Even with his face twisted, he was striking, yet the lethal energy radiating from him was impossible to ignore. He had approached me with the raw, predatory intensity of a man intent on murder.
Wait, hold on. I’m not actually going to die here, am I?
“No, that’s not it. I have no intention of killing Aria…”
“Don’t lie. Do you truly expect me to believe your words?”
“…….”
I was at a loss. To make him believe me, I needed proof.
Was Charlize the kind of person who could provide proof?
‘No. Absolutely not.’
My silence was a poor defense, and the outcome reflected that.
“I have endured for far too long. I had no choice, did I? I bore it when you acted out, when you bullied my servants, when you dragged my knights to that wretched banquet, and even when you insulted my ancestors and demeaned Aria!”
Excuse me, my dear fiancé? I truly understand your anger. I do, but…
“Just how much more must I endure? Did you really have to persist in that depravity and go so far as to attempt to kill my sister!”
I’m not that person. The soul inside isn’t her!
I tried to force the words out, but my throat remained tight. My mouth refused to cooperate.
‘I can’t speak…’
Every time I tried to confess that I wasn’t who he thought I was, it felt as if my lips had been sewn shut.
Is it blocking me? Does some unseen force suppress the truth? The more this happened, the more I felt it in my bones: the contents of that parchment were absolute, and God had truly sent it. If I had held even one percent of doubt before, it had vanished.
Regardless, my handsome fiancé was venting his rage, oblivious to the soul trapped within the shell. Even the way he caught his breath was devastatingly attractive, but then he uttered words that should never have been spoken.
“Let’s break off the engagement.”
Wait, wait a minute!
It felt as though I had just started a game only to be greeted by a “Game Over” screen.
Hold on, my handsome fiancé. I haven’t done anything yet! I really haven’t!
“Wait, stop.”
“Good. I didn’t intend to announce it to your face, but since your grandfather refuses to listen…”
“Wait a minute!”
When I reached out urgently, Askin stopped.
“I’m sorry. First of all, I am truly sorry for breaking in without permission.”
“……What?”
A trace of bewilderment flickered in his gaze.
“But please, just one thing. Could you listen to just one word?”
“…….”
“I didn’t do anything to Aria.”
Ah. A mistake. The thought crossed my mind the moment the words left my lips.
The mention of her name caused the bewilderment on Askin’s face to vanish, replaced instantly by an icy mask. Yet, from that frozen expression, he uttered something entirely contradictory.
Though I looked up at him with a glimmer of hope, it lasted only a heartbeat.
“Fine. I believe you.”
“……Really?”
“Not today. But you surely intended to kill her someday.”
“…….”
Oh, Charlize. What on earth did you do to make this man believe that? How am I supposed to fix this?
“I will submit the official annulment papers soon. The news will reach the Imperial Court by then.”
“Just a moment… Okay. I understand, so please…”
“I have nothing more to say. Return to your mansion at once.”
I felt as if I were on the verge of tears. How was I supposed to untangle this mess and seduce him?
Think. The fact that he’s talking about breaking the engagement means…
‘What about the debt owed to Alzbeit?’
Is there a way to break it off and then get engaged again?
Just as I thought this, my heart throbbed with a searing, sharp pain.
“Ugh…!”
As I collapsed, clutching my chest, I instinctively grabbed onto the hem of Askin’s robes. When I looked up, all I saw was the cold, deepening frown on his face.
“What kind of trick is this?”
“……A trick? Ugh, no……”
The agony was so sharp I could barely string the words together.
What is this? What’s happening? Why does it hurt so much?
In that instant, a voice seemed to whisper directly into my brain.
[If you break the engagement, you die!]
[~From God, who forgot to mention a crucial detail~]
I’ll die if I break off the engagement?
What is this? Nothing was said about that!
I clutched my chest, my breath hitching. If that’s the case, does this pain mean the annulment is right around the corner? Is this man truly thinking of ending it?
I bit my lip hard.
I couldn’t see my reflection, but I knew my face must have drained of all color.
“……I really, haah, I didn’t come here to cause harm. Today.”
“…….”
I wanted to clear up the misunderstanding, but Askin’s expression remained stone-cold, showing no signs of softening.
It can’t be helped. I have to hold onto this man, whatever it takes.
“I’ll, I’ll do it. The annulment.”
“……Huh?”
Disbelief flickered across his icy features.
Look at him—he can’t even fathom it when I finally agree. Even through the waves of pain, I felt like laughing at the absurdity of it all.
