If I Were Reborn, I Wouldn’t Marry You - Chapter 122

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 122
My heart began to race faster in time with the drums of the military band playing the triumphal march.
Thump, thump.
While I clenched my fists and endured the sensation of my heart threatening to burst from my chest, Leonhardt drew close enough that I could distinguish his features.
Perhaps because the familiarity of seeing him daily had vanished, or maybe because we’d been exchanging letters all this time—but seeing him in person felt strangely different in ways I couldn’t quite name.
It wasn’t simply that he seemed unfamiliar after so long apart.
‘What is this? When did he become so devastatingly handsome?’
It wasn’t as though he’d been unattractive before.
Leonhardt had always been a beautiful youth with an almost sensual air about him.
But in the time we’d been apart, he’d shot up in height until he looked like an entirely different person.
Muscle had defined his once-slender frame, transforming him into an unmistakably mature man.
His silver hair, cut short, gleamed brilliantly beneath the radiant sun, while his deeper crimson eyes lent an intensity to his already striking features.
I wasn’t the only one who’d noticed Leonhardt’s beauty—hushed gasps of admiration rippled through the crowd from every direction.
Unlike the cheers welcoming the triumphal procession, these cries brimmed with excitement and bashful wonder.
“He’s mine.”
I widened my eyes in childish jealousy.
Though Leonhardt, marching down the Grand Avenue, surely couldn’t hear such cries amid the roar of the masses.
Leonhardt, who had been looking straight ahead as he rode, began to turn his gaze, surveying the crowd around him.
The timing was uncanny—as if he’d heard my voice.
The people thought the hero was looking toward them and cheered even louder.
But it seemed Leonhardt’s true purpose lay elsewhere.
His searching gaze, which had moved slowly at first, began to accelerate.
‘As if he were looking for someone?’
Unable to tear my eyes away, I watched in anticipation as his gaze swept toward the direction where my family and I stood.
That was the moment I felt our eyes meet.
‘No, it must be my imagination.’
No matter how keen Leonhardt’s senses or how sharp his eyes, it would be impossible for him to recognize me at this distance, in this throng of people.
Yet Leonhardt waved directly toward me, breaking into a radiant smile.
As if greeting me, welcoming me, saying he’d returned safely.
Kyaaaaa!
Indeed, a beautiful man’s smile carried tremendous power.
Unlike the bashful, thrilled squeals from moments before, this was an almost piercing shriek that erupted from the crowd.
My ears rang so intensely that the entire scene felt surreal.
Leonhardt, who had kept his gaze on me until his upper body had nearly turned completely around, reluctantly straightened himself.
Only then did the girls’ screams finally cease, as if released from a spell.
“Never defeated even once… Is he even human?”
“Our eyes met… I thought I stopped breathing.”
“No wonder they say he’s a descendant of the Divine Blood.”
At last, the praises directed toward Leonhardt became distinct enough to hear.
I, meanwhile, felt a swell of pride and straightened my shoulders with confidence.
When Leonhardt and his entourage arrived at the Grand Plaza where the triumphal procession was being held, the Emperor and Empress, the Empress Dowager, and the Prince came out to greet them.
The Emperor and Empress Dowager appeared deeply moved, the Empress made no effort to hide her discomfort whenever she looked at Leonhardt—as she always did—and the Prince forced a bright smile while trying to conceal his wounded pride.
How dare he hold his head high after hiding in the Imperial Palace while I caused that disaster and Leon cleaned up every last mess.
I wanted to hurl tomatoes or eggs at him, but since I had nothing in my hands, I restrained myself.
Seeing me tremble with fury, Lionel asked with concern.
“Are you cold?”
It was a natural reaction from Lionel, who had no idea what was going through my mind, so I let out a soft laugh.
“No.”
It was early summer, and the midday heat was actually rather warm.
However, Lionel examined my complexion carefully with worry, then promptly removed his own coat and draped it over my shoulders.
I certainly wasn’t cold, but I found it tedious to argue the point, so I simply accepted Lionel’s coat without protest.
