Guidelines for the Perfect Goodbye - Chapter 164
“Did you ignore it?”
“I was planning to reply later.”
“Sir, you really should be thankful you already have a fiancée.”
Nigel shot a glare at the senior knight shaking his head in disapproval, then instructed the junior knight.
“Let her in.”
As the junior knight had said, Casey Heens had come carrying a basket. Inside the woven picnic basket were sandwiches and some simple snacks.
“I heard you’ve been pressed for time lately, so I took the liberty of coming to see you in person. I thought you might not even have time to eat, so I brought a small gift.”
Casey knew that giving something too burdensome would only lead to a sense of obligation on both sides. If she had to bring something, consumables like food were the best choice.
But even that didn’t sit well with Nigel.
“Was that really necessary…?”
Hmm, she expected this. Casey kindly explained to her fiancé, who obsessively weighed pros and cons.
“It’s alright. I didn’t make these myself.”
Nigel accepted the sandwiches, which had been made by one of Heens’s skilled maids.
“I doubt you came just to have a meal with me. What’s so urgent?”
“It’s not that the situation is urgent… it’s my feelings that are.”
“Hmm?”
Was she here to break off their engagement? That’s a bit bothersome. Nigel had actually been cooperative when Casey mentioned she had a lover, since the very idea of the engagement arranged under Guinevere’s influence was displeasing to him.
The reason the Heens County and the Rosencrantz Marquisate were connected was obvious. The Heens family, long-time courtiers based in the capital, likely intended to keep him tied to the capital through Casey, distracting him from properly managing his estate.
Guinevere must be dreaming up some ridiculous plan since he had to frequently visit the capital due to his duties as a knight.
But being a knight is a promising profession, and Casey Heens is just a pretty noblewoman.
‘Giving up my estate for the sake of my fiancée? Does she think I’m the same as her husband?’
There’s no way a woman would ever sway his life. Not now, not ever.
Such a plan didn’t exist in Nigel’s vocabulary. Even if Casey didn’t have a lover, he still wouldn’t settle in the capital for her.
Nigel took a polite bite of the sandwich she offered and sipped his coffee. Suddenly, a letter from another woman crossed his mind.
‘Cecilia Lasphilla.’
That audacious woman who had dared to propose a contract relationship to him was in this very capital, Mannheim.
If he were to drop everything and rush to the Rosencrantz estate right now, he could meet her. He could even confront her about the letter.
But Nigel didn’t.
After all, seeking her out was exactly what she ultimately wanted.
He didn’t want to give her what she wanted.
He didn’t want to be swayed by her.
‘Just a single woman.’
Such a person would not dictate his actions, no matter who they were.
“Sir Nigel, I heard you also had a lover. Why didn’t you tell me earlier?”
“Excuse me?”
“I… heard it all.”
Casey Heens shyly continued.
“From Miss Cecilia.”
Nigel nearly spit out his coffee and took a moment to process the situation.
With Casey’s detailed account, the conclusion was quickly drawn.
‘That crazy woman…’
Did she think he would entertain her after that? Not a chance.
The reason Nigel didn’t verbally deny Casey’s statement was simply because he didn’t feel obligated to tell her the truth. That was all.
‘I’m not going anywhere.’
He stubbornly immersed himself in work more than usual. He trained and drilled his subordinates with more rigor than ever, reviewed documents more ruthlessly than usual.
And tonight.
The night of Cecilia Lasphilla’s announced debutante ball.
Nigel knew exactly what she was doing and where she was.
After all, the invitation to the Pierce Duchy’s ball had arrived for him as well.
Nigel hadn’t burned the invitation—he left it turned over in the corner of his desk.
“…”
Late into the night, he stared at the invitation for a long time.
The dazzling lights, and beneath them, Cecilia Lasphilla dancing with another man. The woman who had turned his world upside down and was now enjoying her debut alone.
“…Damn it.”
He got up, crumpled the invitation in his hand, and dashed out somewhere.
* * *
Back to the present.
Nigel grabbed Ulysses by the collar and demanded,
“Where’s that half-breed?”
“I don’t know who you’re talking about.”
“Don’t play dumb. That woman you’re obsessed with…”
Nigel stopped mid-sentence. He felt a gaze from the top of the stairs. Instinctively, he looked up.
His fierce golden eyes glared upward like a predator. Then he smirked and released Ulysses’ collar.
“Never mind. You can go now.”
I just found her.
