Chapter 203
“That can’t be! My daughter is such a virtuous young lady! You must be mistaken. Isabella, tell me! Is this true?”
Isabella’s fingers, resting on her lap, trembled uncontrollably. Her complexion grew pale. For an unmarried noblewoman to lose her virginity was a huge disgrace, especially for a high-ranking family like the Werfels.
Instead of answering, Isabella glared at Rubens.
“…Let’s step outside and talk, Duke Krygen.”
“Very well.”
Leaving the others in confusion, Rubens and Isabella moved to another room.
* * *
“What the hell is going on here? Is this your way of getting back at me?”
Isabella’s angry voice echoed in the empty room. As soon as the door closed, she snapped at him.
“Have you done something wrong for me to get back at you?”
“You know exactly what! Marchioness Lingston…”
Isabella almost blurted out what she had done but quickly closed her mouth. That wasn’t the point here.
“Why stir up trouble when the wedding is already set? You could have just endured it! You were doing fine, and a few well-chosen words would have smoothed things over!”
“Ah. So you see my actions as stirring up trouble.”
“…What do you mean by that?”
A cold premonition made Isabella’s anger instantly cool. Rubens responded with a detached tone.
“I mean that I no longer feel the need for Lady anymore.”
“Wh-what…?”
“I’m saying that I intend to cancel the wedding.”
Cancel the wedding? Isabella’s heart skipped a beat. That couldn’t be true. He needed the Werfel family, surely. He couldn’t just discard her like this. More than anything…
“Wasn’t she supposed to have disappeared?”
She had heard that Macy ran away after starting a fire. The day after the fire in the Hallain Mountains, the headline of the Laden Daily blared with a large article about it.
“Macy… she left the Duke and ran away!”
The person who had given the statement about the incident was Rubens, and everyone, including Isabella and the people of Laden, believed that their relationship had ended.
Isabella couldn’t understand why Macy made that choice, but in any case, she had left Rubens. So why was he rejecting Isabella now? If Macy was gone, there would be nothing standing in their way. But then…
“Are you… still looking for Macy?”
If there was one reason he hadn’t returned to his original self, it could only be one thing: Duke Krygen still had lingering feelings for Macy.
“Why would I still be looking for her?”
“Well, I suppose the Duke wouldn’t chase after someone who left him…”
“I have her.”
“Excuse me?”
Isabella couldn’t believe what she was hearing, her eyes wide with disbelief.
“I have her. Macy Horton, the painter.”
“Why…?”
“I’ve locked her away in a quiet place where she can’t cause any more trouble. She’ll now only be used as a tool for Name treatment.”
Ah. Macy was both Rubens’ mistress and the subject of Name treatment. No matter how much they fought, they were bound together. They could never truly separate.
The words ‘I’ve locked her away’ were shocking, but there was little choice in the matter. Without her, Rubens would be dead. As Isabella was about to speak in agreement, her thoughts were interrupted.
“Anyway, as for the reason why things turned out this way… it won’t change my mind. We will cancel the engagement, and I will marry a lady from another noble family as my Duchess.”
“Why, why…?”
“Because it’s bothersome?”
“What?”
The reason for calling off the engagement seemed almost trivial. Rubens pressed his hand to his eyes as if tired, closing them tightly before reopening them. Upon closer inspection, there were broken blood vessels in his eyes. He appeared even colder than usual, and his poor complexion added to the effect.
“Considering the affection between us, I hope Lady can explain things to Count and Countess Werfel. I’m actually not feeling well today.”
“Wait a moment! Duke Krygen!”
Isabella stepped in front of him, trying to prevent him from leaving. It didn’t seem like Rubens was saying this just to frighten her.
“I was wrong! I won’t interfere with Macy again!”
Isabella dropped to her knees, throwing aside her pride. Her lips trembled as she begged pathetically.
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