Chapter 4

Knock knock. Cedric raised his head at the sound. His aide, Rigion, peeked his head into the Oval Office.

Cedric raised one eyebrow towards Rigion, placing down the ballpoint pen he was holding. It meant for him to report.

“I was on my way to see the Lady. I’ve also handed her the Corsage. And…”

Cedric glanced at Rigion at the drooping end of his words. Rigion said with a troubled look.

“It seemed like she wanted to break up. She didn’t have any signs of regret.”

Far from regretting, Ariel Winston’s face had seemed completely nonchalant. No matter where she looked, she did not seem to hold any regret of saying goodbye to her lover in anger or belatedly tearing her heart.

To be exact, she looked quite carefree.

Cedric bent his chin.

“She didn’t regret it?”

“Yes, I’m afraid she said goodbye with all her heart.”

Ha.

Cedric laughed briefly.

It was a romantic relationship she started on her own accord. However, I didn’t imagine that it would end at her will.

Cedric leaned back deeply and loosened his tie.

Ariel Winston, whom I met today, was strange. She didn’t sulk, nor did she look forward to the meeting.

She simply faced herself calmly and offered a smooth parting as if she had been preparing.

“Maybe… I beg your pardon, have you made any mistakes with Lady Ariel?”

“Mistake?”

Cedric cast his eyes at Rigion. Rigion quickly added.

“Well, I don’t think she’d change so suddenly. Did anything happen between you two today?”

“Well, I was about ten minutes late.”

There was an unavoidable circumstance. The goddamn Marquis Rupert dragged on without stopping.

It had already been ten minutes after the negotiation when he arrived at the restaurant.

But that couldn’t be the reason for the breakup. The opponent was Ariel Winston. A woman who forced Cedric Evans to stand by her side for a year. There must have been a more special reason for her to say goodbye.

“It’s suspicious, but isn’t it good for you?”

Region replied in a bright voice, as though he had squeezed it out. Cedric glanced at Rigion with his chin up. Rigion momentarily stiffened his shoulders.

“Good?”

“Well… your majesty never liked it. She said she would also provide the scent of Anixia. ”

Cedric frowned his forehead. It was a surprise for Cedric as well.

It was Ariel’s only weapon to be able to create the artificial Anixia scent. She used it to yearn for affection, and then suddenly declared a unilateral donation.

All of a sudden, why?

Cedric tapped on his desk. Rigion spoke cautiously to Cedric, who was currently lost in thought.

“You don’t have to think hard, just simply… doesn’t Miss Ariel simply no longer like you?”

Cedric’s finger stopped beating on the desk.

She doesn’t like him anymore?

Ariel Winston. Cedric Evans?

“Now you don’t have to go out to see her every weekend or escort her at the ball. In other words, you are now free.”

The more Rigion spoke, the more plausible his words were.

Cedric narrowed his eyes.

There was nothing wrong with what Rigion said. Yes. Maybe Ariel Winston no longer loves himself. I don’t know about the sudden change, but it was not a bad story for me.

So….what the hell is this unpleasant mood?

Cedric closed his eyes and finally erased Ariel’s straight, unshakable blue-green eyes.

“Rigion.”

“Yes! Your Highness.”

At the sudden call, Rigion answered with a shout. Cedric sighed.

“The air in the room is a mess.”

“…Yes?”

“Go get some fresh air, and get the employees to bring me water.”

“Oh, yes, I’ll do so!”

Rigion saluted quickly.

Cedric removed the tie out of his neck completely and threw it over the sofa.

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I spent three days in the perfumery and went over Ariel’s fragrance notes.

They were amazing notes. Among the recipes written in the notebook, there were some that I used to enjoy, some that I had never thought about previously, and some mistakes I’ve made.

Memories that I had forgotten and were buried during my long struggle with the illness naturally flooding.

How fragrant lavender petals are.

How refreshing the smell of freshly squeezed lemon is.

How beautiful roses were in full bloom. The senses that I thought would never be recovered flooded in.

It has been three days since I trapped myself in the perfumery, barely filling my stomach without knowing the passage of time.

Finally, the ingredients have run out. I opened the door of the perfumery and called out to Rina.

“Rina!”

“My, My lady.”

Rina came running in contemplation. She couldn’t open the door as she was scared, so Rina’s face has been gaunt as if she was worried about invincibility.

“I need perfume materials. Where can I buy them?”

