Chapter 40

"Cordeia..."

A rough voice echoed through the dim alley.

It was a slender young man. His clothes were worn, but the fabric was of high quality, and the embroidery was intricate, not the attire of a commoner.

He was thin, with prominent cheekbones, but his eyes held a fierce light.

(It's all because of him that I...)

The young man was staring at an old confectionery shop in the capital.

He was waiting for Cordeia, who had gone to buy sweets.

The young man, Bedier, was Cordeia's first fiancé.

As the fourth son of the Bedurda family, it was difficult for Bedier to inherit the family estate.

He had to establish a livelihood by becoming an officer, but then an offer of marriage into the Guenberg family was proposed by Cordeia's parents.

Cordeia Guenberg.

The eldest daughter of a baron's family, she had no brothers.

If she were to marry, she would eventually become the head of the Guenberg family.

Bedier quickly agreed to the engagement and met Cordeia.

At the time, Cordeia was 15 years old and gave the impression of being more mature than her age.

She stood straight and greeted Bedier, who was meeting her for the first time, without hesitation.

Though she wore little makeup and had no adornments, she was generally considered beautiful.

A plain woman, but a suitable fiancée.

Bedier thought it was not a bad engagement, but...

"Nice to meet you, I'm Priscilla. You're Bedier, right?"

He was captivated not by Cordeia, but by her sister, Priscilla.

The moment he saw Priscilla, Cordeia became a mere background.

She was so strikingly lovely and beautiful.

(...Damn, but her beauty was only skin-deep...)

Bedier spat out bitterly.

At first, Priscilla had looked at Bedier with a passionate and devoted gaze.

That was why he had broken off his engagement with Cordeia and switched to Priscilla...

But their honeymoon, which began after they fell in love, ended very quickly.

Priscilla knew no restraint, demanding one expensive gift after another.

If he refused, she would scold him, and even when he gave her gifts, her gratitude was fleeting.

Bedier's affection for Priscilla rapidly diminished.

No matter how beautiful she was, once he got used to her, it was over.

Unable to endure her constant unreasonable demands, they eventually broke up.

After being burned by Priscilla, Bedier broke off his engagement, but he was not pessimistic.

Bedier was a handsome man with silver hair and had been involved with several women.

There are as many women as there are stars.

It would be easy to find a suitable beauty and propose to her.

...But Bedier's expectations were never met.

(Fuck...!! They all look down on me...!!)

The baron's daughters of his rank dismissed him as being out of his league.

When he proposed to a viscount's daughter, she flatly rejected him.

Even a minor baron's daughter turned him down.

Once, Bedier had been popular among the daughters, but only as a casual lover.

No daughter wanted to marry a man with a bad reputation for breaking off his engagement with Cordeia.

(It's all because Cordeia accepted the engagement break...!!)

Bedier had not thought it would be easy to break off his engagement with Cordeia.

He had planned to force her to comply, but to his surprise, she readily accepted the break.

"...I understand. I accept the engagement break. I cannot have an unfaithful person as the next head of the Guenberg family."

Her words were harsh and unforgiving.

If she had at least shown some reluctance or shed a tear, it might have been different, but Cordeia showed no sign of being hurt and handled the engagement break in a businesslike manner.

If Cordeia had clung to him and begged him not to leave, Bedier would not have been deceived by Priscilla and would not have fallen into poverty.

(Therefore, this is my just action.)

Cordeia must take responsibility.

She is, after all, just a woman.

Once they are alone, if he disciplines her, she will surely listen to him.

Fortunately, it appears that Bedier is the one who broke off the engagement.

So, he can create a scenario where Cordeia seeks reconciliation, and he accepts it.

Cordeia's parents were not very interested in her, so they would not oppose a re-engagement.

(About time for Cordeia to come out of the shop...?)

Just as he was about to approach the confectionery shop to kidnap Cordeia—

"...A cat?"

A golden cat stood in his path.

It seemed a bit too fat and had a fierce gaze, but it was still a small animal.

"Get out of my way—ouch?!"

Sharp pain shot through his leg as he tried to kick it.

A piece of his pants flew, and blood seeped through.

The cat had scratched him.

"You little—!! What the hell?!"

His attempt to stomp and kick the cat missed.

As he was being toyed with by the agile cat, Cordeia walked out of the shop.

"Damn!!"

He couldn't afford to waste time with the cat.

