CH 53

“Oh my.”

Bianca’s perfectly smiled face was shattered by those words. Fabian, who stood behind her, powerless to intervene, felt the same way.

Celia could see the excitement in the eyes of those around her, which flashed with a burst of emotion. Celia could, in other words, have simply corrected the’mistake,’ but she did not.

She recognized Bianca’s character from the original story and deduced that she planned to confront her about it.

“Alright. Congratulations, Lady. I hope the Young Marquis is faithful to Lady.”

When Celia said it with a smile, Bianca’s face fury red. The ladies began to whisper, covering their faces with fans, in response to the nuance that piqued people’s interest.

Celia had received several letters and gifts from Fabian. All of them were disposed of by Leonis’ order, but it didn’t stop the servants from talking about it.

“Tha-Thank you.”

Bianca responded quickly, attempting to control her facial expression.

Celia’s eyes gleamed with kindness as she regarded Bianca, as though Celia as her superiors were also generous. Following that, Fabian was seen looking angry.

It was as if she had insulted his other fiancee, whom he had brought in, since Celia had deceived him and married a better man.

‘​​That’s a delusion of persecution.’

When she became engaged to him, Celia discovered how naive and small the world was.

She was now aware of how snooty, manipulative, and cunning Fabian was when he was hiding behind a mask because she has reclaimed her memories from her past life.

That’s why, when I was younger, I liked you.

If she had been ten years older, she would have never even known about him. She thought her father’s demands had to be followed, that she had to marry her betrothed at that moment.

She would have stuffed her socks in that mouth where he was talking arrogantly if she had even half of the recollections from her past life at the moment, but Celia grinned widely instead.

‘That’s why I liked you when I was young.’

She would not have even met him if she had been 10 years older. She believed her father’s words were binding, and she was obligated to marry her fiance at the time.

At that time, even if she had only half of the memories of her previous life, She would have put her socks in that mouth where he was talking presumptuously, despite that Celia smiled broadly.

Then, Fabian approached her.

“……Congratulations on your marriage, Madam.”

“Yes. Congratulations on the Young Master’s engagement.”

Even a formal smile to him was a waste. 

However, the looks from people close to them were sharp. Fabian gazed at Celia with a countenance full of things to say, then he cast a suspicious glance in Leonis’ direction.

Celia hid her desire to kick her tongue when she saw Fabian close his mouth as if he was scared of looking at Leonis’ cold eyes.

If Fabian was a screeching badger, then Leonis was a beast who could tear him apart with just one claw.

‘By the way, do you know what a badger’s cry sounds like? Does that sound like a screech?’

Whether or not he knew what she was thinking, Fabian was  still upset.

He wished he could grab Celia and whisper to her, but the Duke of Cardian was too close. When he saw those piercing eyes, Fabian’s body shrank and he felt like he was going to cut his throat at once.

Later, after he had already shown a fearful attitude in front of Celia, he attempted to puff out his chest in an effort to explain what had occurred.

‘Oh my!’

“Do you have anything more to say?”

Celia approached him with a friendly smile on her face, and she looked stunning. There could not be a more stunning duchess than her.

When Fabian saw her in the arms of a Cardian monster as she grew into a young and beautiful Duchess, his viscera were turned upside down.

Then I should have taken your words seriously.

He wanted to say that he didn’t want her to fall into the monster’s arms, but Celia seemed perfectly content with him. It was unbelievable.

‘It must be all acting!’

I’ll throw them all away, so let’s run away together. When she begged me, where did my heart go? Fabian couldn’t believe her feelings for him had vanished.

His heart could be cold toward her, but Celia’s shouldn’t be.

Fabian felt a surge of rage, but it vanished when Leonis and his eyes met, like a shabby candle soaked in sea water.

“Young Marquis. My wife is asking.”

Fabian braced his wobbly legs, as if daring to ignore his lovely wife’s words.

“Happiness……I hope you find happiness.”

Leonis’ eyes narrowed as he barely uttered those words. Celia smiled politely and calmly before moving on to the other nobles.

Fabian flushed and turned away, having imagined that those parting words would be so pathetic and heartbreaking that they would make Celia cry even a single tear.

He thought Bianca was right next to him, but she was a few steps away, her fierce eyes glaring at him.

What did I do? You are at the blame!

“Th-then…..”

Fabian tried to grab Bianca’s wrist as he hurried away. Bianca wanted to shake him off, but she couldn’t due to the crowd of people watching them.

A scapegoat was present at every party, ball, and banquet. That day, he made the most obnoxious and glamorous mistakes and became the subject of everyone’s gossip.

