When My Enemies Began to Regret

“Fanora.”

Naverius called her name in a trembling voice. When she looked at him again, she smiled, even though her innocent eyes trembled. 

“Naverius, I’m so sorry. Of course, I know you’re a good person.”

“Yes. As expected, you like me, right?”

“But don’t you hate me, Naverius?”

She was no longer the Fanora she used to be. Her eyes no longer saw Naverius as her savior. She had a disappointed look on her face as if all expectations had been shattered.

“W-Why would I hate you? No one in this world thinks of you as much as I do…”

However, he shut his mouth at the words from me that followed.

“Since you found out that I like insects, you always said it was a disgusting hobby. And I’ve heard your friend pick up what you had been talking about. You told your friends that I am a dull and ugly woman. You also said that you will reap the rewards if I follow you for good.”

“…”

“But I wasn’t surprised to hear that. Because I secretly felt that you were starting to get tired of me.”

Everything she said was true. Naverius was bewildered by this and tried to argue something. But Fanora was faster at bringing up the next words.

“I like someone who loves even my shortcomings.”

“…”

“So I will give you freedom. Now our marriage talk is over. In the future, we will never get involved again.”

As Fanora struck a wedge with her pitiful face, the atmosphere quickly subsided. Naverius had never heard a cold word from Fanora. Maybe that was why the one side of his head felt like it had been poured with cold water, so he couldn’t even get angry.

Fanora felt tired of keeping a straight face. So she put an end to this conversation. This was because she had to maintain some friendship with him for her revenge in the future.

“But as we talked, I got it. Naverius, you came here because you were really worried that I was being deceived by Aloken, right?”

“What…?”

“As I said before, you have a good personality.”

Fanora bent her eyes and began to smile calmly. Unlike the timid and awkward smile of the original Fanora, it showed tenderness. She already made harsh remarks, but now she changed her words to soothing words, just like whipping a horse and giving carrots alternately.

“You must be tired of me because I’m not good enough.”

“…”

“So that’s fine. You will find a better match for you as you become free.”

At those words, Naverius only looked at her innocent face and shook his head after a long time. He had nothing more to say to her. Because every time he tried to make excuses, he remembered a scene of himself undermining Fanora in order to pretend to be strong in front of his friends.

“Cough, cough.”

Fanora coughed a dry cough a few times to keep the scenario that she was ill.

“Then go back. The sun is hot today.”

In other words, it was a euphemism for ‘get lost.’ However, Naverius stood in a place and only licked his lips. To this, Fanora said calmly, “If we meet at a party someday, let’s say hello again. Just because our marriage talk is broken doesn’t mean our friendship is broken too.”

“Ah, that…”

“Butler! Here, the esteemed son of the Demangdwi family is going home, so take him to the carriage.”

Fanora called out the far-sighted servant in a butler’s uniform with a loud voice. Then, she went inside the mansion under the pretext of being sick. As a result, Naverius was under pressure and had no choice but to return to the carriage he had been riding.

* * *

“Did it go well?”

“…”

Sitting in the carriage with a blank look, Naverius was asked by the escort knight accompanying him on this outing. But how can he answer this?

Naverius was a man with a deep narcissism. So he couldn’t possibly say that he was not chosen by the ghostly woman hiding in the mansion because of a man who was as good-looking as himself and not lacking anything.

“That’s it. They say Aloken is so oppressive that it can’t be helped. As expected, calling him as northern bastard is well suited. So what if he’s the little Duke? He only steals someone else’s woman.”

“Is that so?”

After some time, the carriage of the Demangdwi family departed. At first, Naverius had said that as a bluff, but the more he thought about it, the more he noticed something.

He was sure that Fanora was within reach of his hand not too long ago. It wasn’t long before that boring woman would become his wife. But everything changed completely in one day.

Naverius stomped his foot on the floor of the carriage for nothing. He felt annoyed. Still, his wrath was directed at the Aloken, who stole Fanora, who was supposed to get married with him.

“Abominable bastard.”

He gritted his teeth in thought.

The little Duke couldn’t really fall for such a lowly woman. In the society, Aloken bragged that he had fallen in love with Fanora at first sight and proposed to her, but Naverius believed that was not the case.

Obviously, Fanora would be unhappy. In Naverius’s mind, the image of Fanora regretting being taken advantage of by Aloken was portrayed.

* * *

“Ouch! I shouldn’t have embroidered in the dark.”

Time passed, and it was already 11:50 p.m.

