You Said You Wanted Us to Break Up - Chapter 63

Evelyn’s organ was a luxury item that only royalty could possess at the time, and it was exquisite and ornate, having been brought in from the capital. It would have fit well within Iella’s standards, as she had lived in the capital since her birth.

Coincidentally, Evelyn’s organ was located in the annex. It was there because, except for the few weeks before her passing, Evelyn had spent her time there.

For the purpose of managing her estate after her death, a technician had been called in to periodically inspect it so it would be ready for use without any issues.

His thoughts did not linger long. Sioden soon found the key that had been tucked away for quite some time. The key, lavishly crafted from jewels and precious metals, was paired to the doorknob of the room where the organ was kept.

As he had expected, Iella liked the organ. She played it every day. It was likely that she truly enjoyed it.

Like Evelyn, she knew a lot about music.

“This piece sounds nice even if played a little slowly.”

Whenever she chatted in a pleasant voice while playing, Sioden thought that her voice was more enjoyable than the instrument itself.

“This is the first piece I memorized completely.”

It was a subjective judgment, but who could know what happened only in his mind?

“This piece is, embarrassingly, the one I play best.”

He relished her explanations to his heart’s content. As long as he managed his expression a little carefully, there was no way it would show and give him away.

Whether she genuinely liked the organ or not, Iella paid more attention to him than before. Even while playing, she would glance at him, and when their eyes met, she would smile. At those moments, a crescent-shaped dimple would appear on her white cheek. It was that smile he would continue to savor even after returning to the main building.

Sometimes, Iella would ask him something.

That day was one of those days.

“Do you know this piece?”

At that moment, Iella was playing a piece he had learned from Evelyn.

Since it was a piece he was still memorizing—something learned in childhood that was hard to forget—Sioden nodded. Iella glanced up at him.

“That’s unexpected. This is a piece that beginners learn, so it’s not often played unless you’re young.”

That made sense. It was excessively long and had many repetitive sections. Back then, he had practiced to impress Evelyn, and if he had had the skill and choice, he probably wouldn’t have played that piece at all.

It was surprising that what had once seemed so boring was now quite enjoyable.

Iella continued speaking.

“It must have been hard to hear even at concerts.”

Concerts.

In the North, there were hardly any, so it was a given that he would have attended one.

Before she could be further mistaken, Sioden explained.

“I learned how to play the organ.”

“That’s fascinating.”

Iella stared into space for a moment as if recalling something. Seizing the opportunity, Sioden discreetly observed her eyes. The woman’s pupils resembled the soft leaves that do not grow in the North. It was a color that drew his gaze repeatedly, as it was clear that no two pairs of eyes in the world were the same.

She said, “There are no men around me who play the organ.”

However, it was something Evelyn had taught him as a part of the culture in the capital.

The question was soon resolved.

“I heard it was in vogue in the past. They thought that a man who could play an instrument was delicate and kind.”

So, it must have been popular until Evelyn moved to the North.

Perhaps even now, there might still be men learning to play.

The South, including the capital, regarded musical sensibility as a high quality. I heard that the Crown Prince, who was Iella’s unofficial fiancé, attended concerts regularly.

Yet, it was the capital, where rumors circulated that those from the North were cold to the touch.

As soon as that thought crossed his mind, the words slipped out of his mouth.

“That’s not a reliable statement.”

What he said afterward was unclear; he couldn’t remember well. It was probably some comment meant to reinforce the argument that musical sense and meticulousness were unrelated.

Iella did not easily agree with him.

“I think there might be some truth to that…”

The woman slightly rolled her eyes, resembling young leaves. It seemed as if she had seen something somewhere and was trying to defend someone.

“You can play too, right?”

What did that mean?

As he stood there blankly, unable to understand, Iella lowered her gaze to the keys. She stammered a bit as she spoke.

“I think you’re kind enough… delicate as well…”

So, in conclusion, it meant she viewed his character positively.

Receiving such a noble evaluation from a lady of the South should warrant gratitude, but at that moment, the impulse Sioden felt was directed entirely in a different direction.

