Chapter 1: That Seat Was Originally Meant for Me

At my engagement announcement party, my fiancé was holding my younger sister by the waist.

It was the Count’s spring evening gathering.

Originally, it was supposed to be a seat prepared for me, to present an engagement that had lasted seven years.

The flowers, the seating arrangements, and even the guest list had all been prepared for that purpose.

—At least, that was what I had been told.

But the one standing at the center of the stage was not me.

The connection with the Valentone Count’s family, which my father valued above all else.

And standing beside Frederick Valentone, the heir of that family, smiling shyly as she leaned close to him… was my younger sister, Cecil.

Neither my father nor my mother tried to stop it.

My mother lowered her eyes, and my father did not move even a single brow.

“Everyone, thank you for gathering here today.”

Frederick raised his glass.

The murmuring hall fell silent.

The chandelier’s light tangled in Cecil’s honey-colored hair.

As if this stage had been meant for her from the very beginning, it suited her perfectly.

Only I was made to stand at the edge of the stage.

“I have something I wish to tell you all tonight.”

A ripple of anticipation spread among the guests.

It seemed I was not the only one who had been told nothing.

Even so, I already understood.

The fact that Frederick would not look at me.

The way my mother nervously opened and closed her fan.

The way my father avoided meeting my gaze.

And the fact that Cecil looked as if she might cry, yet showed not the slightest hint of fear.

Ah, I thought only within my chest.

So it’s happening again.

“Lydia Evans.”

My name was called, and I stepped forward.

In that moment, all eyes in the hall gathered on me.

“I hereby break off our engagement.”

It was a clear, well-carrying voice.

A beat later, the hall stirred with noise.

It was neither outrage nor confusion.

Rather, it felt as if an unexpected piece of fine entertainment had just begun.

Seeing Cecil standing beside Frederick, the guests must have quickly understood the situation.

Fans opened, and gazes hiding smiles gathered toward me.

He was someone I had been engaged to for seven years.

It would be a lie to say I felt nothing.

Even so, what first surfaced deep in my chest was neither a scream nor tears.

—Ah, so this is the end.

It was a strangely quiet sense of relief.

“May I ask for the reason?”

When I asked, Frederick frowned just as I expected.

“The reason?”

“Yes. I believe breaking an engagement requires a proper explanation.”

“That’s exactly the problem.”

An irritated voice came back.

“You’re always saying what’s correct. Etiquette, logic, responsibility—those are all you ever talk about.”

“…Since this concerns an engagement, isn’t that only natural?”

“And you immediately start lining up arguments like that.”

He looked around, raising his voice even more.

“You’re not charming. You don’t even know how to support a man. Even though you’re my fiancée, you question my decisions and interfere in the affairs of the Count’s family. Who could feel at ease marrying a woman like that?”

What a cruel way to put it.

But before anger came, a strange sense of understanding settled in.

—Ah, so this is what he truly thought.

It seemed that the ledgers, contracts, and budgets were all things that could be dismissed with a single line of “a fiancée meddling where she shouldn’t.”

At that point, Cecil spoke up modestly.

“Please do not blame my sister, Lord Frederick.”

It was a trembling, adorable voice.

She had always been good at producing that kind of voice.

“My sister is a very admirable person. She’s far more intelligent than I am and can do anything… But precisely because of that, she cannot understand a man’s feelings.”

Her long eyelashes lowered softly.

“My sister is strong. She can do anything on her own without relying on anyone. But I cannot be like that. I… am always anxious about whether I’m doing the right thing…”

Then, as if hesitating, Cecil grasped Frederick’s sleeve.

“My sister will be fine. She has always been able to do everything on her own.”

“Cecil. You—”

“Father, Mother…”

As I opened my mouth, Cecil turned back toward our parents with an anxious look.

At once, my mother stepped forward as if she had been waiting for this moment.

“Lydia. That’s enough.”

“Enough of what?”

“That expression. Stop making that face as if you’re the victim.”

“As if I’m the victim…?”

It seemed they would not be satisfied unless they cast me as the villain, even after all this.

The inside of my chest grew cold.

“Lord Frederick has spoken honestly. This is for your sake as well.”

“For my sake?”

“Yes. Rather than clinging to someone who does not love you, it is far less unsightly to withdraw gracefully.”

My mother closed her fan and said it firmly.

“You’ve always been too serious. A woman needs charm. She must have a little vulnerability and know how to rely on others to be loved.”

“…”

“You can see for yourself that Cecil is more suited to Lord Frederick.”

My father continued in a low voice.

“The fact that you could not hold Lord Frederick’s heart is your failing. You should understand how important our connection to the Valentone Count’s family is. I will not allow you to damage that relationship here.”

“…”

“He has expressed that he would accept Cecil as his wife. You are intelligent, so for the sake of the family, you should quietly step aside.”

It was remarkable how they thought only of their own convenience.

And yet, strangely, I was not deeply hurt anymore.

This was nothing new.

To these parents, a daughter was nothing more than a pawn that moved according to their needs.

“I understand.”

Without showing any emotion, I quietly performed a curtsy.

For a moment, the hall fell silent.

“I accept the annulment of the engagement.”

“…You’re taking this rather easily.”

For some reason, dissatisfaction seeped into Frederick’s voice.

“Then how would you have preferred I react?”

“What?”

“Should I have cried and begged for forgiveness? Or perhaps caused a scene, saying I refuse to give you up to Cecil?”

“That way of speaking is exactly why you’re not charming!”

I let out a small sigh.

Until the very end, he was someone who could not be reasoned with.

“Understood. Then from now on, please seek such charming responses from Cecil.”

“Lydia!”

“However, may I confirm just one thing?”

My father frowned, and my mother made no effort to hide her displeasure.

But I had no intention of stopping anymore.

“I understand the annulment itself. However, what do you intend to do with the documents of the Count’s household that were entrusted to me as your fiancée?”

“…What?”

“The ledgers of our joint ventures, the renewal of the spring delivery contracts, the budget proposal for the autumn charity tea party, and the scheduling of next month’s estate inspection. There are quite a few matters that require handover.”

“What are you talking about?”

For the first time, Frederick showed genuine confusion.

“Those are things you handled on your own, aren’t they?”

“I confirmed everything with the head butler of the Count’s household.”

“I was never told!”

So he hadn’t known.

The woman he had thought of as merely a capable fiancée had been quietly supporting everything beneath his feet.

“Are you saying you annulled the engagement without knowing any of this?”

“…!”

“I did explain it to you several times.”

“How could I remember such trivial details!”

“I see.”

The atmosphere around us shifted slightly.

Among the gazes that had only been amused, a hint of appraisal began to mix in.

The faint smile disappeared from Cecil’s face.

“Sister… This is not the place to discuss such things…”

“Is it not? But it is important, isn’t it?”

For the first time, I looked straight at my younger sister.

“If you are going to stand beside Lord Frederick from now on, this is something you cannot avoid. You chose him with that resolve, did you not?”

Cecil’s lips trembled slightly.

“Sister, how cruel… If you say such things, I…”

As usual, Cecil’s eyes grew moist.

That alone was enough for Father and Mother to turn accusing gazes toward me.

Every time, they never grew tired of this act.

—And then.

“It’s quite lively here.”

A low, clear voice cut through the noise of the hall.