Looking for a Husband to Confine Me - Chapter 11
Chapter 11
‘I heard from Tepine yesterday that Hector came looking for me.’
I never thought he’d come back so soon.
I sighed softly and looked at Hector. His gaze was fixed on me.
“Did you come to see me, Hector?”
“Yes. I have something to tell you.”
I frowned as I watched Hector approach me.
“It would have been nice if you had contacted me beforehand. Yesterday, too…”
“I’m sorry about yesterday. But I thought you wouldn’t meet me if I contacted you beforehand.”
“Why?”
I stared up at Hector with wide eyes.
It was certainly the first time I had seen him since his declaration of breaking off the engagement. I had seen him at the banquet a few days ago, but we hadn’t had a chance to talk directly.
I hadn’t ignored his calls or avoided him. I had just been quiet. Hector hadn’t contacted me either. But why did he think I wouldn’t meet him?
“That’s…”
Hector just gave an awkward smile. He didn’t answer my question.
‘Oh…’
I had a pretty good idea about his reaction. He probably thought I would ignore him because he was the one who broke off the engagement. After all, I had refused him on the day he declared his intention to break it off.
‘That was then, and this is now.’
Although I had tried my best to change Hector’s mind that day, I had given up completely when I learned that Vivian was pregnant.
I didn’t want to cling to a man who had betrayed me, slept with another woman, and even gotten her pregnant. At that moment, my feelings for Hector began to fade away as if they had been cut out with a knife.
Besides, I was too busy looking for another contract partner. I didn’t even think about Hector, not even enough to feel betrayed.
“So, what is it?”
Well, whatever the reason, it doesn’t concern me anymore. I was curious, but I didn’t feel like I needed to know the answer.
‘So, just tell me what you have to say and go. I have to go to the palace because of the banquet incident.’
I grumbled to myself as I looked at Hector.
“First, let’s go somewhere and talk slowly…”
“I’m sorry, but I have to go somewhere.”
I couldn’t afford to spend a lot of time with him, and I didn’t want to. I pretended to check the time, as if even standing here talking was a waste of time.
Hector flinched at my refusal. He seemed flustered and opened and closed his mouth. He stopped moving for a moment, then slowly nodded.
“Okay, I understand. I’ll take you.”
“What?”
“Let’s talk on the way.”
I blinked rapidly. Now that I thought about it, the carriage behind Hector had Grand Duke Asid’s crest on it.
Of course, Hector wouldn’t have walked all the way here.
“Where are you going?”
I hesitated at his question. I had long since sold the carriage I had at Count Hazel’s mansion because I was broke. So, it would take a while to get to the palace on my own.
It didn’t take long to make a decision.
“…The palace.”
I answered readily.
I’ll use what I can. He’s offering a ride, so there’s no need to refuse.
“The palace?”
I ignored Hector’s questioning gaze and headed towards the Grand Duke’s carriage. As I was about to get in, Hector extended his hand as if to help me, but I turned my head away. I could see him withdrawing his hand awkwardly.
Hector got into the carriage too, and we soon set off. At least I could get to the palace comfortably. It wouldn’t cost me anything either.
‘Tepine’s payday is coming up soon.’
The same goes for the other servants. I wonder if I can pay them all with the money I have saved. If I calculate the amount, it seems pretty close. I’ll have to gather some more information.
‘Ronen pays a pretty high price if I sell it to him.’
I also thought about living expenses and future expenses. A lot of time had passed since the carriage had left, but Hector remained silent.
I met his red eyes, which were fixed on me with his lips closed. There was a time when my heart would flutter when I saw my reflection in his eyes. There was a time when I thought he would look at me with affection someday.
Now, it’s all just a dark history. So much so that I wake up kicking the covers off.
The silence continued for a long time, but I didn’t speak first. It was Hector who had something to say, not me.
“What are you going to the palace for?”
“I have something to do.”
“….”
Hector hesitated at my firm answer.
So, that’s the only question he has. I didn’t feel like telling him about the banquet in detail. Besides, even if I didn’t say it explicitly,
“Is it because of what happened at the banquet a few days ago?”
Anyone with any sense would guess. There was no other reason for me to be at the palace.
“That’s right.”
“I see. What happened?”
