Chapter 18
Though the memory was old, the bedroom didn’t seem much changed. The unusually tall bed, and the long sofa where the queen had once sat. And today, Logan was leaning back against that sofa.
“I apologize for summoning you so suddenly.”
A polite greeting. Why was he suddenly being so formal? Anne wondered if Logan had hit his head somewhere.
And his appearance was also very strange. For some reason, he wasn’t even dressed in indoor wear, but in a night robe. Were they being casual because they were about to be married? If so, his expression didn’t look comfortable at all.
There was nowhere in the room to sit except for the sofa he was using. Anne stood awkwardly and spoke.
“You said you were looking for me.”
“Yes.”
The question why rose to the tip of her tongue. But Anne patiently waited for him to continue. As Benjamin had said, Logan really was acting strange today.
Logan stood up. His eyes were dark and heavy. Normally, he would have avoided her gaze the moment their eyes met, as if uncomfortable. But today, he looked straight at her.
Anne shrank slightly, her shoulders tightening. This must be why people say you can’t live after committing a sin. Every time she stood in front of him, she felt like a mouse before a cat.
Logan spoke again.
“Anne Agnes Avery.”
“Yes, that’s right. Me.”
Her answer came out slightly sharp without her realizing it. Anne immediately reproached herself. Get a grip. How could a guilty person talk back like that?
But contrary to her worry, Logan didn’t care about that at all right now. After hearing what he was about to say, it wouldn’t be strange even if Anne Agnes cursed him outright.
Logan quietly recited the words he had prepared.
“I have a request. You may think of it as a favor, or as repaying a debt.”
“What is it…?”
Anne cautiously raised her eyes. Him asking her for a favor. That didn’t suit him. Repaying a debt, that at least made some sense.
Logan’s blue eyes trembled faintly. His perfectly shaped lips finally spoke the words he had to say.
“Break off the engagement.”
Anne blinked. Why did it feel shocking? It was only natural that he didn’t want to marry her. She had already known that, hadn’t she? If anything, it was stranger that she hadn’t heard those words until now.
But she felt wronged. For some reason, a senseless feeling of betrayal rose up. He should have said it sooner. At least before her birthday. No, perhaps it had to be now.
Otherwise, they would end up walking into the wedding hall hand in hand before they knew it.
Anne calmly accepted reality.
“If that’s the case, you shouldn’t be saying that to me like this. You should speak properly to my father.”
“I left something out. I want you, and your family, to notify me of the broken engagement by your own will.”
Logan added quickly. He had brought up breaking the engagement first, yet shamelessly placed the responsibility on her.
He had no other choice. A few times as a child, and many times after he realized something was wrong with his body, he had asked the queen to break off his engagement with Anne Agnes. But she had never even passed the matter on to the Avery family. As long as Beatrice lived, Logan had no choice. And he couldn’t exactly seize the throne before his own wedding took place.
Even so, it wasn’t something Anne could do either. She answered in a sullen voice.
“You know I can’t do that…”
“Why?”
Anne’s eyes widened. Was he really asking because he didn’t know? From the beginning, Duke Avery had never wanted to become related to the royal family. It had been a choice made out of necessity to save his daughter. If they changed their position now, the queen’s retaliation would be inevitable.
As if the thought had just occurred to him, Logan spoke lightly.
“Ah, don’t worry about that. I’ll try to make sure your family isn’t harmed.”
The words I’ll try were not very reassuring. To be honest, he himself wasn’t certain. He would make the effort he promised. But he couldn’t guarantee that he could overcome the living power that was Queen Beatrice.
Anne wasn’t foolish enough to miss the implication. She immediately asked,
“And if your efforts don’t work?”
“Then think of it as paying a debt you’ve put off. That should ease your mind.”
Logan said it easily. It wasn’t that he felt no guilt. But in the end, the incident Anne Agnes had caused was the root of all this. Of course, he intended to protect the Avery family’s lives by any means necessary. But he couldn’t guarantee the family’s honor as well.
Anne had no way of grasping the sincerity he had left unsaid. To her, it simply sounded like he didn’t care whether she lived or died.
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