I’m Done With Unrequited Love - Chapter 24

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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 24
I shot upright and snatched the tabloid in question from Pipin’s hands.
“Why Ernan and Fidellia Are Engaged: The Truth Revealed”
Beneath the sensationalist headline—the sort a gossip-obsessed troll from my past life might have conjured—lay column after column of breathless speculation.
“Has Ernan Cleorl finally won Lady Fidellia’s affection? Yesterday afternoon, the two were spotted entering a dressmaker’s shop in the Mane district. Judging by the circumstances, they appear to have visited regarding Fidellia Jonners’s wardrobe—a clear indication that Ernan Cleorl has now become her steadfast partner. Yet this alone hardly constitutes proof of an engagement. The critical revelation, however, lies in the child between them. Who is this mysterious young one, and where did they emerge from? Your correspondent believes the two have at last formalized their betrothal and have arranged an early meeting with the child they intend to adopt in future……”
‘What absolute drivel.’
I found myself gasping at nearly every sentence.
Especially the last one.
‘They’re really reaching here.’
Could anyone actually believe this nonsense?
Pipin tapped his chest in exasperation, airing his frustration aloud.
“And yet, sir, they say a million copies sold in a single day!”
I was at a loss for words.
‘People who believe it……’
Well, yes. Apparently that many do.
Irritation bloomed suddenly in my core, spreading heat through my chest.
“If I’m not mistaken, this tabloid is illegal, isn’t it?”
“Indeed it is, sir.”
“Then why are they selling a million copies of——”
“Because the Imperial Family has chosen to look the other way, sir.”
Of course.
Everyone who matters knew that the future Emperor was obsessed with gossip.
Sending Ernan to Jonners territory was simply part of that obsession.
‘Even so, they ought to crack down on something like this.’
I cared nothing for my own reputation, but being caught in unfounded rumors was an altogether different matter.
‘Marriage?’
When my own days were numbered, marriage was the furthest thing from my mind—and before any wedding could take place, I’d already need a coffin fitted to my measure.
I ordered Pipin to gather every recent tabloid that featured both Ernan and myself.
Without having to search far, he produced them all from his own chambers.
“Pipin……you’re not a subscriber to this publication, are you?”
“Of course not, sir!”
The old steward vehemently denied it.
Suspicious, but I let it pass for now.
After washing away the cosmetic mask I’d been wearing, I returned and examined the tabloids chronologically, tracing the timeline from the oldest to the most recent.
The pattern, in summary, ran as follows:
“Cleorl and Jonners Skip Another Soiree”
“H and P: Two Weeks Without a Word……”
“Lady Fidellia: Giving Up on Her One-Sided Love?”
“Exclusive: Ernan Cleorl and Fidellia Jonners Meet in Secret at Cleorl Manor!”
“Scoop! Fidellia Jonners Departs for Her Estate”
“Missing H: Did He Follow P to the J Lands?”
“Four Days Before the Coronation: Cleorl and Jonners Spotted on a Shopping Date!”
“The Identity of the Child Between Cleorl and Jonners Revealed?”
Ah, how they’d managed this.
On the surface, the headlines bore little that wasn’t rooted in fact.
But the content—the content was the problem.
‘They’ve written an entire novel.’
If they’d submitted such flights of fancy to a publishing house instead of printing illegal gossip, they’d have made a fortune.
‘As it happens……’
The more I reviewed it, the more convinced I became.
‘I was right not to take Ernan as my partner.’
Had I done so, the tabloids would have outdone themselves entirely—they might have produced a masterpiece to rival Shakespeare himself.
“Shall I take measures, sir?”
At Pipin’s cautious question, I shook my head.
“No, leave it alone. Once the Coronation Ceremony ends, it will die out on its own.”
Completely.
‘Without fresh bait, the fish starve.’
And so the day of the Coronation Ceremony arrived.
* * *
Before departing for the Imperial Palace, the Jonners estate was a flurry of activity.
