# 21 -
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“You exposed me.”
Yuan said these words while looking at Seret with an expression that was both sarcasm and confession.
“Huh...”
As soon as she heard his voice, Siret felt her heart sinking in her chest like a heavy stone.
Her eyes trembled, finally realizing his true face that she had always tried to deny.
Seeing him as he was, she took a step back, anger mixing in her eyes with the tears she barely suppressed.
She heard the confession from his own mouth—the words she had always doubted,
But hearing it directly from him was more difficult than she had previously thought.
A shocking feeling swept over her, and her body shook from the intensity of the shock until she almost fell.
“Miss...”
Yuan quickly extended his arm and encircled her waist, preventing her from falling.
And the next moment his scent wafted over her—the scent that had once been so familiar and dear to her heart,
The scent of a forest at a dewy dawn, a fragrance she loved madly...
But now, it has become unbearably unpleasant.
“You bastard! So you were intending to use me from the beginning?!”
She screamed as she pushed him and hit him with her fists, tears bursting from her eyes and streaming down her cheeks without stopping.
But no matter how much she pushed or hit, he wouldn't let her out of his arms.
“How could you?! How?! Are you really human?!”
She burst into tears, spilling out her old bitterness that had been bottled up in her chest for a long time.
The first moment of her death burned back in her mind, when she swallowed the poison and breathed her last, cursing it in her heart.
That anger, which had not subsided even after death, now exploded with all its pain and oppression.
“Seret?”
Yuan's face looked surprised for a brief moment, and then he let out a short, sarcastic, arrogant laugh.
Then he held her tighter to him, as if he were even mocking her anger.
"Leave me! Leave me alone!"
Feelings of disgust and hatred for a man who had mercilessly trampled through her life were ignited within her.
But a low laugh escaped his lips, then he raised his hand with suspicious kindness and patted her head.
His touch was gentle, contrasting with his action, as if he were soothing a crying child.
Ironically,
Seret found herself - despite all the anger in her heart - feeling some peace within his embrace.
She despised her weakness, and hated herself for being quiet for a single moment in the breast of her enemy.
But the warmth of his body and his soothing touch calmed her overwhelming turmoil without her realizing it.
“I don't know what cheap novel you've read lately, Miss Enohater, but you seem to have mixed fiction with reality.”
He said as he grabbed her shoulders and gently pushed her away from him, maintaining a calm, featureless smile.
"What did you say?"
Her face convulsed, not believing what she heard.
“I realize Miss Enohatir has a great imagination.”
"Are you mocking me?! Do I treat what I went through as illusions?!"
She couldn't continue speaking, so she bit her lips in distress.
So, he wasn't confessing... he was mocking her!
How not? Yoann Frecktwister would never admit his mistake;
One word from him is enough to destroy his plan and destroy the reputation of his ancient family.
It was easier for him to portray her as a crazy person delusional with lies.
“Illusions are a bit of a harsh word... let's call it fantasy.”
A soft smile appeared on his lips, as malicious as the edge of a sword.
“So, this is your way of survival.”
Siret said it in a broken tone that carried bitter sarcasm.
Yuan Freaktwister would never let his guard down.
She gripped the edges of her dress so hard that the fabric wrinkled between her fingers.
As if she was holding her own torn heart.
“Why don't you try writing novels? I think you'll be good at it.”
He said as he extended his finger to wipe away a tear that fell down her cheek.
“You humiliate me to the end.”
She pushed his hand harshly and turned away from him without looking at him again.
***
Siret quickly returned to her room, opened her closet and pulled out her suitcase.
She began putting her clothes inside her with apparent violence and anger.
"He's not human! A human can't be that cruel!"
Even Satan might be more merciful than this man.
How could he say what he said without batting an eyelid?
“I have revealed his entire plan, and yet he dares to mock!”
She stopped being assertive, put her hands on her waist, and took a sharp breath to calm her excitement.
Running away from it is the only option.
No dialogue can fix what is broken, and no words are sufficient for a man without conscience.
She decided to prove it to him by deed, not by word.
She will return to her home and persuade her father to send a letter of annulment of the engagement to the Duke of the Palace.
She will also personally write to the Crown Prince and Princess to inform them of the end of the engagement.
