When My Enemies Began to Regret

“…Pardon?”

“Does revenge come from empty land? They all… plant seeds and water them first to give them an excuse.”

Tuk, tuk, tuk. Aloken placed his hand on the table and crossed his index fingers and middle finger. It looked like a person was walking.

“Had they known they would die later, would they have behaved like that? Most of them will save themselves. Well, of course, children who were avenged thought that… they wouldn’t be harmed and thoughtlessly created an excuse.”

“…”

“But isn’t revenge the right thing? Since they touched that person freely first, it’s up to that person how they would pay back.”

Don’t be stingy.

When Fanora heard Aloken whisper in a low voice, she felt bitter momentarily. Her heart was drawn to the evil remarks he uttered. It was as if he was justifying his revenge.

“Stop talking nonsense.”

It was like a whisper from the devil. Even knowing that Fanora couldn’t deny it strongly. Deep down, she was also justifying her revenge and judged that they deserved it. Even though she was just actually a trashy criminal.

‘Excuse,’ ‘Seed,’ ‘Causes.’ Although she made excuses that the victim provided those, the fact that she couldn’t control her anger and was a vicious person beyond the lad was unchanging.

“Well, what a strange conversation.”

However, Aloken seems to have a taste for such an unrecoverable villain. He led the conversation with an indifferent expression.

“If anyone hears it, they will think I’m a murderer. How did this topic come up? Rose just died in a very, very unfortunate accident.”

Isn’t it intentional if he dared to bring up the story of Rose here?

As Fanora looked at him puzzled, Aloken grinned again, bending her eyes and starting to smile.

When Panora looked at her with a dumbfounded face, Aloken began to smile, bending her eyes and smiling.

“Or do you mean you’re the murderer? Don’t worry, Fanora. I’m willing to turn a blind eye to your minor flaws.”

“There’s a point of being shameless…!”

“Right. Even if you insult me like this, please look at me with a generous heart.”

Fanora was agitated by his joke. So she brought the innocent drink to her mouth so she wouldn’t be caught. That he hit the nail on the head.

“!”

But the moment the glass was removed from her mouth. Aloken watched Fanora’s face, then half-rise from the chair he was sitting in and reached out. As a tall adult approached her, she had no choice but to shrink as she was accustomed to, despite having the power.

“…?”

At that moment, the warmth reached her back. He held Fanora’s nape in one hand and looked at her calmly.

“Why do you keep making excuses?”

“W-what….”

“How many more reasons are you going to give me that you can’t love me?”

She was clumsy in skinship. The fact that her body was touched by someone else made her feel awkward, and the nape of her neck that he touched was so tense. Fanora found this situation unpleasant. However, Aloken wouldn’t let her go.

“Will you be interested in me if we overlap our lips?”

Fanora stiffened for a moment. But Aloken didn’t show any more drastic action.

“Did you ask me if I liked you? Now I understand.”

After a while, he let go of Fanora and instead took his cane, which had been leaning against the table. In that state, Aloken looked down at Fanora and said calmly, “I will only feel better if you become my wife.”

Freed from restraint, Fanroa raised her head in response while sitting in the chair. “Why is it me? Do you think I look rare because I don’t have a good personality or appearance?”

“Keep talking.”

“It’s just that your judgments are distorted because you can have me now. If you have me, you will get tired of me quickly. Do you think I’m experiencing something like this for the first time?”

Fanora no longer longed for love. Having ruined so much time in exchange for wanting love, now that four letters frightened her.

To make fun of me again and turn your back on me! If she didn’t give her trust in the first place, she wouldn’t have been hurt. And all the accidents could be prevented in advance. So Fanroa set up thorn and glared to protect herself.

“Not your first time? …Did Naverius ever act like that in the past?”

“…”

“And now you dare to compare me with that bastard!” Aloken shouted in anger.

Fanora winced upon hearing that and furrowed her eyes.

“Sigh…”

Did he notice that she was surprised? Aloken looked down at Fanora’s gaze and soon calmed down his anger. He later turned his eyes and then said, “I don’t know, nor do I want to know, why Naverius fell for you.”

“…”

“What is certain is that the reason why I have this feeling must be completely different from him.”

Aloken’s feelings must mean love. She could tell from the flow of the conversation.

“For what reason?”

Fanora urged him to bring up the next words. It was a sarcastic tone as if asked if he was trying to fall in love on purpose.

“Fanora, you acknowledge me like this.”

However, she didn’t expect such an answer.

“Acknowledge…”

“When I just said my views on revenge. You agree, right?”

“…”

“What did I do to Rose, who tried to hurt you… Even though you know the answer, you’re still drinking here with me and conversing with me.”

Tak. The tip of his cane touched the solid floor of the terrace. A cold sound filled the surroundings.

“There are many cruel nobles in this world anyway. So, at least, it’s better for someone to be cruel for you.”