“I wish I could come along… but if I leave too, Kiara will be disappointed. Are you really sure you’ll be all right on your own?”
Sanna worried about me meeting Ernan inevitably.
“…I want to go too.”
Kiara drooped at the thought of missing the banquet hall she’d only ever seen in fairytale books.
I spent a good while comforting them both with their separate worries, and only after that could we finally set out for the Imperial Palace.
We arrived at the Imperial Palace at last.
‘…I hate crowds.’
The Imperial Palace was gridlocked with carriages belonging to the Nobility.
A procession of them stretched from deep within to the main gates with no end in sight.
At least winter had passed and the weather had turned mild; otherwise I’d have frozen to death waiting on the road.
‘I wonder if Siren’s already arrived.’
It was times like this I missed having a smartphone from my past life.
‘If I was going to be reborn anyway, they could’ve at least thrown me into a fantasy world.’
Then I wouldn’t have had to meet Ernan.
…Well, there’s no point dwelling on hypotheticals.
The congestion at the Imperial Palace gates—thick as a rush-hour expressway—gradually began to thin.
“May I have your name?”
“Fidellia Jonners.”
The Imperial official checking the roster mechanically paused the moment I spoke my name.
“…?”
“You may proceed inside.”
But he quickly collected himself and ushered me through.
“….”
‘What was that?’
What else—he’d read the Gossip Tabloid.
I was starting to wonder if making it illegal even mattered anymore.
Why not just officially add me to the Imperial roster?
I had a feeling today’s Emperor-to-be would absolutely love that.
I couldn’t believe I’d become the talk of high society while barely even living in the capital.
* * *
After an eternity of waiting, I finally stepped foot inside the Imperial Palace.
“Have a wonderful time!”
The attendant accompanying me in Sanna’s stead clenched his fist in encouragement as I left. By protocol, the retinues of the Nobility attending Imperial banquets had to remain with the carriages outside.
The banquet hall was filled exclusively with the Nobility—so much so that even the attendants working the hall were all young scions of noble houses.
The official Coronation Ceremony would take place late into the night, and until then the Nobility would freely enjoy the festivities, moving back and forth around the First Hall where the ceremony would be held.
The sun was setting. I waited for Siren on a bench beside the Maze Garden as we’d arranged.
It turned out that Siren’s house, Marco, had once been a martial clan active during the height of the past wars.
When the wars ended and peace treaties were established, they naturally declined, or so I’d heard.
I couldn’t fathom why the eldest son of such a family had taken up the path of a natural philosopher.
Or perhaps…
‘…maybe it was because of what his family was.’
That was when it happened.
“Fidellia!”
I heard his familiar voice.
“…!”
…In that instant, my heart lurched.
‘…That’s just because our first meeting was so awkward.’
I turned my head to see Siren Marco approaching from not far away.
I lifted myself from where I’d been resting my chin and faced him properly.
‘He looks good.’
Siren’s clean silver hair was swept to one side, revealing his face, and he wore a pale green suit.
Looking at it alongside my dress…
‘Pastel tones?’
Side by side, it didn’t look bad at all.
Nothing that would draw attention, tucked away as we were in the corner.
Though that hair color of his definitely will stand out.
“Why are you looking at me like that?”
“Just… your hair color is pretty.”
“…!”
The answer tumbled out of my mouth of its own accord in response to Siren’s question.
Well, it’s not entirely wrong. Siren’s silver hair does bear a striking resemblance to the Crown Prince’s.
Though that doesn’t mean Siren is of the Imperial Family.
With a continent full of people, there must be someone else with hair that shade.
It’s simply that from a distance, one might glance at him and think, ‘Could that be…?’
‘And of all things, that face too…….’
…….
Should I switch partners, even now?
I have a feeling this is going to exhaust me.
“Shall we go?”
Siren extended his hand toward me.
A gloved hand.
‘……thankfully.’
Yet I only gazed down at that hand without taking it.
“Before we do, there’s something I need to say.”

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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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