Chapter 5

"What are you going to do from now on?"

"What do you mean?"

As I was peeling the edamame, Noah, who had just finished his cabbage roll in one bite, opened his mouth. After peeling all the edamame and pushing them to the side, I placed a few on a small plate and slid it towards Noah. Since there was one seat between us, it was difficult to share from the same plate.

"Your job. Weren't you planning to quit?"

"Well, yeah. My fiancé was the heir of a viscount's family, and I was planning to join the family... but I intend to talk to my boss tomorrow. I'll ask if I can continue working here."

"You could probably live off helping out at home, you know."

"I like my job as a librarian. My family says I can help with the business anytime, but I don't want to rely on them."

I put a peeled edamame in my mouth. The slightly bitter and salty flavor made me want a sip of ale. After enjoying the fluffy texture, I took a sip of ale.

"I'm thinking this might be a good opportunity to start living on my own."

"Your dad will cry."

"You're right. But I'm a grown woman of twenty, after all. I can't keep relying on my parents forever."

Noah nodded while sipping his hot wine. The faint scent of grapes made me decide to order that instead of another ale. It was on him, after all.

"Well, something will work out. What about you? Any good news?"

"Not really. If I could, I'd just laze around every day."

"You're such a mysterious guy."

"A man should be a bit mysterious, you know."

Noah shrugged and ordered another glass of wine from Emma. Seeing me, he tilted his head as if to ask if I wanted one too, so I nodded. Emma would prepare a glass for me as well.

"By the way, about the engagement being called off, can it really be done? It was a proposal from the other side, right? They'll probably put up quite a fight."

"They'll protest, but the conditions have been overturned. My father insisted that the most important thing was 'not to neglect me,' but that condition was broken, right? After all, we were supposed to be bound by true love. I have a letter from both my ex-fiancé and his partner, stating that they are deeply in love, so the other side has no choice but to accept the dissolution."

"It's going to be a hassle afterwards, though."

"Stop it, you're scaring me."

I was thinking the same thing, even as I shrugged.

The Tostman Viscount's family, who wanted the Bloom Trading Company's support, would likely try to maintain some connection. The company has ties to the noble society, so minor issues shouldn't be a problem, but I did think it would be a hassle.

"Well, I'll always listen to your complaints."

"Wow, Noah, you're being nice."

"What do you think I am? I'm not that cruel to a heartbroken woman."

"I'm not that heartbroken... well, it does sting a little."

While eating the edamame and sipping the hot wine, the nicely warmed red wine gently warmed my chest. The breath I exhaled was heavy with alcohol.

Noah, resting his cheek on his hand, had a smile on his lips. His eyes were hidden behind his thick bangs and glasses, but I could sense his concern.

"To be honest, I didn't have any heart-fluttering feelings. But I thought he was a calm and sincere person, and I believed we could get along well. I didn't want to marry into a noble family... but when someone strongly discriminates against me for being just a wealthy merchant's daughter or a commoner, it's disappointing."

Noah nodded silently, sipping his wine.

At the counter, the master and Emma were washing dishes together. The sound of running water and clinking dishes was comforting.

"I thought we could make it work, but it wasn't the same for him. The intervals between our meetings grew longer, he stopped picking me up, and he started being late. He ignored the seasonal letters I sent, and the flowers he used to send stopped coming... being neglected is really painful. In that sense, I am hurt."

"Being betrayed is always painful, no matter the degree. It's natural to be hurt."

"You're right... yeah, you're right."

Nodding at his comforting words, a sharp pain hit the back of my nose. I took a sip of the still warm wine to hide it, and the warm wine seemed to dissolve the lingering frustration in my chest.

"If you really want to get married, I'll take you, so don't worry."

"Propose properly, at least show your face first."

"Hehe, you got me."

I'm not so naive or straightforward that I would take his joking words seriously, but it was true that such casual exchanges were comforting.

I felt like I could swallow both the elated and sad feelings, the strange mix of emotions.

"...I'm glad the engagement was called off, but... if he hadn't cheated, if he hadn't betrayed me, I wouldn't have wanted to end it. It's all so confusing."

"It's a good thing it happened before marriage. A man who cheats will do so whether he's married or not. But the hassle and trouble of a broken engagement and a divorce are different."

"You seem to know a lot. Have you been through it?"

"I'll invoke my right to remain silent."

He laughed, making it unclear whether he was joking or telling the truth. But I think this man is fine as he is. A friendship where we don't delve too deeply and only meet here is okay.

"Let's drink today."

"It's on him, after all."

We raised our glasses in a toast, which I couldn't count how many times we had done, and drank more than usual.

Delicious drinks and snacks, and easy conversation.

By closing time, I was almost asleep, but I remember that the butler, Marc, came to pick me up in a carriage as I had requested.

Naturally, or rather, the next day, I suffered from a terrible hangover.