Chapter 2

"You've disappointed me, Cordelia."

Tupac glared at Cordelia with disdain. The sweet, melting expression he had shown his sister was nowhere to be seen.

"You're disillusioning me. I never thought you'd be the kind of woman to assault your own sister."

"Assault? I just shook off her grip when she pulled my sleeve."

"That was too much. Priscilla almost fell, didn't she?"

Tupac embraced Priscilla as if she were a fragile object. Priscilla leaned into his gentle yet strong arms, looking content. The scene of the delicate young lady and the handsome young nobleman who protected her seemed like a scene from a play to those who didn't know the circumstances, a beautiful tableau.

(This makes me look like the villainous lady.)

As she glared coldly, Tupac glared back at her.

"Aren't you going to apologize? This is all your fault for not wanting to attend the dinner today, right?"

"I'm sorry for being absent, but I'm busy."

"Busy? That's all you've been saying. Don't you want to celebrate my engagement with me and my sister?"

"All I've been saying...?"

Cordelia frowned. It seemed Tupac had been eavesdropping on her conversation with Priscilla. That's why he was able to quickly support his sister when she stumbled.

"Were you listening to my conversation with my sister? And you still blame me?"

"Of course. Our engagement celebration is more important than your paperwork."

...

Who do you think made me so busy with paperwork?

The last bit of affection she had for him as her ex-fiancé vanished with those words.

(I thought you were more perceptive when we were engaged...)

Has he been so blinded by his love for his sister that he can't see anything else?

While Tupac was intoxicated by love, Cordelia's heart grew colder.

"Then, let me ask you, do you really want me to attend the dinner today?"

"Don't you understand? No matter how unpleasant your personality is, you're still Priscilla's sister. It would be unfair to Priscilla if her family is absent at her engagement celebration."

"That's true, I am Priscilla's sister. But I'm also your ex-fiancée. Don't you remember that I know your parents?"

"That's..."

Tupac hesitated. His parents, while not saints, were reasonable and proper nobles. They would never welcome Cordelia, his ex-fiancée, to the celebration.

It should have been obvious, but Tupac, lost in his love, didn't think it through. He mumbled and turned away, looking embarrassed.

"...I see. I'll tell my parents that you won't be attending."

"Tupac-sama, that's so... "

"I'm sorry, Priscilla. But our bond won't be shaken by Cordelia's absence."

Tupac said this irresponsibly and left as if fleeing.

(What a pitiful man. He's just drunk on love and himself.)

If he had been so focused on Priscilla that he ignored everything else, and if he had been determined to love her no matter what others said, Cordelia might have been able to support his new love as his ex-fiancée.

(But Tupac doesn't have that kind of resolve or determination. He just got carried away when his sister made a move.)

A beautiful girl declaring her love and hugging him must have felt good to him. He probably mistook his lust and sense of superiority for love. It was a typical flow for the indecisive and easily swayed Tupac.

"Tupac-sama... That's so cruel..."

Priscilla, left behind by Tupac, was on the verge of tears. To Cordelia, it didn't seem like something to cry over, but for Priscilla, who was always pampered, it was a big deal.

Cordelia decided to ask Priscilla one question.

"Priscilla, do you really love Tupac?"

"Yes, I do. Why do you ask?"

"What about Tupac do you love?"

Tupac was a handsome young noble, but he had no other notable qualities. This was the fourth time Priscilla had taken Cordelia's fiancé. Tupac had no clear common interests or personality traits with the previous three, and Cordelia was puzzled as to why her sister was infatuated with him.

"You don't need a reason to love someone, Onee-sama."

"Then why did it have to be Tupac? When did you start to love him?"

"When...? Hmm, maybe..."

Priscilla placed her finger on her chin and began to think. Her eyes, which had been teary, were now completely dry.

"Maybe it was when I saw Tupac-sama's side profile as he looked at Onee-sama?"

"Me?"

"Tupac-sama's eyes were so gentle and kind when he looked at Onee-sama... Before I knew it, I had fallen in love."

Priscilla, blushing and touching her cheek, looked like a girl in love. But despite her innocent appearance, Cordelia's heart was cold.

(I see. That's what it was.)

She remembered that it had always been like this.

---Onee-sama, I want that toy.

Priscilla had pointed to a toy that was Cordelia's birthday gift. Dolls, stuffed animals, candies, books, jewels, dresses—Priscilla always wanted what Cordelia had.

