Chapter 74

Failing to meet someone’s expectations is more heartbreaking than one might think.

Human beings always have expectations, and the greater those expectations, the greater the disappointment that follows.

How could it possibly feel good to cause such disappointment to a specific person?

Especially if that specific person is someone I love.

“……Did you wait long?”

“……”

Rebecca didn’t open her tightly sealed lips even in response to my question.

I wished she would just get angry at me like she usually does. Getting angry would mean there’s still room for forgiveness.

If she had just scolded me for being late, I could have handled it as usual.

But at least now, Rebecca didn’t seem to have any intention of getting angry at me.

“……”

“……”

An eternity-like silence where we just stared at each other.

Does my fiancée know? That despite her creating such a serious atmosphere, this foolish fiancé of hers still thinks she’s beautiful.

No matter how many times I look at her, my fiancée is truly beautiful.

Even though she must be furious at her fiancé for being late on her once-a-year birthday. Even though she’s maintaining a blank expression because of it.

It’s as if the title of the empire’s most beautiful woman wasn’t given to her for nothing, as she flaunts her beauty.

Moreover, with the rising moon in the night sky as the backdrop, she exudes a more mysterious aura than usual.

Perhaps it’s because of this that I’m having such carefree thoughts in what should be a very serious situation.

It was Rebecca who broke this eternal silence first.

“……If I ask, will you answer?”

“Huh?”

“The reason you’re late. If I ask why you were late, will you answer me?”

Rebecca’s voice, devoid of any emotion, with unclear intonation.

There were no sharp words in her sentence, yet each word felt like it was cutting through my heart.

As if she doesn’t expect you to answer. As if she has no expectations of you at all.

Rebecca’s beautiful voice, which usually soothes, was enough to clear my mind of any carefree thoughts.

“……Never mind. You must have had your reasons.”

“……”

“Thank you for coming today. I’m a bit tired, so I’ll go to bed now.”

Unable to answer, Rebecca slowly started walking towards me.

Or rather, towards the door behind me.

“I’ll answer.”

“……”

“The reason I was late. I’ll answer as you wish.”

If I hadn’t stopped her, my fiancée, who can be colder than anyone when she wants to, might have really gone to bed.

I’m sorry, but I couldn’t let that happen.

Before going to bed tonight, the person who should think she had the happiest day is my fiancée.

***

“The reason I was late. I’ll answer as you wish.”

“……”

The fiancé called her back.

Originally, he should have answered her question earlier.

Why is her fiancé always late?

If he had just answered the reason for his lateness earlier. If he had arrived at the Duke’s mansion early in the morning and stayed by her side as her fiancé.

If she had received heartfelt congratulations from her fiancé.

Maybe she wouldn’t have felt bad about the people who falsely congratulated her on her birthday.

If she hadn’t felt bad.

Maybe she wouldn’t have had to listen to the annoyingly mysterious Crown Prince’s consolation.

If her fiancé had stayed by her side.

Maybe she would have spent the day bickering with her fiancé instead of listening to Isabella’s chatter.

……Maybe she could have had a very happy day today.

She was angry at her fiancé, who always seemed lacking at important moments and always swayed her heart.

The words she said earlier about being tired and going back to her room were sincere.

She had spent the whole day dealing with masks and nerve-wracking situations, and at the same time, waiting for her fiancé, so she was very tired.

If her fiancé hadn’t stopped her by saying he would answer, she might have been lying in bed by now.

“……Answer me.”

“……”

“Why were you late today? What’s the reason you were late on your beloved fiancée’s birthday? Tell me.”

That’s why.

Her voice felt strangely irritable.

To find out if the heart of the fiancé who always said he loved her and thought she was beautiful.

Was it all sincere, or just empty words meant to tease her.

“……Three years.”

“……”

“It’s been over three years since I met the Princess.”

Her fiancé, who said he would answer the reason for being late, suddenly blurted out something incomprehensible.

