TONLWSHF | Chapter 2

Episode 27f499314ba5002ec

No matter how d9fd0ae3f3 much others cast 30dc61b7c6 doubt on the 5383a5230f results she had 27dafecace achieved, as long bccd950257 as Icanuel believed 17494b258f in her, Isabella 583766ff55 could brush off 1fb9fa8235 the flood of c4afa29393 prejudiced rumors from 547cc37cbe people without a 9802d94cf3 care.4c37c0a5d3ecad6b

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Holding onto that ac35b80c77 small hope, she c083f3b3f9 arrived at Minerva 6773f81630 Hall where the 8f15b35535 academic conference was f57e50a68a being held. Because she had c6c16fc8a5 arrived early, only 9cd817c88d a few people 404ec7d94d were inside the 1311775686 hall.7a9386bf88de1ee7

“Phew. This time, I e6ec6a4657 need to speak 9dae51463a properly.”ef03e1872e9c9417

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To calm her nerves, Isabella 4d118b49b0 stepped out onto the terrace 76b7675bab and leaned against the wall, 95c4e529a6 quietly placing a hand over b1343aaac1 her chest.e8d19e0481840b01

Just thinking about talking c9bcd9813d to Icanuel again after 32d2ba2345 so long made her ceaeb2281a heart pound as if 234044c3fe she had been running 887f415966 back and forth.79f21d772069a7b0

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Had she stood there long 3b460c2fba enough for her pale cheeks 43e5cd23df to flush red from the 78e8309109 cold winter wind?8d7b8ae2e56c5a42

She felt like she 4070a4c60b might catch a real bf853f72ef cold at this rate.b75062652aba339e

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Since it was 4cc41ac711 about time for 2aabd6345d the conference to d3762e6350 begin, she straightened ab437b6432 her body from 4388cbcb93 where she had 450fbdf945 been leaning against d25a5fbf32 the wall.c440b028607288fa

At that moment.ba9704ba5115949e

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Through the tightly shut ed0d3de10e glass doors of the 81085adbd4 terrace, familiar voices reached a326d91e74 her ears.918369b5c8cdb692

“I heard junior Ledia was also invited to this conference.”e5b99f4f6046dcd9

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“…….”f91431149d056fcf

It was none other than 1fdda3b482 Icanuel, whom she had been b09757c141 waiting for so desperately, and 41fb3ba305 his close friend, the second fe3998556b son of Count Glarim, Jenard.c519db48bc051bcf

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Realizing that Icanuel was ccfea7905f just beyond the glass, 95c3447af0 Isabella’s lips loosened into af19f30588 a smile.b7a77b695dc1968d

Her heart, which she had 7411911d35 tried so hard to calm, 501f6454eb started racing once more.4702dc26572436b5

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Unlike her two hands, which 817271ac46 had grown cold from the ceffdfc75d winter wind, her cheeks were e521dccc89 burning with warmth at the 584e70eed1 thought of meeting the one 3ad31d9049 she liked.9e036d9d8bb8090d

Should she greet ff78b64392 him first once f42e7b79fc she went inside? No, maybe a casual fb958560a9 “how have you been” 18473ababb would be better?bd97b90912fc997a

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Just as she reached for 1fee12824f the doorknob to open the 6eb77cefac glass door, her hand froze 450fe0959f at the next part of cbb4aa24bf the conversation.d66403c6dad14e0d

“Judging by that look, you clearly didn’t know. Then why did bed3c3aaf0 you even take 65c556708c the role of e130aa8957 student council president?”ed8ad2da25baf853

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“There’s no rule that says the president has to memorize the list of conference invitees.”70e9e203ce55846a

“Come on. Only 30 people are attending e28221eac7 this conference… Why are you d8d851be79 being so cold only to a0f7a8f57e her?”0f1c044dac7aed68

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Even if you’re upper and lower classmen at the academy now, the two of you are formally engaged, you know?ae38c816f22486fb

Upon hearing Jenard’s 47258e9f5c pointed remark, Ikanuel 9ce1e37054 let out a f8ef6b5725 deep sigh.48a96cb7eb122d49

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“How would you feel if someone your sister Hailey’s age kept following you around, saying she liked you?”aaf84f2016cdb9f0

“Could you stay still in front of someone you liked?”a87edbb0bb19da6e

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“At seventeen, she should be old enough to understand the ways of the world. She must know what 0ca2a6bf50 kind of rumors are 0ac47dc6a8 going around about us.”9b7b695ea7da155f

The annoyance in Icanuel’s voice was unmistakable as he responded to Jenard.87416a4a6eb680c3

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“You’re only two years apart. Excuses, excuses.”643188fc31652a2e

“I never needed an engagement in the first place.”8578140d192276a6

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To me, this 9ba874eb23 relationship had always c432cf0f96 been sincere every 7b26444d9b moment.005471e39f9302f5

