Chapter 5

The guest room to which I was led by the head maid of the Tarche Manor was not overly ornate but had a calm and refined interior. However, a discerning eye would recognize that only the finest items had been gathered here.

Despite my sudden visit, it seemed I was being welcomed.

After instructing the head maid, who had been waiting, to step back, I sank into the sofa. Although my body was utterly exhausted, I felt no drowsiness. Instead, the scene from the ball earlier, where my engagement was broken off, lingered in my mind.

Ever since Princess, my fiancée, and my younger brother, Kurt, began to openly show their affection for each other, I had known that a day like this would come.

Yet, deep down, I had harbored a faint hope that if I sincerely supported the Princess, she might one day recognize my efforts.

However, now I realize that my engagement to the Princess was a mistake from the start.

I had been despised by my parents since birth and had decided to leave the Duke's household by the time I was old enough to understand.

My decision was influenced by the tutor who taught Kurt and me. He was a gentle and well-versed man, and I believe he was aware of my situation.

The despised eldest son, the beloved second son.

Even the servants of the Duke's household treated Kurt and me differently, but he alone treated us equally. He praised me for quietly attending to my lessons and reprimanded the irresponsible Kurt. As a result, he was fired within a month.

When he left the Duke's household, he knelt down to meet my eye level and said:

"Books are equal to everyone. Reading is an experience and a dialogue. You are never alone."

From then on, I immersed myself in reading. Fortunately, the Duke's household had more books than I could read in a lifetime. In the real world, I often went days without speaking, but through reading, I experienced many things and engaged in dialogues with numerous wise people.

As a result, I realized that if things continued as they were, my father might one day kill me.

My parents would surely want to pass the Duke's household to their beloved Kurt. In that case, I, the eldest son, would be nothing but an obstacle.

I didn't want to be killed. After all, there were still so many books I hadn't read.

When I came of age, I pleaded with my father to renounce my claim to the Duke's household and serve as an official in the royal family. This was the first time I had ever asked for anything from my father.

At that moment, my parents smiled at me with genuine happiness. They quickly forgot about my despised existence again.

Being an official was enjoyable. My colleagues, who initially looked at me with disdain, thinking I was a foolish Duke's son who had gotten in through connections, soon recognized my capabilities.

I was thrilled to be recognized and worked day and night with enthusiasm. Within half a year, I was granted an audience with His Majesty the King. Not only that, I was appointed as the fiancé of the First Princess, Angelica.

Among the officials, the Princess's capriciousness was well-known. I often had to work overtime to clean up after her. In other words, I was appointed as the "Princess's cleanup crew" under the guise of being her fiancé.

It was an unexpected turn of events, but I thought my father would be pleased. When I reported this to him, he gave me an unbelievably cold stare.

"Why you and not Kurt... You should have never been born."

With those words of curse, my hellish days began.

For some reason, my parents became obsessed with tarnishing my reputation and spread false rumors about me in society.

The content of these rumors included that I was jealous of Kurt and treated him harshly, and that the Princess and Kurt were in love, but I had forcibly taken the Princess for myself. These were all absurd.

Despite the ridiculousness, I continued to work.

The Princess's capriciousness worsened, and I was constantly busy dealing with her. As I cut into my sleep to work, I found it increasingly difficult to fall asleep. My fatigue accumulated day by day.

During this time, Kurt approached the Princess and turned the rumors into reality. I, the foolish one, had not noticed any of this.

My stomach felt heavy, and my appetite diminished. Yet, my workload did not decrease.

I hadn't read a book, which I loved, for a long time.

What was the point of my life?

When I was thinking this, the Princess asked me to attend a ball. She usually told me, "Absolutely do not come!"

After that, the engagement break at the ball felt like a sweet temptation. It seemed that accepting it would finally end my painful days. Therefore, I accepted the engagement break.

I no longer cared about anything. I just wanted to be free.

And yet—

Lady Cynthia's hand was trembling as she stepped in front of the Princess to help me and the guards.

"Mr. Theodore, let's run away now."

"Mr. Theodore, it's wrong for you to be treated as a criminal."

"Mr. Theodore, please become my fiancé!"

Lady Cynthia's words were incredibly comforting. Each time I recalled them, it felt as if my dry heart was being filled with warmth.

"Um, well, that... I, I fell in love at first sight?"

At the time, I couldn't help but laugh at her question. It had been so long since I had laughed for joy. The moment I laughed, my hazy consciousness became clear, and I felt a strong desire to live. If I had to live through hellish days in the future, I wanted to live for Lady Cynthia, who had helped me.

"Even at our first meeting, I could tell that Mr. Theodore is not a bad person."

"Mr. Theodore, do you dislike sandwiches?"

"Oh, right. You've just been through a terrible ordeal."

I had never known how comforting it was to have someone worry about me. I suddenly realized how tired I was.

I heard Lady Cynthia's voice again.

"Good night."

It had been a long time since I had forgotten, but these were the words I had always longed to hear as a child. My mother would say this to Kurt every night as he went to sleep.

"Dear Kurt, good night."

Then, she would kiss Kurt's forehead.

The words that no one had ever said to me were so easily given by Lady Cynthia. With just that, I could serve Lady Cynthia with all my heart for the rest of my life.

Recalling the warm words Lady Cynthia had given me, I was enveloped in a sense of happiness and fell asleep.