“What? That’s…”

She looked puzzled as to why I asked such a question out of the blue, yet Rina answered steadily.

“My lady would always visit the market to get the materials you needed.”

“Oh, I did. Yes, I should go there today.”

“Ah… Yes, My lady!”

So I left the Count’s residence after three days.

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After I exited the carriage, I was briefly impressed.

Perfectly arranged streets and small street trees. Luxury shops lined up beautifully filled with customers walking leisurely amidst.

The place where Rina led me was a shopping spot, a district. It was also a very special place for the female lead in the original work.

It was a much more interesting experience than I thought to walk through the streets described in the novel. I observed frantically.

After a while, we entered a magnificent street covered with flowering trees.

Various flower scents were mixed to present a fresh smell. I approached the nearest flower shop in a refreshed mood.

“Welcome, My lady!”

A young man, who seemed to be a shopkeeper, ran out rapidly. I smelled the scent of violet flowers in front of me. A fragrant, but pungent smell hung over the tip of my nose.

“What’s the name of this flower?”

“It’s Camelli, My lady.”

Camelli. I glistened my eyes. It was a flower that only grows in this world, a name I’ve never heard of. But it was one of the flowers written in the fragrance notes of the clear Ariel.

“It smells good. Please give me many.”

When I said so with a smile on my face with my nose buried in the flower, the young man blushed like a ripe tomato and mumbled that he understood. Okay. I bought sunflowers, white roses, along with other types of flowers that were mentioned in the fragrance book.

Okay, I think we’ve earned enough perfume ingredients.

It was when I paid the price and turned around in a happy mood.

“Oh? Who’s this?”

A dazzling array of colorful dresses caught my eye. They were well-dressed girls. I thought so while trying to pass them.

“Lady Ariel. We’re meeting in a place like this, aren’t we?”

A woman in a light forsythia dress spoke to me. It seemed that the voice was directed at me.

‘This.’

I clicked my tongue in trouble. I never thought I’d run into people who knew Ariel here. First, I greeted with a smile.

“Hello. Good afternoon, isn’t it?”

I thought I had given an unauthorized greeting as much as I could.

But the faces of the people who heard my greeting became very strange. The lady, wearing the forsythia outing, replied with a subtle smile.

“Yes, it’s a nice day for shopping. Oh, but what do I do?”

As I glanced at the bouquet I was holding in one arm, the forsythia dress girl lifted a corner of her mouth.

“Will it be just flowers? If you want to earn the Duke’s attention, shouldn’t you have endless diamonds?”

The forsythia girl covered her mouth with a fan and chuckled.

“Oh, yes. There’s still a lot of diamonds. But the Duke… Hm, hm. Excuse me.”

What.

I laughed a little in vain. Now, I’ve been slapped with my eyes open, right? Openly like this? In broad daylight?

“You didn’t show up at the Gallen gallery you booked in advance. Not only in Gallen but every gallery in the capital. I think this date has been hit by the wind. Well, well, his Excellence is a busy man, so I’m sure My lady will understand, right?”

That’s how the forsythia girl laughed again.

What shall I do? I lifted my eyebrow.

Originally, I wasn’t the type to react to such a low-key opponent.

However, there is a truth that must be corrected no matter how annoying it is.

I said with a big smile around my mouth.

“Oh, did you worry about me being hurt? Thank you.”

It was when the forsythia’s expression became subtle again. I said one thing after another, not giving her time to answer.

“But I don’t think you need to worry anymore. It’s been done, me and the Duke.”

Yeah, it’s done, it’s done!

I’m sick and tired of reciting these words.

I smiled and looked around the forsythia dress corps decorated within. Please listen to me clearly and spread the rumors throughout society.

“You’ve…Broken up? What is that…?”

The forsythia stammered. Then she gave a broad smile as if she realized something.

“Oh, my God! Is that what happened at last? Oh, poor Lady Winston. The Duke is very compassionate, too.”

The forsythia and other dress corps giggled and laughed among themselves. As the forsythia color expressed her excitement, she unfolded her fan and said,

“Don’t worry. My lady is young and beautiful, so you’ll find a new lover soon. Though I don’t know who’s going to take the abandoned woman that was hanging around a man for a year….? Hoho.”

“Oh, my. I think that was a little bit of disrespect to Lord Evans.”

I tilted my head slightly and laughed. The forsythia blazed her eyes as if she didn’t understand.

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