I Ended My Engagement With The Woman Who Despised Me

✦  Chapter 4  ✦

「Translator - Creator」

᠃ ⚘᠂ ⚘ ⚘ ᠂ ⚘ ᠃

Human nature doesn’t change.

And even if it does change, it soon reverts back.

The guard knight Loraine recalled this thought, born from countless encounters, as she watched Damian.

The boy's form, covered in blood, struggling as if this was his final moment.

Though his appearance resembled a knight turned demon from too long on the battlefield,

The reality was vastly different — this blood belonged to him alone, not a drop from others.

'Why on earth?'

No matter how she pondered, she couldn't comprehend it.

If this were actual combat with life at stake, or a duel with social prestige on the line, she might have understood. But she couldn't fathom why that same young master — so debauched, lazy, and sensitive — would struggle so desperately in mere training.

'No, he did give a reason.'

Grand Duchess Elysia.

He had suddenly declared he would pour everything into this for his fiancée, with whom he'd barely exchanged words.

'They showed no interest in each other, let alone affection - what could have prompted such a change of heart?'

Perhaps he had somehow fallen for the Grand Duchess?

As with anyone, love was something that could arrive without warning, so the possibility always existed.

'Perhaps that's why he decided to become someone different, pretending to be caring.'

At first, it was startling how suddenly the young master's attitude had changed, almost as if someone else had possessed his body.

However, thinking about it now, it made some sense.

Still, there were things she couldn’t quite understand — like his bizarre actions, such as randomly throwing bread loaves to wild beasts or making tea so exquisite it left her in awe.

While she was still struggling to wrap her head around his motives,

A passage from the romance novel she'd read last night suddenly surfaced in her mind.

[For her sake, he could turn back time.]

The scene where the protagonist travels to the past through regression for his beloved.

Of course, the concept of time regression itself was completely far-fetched, and there was no way the young master could have regressed.

Yet assuming he had regressed somehow made all his actions seem plausible.

'Ugh, I must be losing my mind. As if the young master’s some regressor.’

Thinking she should stop reading romance novels, Loraine shook her head as she watched the young master.

As he lunged at her with a wooden sword and mallet in hand.

No matter how much she thought about it, she couldn't make sense of it.

'Well, whatever—I just wish he'd hurry up and make me some of that tea.'

The moment you drank it, you felt an inexplicable uplift, as if each sip might lead you to some new realm of enlightenment.

The sensation was so addictive that she couldn’t help but feel that if she kept drinking it, something profound would change within her.

Resolving to sneak some more tea whenever she had the chance, she effortlessly parried the young master’s clumsy attacks.

𓆩♱𓆪

The next morning, I awoke in bed feeling as though my entire body had been stabbed with knives.

'I'm literally dying...'

While potions could restore the body, they couldn't eliminate pain, and yesterday's accumulated agony was now circulating through my body, jabbing at my nerves; though I wanted nothing more than to roll around on the floor, I had too much to do, so I forced myself to endure as I brushed back my hair.

'Shall I go greet Elysia then?'

There was no joy quite like visiting the one person who had kept me going when I had lost everything and sunk into despair.

Smiling brightly, I quickly changed into fresh clothes and headed for Elysia's office.

When I arrived, her cold gaze met mine, chilling me to the bone.

Judging by her silence, it was clear she was wordlessly telling me, ‘You’re not welcome here, so leave already.’

Although I hadn’t met Elysia many times, I was already accustomed to her icy gaze. Ignoring it with practiced ease, I offered her a cheerful greeting.

"Good morning."

"............"

She didn’t respond, instead shifting her focus back to her work as if I wasn’t worth acknowledging.

For a moment, I considered brewing her some tea, but I decided against it. It seemed wiser to wait until we were on friendlier terms.

‘After all, nothing’s more uncomfortable than being offered food by someone you barely know.’

She was probably stressed enough from her workload as it was, and I didn’t want to add to that. So, after waving my hand in a casual goodbye, I turned and left the room.

As I headed toward the training grounds, telling Loraine just how considerate I was being toward Elysia,

She responded with a skeptical expression.

"Mmm, it seems more like she finds your visits burdensome..."

I brushed off her comment with a light laugh and began warming up, preparing to dive back into my training.

'Keep at it, and it'll work out.'

When I first started sparring, I hadn’t had the faintest idea what I was doing. But by the end of each session, the best moves to make always seemed to reveal themselves naturally. It was proof enough that I had some talent.

Thinking back to how well the single-handed hammer fit in my grip, I debated whether to train with it again today. Just then, my personal maid approached me cautiously and handed me a letter from the family.

"Ah, thanks.”

“Y-yes, young master.”

My thanks seemed to catch her off guard, as she bowed her head deeply before scurrying off.

Watching the surprised reactions of people around me never failed to amuse me. Shaking my head with a small smile, I opened the letter to see what it said.

'So, to sum it up, they’re sending me a few elixirs from the family’s stash.’

Notably, scattered between mentions of the bitter elixir were comments like "you've grown up," "is the North very difficult?", and “Your sister is eagerly waiting for you to come home.”

It made me wonder.

Despite the trouble Damian caused with his thuggish behavior, perhaps he must have treated his family well.

‘Anyway, they’ve promised me the elixirs, so that’s one thing settled.’

All that remained now was to continue my growth through training and to secure a contract with the Sun Spirit.