The Emperor's Medal is no longer necessary.
But suddenly she thought:
“No, if you send the message from Mushili, it will arrive at the palace very late.”
She sat at the dressing table looking for paper and pen to write herself.
At that moment, the door opened and her maid, Hannah, quickly entered.
"You're back at last, miss! How was the Emperor's Garden? Is it as beautiful as they say?"
But her eyes quickly moved to the open suitcase on the bed.
Her curiosity turned to confusion.
“Hanna, get the luggage ready. We're leaving today. And get some letter paper, too.”
"Today? But we were leaving tomorrow!"
“The appointment has changed. I have to get home as soon as possible.”
“Right now, miss.”
Hannah hurriedly left, while Seret continued arranging her bags herself.
When the maid returned with the paper, Seret sat at the mirror and began writing in a fast, confident hand.
She wrote to her father requesting an annulment of the engagement to Johan Frecktwister,
She expressed her regret that she would not receive the Emperor's Medal.
She concluded her message with polite expressions of thanks that glorified the Crown Prince and the Princess.
Confirming that their meeting was an unforgettable memory.
I blew on the ink to dry the message.
While Hannah was finishing packing the bags, she said gently:
“I'm done, miss.”
“Good. Pack the bag, and pack your bags too.”
Hannah went out again, while Seret carefully folded the letter,
She sealed the envelope with red wax, then sealed it with the Voecktwitzer family seal.
In this way, the message will inevitably reach the Crown Prince and Princess.
Hannah entered again carrying her bag.
“Shall I deliver the letter to one of the servants?”
"no."
Cyrillet said sternly.
“I will not entrust this letter to the servants of this palace.”
If I had entrusted it to a Fricktwitzer servant, it would have reached Yuan's hands.
If he reads its content, it will never reach the Crown Prince and his wife.
“So, what are you going to do with it?”
“I will deliver it to the Imperial Post Office myself. Come on, if you’re ready.”
“Yes, miss.”
They went down the hall together, looking nervous.
“Shall we not bid farewell to the Duke?”
“There's no need for that.”
“But it's rude to leave without saying goodbye, and he might get worried if he doesn't find us.”
Hannah continued to grumble as she hurried after Seret.
“Our relationship is not the kind where one exchanges pleasantries.”
Seret said coldly as she continued her quick walk towards the stairs.
“Where are you going, miss?”
The driver called out to her as she headed to the gate.
“I will accompany you.”
She paused for a moment, took a light breath, then said with a fake smile:
“Just a short walk, don't bother.”
But the driver's eyes moved to the luggage in Hannah's hand.
No one goes out for a walk carrying suitcases; It was natural for him to be suspicious.
Hannah quickly intervened and said with a smirk:
“We're out to get rid of these old bags, nothing more, Mr. Pitt.”
“The Duke is aware of my departure, so don’t worry.”
Cyrillet smiled elegantly and then turned her back to the driver.
As Seret continued her way towards the gate with a heart beating violently,
She tries to convince herself that she is not doing anything wrong,
All that mattered was that she would return home a day early, without saying goodbye.
“I almost died of fright, miss.”
Hannah whispered, panting in fear.
“Calm down, we're not doing anything wrong.”
Seret said with an apparently calm face, hiding the trembling of her heart.
When they crossed the gate and breathed the breeze of freedom...
She heard a familiar voice behind her.
“Seret.”
“Jeremy?!”
Her eyes widened in surprise as she saw the young man standing at the entrance.
Jeremy Enwhatir — her older brother, the family heir.
But how? Wasn't he abroad to study? The time for his return had not yet come!
There was a look of shock on his face, then, strangely, he suddenly turned around and started running away from her.
"Jeremy! My brother!"
Seret screamed and ran after him, while Hannah called out in panic:
“Miss! Sir!”
The maid ran after them as best she could, but she did not catch up with them.
Jeremy finally stopped after nearly hitting a pedestrian.
Siret quickly grabbed his arm so he wouldn't run away again.
"Jeremy, why are you running? And when did you return to Erun?!"
He raised his head towards her, his eyes shining with tears.
He said in a hoarse voice between sobs of crying:
“Seret…Seret…”
She froze in place, her heart sinking into confusion and deep anxiety.
Why is he crying?