CH 15

It’s my money, but Davan has the decision-making power, and Tizenna manages it!

Even though the one who gave the money was Davan, I was determined to do the management as much as I could.

Davan glanced down at my face with cold eyes.

“You weren’t interested in that before, were you?”

“… Well…”

I couldn’t refute for a moment.

It was also Leah’s fault for neglecting these problems.

What the hell was she doing? Riding horse back and forth to the Imperial Palace?

“From now on, I want to learn one by one.”

I smiled more brightly, so he wouldn’t be able to uncover the secret purpose.

“Learn…”

Davan held his chin and was silent for a while. The craving for learning I showed him must have been quite shocking, so even his eyes started looking at me strangely.

Then, he suddenly glared at me.

“What’s your trick this time?”

Kegh! I almost choked hearing that word.

What trick were you expecting from a person who showed a willingness to learn!?

‘Sheesh. He’s so quick to catch on.’

I was stabbed, but I had nothing to fear. Because I don’t mean to steal the money or spend it badly.

“It’s all the money that will become debt later, so what can I do with it?”

It was ridiculous, so I laughed.

As much money I received from Davan, it would be a debt to me after the breakup. It was no use playing tricks regarding this.

Nevertheless, there was only one reason. Until then, I won’t even touch it.

To say such a reason was a “trick”… I shook my head.

“Debt?”

At Davan’s remark, my heart dropped with a thump.

‘Did I say that out loud?’

It seemed that I had unintentionally spit out the words in my heart.

“I’m hearing this for the first time. That money is debt.”

Contrary to the beating of my heart, Davan’s voice was as usual as he asked me.

“…”

I just kept my mouth shut without saying a word.

Despite saying it as if he had just heard something strange, there was no noticeable change in Davan’s expression.

‘Huu…’

His gaze soon ceased.

I let out a breath only when Davan looked back at the paperwork.

Until then, I thought it was over.

But.

“By any chance…”

In the instant the blue eyes came back to me, I stiffened at once.

Was it because those eyes were so cold, so it seemed like they’ve heard all my thoughts?

No, it wasn’t anything like that.

“Are you preparing to run away?”

It was because of that smile on his lips.

Davan leaned back against the back of the chair. The gaze that looked at me was slow, but tenacious.

“Run away? What kind of…”

I laughed as if I were wondering what was going on, and avoided Davan’s gaze. I felt the corners of my lips tremble awkwardly.

“Why are you so upset? It was a joke.”

Davan asked with a smile.

Unlike me, who was baffled, he was relaxed. I hated it so much.

Because every time this happens, I felt that he and I were different from each other, and not just our birthplace.

He must have never bowed his head to anyone.

‘And the thing I regretted the most?’

He could play around with people with one sentence “it was a joke”.

“But well, you can’t do that.”

The words that Davan spit out pierced my ears.

But rather than feeling hurt or making me feel bad…

I wondered.

It was such a strange and strong conviction from him.

Where does such confidence come from? Aside from being used to Leah’s unconditional love, there seemed to be something else.

‘Is it because it’s a family relationship?’

It was only Davan who witnessed the scene between Count Prezis and the imperial family, that is, the scene where the late empress kills the late emperor.

If you listened only to that point, you would have felt sad for Davan, but the problem was that the late empress had been lying in a vegetative state for several years.

Such an empress killed the emperor? Davan’s, the only witness, statement was quickly dismissed as a lie.

At that time, Count Prezis was the only one who sided with Davan.

Who can doubt what he said when he even vowed to kill himself to prove it? It was also the death of the Count, who was a longtime friend and loyal to the late emperor.

‘Where the hell does your confidence come from?’

I watched Davan with my chin on my hand.

In a situation like this, the only appropriate reason for Davan to keep Leah was on the pretext of guilt, and it would be strange for Davan to be so sure Leah would never leave.

‘Hmm…’

Davan turned his gaze back to the paperwork. As I looked at his side profile, my lips flew open.

“No one knows what the future holds.”

Whatever the entanglement between the two of them was, it didn’t matter to me.

It wasn’t my family, so whatever feelings it was, it wasn’t mine.

In other words, Davan should not be convinced of Leah’s, that is, my future.

“…”

As if my words seemed strange, Davan’s gaze came to me.

“Do you believe that the future is set?”

It wasn’t exactly a question I had in mind. It just came out of my mouth unintentionally.

“No.”

It was a word that was as decisive as it was simple.

‘The more I see him, the more I’m surprised.’

