I Broke Off My Engagement and Got a Job at the Academy

14 – After the Fall

I opened my eyes. A cozy blanket and warm sunlight enveloped me.

…Is this a dream? I couldn’t help but think.

Certainly, the Kainus family had collapsed, and I had lost everything. That’s what I remembered.

But why is the scene before me like this?

Without thinking, I began to wonder whether I had died and come to the afterlife, or if this was a dream.

In my contemplation, I got up from bed and looked around.

…It was an unfamiliar ceiling. No, everything in the room was unfamiliar.

It seemed like a noble’s room, with luxurious and neat furnishings. I pondered why I was sleeping in such a place.

Standing in front of the door, I cautiously opened it.

And there, a presence awaited me.

“…Cerise?”

Cerise. Cerise Derin was right in front of my eyes.

“Yes, Lord Eden. It’s me.”

She said, smiling broadly at me. I looked at her and asked,

“How did I end up here? I distinctly remember…”

“Don’t you remember?”

Cerise looked at me and inquired.

What was I doing? As I fumbled through my memories, I finally grasped how things had transpired.

“…Ah.”

Clearly, right after I had stopped myself from committing suicide… Did she bring me here and put me to sleep?

Realizing that, I expressed my gratitude.

“…Thank you. Well then, I’ll be going now.”

But Seris, grabbing onto me, said, “No.”

“Huh?”

Startled by my own disconcerted sound, she continued, “I mean… What I’m saying is, if you have nowhere to go, how about staying here? It’s not a bad idea, you know…”

Hearing her words, I responded, “I appreciate your concern, but I’m not worth it. If you think about it, Cairnes is now an author, so your status is higher than mine anyway…”

Seris vehemently shook her head and spoke with angered eyes.

“Why would you say such a thing? I’ve never considered having anyone else as my lord. From my childhood, my lord has always been Edendan. No matter the current situation, it doesn’t matter.”

In the face of Seris’s words, I could only stiffen.

“Huh?”

I had neither property nor power. Yet, who would have thought someone would say such things to me?

Seris held my hand and said, “So, don’t burden yourself too much. You, Edendan, are still my lord, and in this mansion, there’s nothing you can’t do as you please.”

I closed my mouth at her words and shook my head.

“Are you hungry? Let’s go for breakfast. I’ve been waiting for you to wake up.”

Surprised by her words, I exclaimed, “Wait, you’ve been waiting here until I woke up?”

Seris nodded.

“It’s fine. Just waiting for when you wake up made my heart race.”

“Thank you.”

Once again, I expressed my gratitude to her.

“You’re welcome.”

Ceris responded to my words with a bright smile.

Ceris and I descended to the dining hall, where servants were bustling about, carrying dishes.

“Milord, the meal is ready.”

The most senior-looking maid bowed to Ceris as she spoke.

Upon hearing this, I turned to Ceris and inquired, “Wait, did you say ‘Milord’?”

Ceris responded with a faint smile, “Please, sit for now. You must be hungry, let’s talk over dinner.”

I obediently followed her lead. After finishing her food and wiping her mouth, Ceris spoke.

“As you heard earlier, I inherited the title of Viscount.”

“How did that happen?”

After swallowing another bite of food, Ceris explained, “My father committed suicide. It seems the guilt of driving our family to ruin weighed heavily on him.”

I closed my mouth upon hearing her words. Undeterred, Ceris continued.

“Well… it’s sad, but there’s nothing we can do. The troubles that befell the Edun family are all our fault, it seems.”

“No, no. You don’t have to think that way.”

Ceris looked at me and said, “…Thank you for saying that.”

…

Since then, I found myself living in Ceris’s mansion.

It was inevitable. I had nowhere else to go, no clothes, and nothing at all. Pathetic as it was, it was a choice I made to survive.

But secretly, I worried if Ceris could ever marry. Living with another nobleman wouldn’t help her chances of getting married, I thought.

Seris told me, “You don’t need to worry about such things,” but it was inevitable that I felt concerned.

