Chapter 6

* * *

With that, Meldenique left. Lennox frowned as he watched her go. It was strange. In his eyes, Meldenique Babelloa seemed like a completely different person. He thought of Sheria, Meldenique’s younger sister, who was not only his business partner but also someone he was constantly drawn to.

Not long ago, while still on vacation, Sheria had sent him a lovely letter. At the end of it, she mentioned that Meldenique had left the family and had subtly suggested that he should use this opportunity to end their engagement.

Sheria is a beautiful woman, but... He bit the inside of his cheek to snap out of it.

I can’t give up on Meldenique Babelloa. His eyes gleamed intensely as he recalled his father’s insistent words.

“You must marry Meldenique Babelloa.”

He had followed this command with an eye-opening explanation.

If I marry that woman... He chuckled as he envisioned the perfect future promised to him. Regaining his composure, he resolved to fulfill his original goal.

I must make Meldenique Babelloa mine. Then, everything will be perfect. He had no real interest in Meldenique, of course. She was a bothersome woman, inferior in every way to the beautiful and innocent Sheria.

The corners of his mouth twisted into a smirk. It was satisfying to see rumors of his relationship with Sheria spreading in his social circles. No one actually knew that Sheria and Lennox were lovers, yet everyone secretly viewed them as the perfect pair and wished for them to get together.

Everything had been going the way he wanted. It would have all gone perfectly if Meldenique hadn’t suddenly demanded the engagement be called off. He hadn’t expected Meldenique, who had noticed his budding feelings for Sheria, to behave so unpredictably.

Breaking off the engagement? Really? His relationship with Sheria and his marriage to Meldenique were separate matters. He was determined to wed her no matter what.

She’s probably just doing this to get my attention. Meldenique was truly naive if she thought that would work. He wasn’t so easily swayed. Lennox’s eyes narrowed as he watched Meldenique cheerfully take her leave.

This is admittedly an interesting tactic she’s using, but I won’t let her get her way. Try as he might, Lennox couldn’t take his eyes off of her. His gaze remained fixed on her form as Meldenique turned back to look at him again. He suppressed a smirk.

I knew it. Meldenique Babelloa could never leave him. She was the woman who had written him passionate love letters, presented him with flowers, and even started up businesses to try and catch his eye. There was no way a woman like that could change so suddenly and completely.

I’ve trained her to listen only to me. She can’t betray me. He watched Meldenique walk back toward him with a cynical sense of amusement. He planned to forgive his fiancée for daring to deceive him—though of course, only just this once.

As Meldenique drew closer, she said, “Come to think of it, there’s something I forgot to tell you.”

In response to Meldenique’s amiable words, Lennox coldly uttered, “I don’t need an apology.”

Meldenique smiled brightly at his words and asked, “An apology?”

The duke, observing her smile, paused for a moment. Was this the face of someone who was begging for forgiveness? He could only recall her looking either depressed, cast down, or shouting petulantly.

No matter, he thought. She would eventually act according to his expectations. He stared at Meldenique intently, patiently waiting to hear what she had to say.

* * *

Apology, my foot! I grimaced at the arrogant protagonist—the man who would soon become my ex-fiancé—as he seemingly waited for me to apologize.

How could he be the protagonist? This novel is a disaster. I’m getting out of here. I took one more step toward him. There was barely a foot of distance between us now. It was the closest I’d ever been to him, and it must have caught him off guard.

However, his expression remained unchanged, a lazy smile hiding his true emotions. I wondered if he would be able to maintain that nonchalant expression after hearing what I had to say.

“There’s something I need you to understand.” I looked up to meet his gaze. Even though he was too tall for me to actually look down on him, the complete role reversal as his once meek fiancée dumped him must have made it feel like I was.

Sure enough, he seemed to be offended by the fact that I hadn’t yet apologized. His elegant forehead creased, but I wasn’t interested in his expression.

“Let me guess. You think I’m just acting out to get your attention or something, right?”

He blinked at me. Then he frowned again.

I chuckled and continued, “If you expected me to be some desperate pushover who’d come running back to you, then you’re sorely mistaken.”

“What?” He sounded stunned.

I must have seen right through him. I clicked my tongue at his surprised expression. The protagonist may not know the reader’s mind, but readers are quite adept at understanding his.

In romance fantasy novels, it was not uncommon to see a protagonist begin tearfully apologizing when the woman he had looked down on broke off their engagement. Just as common were those who abruptly changed their attitude, acting desperate and refusing to give up, even though they never really liked the person.

I wasn’t going to allow any of that to happen. Of course, as I wasn’t the female protagonist, that situation wasn’t likely to happen anyway.

But there’s always a possibility. I didn’t want any form of interest from Lennox. Belated regret, unnecessary obsession—no matter what form it took, I had no intention of accepting his behavior.

I raised one corner of my mouth into a smirk, confidently driving the point home. “Quit being delusional.”

He glared at me, trembling with anger, then asked, “Did you find someone else? Did you forget your place and decide to cheat on me?”

Adulterous men were all like this. They acted high and mighty, getting obsessive when they were the ones actually cheating. I rolled my eyes.

“Do you think anyone other than me would like actually someone like you?” Lennox asked.

Here we go again with the gaslighting. I ignored it—it wasn’t worth responding to.

Instead, I told him, “To be honest...” Someone in the distance was walking past. I vaguely pointed in that direction. “I’d rather just marry that passerby than be stuck with you.”

The insult was clear—neither of us even knew who this random person was, but I had said I would still rather be with them.

The veins on Lennox’s face bulged in anger. “How dare you?” He was grinding his teeth in frustration as I pushed his buttons.

However, it was far too soon for him to start getting worked up. I still had one more thing to say. It was time for the finishing blow.

“I believe I’ve made myself clear.” I gave him one last radiant smile as I continued, “Now, could you get out of my life?” I didn’t want to see this adulterous man ever again. “Because you’re disgusting.”