You Said You Wanted Us to Break Up - Chapter 66

“What’s going on? Why on earth…?”

Sioden, who rushed in through the door, grimaced upon seeing Demian.

“What have you done?”

The atmosphere was tense, and Demian felt it too.

“You bastard.”

He muttered softly as he strode towards Sioden. Taking advantage of the moment when Demian had retreated before Apple and me, Sioden stepped in between us. It seemed he had already concluded that Demian was the source of the problem.

With a face twisted in anger, Demian growled.

“What do you mean by that…? I wasn’t agreeing with your opinion, brother.”

As if forgetting that they were in Raslet Castle, I hurriedly tried to stop Demian from acting on his temper.

“Please, don’t.”

Demian pretended not to hear me. He kept his eyes fixed on Sioden, who was blocking him, gritting his teeth.

“You take a break. I need to kill this guy today…”

I could no longer listen to such nonsense. I squeezed my eyes shut and shouted.

“Stop it!”

Only then did Demian turn to look at me, his golden eyes wide open. In the clarity of surprise reflected in his gaze, I realized I had yelled at him for the first time in my life. Yet, I had no regrets about my actions. Normally, I would have been too scared to raise my voice, let alone meet his gaze directly.

They say fear and anger are closely related.

It felt as if something hot was surging up from within me. It was more an emotion of indignation than courage.

With a voice trembling, I asked Demian.

“Why on earth are you doing this after coming all the way here?”

“…Iella?”

Demian called my name, looking utterly confused. It was absurd to see such a face when the one who should be bewildered was clearly someone else. I took a deep breath. Acting emotionally here would only lead to more trouble with someone like Demian. I needed to keep my wits about me.

I explained to him in the calmest voice I could muster.

“Lord Raslet did not agree to the hostage exchange.”

Even though Sioden was someone I disliked, he was not the type to be brushed aside like an object. My family, who had sold me off to the North at the first opportunity, would not consider this unless I pointed it out clearly.

“What I experienced happened while he was away.”

“Even so, there’s a responsibility for not managing the household, isn’t there? What man in the world would let his wife…”

Demian stammered. Perhaps he was calming down a bit, as his voice sounded noticeably steadier.

Yet, I felt a fire igniting inside me. I blinked a couple of times to clear my increasingly blurry vision and retorted back at him.

“Wife?”

It was a somewhat sharp question, but I had no intention of taking it back.

I asked Demian, who was still staring at me in disbelief.

“Who sees me as this man’s wife?”

At those words, Sioden, who had been blocking the space between Demian and me, flinched.

Under normal circumstances, I wouldn’t have said something like this in front of the person involved. But today, I simply couldn’t hold back the boiling emotions.

“For the past three years, people from Rowen have stirred up Raslet. The maid embezzled money, the knight killed people, and they even desecrated the family heirlooms!”

All of that became my responsibility.

Because the maid testified that I had turned a blind eye despite knowing the situation. Because the knight claimed he dueled for my honor.

…And the tree of Merwen was said to have been killed for me, according to the perpetrator’s claim.

And I didn’t need to hear who had actually orchestrated their actions; it was obvious. The maid, the knight, and even the lowly servant assigned to menial tasks were all people sent to me from Rowen.

At that moment, Apple, who had been closely by my side, tightened her grip on my hand. The warmth slowly calmed the tumultuous heart that felt as if it had been set ablaze.

I took a deep breath and glared at Demian.

“No man in this world sees a woman from such a household as his wife.”

So, Demian’s assertion that no man would allow his wife to be sold was wrong. From beginning to end, Sioden was Lord Raslet, and I was merely the lady of Rowen.

…Just like what Iswen had said.

“Our elder brother said that I could never escape our family, no matter what I did.”

Demian, not only intruding into someone else’s home and behaving rudely, also took Iswen’s side.

“Iella, that’s not it. Our brother…”

I cut him off before he could finish his excuse.

“Please tell him that I no longer doubt those words.”

From the moment I first heard Iswen’s words until I married and came to the North, I truly wanted to refute that statement.

I wanted to be someone who could decide my own path, instead of being bound by the name of my family against my will. A person’s worth is determined by their words and actions. At the very least, I try to prioritize those two when I meet someone.

