You Said You Wanted Us to Break Up - Chapter 46

Late in the evening, a servant’s voice was heard from outside the door.

“Mr. Ailac has arrived.”

Ailac is Luke’s surname.

Apple finished preparing the room for visitors by slightly lowering the canopy and draping a shawl over my shoulders.

Although I already knew Luke had come to the door, I wasn’t entirely at ease.

“He didn’t need to come without being called.”

Apple, having seen my poor complexion after my dinner with Sioden, said I should summon Luke. She reasoned that I clearly had indigestion and needed antacids before I felt worse.

I said it was unnecessary, a bit excessive, but Apple was adamant. In the end, I allowed her to send someone to the main house where Luke was.

As she tucked my stray hair behind my ear, Apple feigned a stern expression.

“No. Are you planning to suffer for days again?”

I understood why Apple said that.

In my childhood, if I had indigestion, I would fall ill for several days. The pressure of having to sit at the table with my family was considerable, and that made my indigestion worse.

However, the days of not eating properly and vomiting passed as I reached adulthood. Instead, I learned how to appear as though I was participating in meals.

Like tonight, with just the two of us facing each other with our tableware, it was a method that was easily exposed and unusable.

I protested to Apple, who stubbornly refused to let go of the past, even though she must have been a child herself back then.

“That was when I was a child. I don’t do that anymore.”

“Still, no.”

It was an uncompromising statement.

Just as I thought Apple’s nagging might begin, Luke entered the room.

“It’s good to see you again, after seeing you this morning.”

Luke had also visited earlier in the day to check on my condition.

Saying that, Luke raised the corners of his mouth. He seemed to be emphasizing familiarity again today.

I suddenly thought it would be better not to do that in front of Apple.

Apple was highly wary, and if someone seemed overly friendly, she would become guarded.

In my childhood, I had encountered many people who initially approached me but eventually revealed their true intentions were towards Iswen or Demian. It seemed that she had naturally become this way as a result.

Luke sat on the chair beside the bed and examined me. Before prescribing medicine, he wrote down his usual notes and asked me,

“What did you have for dinner?”

Luke’s question naturally brought to mind what Sioden had said. It felt as if what was lodged in my chest wasn’t food, but words.

At tonight’s banquet, Sioden brought up a past I had half-buried in the recesses of my memory.

‘Do you remember what you said in the past?’

He had asked how much the past mattered between us and whether it was too late to make amends.

I couldn’t answer his question positively. Sioden had always been a difficult person to deal with, and his recent sudden change in attitude made him even more so.

Sioden explained to me, who couldn’t easily accept his change.

‘If it wasn’t something involving your will, you shouldn’t be held responsible.’

I know he’s always judged things based on that principle.

Regardless of his own feelings, Sioden was always fair to those around him.

In the past, I had placed my hopes on that aspect of him. Since he was a man who would listen to anyone if necessary, I thought he might eventually listen to me too.

Now, what I had hoped for might be granted, but strangely, I wasn’t happy.

Was it because I couldn’t adapt to his change? But even if I got used to it, it wouldn’t create feelings that weren’t there.

Luke, after waiting a moment for me to speak, said, before the atmosphere became too awkward,

“If you don’t feel like it, you don’t have to say anything. It’s not severe indigestion; eating easily digestible food for a day will improve it.”

He handed Apple some mild antacids.

“It’s late, so I’ll take my leave.”

With those words, Luke stood up and smiled again. Apple’s expression worsened. His attempt at kindness had only increased her suspicion.

Sure enough, after the door closed, Apple approached me, expressing her distrust of Luke’s character.

Handing me the medicine, she said,

“Don’t trust him too much. They say men who smile a lot have secrets.”

At that moment, I recalled the night I first met Sioden.

I couldn’t explain why.

‘Will you give me your hand now?’

Perhaps it was because of the dazzling smile he wore that night, a smile that overshadowed the darkness around him.

But unlike Apple, I don’t place such great importance on smiles.

From my experience, the smiles people wear on their lips don’t have great intention or meaning.

Rather, they are closer to ornaments meant to capture the attention of others, like rings, necklaces, or clothes made of expensive silk.

Like all things that adorn the outside rather than the inside, even if they shine brilliantly at first, they gradually lose their luster over time.

As I pondered this, I realized that my understanding of smiles wasn’t so different from Apple’s. Often, behind a dazzling exterior, there were secrets they wanted to hide.

