Though engagement annulments at graduation parties were not unheard of, they typically ended with the wronged party offering a graceful blessing. Without such decorum, disputes often escalated to lawsuits, burdening both families.
(I had hoped to handle this diplomatically, but it seems that’s no longer an option. Staying here any longer would be too risky.)
Emma sighed inwardly and resolved to act decisively.
“I have nothing to be ashamed of. Let this matter be settled through discussions between our families. Congratulations to all the graduates. Please excuse me.”
“Don’t you dare run away!”
“Where are you going?!”
Voices called after her, but Emma didn’t look back as she left the venue.
Like Moses parting the Red Sea, the crowd instinctively made way for her. She reached the exit with ease, and the doorman gave her a sympathetic nod, letting her escape into the night.
(I’ll report this to Father immediately.)
Hurrying toward the entrance, Emma saw a black-haired nobleman with a warm smile approaching her. It was Shiller Rengefelt, heir to a ducal family and a relative on her mother’s side.
“Ah, Emma! Why are you in such a hurry?”
His expression quickly changed as he peered into her eyes, concern evident in his voice.
“Emma! What happened?”
He gently took her hand, and though Emma tried to choke back her tears, the look of worry on his face caused her resolve to break. Tears streamed down her cheeks.
The broken engagement didn’t matter—if anything, she felt relieved. Yet the tears kept falling, and Emma couldn’t quite understand why. Shiller escorted her to a carriage, and she cried the entire way back to her family estate.
“Emma… Seeing you cry like this pains me. Please, tell me what happened.”
For a moment, Emma considered confiding in Shiller. As a child, she had often played with him, despite the differences in their social status. Though known as the “cold-hearted duke,” Shiller had always been kind and gentle with her. He could probably resolve this mess effortlessly.
But Emma didn’t want to rely on Shiller. She wanted to stand as his equal.
She couldn’t bring herself to say anything. Shiller simply held her hand and gently rubbed her back, his eyes never leaving her.
That very night, her furious father summoned the head of the Charmant family. Nick’s father, alive and well, was caught completely off guard by the incident.
“I… I hadn’t heard a word of this from Nick…”
“That’s no excuse! This engagement is either annulled, or we will break it ourselves,” Emma’s father declared.
Emma sat in on the meeting, listening to the negotiations with a sense of detachment. Discussions about compensation and future trade agreements ensued, and her father insisted Emma remain present to understand matters affecting the Lavidge family, which she would one day inherit.
As the night deepened, the head of the Charmant family left to confront Nick. Emma’s father, still fuming, vowed not to yield a single point in defending his daughter’s honor.
“It’s fine, Father. There’s nothing to be done now. I’m sorry for the trouble I’ve caused. Next time, I’ll do better. I’m sorry… I’m sorry…”
Years of being belittled by her fiancé had shattered Emma’s self-esteem. She resolved to stop dreaming of a happy married life. If she treated it as a duty—just another task—then she could find someone suitable. She begged her father to choose a new fiancé who would bring the greatest benefit to the family.
“It pains me as your father that I made you feel this way. You are an incredible young lady, Emma.”
Her father wrapped her tightly in his strong arms.
Held securely in her father’s embrace, Emma once again began to cry.
She cried until it felt as though every ounce of moisture had left her body, and finally, utterly exhausted, she fell asleep.
Everyone in the estate who had witnessed this—from her father and mother to the household staff—was consumed with burning anger.
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