Chapter Three
.Chapter Three.
All wedding preparations were postponed in an instant. The things that were coming were suddenly stopped.
“Meet him again. Then decide.
Why are you in such a hurry? Who knows, maybe the problem will be solved if you two talk.”
I stared blankly at my father who said that to me.
'my dad. If there were barriers between me and him that could be resolved by meeting and talking once or twice, why did I have to go through hell?'.
My heart ached.
Why am I running so hard now.. from what was once my hope.
But it only remained in my memory.
In the end, I swallowed the words that remained on the tip of my tongue and agreed.
Besides, I had something I wanted to say to him. I'm not in a clinging and begging mode now, something I should have said when I was in an equal position with him.
So I sat in the tea room, but my hands suddenly got cold and goosebumps.
Now, after letting go of everything, I realize. How miserable I was then.
Looking back, there was only gloomy fate, as if someone had cut off my train of thought.
I flinched violently and screamed when.
I suddenly felt hot in my hand and put down the teacup. It looks like I spilled hot tea on my hand.
Just then, a man's voice came from the doorway. It was a strong young man's voice.
“Are you okay? Do you need a tissue? Mrs. Carmela.”
Her husband was, no, Bernard.
I arrived and saw him standing in the doorway, his eyes widened, then his expression relaxed.
My heart wouldn't beat. Instead, my chest burned painfully.
Oh I was scared and afraid my heart would beat again when he saw Bernard. I'm afraid I'll fall in love with him foolishly again.
But my heart felt like it was charred. My heart no longer beats for him.
I was convinced that the past was finally truly the past. I feel as if the darkness that has enveloped my heart and mind has been lifted.
Now I finally don't have to love or hate him to death... Freedom has finally returned to my heart.
There is a big difference between hatred and the ability to hate.
My heart was beating nervously.
I gently closed my eyes as if suppressing my heart, then opened them and expressed my refusal.
“Fine. No, there are tissues. Thank you... I have more to say.”
Bernard's eyes quickly turned cold. I saw these familiar eyes again and again.
“I don't like to talk about love, but I was going to keep talking. I'm not someone who can make a young woman happy.”
At this moment, all the memories returned to my head as if they were alive, and I felt goosebumps as I was once again shocked by the painful memories.
His eyes, his words, and his coldness tore my heart apart and he became more and more cruel to me. In the end, when he tried to trouble his girlfriend, he hit me.
Yes. I overlooked my pride and begged for love.
I wanted to make sure that I had done everything necessary to save that marriage.
“I know why you don't want to marry me.”
Bernard's fists clenched for a moment and the bones in his hands stood out and turned white, then he slowly walked over and sat on the sofa.
“What do you want to say?”
She looked directly at Bernard. I could feel him startled a little, and I flinched violently if the eye contact between us had been so sudden.
Is this true, didn't I meet his eyes before marriage?.
Yes…. I remember being so excited and scared that I couldn't see his face properly.
Bitter and sweet memories. It's just a painful memory now.
"Did he ever tell me about Rena? Why didn't he open up about it earlier? Wouldn't it have been polite for him to say something honest instead of vague words like 'I don't love you' or 'I can't make you happy?' “.
“How did you know? … …. “.
Bernard straightened his seat, his brow furrowed. His eyes seemed to be staring at me with fire.
But I have faced him face to face in situations much worse than this... Instead of trembling, when Bernard was angry, I was not afraid of him.
I was even more frightened when he kindly said he would lend me a handkerchief.
So I spoke with great dissatisfaction with the past.
“Your marriage to me must have been because you wanted to protect your mistress. That's why you couldn't give a clear reason for not loving me and not making me happy, that's what you just said more clearly... right??.
So what is my crime in this matter? What the hell did I do to you? “.
Bernard's lips twitched.
“You were the one who wanted this marriage in the first place. You are the one behaving badly now out of jealousy.”
I shook my head.
“No. I asked my father to annul the marriage. I also told my mother. Now, the preparations for my marriage to you have completely stopped.”
His eyes widened in shock. He looked at me as if he thought it well.
I said quietly.
“Also, I don't need a husband who doesn't love me. The reason I thought you were a good husband is because I thought you would be a good, good husband and father. But I realized you can never do that.”
Bernard sat still and suddenly said.
“It must be because you wanted a man who wasn't yours.”
“No. You can’t be a good husband and a good father to your beloved Rina too.”
shouted Bernard, but then laughed.
“Are you saying that out of jealousy now? Funny.”
Now, he had changed just like Bernard after marriage, not showing the slightest consideration or respect. I spoke to him so carefully and clearly that every word was firmly embedded in the depths of my heart.
“No. Because you are a coward and do not have the confidence to take your lover as your wife against your parents and family. This way, in the end, all you can do is hide and meet your mistress in secret.”
In fact, it was.
Bernard, the man I fell in love with and staked my life on, was a coward and never faced up to his parents, difficult social pressures, or his family. Instead, he just hid Raina for his own convenience and made her his mistress, abandoned the one he married out of cover for him, and left me to play the role of a one-sided villain.