“…?”
“At the banquet, I mean.”
“I don’t know what you want to ask me about the banquet, but did you come here today because of that?”
I tilted my head to the side and asked back. I didn’t think there was any need to keep up the conversation with empty words. My attitude, which was just asking him to get to the point, made his red eyes flicker.
“I was worried about what happened at the banquet.”
‘Worried…’
“Are we going to be in a relationship where we can’t worry about each other anymore?”
I said it with a bitter smile, as if I was hurt.
I was speechless at Hector’s sincere expression and voice.
‘What is he saying?’
A childhood friend I’ve known since I was a child. Hector has been a part of Amelia’s life for most of it. The same goes for Hector. The two of them have been together for a long time, beyond their engagement.
So, it’s understandable that he would worry. No, I don’t understand it completely, but…
I just didn’t want to hear it from him.
A wave of betrayal, which I had momentarily suppressed, was knocking at the door, urging him to leave me alone.
“I understand you might be worried, but I don’t think our relationship warrants a personal visit to confirm.”
“Because we’re broken off?”
I nodded, my expression unchanging, my face stoic.
“We were friends before the engagement.”
“But we were also engaged to be married.”
“It was unavoidable.”
“It might have been unavoidable for you, but not for me.”
“…Amelia.”
“Hector, when you accepted the engagement out of obligation, our relationship changed within me.”
“….”
“And the moment you found someone you truly loved and called off the engagement…”
My voice, as I slowly spoke, was surprisingly calm, even to me. There wasn’t even a hint of excitement.
“Our relationship was completely severed.”
“But I…”
“If you had wanted to maintain our relationship, you shouldn’t have accepted the engagement in the first place.”
Hector closed his mouth.
I should have asserted myself, pushing back against his claims, stating that we were only friends and that I could never marry him. If he couldn’t do that, he shouldn’t have gotten engaged while pursuing another. If he truly wanted to continue his connection with Amelia, that is.
“At the very least, you shouldn’t have betrayed your fiancée just because you found someone you loved. If you had, we could have remained friends, even if we weren’t lovers.”
Was a simple apology enough, without considering the consequences? He should have anticipated the outcome of his actions.
Hector seemed to think that our relationship would revert back to what it was before the engagement after the break-up.
What an arrogant thought. It was so absurd that I couldn’t even laugh.
Hector, his face hardened, hesitated to speak. He seemed to be choosing his words carefully, even furrowing his brow.
“…I’m sorry. I think I was reckless.”
Unconsciously, I let out a sigh. I saw Hector clench his fist slightly at the sound.
Was this the typical pattern of losing someone precious due to familiarity?
The novel, ‘Unrequited First Love,’ was a story about Amelia, the female protagonist, being confined by her insane husband, rejecting her former first love, and becoming increasingly devastated, while Hector, the male lead, belatedly realizes his feelings for her, making it a captivating read due to his constant struggles.
I wondered why Hector Asid, the male protagonist, hadn’t realized his feelings for Amelia sooner. Apparently, he was the kind of guy who only realized his feelings after losing her and experiencing the emptiness left behind.
‘I enjoyed reading it for that very reason.’
But experiencing it firsthand was completely different. What good was it to say you loved someone after hurting them?
“I was just worried about you, Amelia. I wanted to make sure you weren’t in any trouble.”
“It’s nothing serious enough to worry about. I’m fine. Don’t bother yourself.”
“It seems you’re associating with someone not very good.”
I stopped talking at Hector’s added remark. I echoed his words.
“Not very good?”
I asked, implying who and how. I had a hunch, but the problem was that it wasn’t just one person.
“Damian Detronil.”
So, it was him after all.
Not very good. Actually, Damian wasn’t exactly ‘not very good’ as he was just a lunatic. He could do crazy things, even when he wasn’t drunk.
In short, he was insane.
‘No, that’s probably an insult to actual lunatics.’
I nodded slightly to myself.
“Anyway, don’t worry too much about it. I can handle my own affairs.”
I answered politely, since he had expressed concern for me. Continuing to be hostile towards him could make him think I still had feelings for him.
“That’s good to hear.”
“Furthermore, I would appreciate it if you wouldn’t come looking for me again because of such matters. People are watching.”