For example, my father, to conceal the lack of affection between us, dressed me in expensive items that even royalty couldn’t easily obtain.

Then, like someone showing off a rare pet bird, he showed me off everywhere.

According to Sioden, my father was resting in the dungeons six steps below, a final rest from which he would not rise.

Apple dimmed the bedside lamp and said,

“You’ve taken your medicine, so go to sleep now. You’ll get better faster if you sleep early.”

I lay down as she instructed. It must have been years since she’d cared for someone, yet Apple naturally pulled up my covers, arranging them neatly. Her touch was skilled, as if she had never forgotten me.

After confirming I had no problems, Apple completely extinguished the lamp. In the darkness, I lay on my side, pondering the meaning of Sioden’s words.

‘If I say I believe his words now, is it too late?’

Sioden had said that and watched my expression, but he tried to correct any mistakes as soon as they arose.

From his perspective, he couldn’t have approached me earlier or apologized sooner.

Therefore, Sioden wasn’t late.

Yet, there’s a reason my heart feels differently, perhaps…

I blinked, drowsiness settling over my eyes. A certain conjecture, one I was still afraid to admit, swirled in my chest.

☪︎ ִ ࣪𖤐 𐦍 ☾𖤓 ☪︎ ִ ࣪𖤐 𐦍 ☾𖤓

A quiet, dark night, the kind that demanded hushed footsteps from anyone secretly moving through the castle.

Sezna paced anxiously within her prison.

“She should be here by now…”

Soon, light footsteps were heard in the distance. Sezna hurried to the bars. A woman approached her with light, dancing steps and removed her robe. Glossy black hair, as dark as a midnight sky, cascaded over her shoulders.

Above it was a face of stark white, contrasting with her hair. A face that seemed pale in the light and shadow, yet flawlessly pure.

Emerald eyes curved on two perfectly symmetrical cheeks. Sezna called the one who shone brightly even in the merciless underground prison, a radiant smile on her face.

“Oh, my lady.”

Merwen’s eyes drooped, as if she pitied what she saw.

“Your face looks quite pale.”

That’s true. Sezna had suffered greatly during the few days she’d been imprisoned.

A short while ago, the head of the family had gone to war in the capital and returned victorious.

But there was no sign of the joy of victory in the castle.

The head of the family didn’t hold a banquet or commend those who had protected the castle in his absence. Instead, he gathered his army in the castle and began to turn the household upside down.

Several years had passed since the current head of the family inherited the house; was there anyone who hadn’t committed any crime in that time?

Minor crimes committed years ago could have been overlooked, but the head of the family dug them all up.

From the dungeons of the main house, screams could be heard every day. Having come down here, she understood even better than she had when she lived above.

Only the annex remained quiet, as if nothing was happening.

The annex where the woman from Rowen stayed was always like that.

Thinking of that unfairness, Sezna still gritted her teeth.

In terms of severity, she had committed countless crimes far more serious than anyone else’s, yet that woman had never received proper punishment.

The head of the family, cold even to her childhood friend of over ten years, was completely captivated by his wife from the enemy family. He was quick to cover up any crimes she committed, so she acted cruelly without fear of the heavens, behavior that showed her nature, just like her father.

So, when that woman was dragged out during the head of the family’s absence, Sezna felt extremely relieved. It felt like a toothache finally disappearing after something out of place was removed.

But the head of the family brought that woman back, even going so far as to use a carriage when he could have just left her to die.

When Sezna heard that the woman had returned to the annex, she was furious. If she had any conscience, she should have bitten her tongue and died. Instead, she stubbornly returned to Raslet.

As if she even knew what kind of place this was.

When the head of the household returned and was on the verge of discovering her own faults, Sezna went to the annex to find that brazen woman. She intended to resolve the situation using the same method she had used before.

But before she could do anything, the head of the family barged in.

He dragged her back to the main house, where a sinister atmosphere reigned. Then he asked,

‘Don’t you feel sorry for Iella?’

But why should she feel sorry for that woman?

After all, wasn’t she a woman who wouldn’t be punished no matter what she did? The head of the family wouldn’t even touch a hair on her head for crimes that would have cost others their lives.

So, even if she took the blame for some crime, Sezna didn’t feel sorry for her.

Right now, the one Sezna felt sorriest for was herself.

Sezna pressed herself close to the bars and begged.

“My lady, please help me.”