In the end, Seris accepted me at a great cost. Considering how relentlessly I treated her, I couldn’t help but feel grateful.

And then, amidst all this, a letter arrived from the Derin family’s mansion.

Seris picked it up and said, “…It’s a letter from Cielline.”

The moment I saw it, my heart felt a jolt, sinking as if into a void.

With hands trembling slightly, I received the letter from Seris.

A few days later, it turned out to be a letter instructing me to come to Cielline’s mansion.

“…Finally, it has come.”

Aria, now the Duchess of Cielline after the fall of Kaines, had filled the void left by its demise.

As Cielline assumed the sole leadership position among the nobility, it felt strangely surreal.

Thinking about it, I clutched the letter tightly.

In response to my thoughts, Seris spoke to me.

“If it’s uncomfortable, you don’t have to go.”

I shook my head and replied, “No. It won’t change anything even if I don’t go… I’ll be back. It’s inevitable.”

Seris held my hand.

“…My lord.”

In her voice, I could only muster a bitter smile.

…

Several days passed. I stood in front of Cielline’s mansion.

“The Duke is waiting for you.”

Listening to the butler’s words, I chuckled softly.

Although I had wandered through this place many times in my childhood, it felt unfamiliar now.

I followed Cielline’s steward as instructed. Soon, the steward knocked on the door of a room.

“Come in.”

It was Ariel’s voice. As soon as I heard her voice, I bit my lip.

The butler opened the door.

“Here, we have brought Lord Kainus with us.”

The butler who spoke like that bent deeply at the waist to Ariel and ushered me into the room.

As I stepped into the reception room, the butler closed the door.

I sat down and looked at Ariel, who was sipping tea.

Silver, glistening hair. Eyes that sparkled calmly, reminiscent of amethyst.

Looking at her like this, she seemed quite cold, I thought. Even though I knew her actual personality was different.

I could see her. I could see her face. I could see her gaze.

… All of that, even though it must be familiar… felt so unfamiliar.

I took a seat.

“… It’s been a while.”

Has it been just a little less than a month since we last met? During that time, our relationship had changed so much.

Ariel closed her eyes briefly and then spoke.

“Yeah, it’s been a while.”

I picked up the teacup placed in front of me and took a sip.

“It’s warm.”

As I said that, Ariel hesitated and asked,

“Are you doing well?”

I pursed my lips and finally spoke.

“More or less.”

Ariel looked at me with sad eyes. I looked at her hand.

… Still, I couldn’t see the ring.

She spoke again.

“…We had a meeting with the elders.”

“…Yeah.”

I already knew what would come out of her mouth.

“We should… probably get a divorce.”

Ariel stayed silent for a while, looking at me with a complex expression.

“…I’m sorry.”

I knew it would come to this.

But even so, the turmoil in my heart couldn’t be avoided.

I remained silent for a while. Since Ariel was also silent, the silence lingered for quite some time.

Finally, I broke the silence.

“…It’s okay.”

It wasn’t okay. There was no way it could be okay. But I had to say it was okay.

Ariel spoke with a choked voice.

“I’m not doing this because I want to…”

I nodded.

“I know, Ariel. It’s probably the advice of the elders.”

It wasn’t strange for her guardians to advise her like that.

From the perspective of the guardians of Cielaine, there was no need to maintain a relationship with me that was no longer helpful to Ariel.

But in the end, Ariel was the one who accepted that advice.

Maybe, it was fate from the beginning.

With a sad look in my eyes, I took off the ring in front of Ariel.

The ring we had shared on the day of engagement slipped too easily from my finger.

“Goodbye…”

Ariel tried to say something to me. However, I didn’t hear it.

“Thank you for everything until now.”

After rising from my seat, I turned away from her.

Without a backward glance, I left the Cielaine mansion.

Before the Cielaine mansion, Cerys was standing.

She looked at me. I remained silent, only offering a smile.

“Let’s go.”

I said, looking at Cerys. She nodded and spoke while embracing me.

“Yes.”

The story of me and Ariel had come to an end.