I Ended My Engagement With The Woman Who Despised Me

༺ 𓆩  Chapter 23 — Engagement Annulment (1)  𓆪 ༻

「Translator — Creator」

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[You killed them.]

[If only... if only you had made the right choices, no one would have died.]

Was this what it felt like to sink into a bottomless swamp, one that would never let her go?

The more Elysia struggled against the hallucinations, the worse they became. They had grown so vivid, so indistinguishable from reality, that she could do nothing but clutch her head, pressing against her temples as if to squeeze out the voices.

'............'

A splitting headache tore through her skull, and the crushing weight of exhaustion made it hard to think. Her mind had long since reached its limits. Each day, it grew harder to endure.

But stopping now was impossible. The burden on her shoulders was simply too great.

'So pull yourself together.'

The pain gnawed at her sanity, distorting her thoughts, warping her judgment. Even so, she bit down on her lip, forcing herself to focus.

'I only met Damian once before our engagement.'

It had been during a banquet — an event held by her father, the head of the family, as he sought to expand his influence into the central region political sphere.

That was the first time she laid eyes on him.

And if first impressions meant anything, Damian was the farthest thing from a decent man.

He was truly deserving of the term 'scoundrel' - violent, discourteous, and excessively rough in his manner.

Seeing this, she had dismissed him, thinking their paths would never cross again.

[He said he wants to be your fiancé.]

Not long after, her father and family head, Leicreek Wintraven,

forcibly tied together the threads of fate that should never have connected between her and Damian.

Though it was all in the past now and hardly mattered anymore,

the reason she brought up this story was because his attraction to her was purely based on her appearance.

She wasn't bringing this up to take issue with it.

Considering that what many proclaimed as love included not only spiritual love but also physical attraction,

this was merely a natural human instinct.

What mattered was that through this, the North gained an opportunity to enter Central region politics,

and she was able to remain in the North instead of being sold off to another region.

In other words, her appearance was a highly valuable commodity to Demian.

'So I must sell it to seize this opportunity.'

Until now, she had continuously rejected him in attempts to drive him away, but now, unlike before, she would act the part of an obedient woman and pretend to truly regret her past actions.

If she showed herself yearning for his love, he would have no choice but to accept her, albeit reluctantly.

'When you offer humans something they've desperately longed for,'

they can't help but regain interest, even if that interest had previously waned.

'Of course, how long that interest lasts is another matter entirely.'

As long as she could nullify the broken engagement while his interest remained, nothing else mattered.

‘I haven’t had to do this often… but pretending to be in love is something I’m familiar with. It shouldn’t be too difficult.’

Thus, if she could use this to reverse the broken engagement and then use Damian to bring back the warmth,

it would be a fair trade, as she would be able to exert strong influence over the North, unlike now.

No, more than that.

It was necessary.

Because now, if she failed to reclaim that warmth, the very survival of the North would be at stake.

That was why she had to bring him back.

One way or another.

As she deliberated over the best way to make it happen, a knock came at the door.

A voice followed.

"Grand Duchess Elysia. A reply has arrived from House Carsaril."

The reply to the letter she had sent — the one requesting to annul their engagement’s annulment.

Opening it, she found the expected response.

A rejection.

Of course.

She had made their separation irreversible, had pushed things beyond the point of no return. There was no reason for them to accept such an absurd request now.

But the letter hadn’t been sent with the expectation of success.

It had been a declaration. A performance. A way to establish the foundation for when they would meet again—at the formal engagement annulment ceremony.

Because that was where the true opportunity lay.

She closed her eyes.

And waited.

𓇗

I sat on a park bench, listening to Lilia explain the procedures for the engagement annulment ceremony.

"You'll head to a location near the central political district, where the separation will be officially recognized."

"But it won't be immediate. You won't just arrive and have the annulment granted on the spot. You'll need to stay for several days while negotiations take place."

"So you'll have to remain there for a while."

When I expressed my confusion about why such lengthy negotiations were necessary for a mere broken engagement rather than a divorce,

Lilia appeared contemplative for a moment before explaining.

"When it involves families of this caliber, engagements usually come with all sorts of contracts. Hmm... let me explain it this way."

"Rather than thinking of it as a ceremony to declare your separation, understand it as an occasion where both families gather to reach appropriate compromises regarding the termination of contracts."

In other words, they gathered to sever the numerous collaborations and contracts that had formed through their prospective in-law relationship.