If I want to bind him to me, I have to target one specific thing.
The method was so pathetic I hated to use it, but I had no choice.
“Since I’m breaking off the engagement, give me the money right now. The money you borrowed from my house when we became engaged. Pay it all back. Then I’ll leave this place immediately.”
The pain vanished in an instant.
I looked up, and oh…… there was that handsome face, staring down at me with utter disgust.
They say beauty makes a picture of anything; even his cold, glaring eyes didn’t look bad to me.
*Has the annulment been pushed back?*
Seeing as my heart wasn’t hurting anymore, I figured that must be the case.
A brief moment of bewilderment passed over Askin’s face.
“……I’ll give it to you soon, so go back at once.”
His voice was chilly, the repressed anger behind it like the low growl of a beast.
“No, I won’t move a single step from here until I receive the money.”
“What?”
“Give it to me. The money. Right now. Quickly.”
I sat down right where I stood.
Looking up, I saw a face that went beyond bewilderment to sheer shock and absurdity.
I smiled prettily.
“If you don’t pay me, I won’t break off the engagement. I’m not going anywhere.”
For now, this is my only leverage.
Askin’s dark eyebrows twitched. Just as he was about to lash out—
“Your Grace!”
I heard the sound of footsteps sprinting from afar. I turned to see his adjutant, Ben, hurrying toward us.
He glanced at me, sitting on the floor, with a baffled expression before addressing his master.
“Lady Aria has woken up!”
“Ha…….”
“She doesn’t seem to be in any significant pain. I have already called for a doctor, and……”
“Let’s go.”
“Yes!”
Askin, who had been about to stride away, hesitated. His eyes locked onto mine.
“I told you, I’m not moving until you give me the money.”
“……Do as you please. Whatever your game is, things won’t go your way.”
“Okay.”
I called out to his retreating back.
“I want to get along with you. I’m sincere.”
He didn’t even turn around, continuing on his path regardless of my words.
I offered an awkward smile to the empty air.
*Should I apologize for everything I did on Charlize’s behalf?*
Even if it wasn’t my fault, I know exactly how hard things have been for everyone here.
Still, it feels profoundly unfair. Why did I have to wake up in this body?
*……I know that apologizing won’t fix things.*
It isn’t my karma, but since I’m the one forced to bear the consequences, perhaps I should be the one to offer the apology.
I closed my eyes tightly.
* * *
It was only after leaving the garden that Askin finally let out a breath.
*What on earth is she planning?*
1.
His head throbbed. The bizarre behavior displayed by his fiancée—the woman he was set to cast off imminently—still echoed in his mind.
Charlize Alzbeit was a woman against whom one should never let their guard down.
He realized now the truth in Ben’s observation: she was not her usual self today. There was a shift, an undeniable change. Yet, he remained wary. There was no telling what sort of treachery she might be plotting after such a disarming performance.
He had hoped the image of her face would fade as he walked, but today, that annoying visage lingered with a strange persistence. Still, he eventually managed to shove it to the back of his mind, the memory eclipsed by the familiar weight of concern for his younger sister.
“Oppa!”
As he pushed open the door, Aria’s voice greeted him.
Askin crossed the threshold and rushed toward her without hesitation.
“Aria.”
His sister resided in a building detached from the Main Building. Because she loved the gardens, he had provided her with a space that offered easy access to them, and he poured every spare coin into its renovation and security.
“Are you alright?”
“Yes, ahaha…”
Askin didn’t wait for a full explanation, his hands moving to gently grip her shoulders as he scanned her from every angle.
“Aria, you can be honest with me. What did that woman do this time? Did she try to blow off your fingers? Or did she try to cut your hair, claiming she wanted to collect it? Or… don’t tell me she insulted your clothes again…”
“Oppa, Oppa. Calm down.”
Aria tugged gently at his sleeve, interrupting the frantic rush of his words.
He was typically cool-headed, righteous, and rational—the pillar of their lives—but she knew that where her well-being was concerned, he could never maintain his composure. She understood that his hyper-vigilance was a shadow cast by the past.
“Tell me. Just what kind of atrocity did she commit this time?”
This was all the karma of Charlize Alzbeit. The scars she had carved into their lives ran deep.
However…
“No, no, Oppa.”
Aria shook her head.
“I just happened to run into the Duchess-To-Be in the hallway… I was so startled for a moment that I fainted, and the Duchess-To-Be did nothing wrong.”