When My Enemies Began to Regret

Chapter 24

9. To The Female Protagonist (1)

Translated by alyalia

“Vanora.”

Naverius called my name in a trembling voice. I always looked at him with my innocent eyes and smiled repeatedly.

“Naverius, I’m so sorry. Of course, I know you’re a good person.”

“Yes. As expected, you like me, right?”

“But don’t you hate me, Naverius?”

I was no longer the Vanora used to be. My eyes no longer saw Naverius as my savior. I had a disappointed look on my face as if all expectations had been shattered.

“W-Why would I hate you? No one in this world thinks of you as much as I do…”

However, he shut his mouth at the words from me that followed.

“Since you found out that I like insects, you always said it was a disgusting hobby. And I’ve heard your friend pick up what you had been talking about. You told your friends that I am a dull and ugly woman. You also said that you will reap the rewards if I follow you for good.”

“…”

“But I wasn’t surprised to hear that. Because I secretly felt that you were starting to get tired of me.”

Everything I said was true. Naverius was bewildered by this and tried to argue something. But I was faster at bringing up the next words.

“I like someone who loves even my shortcomings.”

“…”

“So I will give you freedom. Now our plan to marry is over. In the future, we will never get involved again.”

As Panora struck a wedge with her pitiful face, the atmosphere quickly subsided. Naverius had never heard a cold word from Vanora. Maybe that’s why the one side of his head felt like it had been poured with cold water, so he couldn’t even get angry.

‘I wish I had said this much.’

I felt tired of keeping a straight face. So I put an end to this conversation. This is because I had to maintain some friendship with him for my revenge in the future.

“But as we talked, I got it. Naverius, you came here because you were really worried that I was being deceived by Aloken, right?”

“What…?”

“As I said before, you have a good personality.”

I bent my eyes and began to smile calmly. Unlike the timid and awkward smile of the original me, it showed tenderness. I already made harsh remarks, but now I changed my words to a soothing words, just like whipping a horse and giving carrots alternately.

“You must be tired of me because I’m not good enough.”

“…”

“So that’s fine. You will find a better match for you as you become free.”

At those words, Naverius only looked at my innocent face and shook his head after a long time.  He had nothing more to say to me. Because every time he tried to make excuses, he remembered a scene of himself undermining Vanora in order to pretend to be strong in front of his friends.

“Cough, cough.”

I coughed a dry cough a few times to keep the scenario that I was ill.

“Then go back. The sun is hot today.”

In other words, it was a euphemism for ‘get lost.’ However, Naverius stood in a place and only licked his lips. To this, I said calmly,

“If we meet at a party someday, let’s say hello again. Just because our arranged marriage was broken doesn’t mean our friendship is broken too.”

“Ah, that…”

“Butler! Here, the young master of the Demangdwi family is going home, so take him to the carriage.”

I called out the far-sighted servant in a butler’s uniform with a loud voice. Then, I went inside the mansion under the pretext of being sick. As a result, Naverius was under pressure and had no choice but to return to the carriage he had been riding.

* * *

“Did it go well?”

“…”

Sitting in the carriage with a blank look, Naverius was asked by the escort knight accompanying him on this outing. But how can he answer this?

‘She didn’t like me?’

Naverius was a man with a deep narcissism. So he couldn’t possibly say that he was not chosen by the ghostly woman hiding in the mansion because of a man who was as good-looking as himself and not lacking anything.

“That’s it. They say Aloken is so oppressive that it can’t be helped. As expected, calling him a northern bastard is suited well. So what if he’s the Duke? He only stole someone else’s woman.”

“Is that so?”

After some time, the carriage of the Demangdwi family departed. At first, Naverius had said that as a bluff, but the more he thought about it, the more he noticed something.

‘How did this happen?’

He was sure that Vanora was within reach of his hand not too long ago. It wasn’t long before that boring woman became his wife. But everything changed completely in one day.

Naverius stomped his foot on the floor of the carriage for nothing. He felt annoyed. Still, his wrath was directed at the Aloken, who stole her, who was supposed to get married with him.

“Abominable bastard.”

He gritted his teeth in thought.

‘That’s right. After all, Aloken Jalier must have a plan.’

The little Duke couldn’t really fall for such a lowly woman. In the social world, Aloken bragged that he had fallen in love with Vanora at first sight and proposed to her, but Naverius believed that was not the case.

‘The future is so obvious.’

Obviously, Vanora will be unhappy.

In Naverius’s mind, the image of Vanora regretting being taken advantage of by Aloken was portrayed.

* * *

“Ouch! I shouldn’t have sewed when it was dark.”

Time passes, 11:50 p.m.

After trying to appease Naverius, I lost my energy and only read books, so it was already this time. I decided to stay up until midnight and practice embroidery. The other noble ladies were educated in various arts under their mother since birth, but I was neglected, so there were many shortcomings.

“It hurts.”

