I Ended My Engagement With The Woman Who Despised Me

༺ 𓆩  Chapter 24 — Engagement Annulment (2)  𓆪 ༻

「Translator — Creator」

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Thanks to Siren, my vision was momentarily blocked, and the tangled mess of thoughts that had risen in my mind quickly dissipated.

I let out a slow breath, grounding myself in the warmth of his small palm before murmuring,

"...Thank you."

"Mm-hmm."

Siren nodded proudly as if having accomplished something significant, then returned to her seat.

I caught a glimpse of Loraine beside her, her hands pressed over her face, looking utterly exasperated.

A quiet chuckle escaped me.

I wonder if this has something to do with those romance novels she loves so much.

'Well, I feel much better now.'

It felt as if the chains that had been binding a corner of my heart had vanished.

With a weightless step, I gathered my things and stepped off the train—the mobile golem.

"Damian."

As I stepped down, Elysia called out to me.

When I looked at her impassively, she addressed me with an affected manner I had never seen during my time in the North.

"I have something I want to say..."

While she was naturally beautiful, and now perfectly groomed on top of that — an appearance that would entrance anyone who looked at her —

I felt nothing particular, perhaps because I had already been too deeply hurt and had exhausted all my emotions.

It was merely bothersome.

"As you’ve probably seen from the letter I sent to annul the annulment… I’ve regretted many things since you left."

She met my eyes, dark circles stark against her pale skin.

To an outsider, she would have looked like a woman who had wasted away, unable to eat or sleep, drowning in sorrow over lost love.

But I knew better.

I knew those hollow eyes and fragile form had nothing to do with me.

I knew they were the result of hallucinations and voices she could not escape.

A quiet, bitter laugh slipped past my lips.

‘There’s no point in listening to this any further.’

It was meaningless.

Completely and utterly devoid of value.

So instead of indulging her, I simply repeated to her the very first words she had ever spoken to me when we first met.

[You seem to have an abundance of free time. How enviable.]

“You seem to have an abundance of free time. How enviable.”

At my words, Elysia froze, then spoke with a somewhat dumbfounded expression.

"...Pardon?"

Finding no value in further response, I tried to pass by ignoring her.

She took a step toward me and spoke with urgency.

"...That's not it. I deliberately squeezed out time to meet you."

Her voice trembled, filled with something almost like longing.

But if you listened closely, you could tell.

She wasn’t here for me.

She was here for herself.

‘She hasn’t changed.’

The realization only solidified my indifference.

I turned my gaze away from her completely and moved to walk past her—

Leaving her behind.

Elysia reached out, trying to grab hold of my sleeve.

"Wait. Just a little more—let me talk to you—!"

I had reached my limit.

My patience was gone.

My hand moved toward the hammer tucked in my coat, ready to put an end to this—

But before I could, Siren stepped forward and shoved Elysia back.

"Go away. Damian doesn't like it."

Elysia froze.

For a moment, she looked as if she was deep in thought.

Then, after a beat, she took a step back.

A faintly remorseful expression crossed her face.

"…I’m sorry. That was rude of me."

She smoothed out her dress, regaining her composure, before speaking again.

"Let’s have this conversation properly another time."

With that, she lowered her head slightly—

And turned to leave.

Her sudden change in demeanor after noticing Siren was interesting.

Did she realize something?

…No, I didn’t care.

It didn’t matter what she thought, what she planned, or what she wanted.

Nothing she did had any meaning to me anymore.

I let go of the hammer, releasing a quiet breath.

Just as I was about to head toward my lodging, Siren carefully reached out and took hold of my hand.

Then, without a word, she trailed after me, following close like a quiet shadow.

As I was about to head to the lodgings, returning the hammer I had gripped,

The gesture was oddly endearing, enough to make me chuckle under my breath.

And together, we walked to our lodging.

𓇗

'Thinking about meaningless things only leads to meaningless conclusions.'

I knew that.

And yet—

My mind felt tangled.

No matter how much I ignored it, the thoughts crept in, winding through my head like stubborn vines.

Lying in the lavish bed of my assigned quarters, I stared blankly at the ceiling.

And then—

A knock.

Light and hesitant.

"Come in."

At first, I thought it was Loraine, but unexpectedly, it was Siren.

Dressed differently than usual, she entered somewhat hesitantly and calmly said something to me. "I have something I want to ask."

Since this was the first time she had acted this way, I nodded curiously.

This kind of behavior from someone who usually didn't act this way only happened when they had something very important to say, so

I nodded, resolving to answer as thoroughly and sincerely as possible, whatever the question might be.

