Chapter 32

A life where everything was predetermined.

That life began to deviate from a certain day.

From the moment the smile of the man who should have loved her turned towards her, the cold heart that had once been aimed at her began to burn with blatant hostility.

How could she accept that everything about her was being twisted?

So she did everything she could to push back, but even then, she endured all the humiliation with unwavering strength.

Until the blade that had been pointed at her returned to the perpetrator, she guarded the place by his side that should have been hers, as if it were nothing.

“Neya, Silvestein…”

The woman who had taken everything from her now stood before her.

Even after being expelled from the academy, she had never forgotten her, and now, at this moment, she appeared before her.

“Why are you… here?”

What emotion was she feeling now as she faced her?

Was it anger, or humiliation?

Had the vague desire for revenge that had sprouted since that day finally taken shape upon facing her?

“Ah, that?”

While pondering what name to give to that feeling, Neya continued to smile calmly and simply shared her recent news.

“Well, there’s a ball at the academy this time, so I came to find a dress to wear.”

Yes, she was still attending the academy. While she had lost her school days, Neya was still enjoying hers.

And that youthful time would surely be supported by many.

For her, a poor commoner, attending a ball was something that wouldn’t have been possible otherwise.

“But Jeremiah, what brings you to the market? They mainly sell clothes and accessories here… Ah!”

As she spoke, Neya seemed to realize something and let out a gasp.

Then, with a look of surprise, she shared her guess with Jeremiah.

“Come to think of it, this ball is also inviting outsiders… Could it be that Jeremiah is attending the ball too?”

Her teeth clenched.

Each word that came out of her mouth felt like it was laced with thorns.

“…Ah, yes. Jeremiah.”

While suppressing her discomfort, Neya seemed to recall something she had overlooked and showed a pitiful expression.

“I’m sorry about the expulsion.”

The incident that had essentially been caused by her.

As if sincerely sympathizing with the day she had been branded as the perpetrator and expelled.

“Even though many found Jeremiah hard to accept, if I had paid more attention, I might have prevented the expulsion.”

What on earth is she babbling about?

It wasn’t me who was wrong back then, it was you. You ruined everything by interfering.

So why are you acting all benevolent now? Are you trying to deceive me, who has fallen into defeat unlike you?

“But it’s fortunate that we met like this, even if by chance. I can finally say what I couldn’t back then…”

Don’t move that disgusting mouth. Don’t act all pretentious in front of me.

I wanted to shout out my feelings, but my throat was blocked by something.

My hands trembled from the emotional turmoil, and my stiff lips refused to open.

Even though I wanted to cover my ears to avoid hearing those words, I couldn’t.

“Jeremiah. I’ve already forgiven you.”

As if she were a benevolent saint.

Even as I felt something inside me breaking from her gentle voice.

“That, I was lacking in many ways, and you must have been frustrated to scold me. If I had done better, they wouldn’t have driven you out so harshly.”

Yes, she was always like this.

Never once did she express resentment or scold me, endlessly emphasizing that she was a good person.

That she was never bad. That she could even love her enemies, acting as if she had such broad magnanimity, while inwardly belittling herself…

“Now, how about we fix what can still be fixed? I’ll go with you, and if we explain the situation to the academy…”

No, is it really an act?

What if she had always been sincere with me, and I had been harsh to her?

What if she was just kind to everyone, treated me the same, and that kindness had only captivated my companion?

“Ah! I have a good idea!”

Just as a vague sense of regret began to sprout from deep within my heart, she, still with a bright smile, took my trembling hand and made a suggestion.

“Since we’re both going to the ball this time, how about we apologize in front of everyone?”

An apology.

To admit my mistakes to everyone at the academy.

“I’ve already forgiven Jeremiah, so if you show remorse, I’m sure everyone will accept it. Then you can return to the academy, right? It’s a good idea, isn’t it?”

It couldn’t be possible. Apologies are for the guilty.

It wasn’t me who was wrong in the first place, so apologizing in front of everyone would be no different from being branded a criminal on the execution stand.