He smiled warmly like a fox. Was it because of his smile or because of what he said? Fanora couldn’t answer as usual and shut her mouth.

“Oh, dear. It’s already sunset. Your parents will hate me if I send their daughter back too late while we’re still engaged, right?” It was a little later. Aloken looked around and noticed that the color of the sky had changed.

Fanora got up from her seat and broke the belated silence. “Still, my position won’t change. Looking back at what I said when I first asked for the contract, you will see why.”

Aloken Jalier. The best groom in the kingdom. It was true that even Fanora, who went through life twice, would be shaken when such an attractive person approached her.

“I hate this relationship.”

Nevertheless, Fanora did not break down the wall that protected her. After saying that, she frowned and left the terrace. Aloken, with a subtle expression, followed slowly.

Fanora thought that he was listening to Aloken’s footsteps. I can’t annul the engagement at this time as I’m still in the middle of approaching Vasago… This is driving me crazy.

Things got complicated, and her head hurt. But what to do? The water had been spilled. Fanora now decided to focus on taking care of herself rather than blaming others. Her contract with him will end one day anyway.

I don’t know.

After all her revenge, she would walk out of this painful and boring novel. If she remained silent and acted coldly in the future, he will get tired of her on his own. Fanora got into the carriage on the first floor with an easy-going plan.

“Fanora.”

However, Aloken, who had been quiet until they entered the carriage together, drove a wedge as soon as the door closed.

“Rest yourself in the mansion for the time being. Let’s see each other at the end of summer. I will make time to invite you to the north.”

“Who said I will go?”

“Of course, you will have to go. You don’t want to spread rumors in society that our engagement has been annulled, right?”

Aloken must have enjoyed the game of reading numbers quite a bit. As if it had been calculated that Fanora would ignore his call in the future, he brought up the reason why she had no choice but to accept his invitation one step ahead.

It’s all my fault. This is the grave I dug.

Once this threat had begun, she had no choice. Fanora implicitly made a gesture that she had lost by not arguing further. Still, it was true that she was annoyed by him, so instead, she kept silent until the carriage arrived at Celsius Mansion.

“Then be careful…”

It was a few minutes later. When the carriage reached the county, Fanora opened the opposite door and sped away. Aloken, who was left behind, made eye contact with the butler who was following him in the back carriage and then went back to his mansion alone without much complaint.

“Did you move all your stuff?”

“The first floor is not organized yet. However, it will be ready by tomorrow morning.”

“Prepare briefly.”

He then arrived at the Jalier Mansion in the capital. This year’s social season had also come to an end. Like other nobles, Aloken Jalier needed to return to his estate to spend the rest of the season.

“The building here isn’t bad either.”

Does he have any small regret?

Leaving behind the first floor, where the servants were busy, he headed for the office on the mansion’s second floor. This place had a good view, and you could see the capital at a glance through the glass window behind the desk.

“Butler.”

“Yes, Duke.”

“I have some invitations to send before I leave the capital. First of all…”

Aloken said to the butler, who followed him like a shadow. It was an order to invite his fiancée and some young ladies of her age who could be his fiancée’s companions to the Jalier family’s picnic during the summer vacation season.

“Are you quite concerned about Lady Celsius?”

From the butler’s point of view, he was puzzled. He knew that the reason why his master was engaged to the Celsius family was to obtain the title. However, the succession had already ended, so there was no benefit to be gained from continuing friendship with such a small family. But why is he still maintaining a relationship?

“Your Grace, are you going to annul the engagement a little later?”

“No. I’m going to marry her.”

“Aah… I see.”

The old man nodded his head with his hands behind his back. However, a few seconds later, the butler, who was mulling over his master’s remarks, abandoned his calm face and looked surprised.

“Marry?! Marriage?!”

Aloken didn’t react much to the loud noise. It was a topic he had been thinking about for a long time anyway, so he was just saying it.

“Why with Lady Celsius?”

“You’re saying that because you don’t know her worth.”

The butler’s master turned his back and pointed at the window. The castle of Kasius, shining in the night, was clearly visible from afar.

“I’m not an idiot like a dead man.”

* * *

It was a week later. When it was concluded that Naverius’s death was a simple accident from falling down after being drunk, his family stood up for him. They asked for a reinvestigation, saying their carefully raised successor couldn’t die unexpectedly like this. Since the nobles stepped out, of course, the request was accepted.

However, it had been raining since dawn this morning in the capital. Even in the afternoon, the scene was already damaged by the rain that continued to fall. It was difficult to repeat collecting the statements because the nobles at the ball at that time began to return to their estates one by one.

In the meantime, on the other side of the capital, a corpse that was clearly a murderer came out. Someone died somewhere today, and the investigators struggled with the rush of work. It was to the extent that they didn’t have time to worry about even that has already passed.