I hated Rena so much, but I hated this man just as much.
They both made my life miserable and he made me oppressed by being unwilling to give up a suitable wife who met his parents' expectations or his love.
No matter how much I hated Raina, I did not hate her as much. He made her just a mistress, a shabby woman in hiding.
“You cannot be her legal husband. Because you do not have the courage. Because you cannot love even if you confront your parents and your family. Because you are afraid and count your gains before your feelings... However, you do not have the responsibility to love your wife whom you married according to your parents’ wishes.
You are a coward. In the end, you are a pathetic man who makes his mistress and wife miserable...You are a selfish person.”
Bernard's face turned white.
She smiled brightly.
“Am I wrong?”
The sky was blue and the sunlight shining on it was very warm for the spring sun.
In the middle of the gymnasium as the warm spring air swayed, a pleasantly laughing voice asked.
“Why did she comment on you like that? Bernard, your fiancée is not normal.”
The sound of the sharp sword colliding with iron was deafening.
The swords crossed and scraped each other. Sparks flew and an annoying sound tortured their ears.
The young man, who was facing Bernard with his sword between them, smiled, turning around. His playful, frowning red eyes were narrow and impressive.
“So, I'm focusing on that.”
The sword, which was supposed to fall at a certain line, scraped the opponent's blade as if it were rotating around it. There was no tangling of common sense.
Jed's sword cut through the guard and forced his wrist to twist.
“You mean focusing on the sword softly like this?”
Bernard's harsh and serious face had wrinkles between his eyebrows.
Find a great swordsman. Another strange trick.
“…For now, stay away.”
He untangled the sword by adding temporary flexibility to his wrists, adding strength for a moment, then releasing it.
The two blades were released from each other, cutting the air in dangerous ways.
At that time, Jed's arm strangely drew a semicircle, pulled the center in, and used the released recoil to hit Bernard's forehead with the hilt, the hilt of the sword.
Critical hit!.
Bernard's gray hair was cut off, and his body fell backwards.
At that time, a man with a gentle expression who had been watching the two quarrel stood up.
“Stop, Jed won.”
At these words, the red-haired youth who was Bernard's opponent smiled and drew his sword.
“Did you hear him? His Majesty says it is my victory.”
He looked indifferently into the cold eyes that declared Jed's victory over him as he walked beside him.
“Bernard must have been distracted elsewhere.”
Bernard, who was lying on the horse, fell silent, pressing his palm to his bleeding temple. Then he grumbled a little.
“Jed. While I wasn’t watching you, you were making other strange movements.”
At that time, Jed smiled dangerously. It was an innocent laugh that seemed hurtful and cruel.
“Just winning is enough for me... and the loser is you, Bernard. I’m training while you’re wasting time like an idiot.”
Bernard craned his neck and looked at Jed.
Jed had a good sense of grace, a malicious smile in his little eyes, and a mischievous and sarcastic tone, which made his actions somewhat offensive to people.
“Damn,” said Bernard, who was close to being a classic handsome man and got up to fight, but quickly fell back again and lay down with his upper body.
“Yes. I seem to have lost my mind a lot lately. This time I really lost it.”
Red lips drawn into an arc and a sharp jawline matching the small head.
Jed laughed, sounding adorable, as if he was having fun.
Prince Max—a lord to whom Bernard belonged as a direct knight companion, and in fact they were close friends—added sarcastically.
“Recently, I haven't been able to see the face of the knight accompanying me, so I was curious as well. It's sad that it seems like you'll be taking a back seat when you get married.”
He had a cold and heavy impression with his kind, gentle eyes, but his tone was light and playful.
Finally, Bernard dyed his ears red and covered his face with his big hands.
“…Are you so lost?”
At that, Jed closed his eyes and smiled.
“Yes. That was enough to make me wonder who the woman was who had moved this steel tower up to this moment.”
Then, without thinking they lay down together next to Bernard, who was lying on the gym floor.
Prince Max looked at the two lying on the dirt floor with slight disdain for these dirty things.
However, after hesitating for a moment, he chose a place that seemed clean, spread out a napkin, sat down next to them, and asked in a calm voice.
“Instead, focus on being a knight. It's not good for my face if the knight accompanying me is always only a knight.”
Bernard, who was still covering his face with his hands, answered in a low voice.
"Yes."
Jed looked at Bern, who was embarrassed, and asked in an exaggeratedly sad tone.
“Ah, Your Highness. Why is there no support for me? Isn’t that kind of unfair?”
Max, noticing Jed's displeasure, answered without pretension.
“Of course, you have no reason to exaggerate the situation. I'm telling him this because I almost lost my mind in Dalian after running around with that iron idiot.”
“..Your Majesty......”
Bernard made a sound of pain.
Finally, when Jed started to laugh, the Crown Prince also smiled softly.
When Max's cold expression faded, his delicate green eyes and shaggy black hair instantly opened as brightly as spring. It was an amazing change.
In the end, Bernard's face also relaxed, and he was attracted to his expression.
The intense laughter of the three friends crossed the gym and flowed into the sky.