Chapter 71
“I guess I assumed it would be obvious to you because it was so obvious to me.”
His face, already shocked, began to show a hint of anger.
The grip on her shoulder ached.
“I shouldn’t be saying this like this, but if I delay any longer, I’ll really end up receiving the annulment papers…”
Theodore looked at Reyana with a resolute expression. The moment their eyes met, her heart plummeted.
The sorrow filling his eyes made her feel something was terribly wrong.
“Rey, my entire life has always been you. Whether you were there or not, every moment was only you.”
He calmly poured out his heart. Theodore seemed so composed, as if he had practiced this sincere confession countless times.
“I love you.”
She thought he looked calm. If his hands gripping her shoulders hadn’t trembled, she would never have guessed how nervous he was.
Resting his forehead against her shoulder, Theodore let out a sigh.
“Hearing me say that I’ve never thought of anyone but you as a marriage partner, and you still didn’t realize I loved you—that’s a little harsh, don’t you think?”
The breath he exhaled was warm. A quick glance at his face showed it growing redder by the second.
Countless thoughts raced through her mind, but she couldn’t accept his confession.
He was a young man, just barely grown into adulthood. A fresh, green youth—and a great nobleman carrying the imperial bloodline at that.
If not for the demon’s curse that had ruined his life, he would have been the next emperor.
If not for that curse, why would such a man lack anything to the point of proposing to her?
If fate had taken its proper course, Theodore would never have met her, never have gotten entangled with her at all.
Reyana’s eyes grew cold. This could very well be another ploy of the demon, trying to make his life miserable.
“Don’t answer.”
His face was weak, filled with sadness.
Theodore must have known from the start that he would be rejected.
Yet he confessed anyway—that meant his feelings were too genuine to keep bottled up.
“…Young Master, I…”
The words stuck in her throat; she barely managed to speak. It had been a long time since she had felt so breathless.
But the moment she opened her mouth, her words were blocked by Theodore’s hand.
“Answer me when I confess properly.”
If this wasn’t a proper confession, then what on earth would count as one?
His sincerity was so raw and palpable that Reyana’s heart ached.
The thought that she, his fiancée, had to crush the pure devotion of her young betrothed—it hurt. And the fact that she couldn’t even comfort him when he was heartbroken made her feel so helpless.
“I just corrected a misunderstanding, but if you reject me, won’t that make me pitiful? So please, just this once, let it slide.”
He gave her a clumsy smile as he pleaded. At his words—asking her to let it slide—Reyana felt a surge of emotion that nearly overwhelmed her.
Why did he always cast himself as the weak one?
The ache in her heart was so sharp she almost snapped at him, told him to stop playing the victim and just get angry instead.
Reyana bit hard on the soft flesh inside her lips, just to keep herself standing as the adult here.
“I should have done it properly, but I rushed things.”
Taking her silence as a rejection, Theodore released her shoulders and stood up straight.
“I’ll do it again, so forget about today. Just don’t forget that I love you.”
The smile he forced onto his lips trembled so pitifully it broke her heart.
“Good night, Rey.”
Only after he left did Reyana finally let out the breath she had been holding.
Young Master… loves me. Loves me. He spoke of feelings she couldn’t even bring herself to name, and he said them as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
When had the boy who always seemed like a child grown up so much that he could stand before her and confess?
Thirteen years away at war—that must have been a very long time indeed.
While she was gone from the mansion, her young master had grown, and now he had begun a first love she could never bless.
Reyana tilted her head as she looked at the uniform she was supposed to wear to the victory banquet. It wasn’t the formal dress she had ordered.
“What is this?”
The white suit the maid brought looked like the formal uniform knights often wore at banquets. Reyana had ordered a gown, so she thought there had been a mistake.
The maid smiled brightly as she answered.
“Of course, your dress is prepared as well, but this was specially arranged by the Young Master himself. He said you should choose whatever pleases you.”
He prepared this?
Wearing a dress had been her decision the moment she agreed to attend the banquet with Theodore.
She didn’t want to turn his partner into a spectacle by making her stand beside him as the hero’s companion.
If he had met an ordinary young lady, she wouldn’t have had to suffer such humiliation.
On top of the uniform lay a single card.
[Whichever you choose, I’ll be happy. So please wear what you want, Sister.]
It was just like something Theodore would have said as a child.
The day she was betrayed by the count and driven from the mansion—those words came back to her. You don’t have to do anything. The memory made her smile faintly.
Dukes, young masters… all the Valencia men told her the same thing: Do whatever you want.
‘And how would they know what I want?’
All she ever wanted was to stay by their side. Yet the men of Valencia acted as though they were desperate to give her something greater, something more.
As Reyana recalled them both, a cool smile curved her lips, making the maid tilt her head in confusion.
After a moment’s hesitation, Reyana draped the dress over her body.
Was it because of his recent confession? The white uniform felt unbearably heavy now.
“Which one will you wear?”
“…”
The maid asked, but Reyana couldn’t easily decide.
If she wore the dress, it would feel like she was ignoring Theodore’s thoughtfulness. But if she wore the uniform, she’d feel guilty for not presenting herself properly as his partner.
After much deliberation, Reyana made her choice.
“…I’ll wear the dress.”
Just as she firmly reached for the dress, the maid spoke again.
“Then please take this.”
From her bosom, the maid produced another card and handed it to Reyana.
Perplexed, Reyana took it and saw the elegant handwriting.
[Actually, I was worried others might look only at you, so I prepared this. Please wear the uniform. It’s my wish. …That wish is still valid, right?]
Reading the card, Reyana burst out laughing.
To think he used up an old promise for something like this.
She couldn’t possibly refuse. In the end, Reyana turned back to the maid.
“The uniform, please.”
“Yes, my lady.”
The maid nodded knowingly, as if she had expected this all along.
It almost seemed like everyone in the mansion was aware of Theodore’s feelings.
His innocent first love was apparently deeper than she had imagined.
He was even preparing for marriage on his own. That must have been why the servants acted so strangely.
Only now did Reyana vaguely understand why they had treated her so exceptionally well.
‘Still… isn’t it too much? Or is it because they think I’ll become the duchess?’
Her doubts weren’t entirely cleared.
The servants had been making a fuss as if she were some fragile wine glass.
Every time that happened, Reyana wondered if they had forgotten she was a decorated war hero.
‘…Maybe the servants are just as over-the-top as the Valencia men.’
Reyana chuckled softly, awkwardly letting the maid help her change.
How could he possibly love me?
That question had haunted Reyana ever since Theodore’s shocking confession.
Standing before the mirror now, the question felt heavier than ever. Her body was strong and solid—a knight’s body with not a hint of delicate femininity.
Muscles rare for a woman, scars, a physique hardened by relentless training, hands ruined by gripping swords, skin bronzed from long hours under the sun. Hardly what one would call attractive.
She wasn’t a great beauty either. Reyana considered herself plain, but ever since returning to the capital, she had realized just how many true beauties the world held.
She wasn’t ugly, but there were plenty far lovelier than her.
If she had to pick one thing she excelled at in her life, there was only one answer: the title of hero.
But who would want to marry a hero?
What man would willingly live in the shadow of a woman’s glory?
Theodore should be smiling under the warm sun, basking in happiness.
If it took sacrificing everything she had to see that smile, Reyana would do it without hesitation.
