Chapter 42
But Anne couldn’t help thinking about what came after that either. Could a man and woman who didn’t love each other build a happy family? To be honest, Anne had been very anxious about that all along.
It was called ‘responsibility’, but wouldn’t it be better for Logan if she simply disappeared.
But now, she didn’t think that way anymore. As she had told Catherine, hadn’t Logan changed as well. At this level, even if they couldn’t be happy, she began to hope they wouldn’t be unhappy.
“Well… it’s not like we hate each other terribly, so wouldn’t it be alright somehow?”
She meant it as a positive answer, but Marilyn’s eyes only grew sadder. For a moment, Anne’s heart dropped.
What if, really what if, Marilyn liked Logan? The thought suddenly crossed her mind. If the story had followed the original, they would have naturally ended up together.
But nothing had gone according to the original. On the day the two leads were supposed to meet each other for the first time, Logan had lost consciousness due to the incident Anne caused. After that, an unplanned engagement had taken place, and none of the original events had proceeded properly.
Even so, Anne couldn’t let go of the possibility. Even if the story didn’t follow the original route, feelings could still grow. Hoping her suspicion was wrong, she asked carefully.
“Um, Marilyn, do you perhaps…”
Anne couldn’t finish the question. It wasn’t easy to ask a friend if she had feelings for her fiancé. If the answer was yes, her vision would go dark, and if the answer was no, it would be terribly rude.
Marilyn said nothing. But soon her cheeks flushed red. Anne’s eyes widened.
“Really…?”
Even though she had already guessed, Anne couldn’t quite believe it. No, even if the shell was the same, hadn’t the contents changed too much?
Logan had become far removed from the gentle male lead of the original. He had never done anything like helping Marilyn when she worried about not having a proper dress, the kind of thing a male lead would do. Anne had taken that role instead.
The corners of Marilyn’s eyes turned red. She quickly lowered her head. Even if they didn’t have feelings for each other, Anne Agnes and Logan were still formally engaged.
She felt terribly embarrassed, as if she were speaking out of jealousy toward her friend. Clenching her fists tightly, Marilyn spoke in a trembling voice.
“But… that’s not why I’m saying this. You’re truly a good friend to me… and even if the two of you don’t marry, I don’t think I could ever stand by his side. I just, I just… I don’t want either the person I love or my friend to be unhappy.”
Marilyn’s violet eyes grew moist. It was the first time the gentle and kind Marilyn had asserted her feelings this strongly.
Anne was speechless. If it was the angelic Marilyn, she was surely saying this because she truly cared about both Anne and Logan. And above all, the one who had originally been meant to be with him was Marilyn.
Facing Marilyn, who felt guilty without knowing any of that, Anne couldn’t say anything.
Marilyn looked at Anne as if asking for an answer. Anne forced out a reply.
“Ah, I… I had no idea…”
“I’m so sorry, Anne. I shouldn’t have interfered.”
“No, no. Thank you…”
Anne shook her head. The conscience she had pushed aside all this time began to prick painfully at her chest. As if asking whether she thought she could take away the most important thing and make up for it with a few trivial gifts.
Marilyn stood up.
“I should get going.”
Anne couldn’t bring herself to stop her. Her mind was too confused, it felt like she was in a dream. They walked down the corridor in silence. When they reached the entrance, a servant handed Marilyn her coat. Just as she was about to step outside, Marilyn suddenly turned back.
“Um, Anne…”
“Yes…”
Guilt filled Marilyn’s face. Anne couldn’t even meet her eyes. The one who should feel sorry was herself, Marilyn had done nothing wrong.
Glancing discreetly at the servants nearby, Marilyn spoke in a small voice.
“Please don’t tell anyone. I’m asking you.”
“Huh?”
Anne blinked, not understanding at first. Not tell what? Then it dawned on her. What Marilyn wanted to hide was her feelings for Logan. And the one she most wanted to hide it from was probably Logan himself.
Of course, Anne had no intention of telling anyone. And to Logan… it didn’t feel like something she had the right to say either. Anne nodded weakly.
“Yeah… okay.”
“Thank you.”
Marilyn left. But Anne remained standing in the entrance for a long time, unable to move.
On her left hand, the jewel sparkled.
A pink diamond, the color of Marilyn.
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