But to you, 04659d2e94 it was nothing 942eab46e2 more than a ddfd548919 bond our grandfathers dd47fee5a0 forced upon us.a5c3c051ca627f08

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It felt like f10088f254 she had been 0a1375e421 rejected even before 905a84fa8e confessing.4fd659d08fedad71

Every time she swallowed, it f7f33aa893 stung, as if something were 26018d43b5 lodged in her throat.c75efc7a8653c1c8

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Isabella pressed her hand against 6358e27688 her chest as if to 711644cca1 suppress a scream that seemed ea81052d0f ready to burst out at 90c0111806 any moment.49c0addbc5638eec

Jenard, too, reacted with shock.2aa10a2206ea9a7d

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“What if someone hears you! At least try to 4e5d9d17df behave well today, for c2cf0b94cb the sake of the bccdd03307 junior who studied hard 61857e58a2 enough to be invited 5ab6eef8ce to the conference.”8a49ddb2cde9939c

“Don’t nag me like my grandfather. I don’t want 04dc832a3b to hear that d6ac687f81 from you too.”c7dd98a2275b6701

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“Seriously. This isn’t nagging— I’m f4d0b28537 pointing out your poor 434983be9e behavior. What exactly did she fd8c4dfedb do so wrong?”b7a0055bfbc0fe25

I don’t want to hear c0e88dbf5e it.3a9e08dcdc957af9

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Isabella didn’t want to hear Icanuel’s answer to Jenard’s question. She collapsed on the spot, covering both ears with her hands.52fa538204c250db

But unfortunately, his cold voice—like 4096c1f80c a blade slicing through skin—pierced 653e7cdc6a straight into her heart.41a86317327ca041

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“Just her very existence is burdensome and overwhelming.”bfd374c79ed29174

The moment she heard 9027276485 him deny her entire 10c59d87af existence in front of df34aeb3c5 the person she liked, caee72aa1b Isabella could no longer 0d31a332fc process their conversation.ac365fd67a4e324a

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It felt as though the 2377842e44 floor beneath her feet and db61bf375d the wall supporting her hands 23a151af47 were swaying uncontrollably.3c123bf88ee4bae7

Foolishly, it was eb9af8ab8b only after hearing 169da1e287 it directly from ace63d8d54 his mouth that dcc7fd0065 she finally realized.591622973256f0fc

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Her relationship with Icanuel had 926fb2d151 always been a parallel line 1c8795de46 that could never meet.5f4fa92ee4592741

The winter of 5f4db0f03b Isabella’s seventeenth year 30c885499c remained the most 7649d2fcc0 dreadful winter of 3f6d6375cf her life, even 9a7b13d8e1 three years later.d17626644fe13126

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And it was on a f2768d7182 day in the spring of 7ab0475a71 her twentieth year, just before 02842a9802 Harta Night, the biggest summer 3dbb4e9dd5 festival.2276d61b6b88034e

For some reason today, her e5f50f154e perfect fiancé had expressed a 9145154d57 desire to meet her first.457850f7968db2d2

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Isabella was curious about his eb5e4845aa intentions… Well, maybe just a ced54312a2 little. But she didn’t adee397c60 bother to say 2664b7d835 it out loud.be81485ff60f7b06

She just wanted to finish 44ea5c021a this meeting and return to 763431d556 the mansion as soon as 26b6bf32a4 possible.4c5ecdd2c1af5cd4

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“You said you had something to tell me.”26e6adc8e02acdd1

“Yes, that’s right.”33b37b359729b9f5

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Lifting her head, 27dadfe694 she looked at 17adc5fde3 her fiancé whom 37c44fdfa5 she had once 0c778cb84a truly loved.da02e8e9b8d7aac5

To be exact—her soon-to-be former 0a4f81a9fa fiancé, Icanuel.a4be4d552a6a28b1

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Unlike before, Isabella could now ce37557cc7 meet his gaze directly.d2e0a9b7c246f66c

The human heart is e7d5e86842 such a fickle thing—once ee51b5036c the emotion called love, dcc030da7f which had once consumed f40f36e020 her entirely, melted away c7d93f98f2 like snow, she no 254a59a292 longer felt any fluttering 5853617395 or nervousness toward him.a0a7fd8df99874f3

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For ten long years, 791ddbc8a0 she hadn’t even been 9a40c07195 able to meet his 2c9de51f85 eyes properly or speak 49c8b9f475 to him when standing 65ab390731 before him, but now, 0e1f8a50f2 she could finally face d1f5257aa0 him calmly.658e9dce51d192eb

His navy blue eyes, 0a62b77314 carrying a clear light, 88cbde9c56 seemed to sparkle more dd2f455dcd than usual.d5f8e704cada7442