‘Really…’

Yet, Jeremiah couldn’t dismiss her suggestion.

Just facing her made her chest feel tight.

She wanted to be freed from that suffocating feeling as soon as possible.

‘Really, if I apologize, will it all end? If I admit that I was wrong…’

“Neya. Were you here?”

Just then, a voice from behind made her overheated mind cool down in an instant.

She couldn’t forget that voice either.

If the woman before her was the root of all her troubles, the person approaching now was the one who had led her downfall for that woman’s sake.

“Ah! Prince Walter!”

Walter Karia.

The eldest son of the Karia ducal family and the man who should have been her fiancé.

When Neya called his name so familiarly, Jeremiah turned her hollow eyes to face the person approaching.

Even though she didn’t want to face him now.

Even though she didn’t want to show him her pitifully fallen state, an irresistible force compelled her to look.

“…Jeremiah Andersen.”

His brow furrowed.

Beneath the golden hair symbolizing his family.

Above the academy uniform that proved he still belonged there, the man she had devoted her life to supporting now looked at her with contempt.

“Wal, ter…”

“Don’t call my name so casually, you filthy wench!”

Yes, anything she said in front of him would only be disgusting.

As if to prove it, he shouted at her just for saying his name, and in his anger, he took a step towards her.

“Prince Walter! That’s too harsh. Jeremiah…”

“Quiet, Neya. When I think of what this woman did to you, stabbing her a thousand times wouldn’t be enough.”

She had only walked the path set before her.

She had only strived to be the ideal companion for him.

Even without love, she had tried not to be hated…

If only they had become a stereotypical couple, everything would have turned out fine.

“Yes, Jeremiah. How have you been since being expelled from the academy? I heard rumors that your family isn’t treating you well either.”

The very people who had ruined everything were now before her.

Among them, the man who had actively encouraged her downfall was now openly showing his hatred towards her.

“Do you dare blame Neya for the treatment you’re receiving now? It’s all your own fault, and yet you still refuse to admit your mistakes and dare to bite back at her like a filthy dog!”

Anything she said to him would be meaningless.

He had never cared for her from the beginning.

Speaking to him was like talking to a wall, and that wall had started to grow thorns when she faced the one who had truly captured his heart.

“You must have come here to stalk Neya and harm her, right? Yes, even after a year, you haven’t changed at all. Still as filthy, ignorant, and lacking as ever, with nothing lovable about you.”

It was just a coincidence. She had just come to prepare for the ball, reluctantly pushed by her family…

Even such a reasonable explanation couldn’t leave her lips.

She could only stand there, gasping for breath, as it was the only thing she could do.

‘I, I…’

As her mind drifted away in the scene, the vague desire for revenge buried in Jeremiah’s chest began to change shape.

The sadism that should have been directed at them was whittled away by relentless criticism, until it became a dagger that turned back to pierce her own heart.

‘What was I even living for…’

Her birth denied, her lifelong efforts denied, and now even her fallen state was pitifully denied.

In a world where she couldn’t even muster the courage to hate, Walter gave her no respite and continued to push her.

“Why are you just standing there like an idiot? If you have something to say, say it. Come on, use that filthy mouth of yours to babble in front of me like you did to Neya back then!”

In the end, even her desire for revenge shattered, and the fragments, though haphazardly gathered, drove her to one thought.

‘Just…’

If living itself was a mistake, wouldn’t it be better to just end it all?

‘I just want to disappear.’

With that thought, her hand, filled with a sinister magical energy, began to point towards her own neck.

Just a little. With just a little courage, she could end everything here…

With just one gesture, she could be freed from this world.

“Miss.”

Just as that moment was about to arrive, a familiar hand grabbed her from behind.

From that, the rationality buried deep within her rose to the surface, making her aware of her current situation.

“Se, Sebastian…”

“Yes, Miss.”

It was her butler.

His voice was still polite, but his gaze was directed not at her, but at them.

“I am by your side.”

As sharp as shattered ice.

With eyes as cold as forged steel.