“Oh my, my……Look at that runaway cockroach.”

“The Duchess of Cardian appears to have fallen out of love with her ex-fiance.”

“They said the duchess tried to avoid the marriage before she got married…….”

After receiving word from the Marquis that she would marry the Duke of Cardian, Celia fought hard. She approached the noble ladies related to the emperor and begged to them that she could not marry the Duke of Cardian because she loved Fabian.

The aristocratic women had comforted her during the humiliation. They were so close together that they feared Fabian and Celia would run away.

Contrarily, Fabian has avoided Celia ever since a banquet.

Celia, on the other hand, did not have to wait around in that way. After speaking with Fabian, she turned around and went to greet the ladies.

The ladies were guessing at the time because Celia had not expressed her feelings for Fabian.

Because that noble young man was afraid of the Duke of Cardian, he first said his goodbyes to his poor lover.

The ladies felt sorry for Celia as she grew paler and withered by the day. Their sympathy grew as it was revealed that she had passed out on the wedding day.

The Duke of Cardian and Celia, who were present in the ballroom today, were not the same. Her face was beaming with joy, despite that the effects of her severe illness were still visible.

Furthermore, the Duke of Cardian was completely devoted to her.

People who were familiar with the Duke of Cardian’s appearance at the ball whispered that he had changed due to his wife.

Duke Cardian’s passionate love is said to have opened Celia’s heart.

“Whenever he betrays….. Lady Rizalus must exact vengeance on her fiance.”

“When will she retaliate against her fiance? If you are unfaithful, you are born with it…….”

“Right. Who else knows? He took his eyes off even when he was engaged to the Duchess of Cardian…..”

Bianca’s fists clenched as she heard the ladies’ voices, who were clamoring to be heard. She went to say her goodbyes to Celia, not expecting this to happen.

Fabian needs to clarify when she hears that he is attempting to approach Celia again. He was previously engaged to her, but Bianca is now his woman. However…. 

‘This is bad.’

Her position seemed to have crumbled at the mention of that word, which had a lot of meaning. She claimed to have made him as her husband by her own power, but it felt as if she had picked up something she (Celia) had previously used.

‘Why me? I am a Rizalus!’

Even the Viscount family could not refuse Rizalus’ power. Her father agreed to her marriage to the Marquis of Yersil, the sphere of influence, because the second prince, Phil, helped them in many ways.

She had ambition to grow her family’s business to the level of a duke of Cardian when she became a marchioness.

She wanted to use what she had to attack Celia, but it was impossible. Even though Rizalus had a sizable business, it was nothing compared to the Duke of Cardian’s.

In a nutshell, How could her father have asked her to marry the Young Marquis of Yersil?

“It was a waste for such a position, so I accepted it……Even the most shallow minds should not try to defeat and try to emulate the Duchess of Cardian.”

“Now….This isn’t the time. But someday……”

Fabian led Bianca to a corner of the ballroom. As soon as they entered the dimly lit area between the pillar and the window, he let go of Bianca’s arm.

“What are you doing? I’ve told you that saying goodbye right now wasn’t a good idea!”

As Fabian lowered his voice and shouted at Bianca, his face was filled with rage. 

“Then should I run away? It’s the Duke of Cardian! Of course we’re in a position to greet them.”

“However, it doesn’t have to be right now…….”

Fabian, who was about to continue speaking, frowned as he made eye contact with the nobleman approaching them with a glass of wine. When they found him, the nobleman and his entourage turned around.

Bianca snarled and glared angrily at Fabian.

“I have to go see my friend. I’ll have the attendant call you when it’s time for me to return, so don’t bother looking for me until then.”

“I beg your pardon?”

Fabian was perplexed for a moment, however Bianca didn’t even care. She walked away from the pillar, not looking back at Fabian.

When Fabian saw Bianca poking her way through the crowd, greeting the nobles she came across in the dazzling light, he became enraged.

‘Will she call me when it’s time for me to return?’

It was as if she had turned him into a servant who had to call the coachman.

Lady, how dare you!

‘Do you treat me this way because my family helped you out financially?’

Fabian contemplated whether or not he should pursue Bianca again, but in his current mood, he decided against it.

Because the Rizalus Family was already involved in so many businesses, the Marquis of Yersil would bear the brunt of the consequences if the engagement was broken.

‘Celia is……Celia has never been so indifferent to me!’

To quell his anger, Fabian took a glass of champagne from a passing waiter’s tray. He quickly emptied his glass, but his rage did not subside easily.