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Icanuel was displaying an 597a39f9a9 uncharacteristically restless demeanor.c410e31830b75d8d

He kept clenching and unclenching b13b1af617 his hands on the table, 40b8803d48 like someone who was nervous.2fcd0cbc6dd7b314

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What in the world does beac6e2999 he want to say that 25bb0e87b4 has him so tense?c880d2f6bf930e1b

It was obvious—he was 6e636f8f41 probably here to finally 4ecd407086 end this dragging engagement.166a4847fa25bdea

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Even Isabella had 7848aa3d6f to admit it—just a5d2bc7201 as people said, dbd3935e13 she was far ac949fe875 too lacking compared d79b2cde17 to Icanuel as 775d6a93af his fiancée.d4ae6969d9b5ec0a

In this empire, there were b8c9f9b32e plenty of young ladies far 3ab57d08c5 more outstanding than her, from 056a75073c families well-matched to the prestige 1e8ed02568 of the Duke of Raseles.e6542cb19c810db8

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Now that Isabella had de58f9fabe come of age, there dbf8684787 was no longer any 0a76e6cb06 reason for him to 0221f9bfe8 continue this hollow engagement.2aceeb67c2fe6632

It was rather amusing to 591dc39110 see Icanuel—who was always so caa5840182 good at disregarding people—struggling to a11478574f bring up the topic of 46b1f1a6d2 breaking off their engagement.3f1eb813dabb5476

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He would never understand how 51b009ba20 painful it was to be da2f0b8cd5 constantly ignored and rejected by 848f90d6f3 someone you loved, all while 0cca4e8d64 pretending to smile through it.d3721b6c8755e08b

How exhausting and hurtful it 1a604e888a truly was—someone as high and 45950a9be3 mighty as the young duke c047999bdc could never comprehend.bd17e854acd7ab73

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Was he only now c772f7b59c recalling all the wrongs 88d4bd6e83 he’d done to her?09134f3e8cb5e05c

She even considered taking this 8cad7a8072 opportunity to get in one 149603cffa final, small revenge.8443ad83294a6764

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If it was her responsibility 02d6f01b9c to end this ten-year-long one-sided 15e4eb7dff love, then she should be 000f0a4d67 the one to initiate the 1b687385fc breakup.f96c6de552978c41

They had dragged on 0dbdda5f75 this relationship for far e462477b33 too long—one that could bf2dd79ef1 have ended just by 02a8e52fce letting go.2c9a078860a43cc7

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“Since it’s come to this, let’s annul the engagement.”72fd483625d92eec

“As for the wedding schedule moving forward—”2aab103be61e35ad

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…A brief silence passed between the two.b6ecf8e73c375b43

Ironically, the ones reacting most affad4ae4e were not them, but the b7d5b1cfc4 people around them who were 280a6b3d31 secretly eavesdropping.713374ff22216d1b

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“Gasp.”5fa87f61db7c8607

“Did Lady Ledia just mention a breakup?”8bf3e56db7be9917

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“Oh my god. Is this for real?”bc24d66a8ee75357

Unfortunately, the place they e9b805f6d5 chose to meet was 4caa012aca a café in the 98810d4d5f capital, and now all 9edf4c88a2 attention had turned toward fd039b49cb Icanuel and Isabella.fdd925766b775d2c

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Soon, the mismatched intentions in 311f1a4d6b their conversation began to spread 3348bb71c4 like wildfire among the spectators.904a89b0968ea9bb

But Isabella no cdf033ccec longer cared about c0e05bd2ac how others reacted.22def408ad50613b

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One person was talking c788c8301c about ending the relationship, cb6e9befcb while the other was 0c210efb84 talking about taking it e8f68432a9 to the next step 4a6d5e6058 through marriage.1988afbd2c2919ab

Just like Isabella, who 47a95b99c0 couldn’t hide her stunned e9415b441d expression, his face, too, 9a8b4a7460 was marked with confusion.fd5ac12309ec6296

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“Marriage?”c609359e7c970ff2

“Breakup?”2fd7f4b5488848d6

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Icanuel’s expression was now bd2e686345 deeply twisted in a e74f336c36 frown.c5b483befcc8da0f

As if he had heard f893bc5aa5 something he absolutely didn’t want 17b43bc237 to hear, he looked extremely 1646b4ba21 displeased.9ec2c52f00be3653

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But really, shouldn’t Isabella be bb9198fccc the one feeling upset?14d47969e57bda13

Regardless, she had already decided eeccf0808d not to concern herself with a803008581 his feelings anymore.2e9f19d2d3fb6fe7

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The only thing that 73a022f233 mattered to Isabella was 13f5b5a197 the breakup.60594996d7f00dd1

No matter what, 4ebf46c91c she had to 4db1742370 finalize it today.b1d11c50084cc68f

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“You heard me correctly, Young Duke.”e24da7322d053691

