Chapter : 04
He asked in a whisper.
‘This is definitely something worthy of sitting down at the negotiation table for.’
Raeliana clenched her fists tightly.
‘I have to take control of my own fate.’
Just as Raeliana was about to speak, the voice of French Brooks, who had come out looking for her, broke through the brief silence.
“Raeliana?”
‘French Brooks?’
Raeliana turned around and bit her lip.
Inside the beautiful garden stretching out on both sides of her vision, French Brooks stood there staring at the two of them with a stupidly confused expression.
‘Why did he have to show up here right now?!’
He was truly a man who was of no help whatsoever in her life.
Raeliana sentenced the man named French Brooks to a lifetime of being cursed inside her mind.
Even if she happened to find a poor kitten getting drenched in the rain and raise it, she would still harshly criticize him without hesitation.
Whether he knew how frustrated she felt or not, French looked back and forth between Raeliana and Noah with an expression that clearly showed he had no idea why the two of them were standing like this.
Raeliana moved her eyes around and started thinking desperately.
‘What do I do now?’
One woman standing between two men.
To anyone who knew nothing about the situation, the strange tension between them looked like some kind of dramatic love triangle.
Well, anyone except Noah would probably think that way.
She alternated her gaze between Noah and French.
French looked like he was about to grab Raeliana’s wrist and drag her away at any moment, while Noah seemed to have a face that said he was willing to quietly enjoy whatever interesting event was about to unfold.
“Sigh… Raeliana.”
French called her name with an annoyed tone while carefully watching Noah’s reaction.
Raeliana took one step back.
‘Should I just wait for another chance since I already brought up the subject? Or—’
Thinking about it differently, this might actually be the perfect opportunity.
Wasn’t this exactly the kind of situation where they could appear like lovers caught having a secret meeting?
She could finally put a definite end to all the dirty and petty things she had done to break up with him.
And she could do it because of her fiancé’s infidelity.
Recalling her plan for ‘how to break up with a boyfriend,’ Raeliana stepped close beside Noah with a slightly shameless expression.
“It seems we can no longer hide it.”
“……Raeliana?”
“Sir Brooks. I apologize to you.”
“What?”
French was flustered, while Noah silently watched Raeliana.
“I have fallen in love with Duke Wynknight.”
French, who had been about to approach her, froze awkwardly with one foot still in motion.
Noah also looked down at her as if he had not expected those words.
Raeliana looked at Noah and silently shaped the word ‘royal seal’ with her lips.
A hint of surprise appeared in Noah’s expression.
Raeliana felt like she was holding a time bomb.
Would it explode or not?
Her hands were damp, and her head felt dizzy.
French was so shocked that he could not continue speaking.
Then, with an expression asking whether it was really true, he looked toward Noah.
Noah put on his usual gentle smiling mask again and wrapped his arm around Raeliana’s shoulders, pulling her into his embrace.
It was a silent confirmation that her words were true.
‘Did it work? Did it work?’
Raeliana glanced toward Noah, unsure whether she should feel relieved or worried.
A suffocating silence like darkness settled between the three of them.
Just as French, still completely bewildered, began to open his mouth—
“Miss! Where are you?”
It was Raeliana’s coachman.
Jondain McMillan had given her a strict curfew, and as the time approached, her coachman had come to find her.
Raeliana sent endless gratitude toward her strict father who had set the curfew, and toward the coachman who had arrived at exactly the right moment.
She needed to go back and increase his salary immediately.
“Here! I’m here!”
Raeliana raised her hand high and waved it around.
The coachman approached her. Seeing the nobles around her, he looked nervous, quickly bowed several times, and stood beside her.
Raeliana greeted them with a bright and shameless expression, as if she was not the one who had just thrown a bomb into the situation.
French’s face had turned bright red as if it might explode.
Just as Raeliana was about to turn away, he grabbed her wrist.
“Wait, you can’t just leave like this—!”
Again?
Raeliana stopped with a tired expression, suffering from a familiar sense of déjà vu.
The coachman, unable to dare object to the actions of a nobleman, only shifted his feet anxiously.
“Raeliana!”
French bit his lips repeatedly before meeting her eyes with a confused expression.
“Are you serious? What you just said… was that really true?”
“It was true. I’ve told you before, but please stop this now and let us end our engagement.”
“Wait, wait! Hold on!!”
French interrupted her with an urgent voice.
Raeliana let out a small sigh and continued.
“It’s getting late, so let’s stop here.”
He gritted his teeth.
“How dare you! Do you even know what you just said to me?!”
His furious voice echoed loudly throughout the area.
He breathed heavily as if his chest was filled with frustration.
His face looked as though it would not be strange if he raised his hand and slapped her at any moment.
‘This is it.’
‘It would actually be better if he slapped me.’
Raeliana stood facing him calmly.
Her expression seemed to say that she would gladly take even a slap if that was what he wanted.
French noticed this.
And just as his hand unconsciously began to rise—
“Stop.”
Noah placed his hand on French’s wrist and spoke quietly.
Then he nodded toward the coachman.
“You take the young lady and return first.”
“Y-yes.”
The coachman hurriedly bowed and guided Raeliana toward the carriage.
‘Will he be okay?’
She followed the coachman while occasionally glancing back.
“If the young lady is late, I’ll be the one who gets in trouble.”
The coachman continued grumbling all the way to the carriage, but Raeliana listened with a generous heart.
Though, in reality, it was less that she listened and more that she was too lost in her own thoughts to hear him.
The coachman opened the carriage door.
As soon as Raeliana stepped inside, her legs gave out and she collapsed into the seat.
“Miss? Are you all right?”
The coachman hurriedly supported her and helped her sit properly.
“I’m fine. I guess I’m just a little drunk.”
Only then did Raeliana begin to feel the alcohol catching up with her.
Her head spun as she leaned back against the sofa.
“My goodness… I must be crazy.”