"What is it?"

Given permission to ask, Siren looked at me with a serious expression and posed an entirely unexpected question.

"Do you like gentle women?"

"...What?"

For a second, my mind went completely blank.

Of all the things she could have asked—

If Loraine had asked it, I might have understood. She did love romance novels, after all.

But Siren?

Why was she asking me this?

As I sat there, momentarily speechless, she continued in that same unreadable tone.

"The woman we met in the flower field. And the one we just saw. They both seemed gentle."

The woman in the flower field.

Rianna.

And the one I just saw.

Elysia.

Gentle, she said?

I let out a small, incredulous laugh.

Siren’s words couldn’t have been further from the truth.

Neither of those women were gentle.

Rianna? She was unpredictable, driven by a whimsical yet dangerous curiosity.

Elysia? A woman who had trampled over my heart without hesitation, only now feigning regret when it suited her.

Neither of them fit the image Siren seemed to have in mind.

Before I could correct her, she fidgeted slightly, her fingers curling anxiously. Then, in a quiet but determined voice, she said—

"If that’s the kind of woman you like, I’ll try my best."

I blinked, momentarily caught off guard.

Then, with a shake of my head, I responded.

"It’s not like I prefer that type."

"Really?"

When I nodded, Siren showed visible satisfaction and nodded back.

As I was smirking at the absurdity of Siren's earlier words,

they revealed their real reason for coming here.

"Oh, and they asked me to tell you there's a first meeting tomorrow."

First meeting...

Which meant—

Whether I wanted to or not, I’d have to see Elysia again.

Though it wasn't a particularly welcome schedule,

it was unavoidable if I wanted to end things definitively, so I sighed while acknowledging it.

𓇗

The train—the mobile golem—was now empty.

Everyone had gone their separate ways.

Yet, Elysia lingered on the platform, pacing in restless circles as she replayed what she had seen.

‘…So, he already has another woman.’

She had considered the possibility.

But not this soon.

It had happened faster than she anticipated, throwing her calculations slightly off.

Not enough to be a fatal error, but enough to be an inconvenience.

‘And the real issue… is that she’s beautiful.’

If Damian had cared enough to bring this woman here, then he must have valued her highly.

And if that was the case—

Then Elysia finally understood why he had been so cold, so indifferent when she had begged for his time.

She bit her lip, frustration creeping in.

'So what should I do?'

While her basic strategy would remain unchanged,

she needed to alter the details, so she considered and dismissed numerous scenarios.

The whispers—those maddening hallucinations—kept breaking her focus.

But she forced her mind to work, ruthlessly cutting away flawed ideas until a single conclusion emerged.

‘I have to flip the board entirely.’

It was obvious her current plan would fail completely if things continued this way; rather than following the predetermined path, it would be better to flip the board entirely and create a new game.

The only problem was that if she failed to flip the board, the repercussions would be too severe...

‘If I can’t bring Damian back to the North, everything collapses anyway.’

So no matter the risk—

She had to try.

And to flip the board—

She would use her strongest piece.

Dale.

𓇗

The next day, the first meeting began.

I didn't want to come, truthfully.

But because Damian's mother had insisted these procedures were absolutely necessary, I had no choice but to sit in the meeting room chair.

'I'd rather finish this quickly and go train.'

While staring at the pure white ceiling, thinking I'd like to take on some missions if possible,

Elysia, looking as exhausted as ever, addressed me.

"...Damian, have you been well?"

Her voice was so gentle I could hardly believe it was Elysia speaking.

Hearing such a tone, I couldn't help but smile, remembering what Siren had told me yesterday.

She stared at me steadily while slowly continuing her words.

"I've regretted my actions toward you so much that I haven't been able to sleep for even a moment."

I let out a hollow laugh as I watched her gazing at me with an incredibly apologetic expression.

While others might have found her appearance genuinely remorseful,

to me, it looked like nothing more than desperate begging for the warmth I had created.

So I gave no response, just staring at her expressionlessly,

when Elysia continued in a deflated voice.

"I'm truly sorry. I'll do anything you want, Damian... couldn't you please give me just one more chance?"

"............"

Hearing this brought back memories of everything I had done to win her heart.

I remembered not only greeting her daily to earn her trust, but also brewing tea for her, and taking on various chores like running errands and cleaning.

As I recalled how, despite doing everything possible, I hadn't received even a word of thanks, let alone a glance, I felt my heart sink even further.

She observed me, seeming to contemplate something for a moment, then calmly opened her mouth.

"...Dale is trying to kill you."

END of CHAPTER

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