Now I could confidently say that if Iswen had been here, he would have laughed at my efforts without restraint.

I spoke to Demian, emphasizing each syllable.

“Go back to the South alone. I won’t be following you.”

I would rather flee to a place that was neither Raslet nor Rowen than return to my family.

* * *

Demian left the room, completely dejected.

After he disappeared, I sent Apple away. I knew she was worried about me, but it was better for her not to be in the same space as Sioden.

If he said just one word, Apple would have to go back outside the castle again.

While I was dismissing Apple, Sioden, who had sent Luke away, turned back to me.

“Are you okay?”

I looked down and answered his question.

“…Yes.”

Sioden didn’t seem to believe my words much. The silence typical of someone choosing their words confirmed that fact. Before he could find what to say next, I lowered my head.

“I apologize for the rudeness Demian displayed. I’m sorry. It’s all my fault.”

“No, that’s not how…”

Sioden sighed and said, “Please don’t apologize.”

Then he lingered for a moment as if deep in thought.

Finally, stopping in front of me again, Sioden asked, “I heard you went up to the castle walls.”

It seemed that even though it had just happened, the news had already reached his ears.

Well, since he knew what the situation was, he must have rushed over. As I pondered over the actions that Sioden would have never taken just a moment ago, another question came back to me.

“Did Demian Rowen force you to go with him?”

“No.”

“It’s okay to tell the truth.”

He reached out to my eyes. His careful touch wiped away the tears I hadn’t even realized had fallen.

It felt strangely like I might burst into laughter. Isn’t it as if there was something between us?

Before Sioden could misunderstand, I spoke the truth.

“I followed him on my own two feet.”

“Why…”

Sioden seemed flustered. I understood why he was acting that way. Just yesterday, he had told me not to mention what happened at the castle walls, yet here I was, having gone to the very place that would remind me of the incident.

However, I also had my reasons for having to follow Demian’s suggestion.

Letting him touch my face as he wanted, I muttered blankly.

“He said we should go to the South, but I can’t just follow blindly.”

Suddenly, I questioned whether it was okay to say such things to Sioden. But what good would it do to hide the situation now? I had already shouted at Demian as I pleased right in front of him.

Whatever will be, will be. I found myself thinking that way.

Even if he couldn’t take me away right now, Demian would surely devise a plan to bring me back as soon as he returned to the South. With Iswen there, he would find a way, no matter what. In that case, it was better for me to find out what guarantees I could secure.

“I need to be assured that he won’t remarry me; only then can I return…”

But now it was all over.

Since I had been so defiant earlier, I had no idea what kind of punishment I might face for my insolence. I lowered my head without finishing my words. The future seemed dark, and I was just too tired.

I felt like if I closed my eyes like this, I could fall asleep right away.

It was then that Sioden asked me.

“…Are you thinking of returning to the South?”

It sounded like a hopeless question, but I answered without thinking deeply.

“There’s no reason not to.”

In the past, I wanted to stay in the North. Although it was a land where no one liked me, it seemed better to endure here rather than return to Rowen and be tossed around by my family.

…And I also hoped that by doing so, I might be able to restore my relationship with Sioden, even just a little.

Doesn’t everyone want to look good in front of the person they like?

Once, I had harbored such a luxurious desire. Now, it was all irrelevant. As I slowly blinked my downcast eyes, a cracked voice reached my ears.

“Please don’t go.”

Iella. Sioden called my name. His locked voice dripped with urgency. The tone sounded as if he might cry at any moment, which jolted me awake. Without realizing it, I lifted my head to look up at him.

“Why are you like this?”

Sioden was looking down at me, blinking. His deep blue eyes seemed a little more moist than usual. Seeing someone with a pale face, as if they were confronting something they had feared all along, and who looked like they might burst into tears at any moment, didn’t evoke pity or regret in me.

At that moment, the strongest emotion I felt was confusion.

Why was Sioden trying to hold onto me? To the man who had been showing increasingly incomprehensible behavior lately, I asked with a hint of doubt.

“You were the one who said you wanted us to break up…?”