“……Do you think that’s important right now?”

Naturally, her reaction wasn’t good.

Because what her fiancé should be saying right now isn’t that.

Why he was late, what reason he had for being late.

Even if he gave a convincing answer, it wouldn’t be enough, yet he’s saying something with an unclear meaning.

Expecting a good reaction from her was too much of a stretch.

“What kind of person have I been to you over these three years?”

“……”

Even as her expression worsened, her fiancé stubbornly continued.

As if what was important wasn’t what she had just said, as if there was something else important between them.

Unable to find the hidden meaning in her fiancé’s words, she could only think in her head.

What kind of person her fiancé was to her.

“……An annoying person.”

The first thought that came to mind was that he was an annoying person.

Whenever they competed over something, he always narrowly won and annoyingly took the victory from her.

And every time, he would tease her more than anyone else in the world.

“And… a frustrating person too.”

Next came the thought that he was a frustrating person.

Just thinking about today, didn’t he build up her expectations only to ruin everything?

Not to mention the times in the past when he made her cry. It was only natural for her to find him frustrating.

Thus, Albert Zernias was a very annoying and frustrating person to her.

“……So, am I someone you don’t like?”

“……”

But why couldn’t she answer that question?

Even though she had just said he was annoying and frustrating. Why couldn’t she say he was someone she didn’t like?

“Since you can’t answer, I’ll change the question. When we first met, did you dislike me?”

“……I did back then.”

There was no need to deny that her fiancé didn’t make a good first impression.

If she had liked him at first sight, she wouldn’t have picked a fight with him back then.

Clearly, when they first met, she disliked her fiancé.

“Then how about now?”

“……”

“Do you dislike me now?”

But once again, she couldn’t answer her fiancé’s question.

Even though she openly disliked him when they first met, and even though she was frustrated thinking about what happened today.

In the end, she couldn’t say she disliked her fiancé.

Thinking about it, it was also incomprehensible why she used the word ‘back then’ when answering earlier.

Even though those words came from her own mouth.

Back then, huh.

This seems to presuppose that now is different from back then.

As if she’s making an excuse to her fiancé. As if she’s saying she doesn’t dislike him.

Why is her heart trying to make excuses to her fiancé?

“……I don’t dislike you.”

In fact, she knew the reason better than anyone.

Because she didn’t want to be hated by her fiancé. Because she wanted her fiancé to keep looking at her.

Reluctantly, because she wanted her fiancé’s affection.

That’s why she couldn’t say she disliked him. Because she wished the usual days would continue forever.

“Then, let me ask again. What kind of person am I to you?”

Hearing her answer, her fiancé asked her the same question again.

As if he was certain her answer would change if he asked the same question now.

As I kept saying, he was a really annoying and frustrating person.

Where does that baseless confidence and self-assurance come from?

“……The fiancé I’ll marry later.”

Of course, what was even more frustrating was that her answer changed exactly as her fiancé expected.

She couldn’t say she disliked her fiancé, but she could say she disliked herself like this many times.

“……Is that so.”

Finally, her fiancé, who had changed her answer, pondered for a moment before continuing with a new topic.

“Do you remember?”

“……Remember what…”

“The request I made to you on your birthday.”

“……”

She remembered.

No, she couldn’t not remember.

The request that no matter what gift he gave, she must accept it.

Wasn’t the reason she looked forward to today because of that request?

“Perhaps now is the time for you to fulfill that request.”

“……Now?”

“Yes. Right now.”

“……”

Does this person remember that his fiancée was just expressionlessly angry?

Not to mention he still hasn’t properly explained why he was late.

But it was also true that she had agreed to fulfill her fiancé’s request.

And it was also true that her wretched heart, which always failed to understand her feelings, started beating faster with the anticipation of that request.

“……You’re giving it to me now?”

The only expressions that could come out of her mouth were affirmation or permission.