Iella. When he called her name, the woman looked up at him. Her transparent eyes were directed toward him. Before he could realize what impulse he was feeling, Sioden sat beside her.

As he placed his hand on her cheek, Iella closed her eyes. Sioden did not read any rejection in that action. Or perhaps he was blinded by desire and interpreted it as he wished, but at that moment, Iella seemed to share his feelings. At least, it appeared that way to him.

Thus, Sioden kissed the woman. By that time, he had already done it a few times, so it didn’t come off as too inexperienced.

With her upper body turned toward him, naturally, Iella’s left hand slipped from the keys.

The moment their lips met, the performance that had been dragging on was about to come to a complete halt when Sioden placed his left hand on the keys. He briefly pulled his lips away and requested,

“Please continue playing.”

When it came to causing a scene, he acted like the most stubborn person in the world, but at that moment, Iella was very obedient. With her face flushed bright red, she pressed down on the keys again.

While kissing, Sioden slowly lowered the hand that had been caressing her cheek. He traced the familiar lines of her body with the back of his hand: her slender neck, slightly thin but rounded shoulders, and fragile arms that felt devoid of strength. Below them were her white, soft hands.

He intertwined his fingers with the hand that had just been dancing over the keys. Her soft hand, which had never touched anything rough in her life, came in without resistance.

Underneath the gently clasped hands, he felt her thigh. He pressed down gently, careful not to hurt her. Lost in the mingling of their breaths, Iella remained unaware.

The performance was completely a mess. If Evelyn had seen it, she would have said that the comment about musical sense resembling hers was a mistake.

However, when their lips finally parted, and he leaned the breathless woman against his chest, Sioden thought he understood why people made music.

If something so messy could still sound pleasant, then he would gladly enjoy it too.

Having learned how to play for several years, he finally grasped that value and impulsively promised,

“I will show you a proper performance next time.”

Iella, nestled in his arms, trembled slightly.

Realizing he was saying he would become the man he had just belittled moments ago, Sioden hesitated. Fearing his own contradiction would be exposed, he deliberately spoke stiffly.

“Well, if you blindly believe in baseless words, what can be done?”

Since Iella had believed in something absurd first, he had no choice but to act absurdly to maintain that belief.

Unaware that he was making excuses, Iella nodded. Sioden looked down at her flushed ears and pulled her a little closer.

In that moment, he found himself thinking that he might as well climb a tower to satisfy the other person’s belief.

What did it matter?

As long as he didn’t fall, a high tower wasn’t so bad.

* * *

As long as he didn’t fall.

Before long, Sioden began to reflect on the thoughts he had at that time.

The castle was quite noisy then. A knight from Rowen had fought a duel with one of the vassal’s sons.

Dueling was forbidden within the castle, so both were to be punished with severe penalties.

However, the situation was a bit complicated. The vassal’s son had lost his life during the duel.

Though it was an accidental killing, considering the Northern sentiment of blood for blood, it was not a trivial matter.

The grieving vassal wanted to confront Iella, the knight’s lord. To put it mildly, he wanted to confront her; in reality, he wanted to take revenge on her.

To prevent any harm from coming to Iella, Sioden decapitated the knight and threw the head at the vassal’s feet.

The vassal, holding the head, fell silent, either to hold a funeral for his son or to reveal his resentment toward Iella and send a duel challenge to her husband according to Northern customs. Since everyone understood the message only through mockery and intimidation, it was like a herd of beasts.

Afterward, things calmed down to some extent, but Sioden couldn’t go to the annex for a while. He had acted without asking Iella’s opinion, so he couldn’t predict how she would react.

It seemed that Iella was dissatisfied with his actions. Since the knight’s execution, Sioden had heard that she hadn’t played the organ even once. It was probably her way of expressing discontent.

That alone was enough to complicate his feelings, but Lerox’s old friends didn’t leave him in peace.

One day, one of them asked him,

“Why did you leave the room with the late Duchess’s organ?”