Cordelia's possessions, whether toys or dresses, were not particularly special. The reason was simply that they belonged to Cordelia.

There's a saying in a distant country that "the neighbor's grass is always greener." For Priscilla, her sister's possessions were the most attractive.

(But I never thought she would take my fiancé for such a reason...)

Priscilla was selfish, insensitive, and self-centered. Cordelia thought she was just being neglected by her sister and parents, not that they harbored any malice. On the surface, at least, Priscilla had no ill intentions. That's why her parents and others accepted her whims and allowed her to take things from Cordelia.

"Priscilla, I understand your feelings. But Tupac was my fiancé. Didn't you think about that at all?"

"Why? Why do you need to care about that?"

Priscilla tilted her head, like a bird. It wasn't an act. She genuinely didn't understand why Cordelia was asking such a question.

If Priscilla wanted something, it naturally became hers. She didn't care at all about the feelings of the person from whom she was taking it.

"Have you never thought that you were being unfair to me?"

"Why would I? Onee-sama didn't love Tupac-sama, did you? So—"

—It's fine if I take him, right?

Cordelia felt a sense of helplessness rather than anger at Priscilla's matter-of-fact statement. For nobles, an engagement was a kind of contract between families. It wasn't just a matter of love or infatuation. Even with her sister, having her fiancé taken away would damage Cordelia's reputation and hurt her emotionally.

"So, to you, my four broken engagements are nothing to worry about?"

"I feel sorry for Onee-sama, who has had four engagements broken... But if you think about it, it just means you can find a new fiancé. There's no problem, right?"

There was a big problem. Cordelia wanted to slap her innocent smiling sister and lecture her. But if she did, she would be blamed by her parents and Tupac, and she would be seen as the villain.

(I knew they spoiled her, but...)

Cordelia hadn't expected her to be this foolish. Priscilla had no understanding of the norms of noble society or the current situation of the Guenberg family.

Cordelia, who had been jilted three times, was treated like a sore spot in society. It was rare to find a man willing to marry her. Tupac was a fiancé she had finally found through her grandmother's connections.

The Guenberg family had no direct heirs other than Cordelia and Priscilla. That's why Cordelia, having given up on her unreliable sister and parents, had been trying to bring in a husband to continue the family line.

(This is hopeless...)

Cordelia decided to give up on her own marriage. She was already known as a lady who had been jilted four times. On top of that, Priscilla wanted her fiancé. Cordelia herself had lost any romantic or marital aspirations due to the men who had changed their minds about her.

"Priscilla, I'll ask you one more time. Do you really love Tupac? Do you wish to marry him and spend your life with him?"

"Of course, Onee-sama. Will you attend the wedding?"

Priscilla, beautiful, foolish, innocent, and greedy, smiled like a blooming flower. Cordelia didn't trust a single word she said.

Cordelia had been jilted four times in three years, which meant Priscilla had changed her mind about each fiancé four times. Priscilla probably just wanted her sister's fiancé and didn't find the fiancé themselves particularly attractive. She would likely lose interest once she got what she wanted, and Tupac would probably get tired of her in a few months. Even Tupac might get fed up with Priscilla's selfishness, and it was questionable how long his love would last.

"...Yes, please let me know when the wedding date is set."

Because it was an impossible future, Cordelia made the promise casually and sent her sister to the dinner. The chances of her spoiled sister finding a suitable fiancé were low. Since neither Priscilla nor Cordelia could have a proper marriage, they needed to find a successor for the Guenberg family.

(I need to go back to the estate and look for distant relatives...)

Cordelia's mind raced with information about her relatives. While her parents and sister's downfall was their own fault, she didn't want the Guenberg family, which her grandmother had protected, to decline. Many of the people in the estate looked up to her, and she couldn't just leave the servants unemployed.

In Cordelia's mind, the facts of her broken engagements and her sister were pushed to the side. She was angry and hurt, but the future of the Guenberg family and its stakeholders was more important.

(I want to go back to the estate and finish my work, but... I can't miss the ball in twenty days.)

It was a large ball hosted by a duke. Originally, it was planned to announce her engagement to Tupac to the gathered noble friends on that day. Declining at this point would cause friction, and it would be difficult to take a break.

Reluctantly, she decided to attend the ball.

---That night, an event would change Cordelia's fate, but she had no way of knowing it.

Thank you for reading.

The next part will be posted tomorrow night, so please look forward to it.