Secret Love Affair between a Former Saint and a Dark Hero - Chapter 74
Oh, wait, this wasn’t right. Iora exclaimed playfully for a moment before biting her tongue hard. A grimace twisted the end of her words. The pain spread, bringing tears to her eyes for a moment.
“What did you say, my Lady?”
This guy. He understood but pretended not to.
Iora muttered, a little bluntly, a little coldly, her eyes watering, “I said, let’s break off the engagement.”
“Whose engagement?”
“Ours, Your Highness. The engagement between you and I.”
If she were to admit here and now that she was the true saint, the Crown Prince would never let her go. Even if she later reveals herself to be a saint while still engaged, he would never let her do this. The Ovid Iora knew was an ardent lover who would dedicate his soul to Arcanda, but the Crown Prince she faced in reality was a bit different.
He is a cold and distant man. He will try to keep a woman who is a ‘saint’ by his side anyway. Even if he loved Arcanda, he would still have to think about it, and in the worst case scenario, choose the saint for himself even if Iora didn’t want that at all.
‘Him doing that would be insane. That’s absolutely out of the question.’
So, before curiosity arose, before he started suspecting, she had to cut him off.
Iora scoffed slightly.
‘The old Iora might have wished for that. Maybe I would have yearned for your love. But now, I don’t need that kind of thing. What I want now is just pure freedom. A life where I can choose for myself, without succumbing to the pressure of the palace or yielding to the wishes of my family. You’re in the way, Crown Prince.’
As if she hadn’t been sober enough to think things through in the first place, it seemed like the best way to end the marriage. Iora smiled softly, hiding her impatience. The Crown Prince’s gaze was sharp and cold, like he didn’t understand what she was trying to do.
Just as she acted out to stop her family from behaving so cruelly, she was ready to be seen as a rude woman by the Crown Prince if it came down to it. Even if it meant being perceived as disrespectful, she was determined.
Iora made up her mind, opened her eyes and whispered calmly, “I know.”
“What do you mean?”
“How could you not know about the rumors that are going around? “The number of times His Highness has visited Arcanda are too many to count.”
“…Arcanda and I are just friends.”
Wow. I never thought I’d hear that! If you guys are friends, every man and woman in the world must be friends!
Iora wasn’t sure if his feelings hadn’t run their course yet, but it was clear that the Crown Prince was wary of her requesting an annulment. Not good.
Iora raised her eyebrows at the audacity of saying that they were just friends, but she kept her expression unaffected and continued.
Your Highness, do you love me?”
“What?”
“Or perhaps you think I might become a Saint.”
“…My lady.”
“Because I know you think neither of those things. In my view, Arcanda is more of a saint—at least, that’s what everyone is saying. This is why I’ve never dared to look at you as my betrothed.”
It was a lie. The previous Iora had sincerely loved the Crown Prince.
She blurted out the lie without even batting an eyelash, and with a reassuring glance, she began to persuade him.
“Your Highness, you also wished for me to let go of my position as your fiancée, didn’t you?”
“What kind of speculation is this?”
“If it’s not the case, your actions so far have indicated otherwise. Therefore, Your Highness, please break off our engagement.”
* * *
What was this woman talking about?
Uncharacteristically, the down-to-earth and unsuspecting Ovid wondered if he was dreaming. It was so unbelievable, it might as well have been a dream.
‘Was Iora always like this?’
He had never spoken to her face-to-face, but he thought he knew her enough. Even though he had never seen her up close enough to recognize her face, those in the Saint’s Mansion were the eyes and ears of the Crown Prince. There were many rumors, but there was nothing particularly interesting about Iora.
‘But now…’
This was still so different from what he had heard. The girl who was like a hazy fog, where did she go, and how did a girl with such fiery eyes appear? Ovid felt a bit uneasy. He had always thought Arcanda would be the Saint, and his curiosity about her was gradually turning into an inexplicable fondness.
But this girl, Iora, was a wild card. An unpredictable variable. It unsettled him. Break off the engagement? Suddenly, this young lady appeared, requesting the Crown Prince to break off the engagement.
Was that why? Perhaps that’s why Ovid didn’t respond with, ‘I also originally intended to break off the engagement with you, my lady.’ His mouth moved on its own, responding with a sense of inexplicable irritation and a surge of suppressed emotions.
“Why should I?” he said.
