Chapter – 16
It was a letter that granted permission to break off the engagement.
She stared at the letter in shock for a long time. It was unexpected. She never thought the Emperor, who didn’t even know her situation, would personally send such a decree.
“……”
For a moment, she remembered Cedric kneeling and apologizing, but Rapine did not hesitate at all.
What was the point of trying to fix a relationship that was already over?
What ended should simply be left to end.
She immediately took the letter and headed to the Marquis’s office.
Since she had already disobeyed the Marquis’s order and left her room, the mansion was in chaos.
After all, her breaking the window and leaving had shocked everyone in the estate.
The servants who saw her all looked startled.
“Mi-Miss! You’ve returned—!”
“Miss, the Marquis said—!”
They all spoke at once, but she ignored every single one of them and walked straight to the office.
She walked so fast that it felt like she had been running, her breath becoming uneven.
The servant guarding the office door widened his eyes in surprise.
“Should I anno—?”
She passed him without answering and pushed the door open without knocking.
Inside were Cedric, the Marquis, and Elizabeth.
It was surprising enough that Elizabeth, who was always lying in bed, was standing here perfectly fine. But what was even stranger to Rapine was how calmly she looked at her, even after doing something she shouldn’t have done with Cedric.
Moreover, since they had been together on Roisha Street, the fact that Cedric was already here meant he had come straight back as well.
“Father.”
When Rapine called out slowly, the Marquis spoke first.
“The Emperor said he would be coming here suddenly. Before that, I have something to tell you. Just listen quietly.”
“The Emperor?”
Didn’t he say he couldn’t come and sent Raian instead?
Rapine looked confused.
Meanwhile, the three of them looked like they were about to make some grand announcement.
But Rapine had no intention of listening.
“Father—”
As she tried to speak, the Marquis cut her off.
“Cedric has something to say to you.”
It felt as if the Marquis, Cedric, and Elizabeth had already agreed on everything beforehand.
Only Rapine stood apart from them. She shook her head.
“I don’t want to hear it.”
She had already heard everything Cedric had to say on Roisha Street.
That wasn’t why she came here.
“Rapine, that’s enough. I understand everything now.”
Cedric’s face looked completely different from how it had on Roisha Street.
It was almost shocking how quickly a person could change.
“……”
He continued speaking, as if he were a completely different person.
“I told you, everything was my fault.”
“……”
Rapine let out a hollow laugh.
Instead of dealing with Cedric, she felt it would be faster to speak with the Marquis.
“Father.”
“Rapine, I’m the one speaking right now.”
Cedric tried to stop her from speaking, but she ignored him.
“Father, do you know what Cedric has done?”
The Marquis, who had been watching from a distance with his arms crossed, spoke in an uncomfortable tone.
“It doesn’t matter what he did. I don’t want to hear it.”
Rapine found that ridiculous.
Would he still say that if he knew about Cedric and Elizabeth?
“No matter what he did?”
“Rapine!”
Cedric interrupted her again.
It seemed the Marquis really didn’t know about them.
Finding the situation absurd, Rapine spoke bluntly.
“Father. Are you trying to stop this engagement from being broken even though you know Cedric and Elizabeth are in a relationship?”
“What?”
Only then did the Marquis react.
He turned to Cedric with a shocked expression, as if demanding an explanation.
“What is she talking about?”
“It’s nothing. She’s making things up.”
Cedric denied it immediately.
The Marquis then turned to Elizabeth.
“Beth. Do you know what she’s talking about?”
“……”
Elizabeth looked annoyed at first, but the moment he asked, she quickly changed her expression to something pitiful.
Her acting was flawless.
When she looked like she was about to cry, the Marquis couldn’t ask any further and fell silent.
“How could I possibly do something like that…?”
With lips that had kissed her sister’s fiancé, what couldn’t she say?
Rapine let out a dry laugh.
It felt like the two of them had already planned everything.
Fine. If they had already aligned their stories, there was no way the Marquis would believe her. She had given up expecting anything long ago.
There was no need to argue further.
She didn’t plan to go in circles.
Rapine stepped forward and held out the document in her hand.
“Alright. You don’t have to believe me.”
“What?”
The Marquis looked at her in confusion.
Rapine calmly extended the letter.
The parchment in her hand unfurled in the air.
“This is the engagement cancellation decree approved by His Majesty.”
At those words, the faces of the Marquis, Cedric, and Elizabeth all twisted.
The suffocating silence was broken by the Marquis.
“Ha—have you truly gone mad?!”
He shouted at the document bearing the Emperor’s seal.
Rapine had expected this. She smiled faintly and spoke.
“Why are you trying to stop me from breaking the engagement?”
“Why?! Isn’t it obvious?! This is a disgrace to the family!”
The Marquis grew even angrier.
Rapine could no longer hold back.
“Then why don’t you go to His Majesty yourself and ask him to withdraw it?”
She knew very well that her father was weak in front of power.
He would never dare oppose the Emperor.
Who would dare defy an imperial command?
“I’ll leave the house as soon as I’m ready.”
She wanted to leave immediately, but she couldn’t go empty-handed. She also needed to say goodbye to Bayern.
At the very least, she wanted to thank him for helping her.
“You? Leave this house?”
The Marquis let out a laugh, clearly not believing her.
“Rapine, you may think you’re something right now, but once you leave, you’ll regret it. Without the protection of this family, you can do nothing. Stop this nonsense.”
He didn’t take her seriously at all.
After all, he had always been like this for twenty years. That wouldn’t change now.
Rapine was serious, but to him, it was absurd.
“Father, it seems you’ll only listen to me if I make an extreme choice.”
“……”
“People should realize things before it’s too late.”
Cedric and the Marquis—both of them were foolish.
If only they could understand before regret came too late.
Rapine decided she didn’t need to stay any longer.
“Since you won’t believe me, there’s no need to talk further. I’ll be leaving now.”
She said her goodbye calmly.
A deep disgust rose within her. She didn’t want to stay here any longer, so she turned away from them.
The thought that she would soon be free from them filled her with relief.
It felt overwhelming.
But only for a moment.
“Marquis! Are you just going to let her go like that?!”
Surprisingly, it was Cedric who shouted in panic.
The Marquis followed and grabbed Rapine’s wrist.
“Where did you learn such manners?!”
At that moment, Elizabeth suddenly stood up.
Looking like she couldn’t hold back anymore, she screamed.
“Father, stop it! She’s not even your real daughter anyway!”
A terrifying silence fell over the room.
What?
Rapine wondered if she had heard correctly.
“Wh… what do you mean?”
She asked blankly, turning toward Elizabeth.
Elizabeth looked shocked at her own words.
Rapine then turned to the Marquis.
Their eyes met.
It was the first time she had ever seen her father look so shaken.
He, who was always strict, always proud of etiquette and dignity—
Today, he suddenly seemed very small..