Of course, it wasn’t that I never had an etiquette education. However, my memories with Hanar were always full of fear and hate because Hanar was so strict and didn’t give me a single compliment to me.

Before regressing, I hated the time to study manner, which was only full of moments of me being scolded by her. It was even more heartbreaking to see my younger brother being hugged even if he made a mistake next to me. That’s why I disliked things related to manners, so naturally, there were many parts that I was inferior to others.

“Uh…”

However, I couldn’t neglect my studies just because I didn’t like them or because I was scolded. The essential education for young ladies were embroidery, art, and music. After all, that person is also a noble lady.  It was difficult to even say a word to Vasago.

“The needle hole is too small.”

I was studying embroidery alone like that, and finally, a clear sound rang out.

Daeng. Daeng. Daeng. 

As the large grandfather clock in the hallway signaled midnight, I saw magical letters that shone brightly in front of me. This was the start of another week again.

“!”

* * *

9. To the female protagonis

「#1 Countess Creed’s Salon

On the last day of spring, a fateful encounter came to Vasago. Aloken, son of the Duke Louis Jalier, appeared there.」

‘But why is the script like this?’

「#1 Countess Creed’s Salon

On the last day of spring, a fateful encounter came to Vasago. Aloken, son of the Duke Louis Jalier, appeared there. Vasago sees him approaching her, and she thinks that the heir of the aristocratic faction leader is boldly trying to spy on her.

Aloken: This is the first time we have met in person. How have you been?

Vasago: The fireplace here must be very hot for you who came from the north, so I don’t know if you can stay here.

Aloken: It sounds like you’re telling me to get out of here.

Vasago: Because you don’t fit the purpose of this salon.

Aloken: Wasn’t this a place to discuss each other’s philosophies about art? I am also interested in art and poetry, Lady Guelder.

Vasago made frowns on her face」

“The last day of spring? Vasago and Aloken are meeting at the salon today?”

It was certainly not strange to look at the two families. The Guelder family, to which Vasago belonged, was simply a Duke family with the power equal to royalty. On top of that, it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that Aloken also engulfed all the northern territories of this kingdom, so it wasn’t weird to see both of them hanging around.

“I didn’t know that the Aloken family belonged to the aristocratic faction.”

Seeing that Vasago was hostile like that, does the Guelder family belong to another political faction?

I didn’t know much about this information because I was out of society.

‘Come to think of it, when the novel first started, there was Aloken name in the list of the characters.’

I thought about it as I wrote the text that appeared in front of me today in my diary.

‘If Vasago and Aloken become friends, maybe I will be introduced to Vasago, and I can approach Vasago?’

Thinking about that, this information was like gold that came from the novel that I had been swearing for a while.

‘From this novel, I can learn a lot about her as much as I deal with Vasago as the protagonist. I even learn from her favorite lemon juice to her preferred drawing style.’

I even thought of seizing the seat of Vasago’s friend in the future. There’s no way I can take revenge normally on Vasago, who was surrounded by escort knights. But even if she was a princess, she wouldn’t be with her escort knights every time she had tea time with her best friend.

‘That’s right. Poison. I like that. I’m going to poison Vasago.’

If I lay low calmly and wait for the right time, the opportunity is bound to come.

‘I used Aloken only for the engagement relationship and tried to keep our distance, but it would be a different story if what happened in the novel was right.’

I decided to check whether Vasago and Aloken had encountered each other at the salon, as I read from the novel today. It would be strange if I asked if he had met Vasago right away, so it would be good to bring up the topic at the engagement ceremony.

* * *

…There was a time when I thought that.

“Cecil… Can you repeat what you said once more?”

Chirp. Chirp. Chirp.

At the next morning.

I rose from my seat to the unpleasant chirping of birds at high notes. And the news Cecil brought was before I even ate my meal.

‘Why can’t the midnight magic predict this future?’

“Lord Aloken Jalier is not at the main door. He asked me to call Lady.”

‘I mean, at least tell me something before you come…’

Cecil showed up in a cold sweat in the morning while holding out a silver tray. A gold brooch was placed neatly on a tray. Aloken sent an item with the Duke’s seal to announce his visit.

“Why is he here?”

Why would a man who was busy with the matter of his father’s new will come by?

Isn’t he supposed to be busy calling lawyers by now and manipulating them to get the successor’s position?

‘Is there a problem in the process? Or does he need my help?’

I pondered briefly.

However, Cecil’s arm, holding the silver tray, was about to fall off. So I eventually snatched the brooch from it and put a simple shawl over my clothes.

“I’m going downstairs to meet him, so you better prepare something in the dining room.”

“Wh-What about the Count?”

“I don’t know. He would have looked for my father, not me if it was something important. Don’t bother reporting such trivial things.”

“Yes, Lady.”

I then ran halfway to the main door.

“Ah, Lady Vanora! Right now, the young master of the Duke is at the front of the main door…”

“I know. Open the door.”

With the help of the mansion knights, I saw something pretty familiar when the huge door was open.