Chapter 61
“I believe you said that yesterday too. Is that really all you have to say?”
At his voice—so calm it almost felt cold—Eiela could only lower her head without replying.
“One of the things I loathe most is betrayal of trust. I honored every right you asked of me. I even overlooked the reason you first approached me. But what have you honored in return?”
Franz openly condemned Eiela’s actions.
“Eiela Clarence. If you have a goal, then you shouldn’t care about the means. You can’t afford to be frightened and hesitate.”
The look in his eyes, sharp and detached as if he had realized something, made it clear: excuses were useless, and no justification would be accepted here.
The truth was, she had no defense. After letting things get this far, even ten mouths couldn’t have explained it away. So she kept her lips firmly shut, saying nothing.
She was no meek, obedient lady, and yet here she was acting like a victim—quiet, docile, repentant—after stabbing him in the back. It grated on him.
But at the same time, he couldn’t bring himself to be truly angry either. Seeing her face, pale and defeated, tugged at his chest in spite of himself. The sight made him sigh.
“Why? You had no trouble ignoring people’s eyes before. You must have a reason for not showing up this time.”
Franz sighed again and pressed her. Feeling the weight of his gaze, Eiela murmured almost like a sigh.
“I’m afraid.”
“Of what?”
“Of everything.”
To stand at the festival ball with the prince would, of course, become the scandal of high society. Gossip columns and wagging tongues would feast on it. Compared to that, the incident at the picnic was nothing.
Strictly speaking, she and Franz weren’t truly lovers, but before others she would be seen as the prince’s partner, teetering on dangerous ground.
And if Allen Zieberman exposed her secret in that moment, she would plunge into ruin instantly. Even the prince couldn’t shield her from that disgrace.
As she spoke, Franz frowned, displeased.
Strong at times, fragile at others. Innocent yet sly. Perceptive, yet clumsy with lies. Fond of money, yet lacking in nerve.
“You knew what you were getting into from the start.”
Eiela nodded, blaming herself for seeing only half the picture and not the whole.
To be honest, if not for the variable that was Allen Zieberman, she wouldn’t have avoided the ball. She had known it would make her a hot topic, and had even intended to use that to her advantage.
But things were different now. Back when her feelings were one-sided, she hadn’t cared how Allen might react. But if he saw her with Franz, who knew what he might do? She didn’t even want to imagine it.
And now that she had realized she liked him, the thought of using him or letting him be hurt was unbearable. If she wanted to stay honest, she had to give it all up and return to the beginning.
“I can’t. I don’t think I can bear it.”
Eiela hesitated, then forced herself to say it. It was her way of declaring she couldn’t continue this relationship.
“No. It’s too late for that.”
At his firm reply, she snapped her head up in shock. Franz wore his usual arrogant, icy smile.
“Endure it.”
“Th-that’s…”
“There’s no turning back now, Eiela. And take this.”
He tossed an envelope onto the table. From it spilled her leather organizer, the ties undone carelessly. Eiela’s eyes widened.
“I saw the sketches. Very nice.”
Opening the notebook, she stared at the sketches of Franz.
Her face looked on the verge of tears, overwhelmed. Franz clicked his tongue.
“Don’t cry. It’s not like you’ve done anything right.”
“I’m not crying. I don’t have the face to.”
Her voice, surprisingly steady despite her trembling, twisted the corner of his mouth.
“So you do understand.”
Each sharp word cut into her like a blade. Her chest ached, yet her heart pounded faster—such a contradictory pain. She had never expected to feel this way toward the prince. That only made it worse.
Franz, too, was unsettled. He wanted to wound her, yes, but seeing her silent and cowed made his chest heavy. That he felt even this much disturbed him, fueling his anger further.
“What on earth are you?”
Eiela couldn’t answer. His harsh aura froze her tongue.
“What’s your true identity? What are you hiding?”
He ground his teeth, restraining the urge to shout.
The moment he had opened the notebook and seen his own likeness, an indescribable frustration had hit him. He didn’t understand what it meant, and his sharp reaction had come unbidden.
“Why won’t you answer? Of course—you couldn’t explain it even with ten mouths.”
“……”
Still, Eiela said nothing. She wished she could be honest, but she couldn’t. She knew how frustrated and angry he must feel, but she couldn’t bring herself to lie anymore either. She couldn’t be forthright, but she didn’t want to make a fool of herself either.
Watching her shrink and avoid his eyes, Franz felt a dark urge rise within him—to crush her, to break her.
“So that’s how you’ll play it.”
He stood abruptly, giving her a cold look.
“Fine. I’ll find out the truth in time. There’s no rush. Let’s see how long you can hide it. I hope you enjoy yourself while you can.”
His chilling warning drained the color from her face. She looked on the verge of collapse.
“I’ll make up for any losses you suffered because of me. I’m truly sorry.”
“Don’t just look for a sly way to be forgiven and escape.”
Because he had no intention of letting her go.
If she displeased him, he wanted her close where he could make her suffer—that was his nature, and it was in full force now.
Seeing that she only wanted forgiveness and release made him realize how furious he truly was. Though part of him understood her fear, he could not accept her trying to abandon everything now.
Since words weren’t moving her, he decided to change tactics.
“How exactly will you compensate me? With what? Do you have more money than I do?”
“That’s…”
“Eiela, don’t throw words like that around carelessly. Do you know what I might demand?”
Smiling faintly, eyes glinting, Franz coaxed her with soft words.
“I never make a deal where I lose. Even so, I agreed to one that gave me no profit—because it was an investment in the peace of my life. But you ruined that. So from now on, do it properly.”
With that, Franz turned coldly away.
“Oh, and one more thing.”
As if recalling something, he looked back at her.
Meeting his ice-blue eyes, Eiela’s heart clenched painfully. Of course he had every right to be angry—but why did she feel this added sting of sorrow and regret?
“Don’t expect me to forgive you twice. This time, I’m showing mercy. But if you disappoint me again, I won’t hold back. And it won’t end with just pointing out your mistakes.”
There was no kindness left in him. Offering mercy once more had cost him little, but it would not happen again.
With that final word, Franz left her behind without hesitation.
Watching his cold back recede, Eiela clutched at her chest. It hurt as if shards of glass were lodged in her heart.
“I’m sorry…”
Her slender shoulders trembled, and at last, the tears she had held back streamed down her cheeks.
Only now did she realize how painful it was to love someone.
At the same time, though, she felt a faint relief. Even in his anger, the prince hadn’t let go of her hand completely. For that, she was grateful.
She tried to console herself—it was, in a way, a blessing within misfortune. Any punishment could be endured, and if she could survive it, then perhaps it wouldn’t only be suffering.
“…Ha.”
It was a bitter comfort. To be tossed between heaven and hell by the prince—how foolish of her.