To me, he seemed to be the kind of person who thought that the future was already set.

“Why?”

“…”

Davan’s eyes became calm, as if he didn’t expect me to ask him why.

Why are you thinking like that?

After a while, Davan’s lips opened again.

“In my future.”

“…”

“I wish you weren’t there.”

There was a brief silence.

It wasn’t that he wanted to hurt me, or that his eyes felt malicious.

It just seemed like the truth.

‘I wish you weren’t there in my future…’

As I repeated those words, I felt the servants glancing at my expression.

They seemed convinced that I, who was ‘Davan’s misery’, would have been naturally hurt.

But they’d have to be disappointed.

“Mrs. Susan.”

“Y-yes, my lady.”

I gently pushed the cold teacup out in front of me.

“Can you warm up the tea, please?”

“…Pardon?”

Susan’s eyes widened as if she had heard something unexpected.

“Ah, of course. Right away, my lady.”

Then she moved slowly and calmly.

Perhaps it was an unexpected reaction, I felt the servants stop breathing.

“…”

Davan just stared at me. All the while Susan came back with the teapot and filled my teacup.

“I feel the same way.”

I said as I wrapped my two hands around the teacup, which soon warmed up.

‘I long for the same thing, you bastard!’

It was his first time to openly show his dislike, so I was a little surprised, but I wasn’t hurt.

Obviously because it’s a story I already know.

“Because the future is my choice.”

Now that we have confirmed that we are of the same mind, let’s write a letter of divorce right now! I wanted to scream, but I had to hold back.

Because now was not the time.

“Well, I’m looking forward to it.”

However, there was something strange about Davan’s expression when he spoke to me.

“What choice will you make?”

For the most part, I couldn’t read the emotions, but I felt that it was getting colder when it was already cold.

You look like you’re going to kill me if I make a wrong choice. What do you mean you’re looking forward to it?

‘I’m sure I will get out of here on my own.’

It was clear that he was warning me as if I had only one option.

I stuck my tongue out secretly.

It’s a shame that the soul has changed, if it were Leah, would she be okay after hearing such a thing openly?

How on earth did she survive the last 10 years?

The servants were restless in the heavy atmosphere. I glanced at them and opened my mouth.

“By the way, I saw His Majesty yesterday.”

I changed the subject of the conversation naturally.

I had no intention of bringing up the story of the emperor again, but the random story that crossed my mind turned out to be that one.

“I heard. I don’t know what the two of you talked about, but…”

Davan pressed his temples hard, perhaps because he had a headache. The touch made me feel nervous.

“He seems very worried.”

“Pardon?”

I was taken aback by the words.

Davan shifted his gaze to the papers, but said nothing.

I began to worry if I had offended the emperor. Of course, Davan wasn’t in the mood to tell the story.

“I didn’t even see him properly.”

Both the emperor and I were in a state of being half out of our minds. To the extent that I don’t even know how the short time we spent together passed.

“In the middle of it, Duke Cadel Vernon came, that’s why I made room for him right away.”

“Vernon?”

Davan’s hand that was pressing down on his temples…

…stopped.

“How do you know Duke Vernon?”

Those blue eyes instantly came to me.

“What?”

The question was also unexpected.

Naturally, I thought he would ask about what happened with the emperor.

“Hmm. That’s…”

I hesitated for a moment to answer.

‘That’s because Cadel Vernon is the male protagonist of the original work,’ came up to the end of my throat, but I held it in.

“I ran into him on the way back.

“I gave him a little help and he told me his name.”

It was an uncomfortable coincidence, but at the same time, there was a plausible excuse.

‘Never get involved with Cadel. ‘

It wasn’t my aptitude to be harsh with handsome people, but I couldn’t help it. I had to keep my distance from Cadel.

He was the man who would become the rival of Davan and the emperor. As Davan’s fiancée, I didn’t know what tactics he would devise or when he would stab me in the back.

Above all, I was nervous that Cadel’s name was the first to appear in Leah’s last scream.

“Help.”

I heard Davan’s voice.

“So, did you also tell Vernon your name?”

“To Duke Vernon?”

He was asking me with a dry, cold stare.

“Rather than telling…”

If you think about it, I didn’t tell him. When he looked at the ring of the family, Cadel just recognized it.

‘Well, there’s no need to explain this in detail.’

Anyway, it was true that Cadel Vernon knew my name.

“Yes, I did tell him.”

While answering indifferently, I doubted my eyes for a moment.

“Ah… Is that so?”

Davan’s cool lips were noticeably stiff.