The Reason I Got Engaged to My Ex-Boyfriend - Chapter 24

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Episode 24

‘She’s lived as a viscount’s wife for so long, yet she’s living alone among commoners.’

I wondered if perhaps her son was a scoundrel who had kicked his mother out, but when I looked into it, the son actually seemed to want to live with his mother.

‘She speaks respectfully to me even knowing I’m a commoner, and she has no attachment to her title?’

Just as I was having such doubts, Frill came over carrying two cups of tea.

“Try this.”

I received the tea with both hands and took a sip.

The tea leaves weren’t of the highest quality, but it was perfectly drinkable.

“So, what kind of relationship do you have with our Diana?”

…Here we go.

Since I’d been introduced as just a friend of the neighbor girl she used to look after, I’d expected this blatant interrogation.

I answered calmly.

I was born in the Kingdom of Elistair, came to the Obern Empire as a child, and lived moving from place to place…

“I see. So what brought a young lady who’s lived so diligently all the way here?”

“I want to work together with you.”

I got straight to the point.

Business talk should always be direct.

“Actually, my father passed away last year and left me some money.”

Thinking of my perfectly healthy father made me feel a pang of guilt, but I continued without concern.

“I want to start a business with it. I’m done working under others and want to succeed in one big move.”

Instead of answering, Frill sipped her tea.

“I’m going to create a premium perfume brand. I thought you were the only person who could make my dream come true. Rust of Summer—you created that perfume that appeared 25 years ago and still sells well, didn’t you?”

“Is that so?”

Her reaction was lukewarm, as if she were hearing about someone else.

Frill set down her teacup with a clink.

“First of all, I’m no longer someone who deserves to be called ‘madam.’ Still, since I am older than Miss Berry, let’s go with something like ‘Lady Frill.'”

“…Yes, Lady Frill.”

“Thank you for telling me this. But if Miss Berry knows me as a wonderful perfumer, then you must also know I haven’t been active for 25 years.”

“That’s why I came to persuade you.”

“I’m sorry, but you’ve wasted your effort. The reason I haven’t been active for so long isn’t something like my husband’s opposition.”

After taking a breath, Frill continued in a monotone voice.

“I knew through Diana that Miss Berry was interested in perfumery. But I was only thinking of giving advice if Miss Berry had concerns about perfumery, not of doing that work myself. Many people besides Miss Berry have made similar proposals over the years.”

Of course, I’d expected that partnering with Frill wouldn’t be easy.

A genius perfumer who disappeared 25 years ago. Surely there had been others trying to scout her all this time.

Yes, I expected it, but…

‘At least tell me the reason.’

If money was the problem, I was prepared to offer more, and if there was family stopping her, I planned to persuade them first.

But Frill didn’t seem inclined to tell me why she’d stopped creating perfumes.

‘Ugh, I didn’t want to go this far…’

I hung my head low.

My red hair spilled down on both sides.

“You don’t need to say all that. You just don’t like me, do you?”

“…What did you say?”

“I mean… you didn’t see sincerity in me. But I’m really desperate…”

I pretended to cry, rubbing my eyelids with both hands.

But no matter how hard I tried, no tears came, so I frantically recalled sad memories.

Was it two years ago? A luxury brand vase I’d managed to acquire after months of effort.

Less than 10 minutes after receiving it, Chris had accidentally broken it.

“I expected there would be circumstances behind your long absence from work, *sob*, but since I came all this way to see you personally, I thought you’d listen to my story seriously…”

“No, wait, Miss Berry? It’s not like that.”

Finally, Frill cut off my voice.

I raised my head again to meet Frill’s eyes.

No tears had come, but my eyes must have reddened. That damn Chris…

Frill smiled bitterly and began a long story.

“Actually… there’s a childhood friend I used to like. When everyone was saying what right does some commoner girl have to sell perfume to noble ladies, Justin was the only friend who supported me.”

So that childhood friend’s name was Justin.

“It was just childish talk, but we said we’d marry each other when we both became wonderful people. I even said that when I became the Empire’s most famous perfumer, I’d create a perfume just for him.”

“…”

“Well, what happened after that is a story Miss Berry would know. My father sent me to a viscount’s family, and I parted ways with that friend.”

After briefly dwelling on beautiful memories, Frill deliberately rushed to finish the story.

‘So she doesn’t want to create other perfumes before making one for that friend?’

More precisely, until she could make a perfume for her former lover.

I asked carefully.

“Haven’t you found him yet?”

“No. I found him. Recently.”

“…What?”

“He visits often, but I’m the one avoiding him.”

I widened my eyes.

This was an unexpected turn.

“Actually, that friend left something as a farewell gift, but my husband threw it away. I was so angry about it then… but thinking about it now, from my husband’s perspective, throwing it away was natural.”

“…”

“But regardless of my feelings about my husband, I can’t meet Justin without that gift. Even though I want to see him, I can’t bring myself to do it. I’m too sorry…”

I nodded slightly, organizing Frill’s story in my mind.

Honestly, I didn’t think it was something to be so concerned about. It seemed like no big deal.

‘But…’

No one else can know a person’s feelings. It wasn’t something I should carelessly interfere with or judge.

So I couldn’t tell her to just let it go.

I finished all my tea and left the estate, saying I’d visit again later and asking her to welcome me then too.

***

And there was a man watching Mary as she left Frill’s estate.

‘Damn.’

The eldest son of Viscount Chartinez, Louis Chartinez.

After being expelled from high society for his disgraceful behavior, Louis had recently turned his attention to commoners.

The reason Louis was expelled from high society was simple.

He had waited for a pretty young baroness to ripen like wine, then forcibly opened and consumed her.

Besides that, he had drained the viscount’s family fortune countless times to deal with children born from his cheap dalliances with naive commoners.

‘Was there a girl like that in this neighborhood?’

Louis’s gaze stuck persistently to Mary.

Her straight nose bridge, demure expression, and appropriately petite figure.

She perfectly matched his ideal type.

‘Ha, it was worth coming all the way here.’

The reason Louis was holed up in Semaphelaz was also simple.

Ransel had turned the viscount’s mansion upside down using communication errors on the Westport Line as an excuse.

Of course, that was just how it was put—Ransel had delivered a gentlemanly insult befitting a nobleman educated from childhood. In reality, only the viscount’s dignity had been turned upside down.

The navy personnel had been assigned to handle the lowest-level work in the port city business. He had dumped it on the viscount’s family.

The viscount tried to hold Seria, who had caused the problem, responsible, but Seria pointed to Louis, saying to make the idle eldest son do it instead.

“Me? You want me to go there? Are you kidding me? If I go there, those bureaucrat bastards will know I came as a low-ranking officer and ignore me completely. Ah, absolutely not!”

When Louis protested, Seria threw him a few buildings in Semaphelaz as if telling him to take this and get lost.

Only then did Louis start his voluntary exile life with satisfaction.

Those buildings were tools he could use to show off to commoners as much as he wanted.

“Hey.”

So it was only natural that Louis could confidently approach Mary.

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