My body had been trembling from rage, but with an extra layer of fabric around me, the shaking subsided somewhat, and my mood seemed to improve inexplicably.
Once I had calmed down a little, I watched with an impassive expression as the Emperor bestowed medals, estates, jewels, and other honors upon Leonhardt.
The Emperor rewarded Leonhardt and his soldiers at a level that suggested he had emptied the imperial treasury—perhaps as a bare minimum gesture of conscience—then lightly embraced Leonhardt before releasing him.
“Roooaaarrr!”
As if they had been waiting for this moment, a thunderous cheer erupted that dwarfed everything that had come before.
Leonhardt himself looked as though he would have bolted down from the platform that very instant if he weren’t the center of this triumphal procession.
His eyes darted about restlessly, and it seemed he was searching for me.
This time, there were far more people and the distance was much greater, so he couldn’t locate me.
Leonhardt wore a deeply disappointed expression as he trudged out of the plaza.
I wanted to leap onto that platform just as badly, so I remained in that spot for quite some time.

* * *
With reluctant steps finally torn away, I arrived at the Separate Palace where the ball was being held, only to find Leonhardt already surrounded by a throng of people.
About half were those who had originally supported Leonhardt and maintained connections with him; the rest were nobles pushing the Crown Prince’s faction.
I watched the Crown Prince’s faction nobles, desperate to exchange even a single word with Leonhardt, and smiled with satisfaction, my lips curving upward.
‘The Crown Prince’s reputation certainly hasn’t been improving lately.’
It wasn’t as though I had orchestrated any schemes against him.
It was simply the natural consequence of Prince’s own anxious actions.
The Crown Prince was an extraordinary master of pretense, and with those around him desperately suppressing the truth, no full-fledged rumors had spread yet—but those who needed to know understood perfectly well.
That Prince had lost his mind.
“They say the Crown Prince’s eyes have gone wild over Leonhardt’s accomplishments.”
The Crown Prince’s madness had begun before Leonhardt had even done anything, and while the rumors were relatively mild compared to his actual deeds, the revelation of even a fraction of Prince’s ugly nature was something to be encouraged.
I nodded my head in satisfaction.
Just as I was watching Leonhardt handle the nobles with graceful composure—his social skills apparently having improved—our eyes met.
“What, do I have some tracking artifact attached to me or something?”
I muttered it like a whisper to myself, then belatedly smiled playfully.
Leonhardt, as if he’d been waiting for this, smiled back and made a face suggesting he desperately wanted to escape from among all these people.
Of course, it was only a level that someone as familiar with Leonhardt as I was could detect—to others, his expression likely appeared merely impassive.
I offered him a comforting wink.
I wanted to spend proper time with Leonhardt soon, but I had no desire to be surrounded by that crowd alongside him.
Smiling encouragingly, I spoke to Leonhardt with only the shape of my lips, silently mouthing the words.
“I’ll be on the terrace over there—come in a bit.”
Leonhardt, easily reading my lips, gave a barely perceptible nod.
My heart nearly softened at his thoroughly dejected expression, but I held firm.
I picked up a glass of sweet-scented white wine and made my way to an empty terrace in the corner.
I closed the door and drew the curtain to indicate the space was occupied.
The brilliant light from the ornate chandeliers that had illuminated the ballroom brighter than daylight was slightly blocked, while the soft glow of the outdoor street lamps shone gently.
True to a ball celebrating a military victory, the endless sound of lively music and laughter mingled with the chirping of insects, creating quite an atmospheric ambiance.
I sipped my wine, hoping Leonhardt would quickly shake off the crowd.
But the people clung to him quite persistently, and by the time I had finished my first glass of wine, Leonhardt still hadn’t arrived at the terrace.
“He’s taking a while.”
I brought a fresh glass of wine to check on the situation and drank again.
After repeating this several times, a pleasant warmth of intoxication rose within me.
At last, having finally shaken off the crowd, Leonhardt approached the terrace where I was waiting.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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