After trying to appease Naverius, she lost her energy and only read books, so it was already this time. Fanora decided to stay up until midnight and practice embroidery. The other noble ladies were educated in various arts under their mother since birth, but she was neglected, so she had many shortcomings.

“It hurts.”

Of course, it wasn’t that she never had an etiquette education. However, her memories with Hanar were always full of fear and hate because Hanar was so strict and didn’t give her a single compliment.

Before regressing, Fanora hated the time to study etiquette, which was only full of moments of her being scolded by Hanar. It was even more heartbreaking to see her younger brother being hugged even if he made a mistake next to her. That was why she disliked things related to etiquette, so naturally, there were many parts that Fanora was inferior to others.

“Uh…”

However, she couldn’t neglect her studies just because she didn’t like them or because she was scolded. The essential education for young ladies were embroidery, art, and music. After all, that person was also a noble lady.  It was difficult to even say a word to Vasago.

“The needle hole is too small.”

She was studying embroidery alone like that, and finally, a clear sound rang out.

As the large grandfather clock in the hallway signaled midnight, Fanora saw magical text that shone brightly in front of her. This was the start of another week again.

“!”

* * *

<#1 Countess Creed’s Salon

On the last day of spring, a fateful encounter came to Vasago. Aloken, son of the Duke Louis Jalier, appeared there.>

<#1 Countess Creed’s Salon

On the last day of spring, a fateful encounter came to Vasago. Aloken, son of the Duke Louis Jalier, appeared there. Vasago saw him approaching her, and she thought that the heir of the aristocratic faction leader was boldly trying to spy on her.

Aloken: This is the first time we have met in person. How have you been?

Vasago: The fireplace here must be very hot for you who came from the north, so I don’t know if you can stay here.

Aloken: It sounds like you’re telling me to get out of here.

Vasago: Because you don’t fit the purpose of this salon.

Aloken: Isn’t this a place to discuss each other’s philosophies about art? I am also interested in art and poetry, Lady Guelder.

Vasago made frowns on her face>

“The last day of spring? Vasago and Aloken are meeting at the salon today?”

It was certainly not strange to look at the two families. The Guelder family, to which Vasago belonged, was simply a Duke family with the power equal to royalty. On top of that, it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that Aloken also engulfed all the northern territories of this kingdom, so it wasn’t weird to see both of them hanging around.

“I didn’t know that the Aloken’s family belonged to the aristocratic faction.”

Seeing that Vasago was hostile like that, did the Guelder family belong to another political faction? Fanora didn’t know much about this information because she was an outcast in the society. 

Fanora thought about it as she wrote the text that appeared in front of her today in her diary.

Thinking about that, this information was like gold that came from the novel that she had been swearing for a while.

Fanora even thought of seizing the seat of Vasago’s friend in the future. There was no way she could take revenge normally on Vasago, who was surrounded by escort knights. But even if Vasago was a princess, she wouldn’t be with her escort knights every time she had tea time with her best friend.

If she laid low calmly and waited for the right time, the opportunity was bound to come.

Fanora decided to check whether Vasago and Aloken had encountered each other at the salon, just like what she read from the novel today. It would be strange if she asked if he had met Vasago right away, so it would be good to bring up the topic at the engagement ceremony.

“Cecil… Can you repeat what you said once more?”

The next morning, Fanora rose from her seat to the unpleasant chirping of birds at high notes. And the news Cecil brought was before she even ate her meal.

“Lord Aloken Jalier is now at the main door. He asked me to call Lady.”

Cecil showed up in a cold sweat in the morning while holding out a silver tray. A gold brooch was placed neatly on a tray. Aloken sent an item with the duke’s seal to announce his visit.

“Why is he here?”

Why would a man who was busy with the matter of his father’s new will come by? Wasn’t he supposed to be busy calling lawyers by now and manipulating them to get the successor’s position?

Fanora pondered briefly. However, Cecil’s arm, holding the silver tray, was about to fall off. So she eventually snatched the brooch from it and put a simple shawl over her clothes.

“I’m going downstairs to meet him, so you better prepare something in the dining room.”

“Wh-What about the Count?”

“I don’t know. He would have looked for my father, not me if it was something important. Don’t bother reporting such trivial things.”

“Yes, Lady.”

Fanora then ran halfway to the main door.

“Ah, Lady Fanora! Right now, the esteemed son of Duke Jalier is at the front of the main—”

“I know. Open the door.”

With the help of the mansion knights,Fanora saw something pretty familiar when the huge door was open.