.
If only he had apologized the moment he came back…
If only he had shown even the slightest bit of remorse…
No.
At the very least, he shouldn’t have left her looking like a fool all alone at the restaurant.
If he hadn’t done that…
Maybe she wouldn’t feel this miserable.
‘I must have looked so pathetic to him.’
The thought that, to him, she wasn’t even someone worthy of the most basic respect hurt more than anything.
That alone was enough to break her heart.
Emilia forced down the emotions threatening to overwhelm her.
She squeezed her eyes shut, afraid the fever would return.
‘Don’t think about anything right now.’
Curled up with her body trembling from the chill, Emilia eventually drifted off to sleep.
