Chapter 15: Chapter 9.1

“Long time no see, Yernia.”

Daisy smiled and welcomed Yernia as she sat on the sofa.

She had never seen Daisy since graduation, but she looked quite different now compared to them being students in the past.

Perhaps, it was because she was wearing a wedding dress.

“Yeah, it’s been a while. Daisy, how are you?”

“Of course. I’m getting married.”

They talked casually as if nothing had happened when they were young.

Yernia was forced to stay in her room after injuring her ankle, and she hardly moved for a week at all.

She ate, applied the necessary bandages, called the doctor, and took the medicine he had prescribed.

She had her moments, but her ankle was healed thanks to that.

“I wanted you to accept my bouquet, but I was sad that you rejected it.”

Yernia had written a letter to Daisy during her confinement that she promised to attend the wedding, but she couldn’t accept the bouquet.

She still found Daisy’s request a bit awkward until now.

“I don’t intend to get married yet.”

“Yeah. I’m sorry for that, but what can I do?”

“Did you find someone else to do it?”

“Yes, fortunately, I asked another friend.”

“Okay. Good for you.”

“Yes.”

It had been a long time since both of them graduated from the academy, but Daisy was too selfish to talk about the incident where she misunderstood Yernia on purpose.

Yernia smiled slightly after the awkward conversation.

“Congratulations on your wedding.”

“Thank you. You’re—”

Did you meet him?

“Not yet.”

Just in time, Daisy’s husband, who was also her senior, appeared.

It was Richard, the one responsible for her and Daisy’s separation.

The senior came in but faltered as if he didn’t expect Yernia to be in the bride’s waiting area.

Daisy’s face hardened slightly as if she didn’t want the two of them to meet but later, she flashed a smile and pretended to be calm.

“You’re here. Say hi to each other.”

Yernia’s senior was an annoying person for as long as she could remember.

“Yernia, give me some time.”

When Yernia thought of how she used to hold unto people she didn’t like—especially those who were forceful, it felt like the lid of her head would open even if she was asleep.

“If you keep doing that, I don’t know what to do either, hmm?”

His face was even scarier when he smiled shyly at Yernia as if the past between them never happened.

“Hi, Yernia.”

Now, even though he was pretending to be normal, there was still a chance that she could be wrong, and he might flip the switch on her like before.

People don’t change easily.

Since she had no intention of building a friendship with him, Yernia ignored him subtly.

“Yernia.”

However, the man stayed beside Yernia and engaged her in a conversation.

“Did you hear from Daisy about us?”

“Yes. As you can see, Congratulations.”

“Yeah. I feel weird that you congratulated me.”

What’s strange about it?

She should have said hello too.

He seemed to have noticed that Yernia was about to leave the waiting room, and he blocked her way immediately.

That forced her to stop.

“Can the two of us talk for a second?”

It appeared like Richard was no different, before versus now.

He still dared to demand an audience with Yernia alone without taking care of his bride when she was right there next to him.

No, it was way even worse.

Whatever his intention was, Yernia didn’t like it.

Yernia was about to utter a straightforward refusal, but Daisy shouted urgently.

“Senior. I want to drink some water.”

“Water? Call a servant.”

“No, you bring it to me. I have something to say to Yernia.”

Richard looked back at Yernia several times, his face indicating that he didn’t want to exit the waiting room yet, but he had no choice.

Daisy sighed loudly when the senior disappeared.

What’s with that sigh of relief?

“You and I were close before, right?”

Finally, the words she was itching to hear came out, and she suddenly had a bad feeling.

“Our relationship has changed at some point. At that time, you and I were so young, and we had  so much pride to admit the wrongdoing.”

Yernia waited silently for the words that followed.

“I was so shy and nervous at that time. I like you as a friend, but it appeared to me like I was the only one who cared about you. You are so pretty as well. I think that’s why I acted like a child. I’m sorry.” Yernia thought it would be a short conversation, but Daisy continued the discussion, “Now that the senior and I are getting married, I want you to act properly in the future. We can meet often, but it’s not good for you if there’s a distasteful rumor between you and your senior.”

As expected, the previous apology was just a decoy for her to bring that up.

Yena was stunned, speechless, that she didn’t know where to point out the error in Daisy’s statements.

She had no right to tell me how to behave appropriately.

Yernia swore she had never paid attention to that senior in the past, present, and in the upcoming future.

“You got it all wrong, Daisy. I’m not interested in him.”

“You had no idea what’s going on with the other people around you.”

Hand raised in the air, she almost grabbed Daisy by the back of her neck, but she held back her anger.

“Why should I be the only person whom you wanted to chew and spit out like gum?”

The moment she brought that up, the sound of shattering glass rang in her ears.

It seemed like the senior had appeared when she said “to chew and spit out like gum” and dropped a teacup.

The senior stared at her with his mouth open and got out of the waiting room.

“Are you done talking?”

Daisy’s eyes narrowed at her prospective husband when he criticized her bitterly.

“No. I still have more to tell her.”

Yernia breathed heavily to suppress the boiling anger.

She was insulted, and that’s it?

If she left just like this, she would not sleep tonight because of the injustice.