Chapter 15

Dean and Berlia were congratulated by many nobles on their wedding, under a magnificent chandelier. Berlia seemed more stunning than ever. A stunning blonde beauty with a radiant grin wearing a diamond-dusted white bridal gown. She was sufficient to be the century’s Cinderella.

Today, Berlia grinned brightly for herself. Everyone wished them well. The exception was Cain Hildayden.

Cain was unable to accept the truth before him. The wedding of his brother and the lady he loves. Even fate’s cruelest trick cannot be this absurd.

Six months ago, Cain could not forget the moment he first met Berlia. How can I forget the astonished, wide-eyed expression I received when I told her she was beautiful? Cain, who seemed to be innocent, handed her the emerald necklace that was intended for the second princess on her birthday.

Because Berlia, not the princess, owns the emerald jewelry that closely resembles her eyes.

“Cain! Did I not advise you to bring a gift for Princess Zerdia to tonight’s banquet?”

“I will prepare it for next week and send it to her.”

“The family that is allowed to invest in the company that the princess will be launching will be the day after tomorrow. Next week is already too late! You can’t even do a simple thing… I am very disappointed in you Cain.”

As a consequence, Cain was unable to deliver the second princess’s gift on time, and he heard his father, Duke Hildayden, fuming. However, he did not regret giving Berlia the necklace.

I gave her my heart when I watched Beria beaming joyfully after getting the jewelry.

Cain realized for the first time what it felt like to experience love at first sight.

It would have been lovely to converse with her further on the terrace, but he was unable to even ask her name since his father was searching for him in the dinner hall. But Cain was confident that he would see her again one day.

It would be helpful to know her name beforehand.

Cain went to the house after the feast and asked his elder brother, Dean, whether he knew her name.

“Brother, do you know the blonde lady that was in the banquet hall? She’s wearing a beige dress and the young lady only stayed on the far corner.”

Why didn’t he realize at that point that it would be Cain’s worst mistake?

“Oh, I see. It must be Baron Kinderton’s daughter, Berlia. Her face is quite beautiful, but her family is rather poor. A Kinderton baron, isn’t that a disintegrating family? Because she has a smooth face, wouldn’t she also marry a baron or viscount of comparable rank, or would she be the concubine of an elderly marquis?”

Dean was caustic while discussing Berlia. It was a flagrant disregard for her. Cain’s face creased slightly when he heard his comments.

“The old marquis’s mistress—”

Cain lacked the self-assurance to observe her innocent grin as she was sold to the marquis as his concubine.

‘If I were to propose to her, would she accept?’

Today, I met this lady for the first time. I didn’t even get her name. Oftentimes, arranged marriages were conducted without even knowing the parties’ faces, but Berlia would have seen Cain as a mere passerby.

“What kind of foolishness is this?”

It seemed ludicrous to consider proposing to a lady he had just met for the first time. Even he thought it was silly, and it was unnecessary to mention how humiliated she would be from Berlia’s perspective.

“Why? Are you curious?”

“Not that interested.”

Dean, who was observing Cain in this manner, questioned him as if he had seen something. Cain’s visage suddenly hardened and he refuted his comments.

At that moment, however, Dean’s inquiry had to convince Cain that he was not interested in Berlia. Had he done so, she may not be Cain’s sister-in-law at this point.

“Oh… alright.”

Cain ought to have paid more heed to Dean’s sincere grin. If so… 

Dean Hildayn was a rapacious guy. He desired everything that belonged to Cain more than anything else. His parents, Duke Hildayn and his wife, began spoiling Dean from an early age. Physically, his younger brother Cain was taller, and he also earned higher marks at the Academy. Cain was also handsome, and he was the most popular among the people. There was nothing that could be considered to be superior to Cain from an objective standpoint.

However, the oldest son, Dean Hildayden, was the heir to the dukedom. Consequently, the Duke and Duchess did everything for Dean. Because he did not want the duke’s heir to be disheartened by the fact that his younger brother Cain was better. Because Dean was the next duke to rule the family.

As the Duke of Hildayden, he had to preside over many areas and keep excellent connections with both the aristocracy and the imperial family. Therefore, the Duke and his wife desired for Dean to be completely self-assured and superiorly complex-free.

Dean became the family heir only because he was the oldest son. As the oldest son, he had far more than Cain. Even the paternal interest.

But such actions within and without the Duke increased Dean’s avarice.

Dean followed Cain. Cain always obtained what he desired first. However, Cain was alright. Ultimately, the successor was the elder sibling. There was no desire nor sorrow for such things. I have never really desired that place.

But maybe I should have been more greedy.

“Cain. You must stay on the estate for around three months.”

“What do you mean to me?”

Approximately two months had passed since Cain had met Berlia and learnt her name. Cain has not had the opportunity to talk with her since that day.

Cain’s inability to attend the dinner that Berlia was intended to attend owing to family obligations may have been a cruel joke of destiny. Berlia could not, however, be erased from Cain’s mind just because he had never seen his face in that state. Even though we just met once, I miss her more.

In the meanwhile, I unexpectedly visited Cairndell, a nearby estate, instead of my brother.

Cain was unable to fathom his father’s abrupt choice. Dean traveled to Cairndell this time to introduce himself to the people of the estate as the future duke and to have a better understanding of the situation there.

Unless Cain unexpectedly became the duke’s heir, it was appropriate for Dean to go.

“Your brother has other responsibilities. This does not exclude anyone from visiting Cairndell, which should be visited once every two years, therefore you should go this time.”

“Are you saying this all of a sudden?”

“You ought to leave tomorrow. Prepare now.”

“Yes.”

Cain did not realize at the time that he traveled to Cairndell because of Dean, his elder brother. If he had seen even a small portion of what would transpire in his absence, the future may have been altered.

Unable to grasp his father’s unexpected decision for his departure for Cairndell, he had no alternative but to comply. It was disappointing that he was not able to encounter Berlia by accident during his three-month absence.

Moreover, if this occurs, he won’t be able to see her until five months from the day he met Berlia. If I was unable to see her at the banquet, the term may extend beyond five months.

“I will return to my room.”

“Okay.”

Cain left the chamber of his father and returned to his own. When I opened the desk drawer, I discovered a letter on which neither the recipient nor the sender was indicated.

It was a letter sent by Cain to Berlia. He was concerned about how to deliver a letter that has not yet reached her. Cain was in deep concentration with the envelope already sealed as he contemplated its contents.

“Will I be able to tell you about this when I return from Cairndell?”

He was required to be in distant Cairndell, so he had no alternative but to make her wait if he ever received a response.

I was ready to place the envelope in the drawer at the time.

In the interim of five months, will she have forgotten me?

Although it was said that the necklace was a gift, Cain’s memories may be removed from Berlia’s mind if five months passed without him passing by.

After such consideration, he took the letter into his arms. I thought that I would not be able to give this letter to her at any other time.

It was nighttime, and the sun had already set. Cain left the mansion and rode a horse down a pitch-black path at night. I knew where Baron Kinderton was since I had walked close in case I ever ran across her by accident. This continued for around 20 minutes. Cain himself was unaware of his motives for seeing her. I just behaved from the heart.

Consequently, I landed at Kinderton. I could see her home in front of me, but what can she do if he comes to see her at 3 a.m.? There was no way I could claim that I had rung the bell to reach her. There would be no such illustration.

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