Cordeia had a carriage waiting on the main street.

He needed to catch up with her before she got in.

"Wait—what?!"

Thump.

He received a shock from behind and fell to the ground.

"Ah!"

He turned his gaze to see what had hit him—

"Ah!"

He met the eyes of a beast.

It was not a cat. It was not a small, cute creature.

A golden beast, much larger than Bedier, had pounced on him and pinned him down.

"W-What—?!"

Warm breath hit his nose.

The beast's jaw was inches from his face.

It was close, large, and he couldn't escape. It was getting closer.

The beast bared its fangs at Bedier's face—

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"AAAAAAHHHHH—!!"

At the scream, Cordeia turned around.

The maid, who had accompanied her from the baron's estate, looked in the direction of the scream to protect Cordeia.

"What's happening...?"

Cordeia blinked.

The scream was unusual and sounded familiar.

As she watched, the maid was gathering information from a passerby.

"A man suddenly screamed, saying he saw a monster and is now in a state of panic."

"Monster...? Where?"

"...It seems there is nothing there. It might be a misunderstanding or a hallucination... The man tried to draw a weapon, so the people around him restrained him."

"Troubling..."

Cordeia frowned and looked in the direction where the crowd had gathered.

From the other side of the crowd, a man's voice could be heard shouting.

(Could that voice be Bedier...?)

Bedier, her former fiancé, was a bitter memory for Cordeia.

Though the engagement was arranged by her parents, he was still her fiancé.

She had tried to be a good partner, but...

Bedier chose Priscilla, trampling on Cordeia's efforts.

Being abandoned by Bedier was Cordeia's first experience of an engagement break.

It was painful and heartbreaking, and it felt as if everything about her was being negated.

But as a baron's daughter, she could not cry and wail, so she focused on the formalities to distract herself.

(...Thinking about that unpleasant person...)

If the man screaming was indeed Bedier, it would be troublesome to get involved.

She quickly left the scene, her expression firm, and reached for the carriage door—

"...Hmm?"

Something fell from the roof of the carriage.

A blue flower landed on her head.

"Delphinium...?"

Why was it here, even though it was in season?

Holding the delphinium, Cordeia tilted her head in confusion—

"Meow."

"Ah?"

A voice and presence from behind.

Turning around, she saw a golden cat running away and delphinium scattered on the ground.

(Could that cat...?)

Did it bring her the delphinium?

Though puzzled, Cordeia gathered the delphinium in her hands.

The soft blue petals and delicate white center were fresh and swayed in the wind.

Cordeia loved blue delphinium.

She hadn't seen them up close in a long time because they would be taken by Priscilla if she planted them in the garden.

"Beautiful..."

She murmured softly and got into the carriage with the delphinium in her hand.

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Watching Cordeia leave in the carriage, Leonhardt, in the form of a lion cub, sighed in relief.

(I'm glad she's safe. With this, Bedier shouldn't be able to trouble Cordeia anymore.)

Leonhardt knew Bedier's face and name from a report by Heilroot, which included a sketch.

He had noticed Bedier waiting to ambush Cordeia.

Though he didn't think Cordeia would fall into his trap, there was a possibility.

(I couldn't just leave it be.)

First, Leonhardt stopped Bedier in the form of a lion cub, then as a full lion.

As a result, Bedier was restrained as a suspicious person trying to draw a weapon.

(This is a good opportunity to take further action.)

Leonhardt had been wary of Bedier.

Thanks to this, he had gathered some important information.

Bedier had embezzled money from his family's estate to compensate for what he had given to Priscilla.

(If the charge of embezzlement is added to the suspicion of wielding a weapon in the city, he should be imprisoned.)

Cordeia should be safe from any further threats.

Leonhardt nodded to himself and looked in the direction Cordeia had gone.

(...I wonder if she liked the delphinium?)

Cordeia seemed a bit gloomy.

He wanted to cheer her up, but as a lion cub, his options were limited.

Giving her the delphinium growing by the roadside was the best he could do.

(Someday, I'd like to give Cordeia more flowers and dresses...)

Though he is a prince, the day he can express his feelings to her will never come.

Still, for now, just for now.

Leonhardt burned with his feelings for Cordeia.

Thank you for reading.

The next part is the continuation of the main story.

On the 4th, a book containing a new short story will also be released.

I hope you enjoy it as well!