“You mean the breakup?”c4ab4ae5f724ea85

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“Yes. I’m honestly surprised. How could marriage between 5ea6a038dc us even be possible?”739260cdab5e90b5

“Lady Ledia.”b108a3bb72588672

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See?85e337d4f192d801

Even after ten years 02f48b165c of being engaged—albeit without 0bf3ac2a5d love—they still didn’t call a733db368b each other by their 3b190d05e9 first names.cd525368a9b0fed2

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He continued to firmly maintain bf84469746 the boundary by only addressing 84fe468ead her by her family name.79066da978deea22

From the first moment d183f2b66e they met until now, 5618d3b35f not a single thing 17b8c6e60d had changed between them.b332707d166431a1

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If anything had changed, it 75e07661bd was Isabella.7c70774387adef55

Rigid forms of address, de2b076723 ambiguous relationship, the gap 863d08aed1 between their families’ statuses—no 4aaa5af308 matter how she looked f8f8bf699a at it, this engagement c1c58f17d2 arranged by their grandfathers 807e01fbae was never beneficial to 6a99a55294 either of them.bda72793d1bf1c41

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That realization only further solidified 6682ba0767 Isabella’s resolve to end it.c18fc8c0e1495afb

“Should I repeat myself in case you didn’t hear me clearly?”feff58d49dc426a8

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“There’s no need. I’ll pretend I 1964ec7ebf didn’t hear what a6012cece9 you just said.”a664b74decd787c4

His shameless response 7f06ba6560 that the engagement 11dda8702d could no longer a4910e0cab be annulled made c9ebd7e6c8 her scoff before 72f5b1ed5b she could stop b1c06e576d herself.93c015f04f720f08

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“I thought you weren’t the type to joke, Young Duke.”31bb188d3289e49c

“Did you just call this a joke?”df63a83f981201dc

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Isabella calmly nodded once, a5d49d632c signaling affirmation.21b9413f2359e568

At that, his usually e98d427010 neat, straight eyebrows slightly 0151130b94 distorted.e4299aebd6232b8f

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Unlike Isabella, who 8a095251b1 sipped her lukewarm cc686d0149 tea in ease, d68c7faef4 Icanuel looked clearly c3b574f546 displeased.2d162f188a00cf6a

His gaze followed 5d6d9aba3f her every gesture, 88591b3d52 sharp enough to f2334d0d72 sting her skin.2de0fdda43c53d6c

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Clink.02c656f4c04e0c14

The sound of 173b41e8f5 the teacup being d624a3ef9b set down echoed 6728607083 through the quiet c3e2d4a680 café, where even 9a6eee11a5 breathing felt loud.b319d27a00b83edd

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“I should be the one asking. Marriage? Why?”8a04726e0a10caef

“…Because it’s a promise between families.”31cc68fc84ba52a0

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“A promise between families? Ahaha!”dd690ac4700de565

Isabella couldn’t suppress 4abbba3412 the hollow laughter 00ec66a7cf that burst out.d77e9ffcbc0b5f2e

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Of all people, he dfe99d41c4 was the one who f250d7e2dc had treated their families’ 77c77bb7cb promise so lightly until 8b82fc0bb0 now.de86ad8f815f029d

If he had even offered aee42a8621 an apology, maybe she would’ve 601ab181b7 reconsidered. No—maybe the outcome would have 95510b625f been the same, just delayed.23417ae197e00486

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She never expected him to 770cdbcccd apologize for all the disrespect 77b7fbb3c8 he had shown her, so 46ff2387d0 she wasn’t even disappointed.731532a2551f6344

“No. Young Duke Raseles. I’m going to b8cae83530 ask you this 0c4a448b75 once—and for the 5bc1455912 last time.”0aba26d38b185a24

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Rather, his response felt like d8ce4d84c3 it was finally putting an 7b5c20c2a6 end to a one-sided love 8c432dfde5 where she had been the 205fe42a71 only one suffering.9fd0a9d08b9b17ea

[One, two, three! We are! The Venus! Hello, I’m Hae-yoon, the e061f7a65b leader of VENUS.]94a9e3400704598e

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To go meet the lovely 3fa9185de7 idol Haeyoon who had helped 54909b803a her finally break free from 56de681fdb this dreadful love.96baaff95d36a626

So, just for today, Isabella 5844594bd2 had no intention of hesitating. For the first and 0b9f9786f5 last time, she would 37cfb4a8c2 lay bare her honest 4ce7061ea7 heart.52d48e21283129a1

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“Isabella Ledia formally requests an annulment of engagement from the Young Duke Raseles.”df57cd6e717bdba6

Before she could leave for 79f534871b South Korea to see her dfd9528d78 beloved idol—this was the first 9a79a936de thing Isabella had to do.f976c0824d3bd3e2

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