"So you, as the person directly involved, probably won't have much to do. Don't worry about it too much and just enjoy your time there, okay?"

"Okay."

"Oh my, our youngest, already growing up and breaking engagements. My, how you've grown, how you've grown."

...?

The sentiment was strangely misplaced, but I decided to ignore it and turned my gaze elsewhere.

𓇗

Several days later.

I found myself aboard what looked like a train, en route to the annulment ceremony.

'Though it's actually a golem, not a train.'

Still, since it resembled a train both in shape and interior design, I figured I might as well call it one.

Seated across from me were two familiar faces.

"... This is my first time riding a mobile golem. It's fascinating."

Siren, clearly delighted to be on the train (mobile golem), couldn't contain her excitement as she looked around curiously.

Loraine, on the other hand, seemed more accustomed to this sort of travel. Instead of gawking at our surroundings, she was contentedly sipping the tea I had prepared, savoring every drop.

"As expected, tea made by our young master is the best."

Her words of praise brought a small smile to my lips.

‘That aside, this thing is surprisingly luxurious.’

For reference, this golem belonged to Elysia,

and it currently carried the butler, who served as the acting head of household, along with knights from the order who would serve as our escort for my engagement annulment ceremony.

‘And on top of that…’

In the very front car, Damian’s mother was also aboard.

Unfortunately, his father, brother, and sister couldn't attend due to scheduling conflicts.

This much should be enough.

All I wanted now was to get the annulment over with and move on to my mission.

The sooner this was all finished, the better.

Just as I was thinking that, the spirit nestled in my arms wriggled free and started bickering with Siren.

"Myung-ya! Myung!"

"Not a chance."

Why did those two fight every time they met?

Lost in thought while pondering this inexplicable dynamic, I watched as they suddenly

sat together harmoniously, munching on snacks side by side.

'...I can't tell if they get along well or poorly.'

Deciding it was a mystery best left unsolved, I turned to Loraine, who was quietly sipping her tea beside me.

"Come to think of it, Loraine, those romance novels..."

"Pfft."

Judging by how she spat out her beloved tea, she must have been quite flustered.

I must have hit a nerve.

As I wiped it away with a cloth, wondering if I shouldn't have asked,

Siren tilted her head and questioned Loraine.

"What’s a romance novel?"

Loraine stiffened.

It seemed she hadn’t expected Siren to take an interest. She hesitated, clearly torn, before stammering out a response.

"Th-they're just... just a kind of story."

"I want to read one too. I’m curious. Can’t you tell me about it?"

Loraine looked visibly conflicted.

She knew all too well the horrors Siren had endured in the past. Perhaps that was why she couldn’t bring herself to outright refuse.

After a long moment of deliberation, she clenched her eyes shut and gave a small nod.

"Later... I'll tell you about them."

"Really? Thanks! It sounds interesting."

"Yes... they're very interesting."

I watched Loraine deflate, looking utterly drained.

She had been holding out for a long time, I mused. No wonder she was crumbling now.

Before I could dwell on it any further, the mobile golem signaled its departure.

With a low rumble, the scenery outside the window began to blur as our speed increased.

'...A year ago, I never would have imagined things would turn out like this.'

I had believed I could change Elysia's heart and even become a source of strength for her.

Yet here I was, racing toward a broken engagement instead of achieving any of that - how ironic.

Still, I had no regrets.

There was no room for regret when I had already poured out every emotion in dealing with her, sacrificing everything.

Thinking I probably wouldn't feel much even if we met, I absently watched the passing scenery before closing my eyes.

𓇗

I had no idea how much time had passed.

When I finally opened my eyes, the first thing I saw was a dark, endless tunnel stretching ahead.

I stared at it blankly, still caught between sleep and wakefulness; then, slowly, the darkness gave way to light.

In the distance, a structure resembling a train station came into view—its platforms and buildings neatly arranged.

We must have been arriving.

Stretching my arms, I prepared to step outside, but then—

A familiar figure caught my eye.

Snow-white hair flowing into equally pale, white skin.

Deep, dark circles staining the flesh beneath her eyes.

And an expression devoid of warmth or emotion.

Standing inside the station, watching, waiting—

Elysia.

As I unconsciously grimaced at the sight,

Siren suddenly covered my eyes with her palm and spoke.

"You're not supposed to look at bright things right away. I read it in a book."

END of CHAPTER

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