Chapter 74

The story begins in the early morning.

Gaius woke up earlier than usual, as it was the last day of the promise he had made with Parfait. He finished his daily routine of running and had an early breakfast. The house, which once felt so uncomfortable after he was disowned by the Eldland family, was now a place of comfort and peace. Thinking about this, his gratitude towards Parfait grew even more.

Today is a special day, so I must choose the most beautiful flower... As he was thinking this, a maid came to his room with a puzzled look and announced, "A classmate has come to see you."

Gaius had planned to visit Parfait in the morning, but he couldn't ignore the classmate who had come to see him. He invited the classmate to the guest room until noon... and then, he disappeared.

When the maid brought light refreshments at an appropriate time, there were no signs of the two in the guest room. The window was wide open, and the white lace curtains were fluttering. Gaius's jacket was the only thing left on the floor.

The people of the Eldland family, suspicious of the situation, searched the house, the garden, the surrounding shops, and the route to the classmate's house, as well as other places they could think of, including the Marquis family to avoid being noticed by Parfait. However, they could not find him, and the search continued until now.

After finishing her story, Margaret handed the jacket she was holding to Parfait.

The jacket, embroidered with the Eldland family crest, was one that Gaius, who had once been disowned, had been allowed to wear again after months of chasing Parfait. It was unthinkable for such a serious person to leave it behind.

—He is that serious a man. On the day he was allowed to wear the jacket, Gaius did not immediately put it on but went to see Parfait. Without permission, they spent time together, and as the sun began to set, Parfait said to him,

"It's a bit cold today. If you have a jacket, why don't you put it on, Mr. Gaius?"

Only then did he not put it on but instead draped it over her shoulders—

There was no way Gaius would leave Parfait and go out with a classmate without a word.

Thinking this, Mary glanced at Carina.

She occasionally joined the conversation but mostly looked down, her forehead creased as if deep in thought. Her dignified beauty was marred.

Mary was about to speak to her, but before she could, Parfait, who had been lying down, slowly sat up and said in a faint voice, "Who is it?"

"Who is the classmate who visited Mr. Gaius?"

Everyone looked at Parfait with concern, especially Carina, whose expression was dark. Nevertheless, she slowly opened her mouth and said weakly,

"It's my fault... "

The name 'Randall' she mentioned was familiar to Mary. He was a student at Eleciana Academy and one of the targets in the game "DoraDora"... Carina's ex-fiancé.

In "DoraDora," Carina was haughty and strict with herself and others. Her target, the fiancé, was a so-called 'dominant' type, who enjoyed making the protagonist struggle and forcing reactions. Their relationship was doomed from the start. On the surface, they maintained a good relationship, but deep down, it was unclear what they were thinking.

Lilian appeared, and Randall schemed to win her over. Carina, feeling her pride wounded by Randall and Lilian, became their enemy and tried to get rid of Lilian by any means necessary... only to be defeated in the end.

This is the summary of the Randall route in "DoraDora." Compared to Mary, the previous antagonist, Carina's calculated harassment was vividly depicted, making it the heaviest route in the game.

But the real Carina is not a haughty woman. She has knowledge of the game and was aware of Lilian's reverse harem, paying attention to Randall as well.

In the end, she got her revenge. More mercilessly than anyone, she crushed him completely and continues to torment him to this day.

There is a reason for Carina's mercilessness.

If Randall had chosen her over Lilian, she would have given up her memories of her past life and accepted him. Or if he had fallen in love with Lilian but still treated her sincerely, she would have been his ally.

There was no romantic feeling between Carina and Randall, but they were not enemies. They competed and pushed each other to improve, at least in Carina's mind. She thought she could handle his 'dominant' side.

But Randall, following the game's plot, fell in love with Lilian and distanced himself from Carina, even breaking off their engagement forcefully. That's why Carina hated him.

Because she had been willing to accept him, because she had been willing to be his ally, her kindness turned into hatred.

There is a proper way to break up with a woman.

"... I was thoroughly pressuring Randall."

As Carina muttered, everyone looked at her.

"But it seems I wasn't strict enough. I never thought he would escape..."

Hearing this, Mary's face turned pale. The treatment Carina had given Randall was far from just 'pressure.'

Ah, Randall, you fool, why didn't you escape on your own? I might chase you, but this woman might chase you to the ends of the earth.

Thinking this, Mary shivered. But she quickly dismissed it, "It doesn't matter anyway," because she truly didn't care about Randall. Even if Carina's pressure became even stricter, and he ended up in a terrible state, it wouldn't matter to Mary. It was bad that a sadist couldn't see through the woman next to him.

Saying this, Margaret sighed, "He must have been jealous of Mr. Gaius."

It seems her ex-fiancé, Rig, once complained, "Why only Gaius?" Despite being in love with Lilian and surrounding her, and breaking off their engagement, why was only Gaius given a chance to make amends?

"That's why he's a failure," Margaret said proudly, and Mary and Carina nodded deeply.

"Probably, he thought he would interfere with Gaius's story."

Carina sighed heavily, and Parfait clutched the jacket tightly, looking anxious.

"Is it my fault... because I still have feelings for Mr. Gaius..."

"No, it's just that Randall is a hopeless man."

Mary bluntly dismissed Parfait's concern. In fact, Parfait had no fault in this matter. She should be angry at Randall more than anyone.

Seeming to think the same, Carina gently smiled and patted Parfait's shoulder, wiping away her tears with a fine scarf. The scene was so beautiful.

"Parfait, you have no fault. I should be the one to apologize."

"No, Miss Carina, you are not to blame."

"Thank you. I will catch Randall and make sure this never happens again... No, I will make sure he never even thinks of doing this again."

"Miss Carina..."

Parfait's eyes welled up, and she nodded, wiping her eyes. Her pale expression softened, and Carina's serene smile was almost saintly.

Watching them, Mary thought, "I should have covered my ears," because the scene was beautiful, but Carina's words were chilling. How terrifying... she thought, and noticed the rain tapping on the window.

"It's raining."

As she said this, Carina and Margaret also looked at the window, and Parfait stood up.

"I! I will go look for Mr. Gaius!"

"Where will you look?"

"... Somewhere!"

Seemingly worried that Gaius was exposed to the rain, Par