The Problem Is, My Ex-Boyfriend and I Are Both Dating Other People - Chapter 5

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

Chapter 5

* * *

I crossed the Imperial Palace, turning over the situation in my mind.
‘There’s only one reason Daemon would move like this.’
The miraculous return of the Imperial Princess just weeks ago—Sasha’s existence. A powerful contender had appeared in a race I’d been running alone, unopposed.
He needed the name of House of Belua.
The problem was that maintaining my relationship with Daemon had become not just unnecessary, but actively harmful the longer it continued.
‘Just look at this.’
For the last four days, the front page of Troublelove has featured three people as if by covenant.
Me, her, and him.
I trust you don’t need me to spell out who’s who. Today’s headline alone makes it clear enough.
[Will the legendary couple reunite?]
If I left things as they were, by next week they’d probably be printing articles about how he and she were fighting a duel over me. That’s how gossip works, isn’t it? Taking something this small and blowing it up to this size, then acting like it’s all speculation.
‘I need to end things with him before that happens.’
Noah seemed to think the problem lay in me inheriting the dukedom while maintaining a romantic relationship with Daemon, but my thinking ran differently.
My father began siphoning Daemon’s Private Treasury five years ago. Whether I broke up with Daemon immediately or not, we were already hopelessly entangled.
Now, if the Treasury question ever surfaced, people would undoubtedly declare that I’d approached Daemon with calculated intent all along.
‘Not that they’d be entirely wrong, in a sense.’
So the only reason I had for ending things with Daemon was singular.
‘I have to end this ridiculous love triangle before it gets officially hammered into High Society.’
Before some lady could laugh softly and ask, “Is it true the Duke of House of Belua has a flower in each hand?”
I’d come to the palace with that single resolve in mind, and I regretted it almost immediately.
I should never have gotten out of bed.
Should have just stayed there.
Let whatever Noah said go in one ear and out the other.
Never opened that damned invitation Daemon sent.
‘Then none of this would be happening!’
How was it possible to run into someone so perfectly, as if they’d been waiting around the corner?
I hadn’t even had time to prepare myself mentally. The moment I turned the corner, there he was, and something about his bearing seemed disheveled.
Whether he’d ridden here or not, Richard stood at the far end of the opposite corridor with his hair tousled lightly by the breeze.
That the Imperial Palace had become a meeting ground for both men and women wasn’t a new development, but this was excessive.
Why? Because this was the Central Hall. The place swarmed with nobles so bored they had to hunt for gossip just to kill time.
To them, he and I were prime cuts of meat.
Ah, I felt it.
Eyes gleaming from all directions. The whisper of fans snapping open. Rumors spreading through glances and nods.
They were fascinated, certainly, but none of them dared speak first. It was fine to watch from the crowd, but stepping forward felt too bold.
A mercy, that. If things stayed quiet—
“Is this what they mean when they say enemies always meet on a narrow bridge?”
A familiar voice shattered the silence, ringing through the corridor.
I turned my head toward the voice at once, locating the speaker.
The heir of House of Kindel.
The woman who truly loved Daemon and wanted to be Crown Princess—the very woman who despised me with all her might. I hadn’t expected to see her here.
At my gaze, Natalie didn’t avert her eyes; she lifted her chin instead. From the twist in her smile, it was clear she was savoring this situation with her entire being.
‘You’re enjoying this, at least, Natalie. Though you might get your facts straight first.’
He’s not an enemy. He’s an ex-lover.
Emboldened by Natalie’s opening gambit, a few ladies began to whisper among themselves.
“Goodness, it looks like sparks might fly between those two again. Anyone care to wager with me?”
Stop betting on other people’s love lives. This isn’t a gambling hall—why are you all so desperate to throw money around every single time?
“I’m putting mine on the Imperial Princess. It’s terribly romantic, isn’t it? A knight saving the princess from a demon! Like a fairy tale?”
Who’s asking?
I’ll tear that fairy tale to shreds and you can bring the pieces back, Lady Milton—if you’d like to see them.
The heir Milton, whose eyes had met mine, laughed awkwardly and hid her face behind her fan. Yet she never moved to leave, which told me everyone found this situation utterly delicious. Eyes glittering with amusement, with anticipation.
What exactly are you expecting? Surely you’re not hoping I’ll stage some melodramatic scene with Richard right here?
‘It’s just two people who happened to meet while walking down a corridor!’
I ground my teeth internally while watching the man who’d stopped across from me, frozen just as I was. What choice did I have? There was nowhere else to look.
And the moment I saw Richard, my reaction was simple.
‘He’s had his clothes tailored recently.’
Ah. This man no longer carried any trace of the image I remembered of him.
He was no longer wearing the shabby shirts of a decade past, nor the Northern Region’s distinctive leather garments. Instead, he wore a bespoke shirt and cravat, a jacket that fell cleanly along his shoulders with meticulous precision.
Richard, dressed in clothes that seemed to mirror the Empire’s latest fashion, emanated an oddly austere air.
An impeccably maintained frame, fine-quality garments that fit him perfectly—everything felt so foreign that I found myself retreating a step without thinking. At that, Richard’s red eyes, which had been observing me silently, sharpened into a keen edge.
What on earth was I doing? I didn’t know why, but I pressed forward again, closing the distance I’d just made, matching his watchful gaze.
Richard’s expression then settled back into its blank composure, as though it had been that way from the start.
Before I could even grasp what was happening, the society ladies began their whispered murmuring anew.
“Either way, that commoner knight certainly did make his way up in the world.”
“Oh my, a commoner? My dear, when are you living in? He’s Count Winston now. They say the Northern lands he holds are simply enormous! I heard he’s still unmarried—people are already wondering who might claim that man!”
They were right. Richard had built everything with his own hands.
His title, his lands, even the name Winston itself.
I, who had nothing to boast of but House of Belua, suddenly felt a sharp sting of shame—made all the worse by the fact that I’d inherited it only because my father had died.
I wanted to turn and flee on the spot. I wanted to bury my face in shame and look away.
The realization that this was all I’d gained through such cruelty toward him made my face burn with frustration.
“Count Winston. It’s been a while.”
But now was not the time to surrender to emotion.
I stepped forward and spoke first, aware of all the curious eyes turning toward us from every direction. To avoid giving them any fodder, I needed to keep this brief—just a light greeting between former lovers who’d parted amicably enough.
“Have you been well?”
As if we’d separated on decent terms and drifted into polite distance.
So play along with me, Richard. You don’t want to become a spectacle any more than I do.
With that meaning behind every gesture, I continued earnestly with my eyes.
“I should have reached out first. Perhaps next time, if the opportunity arises, we might share a cup of tea? I’ve felt awful not having properly thanked you for the favor from before.”
Say something. Anything. I know you hate me, just match my rhythm.
“Is that a promise you intend to keep, House of Belua?”
Don’t say things like that.
A cold silence wrapped around the corridor. I didn’t know when I’d broken a promise, but this direction was all wrong.
“Look around you for a moment.”
I stepped closer to Richard and gripped his arm firmly.
Contrary to my expectations, he bent forward. As the space between us shrank in an instant and I hesitated, his eyes narrowed sharply.
“What? Is there something you want to say?”
“No. I… uh…”
“Speak, House of Belua.”
His hair brushed against my forehead. Close—far too close.
My mind went blank, and when I said nothing, Richard’s eyes narrowed even further.
He hesitated for a moment, then wetted his lips again.
“Bela?”
When he murmured my nickname in a voice lower than I remembered, I felt my throat go dry.
“Are those two… surely they’re not kissing right now?”
And it was Natalie’s voice that snapped me back to reality.

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