And so, I dedicated my days to training.

As I massaged my shoulders, I resolved to meet the sun-spirit when the moon rose.

𓆩♱𓆪

And a month had passed since that day.

It was a stretch of time that could feel either long or short, depending on perspective, but it was certainly enough for many things to change.

"... Wow, really, young master's talent is just insane."

I continued striking at Loraine with my wooden hammer as she praised me.

Unfortunately, my efforts couldn’t so much as graze her clothing, let alone land a hit. Still, she continued to marvel at me.

"In my time with the knights, I've seen all sorts of monsters, but young master, you're truly exceptional."

That wasn't particularly important.

Talent only holds meaning when nurtured—unutilized potential inevitably withers and dies.

Due to Damian's lazy nature, I'd started training much later than others, only now beginning to plant the seeds. No matter how extraordinary the talent, it hadn't even sprouted yet—making such praise ultimately meaningless.

'Still, it means at least there's potential.'

Holding onto this hope, I attempted an unorthodox attack.

I threw the hammer mid-swing, releasing it from my right hand, and immediately followed up with a strike using the sword in my left.

"Creating such variables can put considerable pressure on your opponent, so it wasn't a bad choice, but..." Loraine casually deflected my attack as she spoke, "Since you lost the hammer, the drawbacks outweigh the benefits, so it’s hard to call it a good choice. Still, wait, is it really possible to improve this much in just one month? This is just unfair!”

Lately, she had been buttering me up excessively, probably because I’d started giving her tea whenever she followed my instructions or made me happy.

As I watched her shameless flattery, I couldn’t help but wonder if my tea contained some addictive ingredient,

As I stared at her suspiciously, she scratched her head awkwardly and added, “I might’ve gone a little overboard, but I’m serious.”

"Thanks."

"So, could I trouble you for another cup of tea? My head’s been hurting a bit, and I think it’ll help...”

As far as I knew, the tea I made had no medicinal properties for headaches. Still, she was my teacher, and I decided to oblige. Rolling my wrist, I got ready to brew another cup.

"Thank you... thank you..."

Maybe I should have the tea tested!

When I drank it, I didn’t feel anything unusual. So why was she acting like it was the elixir of life?

Pushing the thought aside, I decided to pay Elysia a brief visit.

But first, I needed to wash up.

𓆩♱𓆪

That morning, several issues arose simultaneously, forcing Elysia to leave to handle them, which meant I’d missed the chance to greet her. Disappointed, I decided to at least stop by her office in the evening.

When I arrived, I was greeted by a sight that made my heart ache—Elysia looked utterly drained.

Her usual dark circles had deepened and lengthened, her complexion so pale she could only be described as sickly.

Seeing her in such a state that seemed destined for collapse tore at my heart, but when I inquired after her well-being—

"You never seem to tire, do you?"

Her response was cold, almost cutting.

I knew getting her to open up wouldn’t be easy, but seeing it unfold like this reminded me of just how difficult it truly was. As I stood there trying to process her icy demeanor, I noticed something unusual.

Elysia’s gaze was fixed on my hand.

Normally I wouldn't have caught her meaning, but thanks to Loraine's constant whining for tea,

I had a fair guess at what that gaze meant, so I ventured,

"Would you like a cup of tea?"

For a moment, her expression wavered, her face caught in a struggle between emotions. But then she turned her head away and, in a voice devoid of any feeling, said,

"...Damian. Let me be blunt. While I am your fiancée, I have no intention of being with you. In other words, no matter what efforts you make, I will not accept you. Furthermore, I do not intend to acknowledge you, either.”

Even though I had known this was how she felt, hearing it spoken so directly hit me like a punch to the gut. For a moment, I couldn’t breathe.

Looking at her as she stared at me with dispassionate eyes, I spoke calmly.

"Finally, you'll look me in the eye. Today's events must have been quite draining? I'll brew you some tea right away."

"...Are you refusing to listen to what I'm saying?"

I heard her perfectly.

Though I didn't show it, her words had deeply wounded me.

Rationally, I knew that giving up would probably be best for both of us.

But I couldn’t do it.

She was my savior, the one who pulled me out of a life steeped in despair. For five years, I had loved her, cherished her in my heart with a single-minded devotion that refused to be shaken.

‘And beyond that, I knew the truth. She wasn’t pushing me away because she hated me. She was doing it for the North.’

I let out a hollow laugh, knowing how pathetic it all was. Still, I couldn’t bring myself to let her go.

Finally, with a sigh in my heart, I shook my head and made a decision — it was time to stop being greedy.

'After all, this has always been nothing more than my one-sided love.’

And so I decided to reach out one last time—if Elysia rejected even this, I would let go cleanly.

"...I know how to make the North warm."

At my words, she looked at me with emotion in her expression for the first time.

If only she had looked at me like that more often…

With that wistful thought lingering, I continued calmly,

"I will make the North warm—in return, would you truly see me, even if just once?"

This was less a request than a plea.

I was baring my soul, asking her for a single chance in exchange for giving up everything.

If she refused even this, I had already made up my mind to give up and return to Damian’s family estate. Offering her an awkward smile, I waited for her response.

Elysia reluctantly nodded and spoke.

"Very well. If you truly can make the North warm... I will face you properly from now on."

At these words, I thought of the Sun Spirit—the only means to warm the North—and determined to grasp this final chance.

END of CHAPTER

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