Chapter 14

Was he really holding onto that, even though he had no intention of actually jumping?

“How about you go first and show me how it’s done?”

“I refuse. If you wouldn’t do it yourself, why should I, Marquis?”

I had a really bad feeling about this. While he had never exactly been sane to begin with, now he had completely lost it.

“If you don’t want to fall from here, you’d better answer me truthfully.”

“….”

“Tell me you still have feelings for me.”

At some point, Diego had grabbed both my wrists. His grip tightened, as if demanding an answer.

But a lie remained a lie.

“Even after ten years together, people can change their hearts in a single day.”

I continued, my voice dripping with mockery.

“Besides, it’s not like our feelings were ever mutual to begin with, right?”

“…Hah, haha.”

Diego let out a hollow laugh, his face slowly sinking into resignation. But then, his eyes suddenly flashed, like he might reach out and strangle me at any moment.

“…Don’t mock me! You said you loved me! How could you change so easily?!”

“That’s right, maybe you should’ve treated me better from the beginning. Then maybe seeing your face would actually make me feel something.”

I cocked my head, watching Diego closely.

“But what can I say? I feel nothing now.”

“….”

A heavy, almost deadly silence hung in the air.

Then, in an instant, sparks ignited in Diego’s eerily calm eyes.

“Die! Just die!”

“What do you think you’re doing?”

Louis pulled Diego off me and forced him to his knees, restraining him as if he were dealing with a madman.

“Duke Louis!”

I ran straight to Louis and threw myself into his arms in front of Diego, making sure he saw every second of it. I felt Louis flinch at the sudden contact, so I hurriedly whispered to him.

“There are a lot of eyes on us.”

Perhaps understanding that I was asking him to play along for a moment, he silently pulled me into his arms.

After a brief embrace, we stepped apart as if we had planned it in advance. As I pretended to tremble in fear in front of all the people gathering around, Louis took off his coat and draped it over my shoulders. Then, he turned to Diego, who was sprawled on the floor, and asked in a cold voice.

“Marquis Regen. What is the meaning of this?”

“…You’re being deceived. You’re the one being fooled.”

Diego muttered incoherently, his hands trembling as he staggered to his feet.

“You really think that bastard actually likes you? He’s just like me! No, he’s even more insane!”

Realizing too late what he had just shouted in anger, Diego quickly lowered his voice, then muttered so only Louis and I could hear.

“…Why do you think even his own parents abandoned him, calling him disgusting and terrifying?”

The sudden confession made me glance at Louis, searching his face for any reaction. However, Louis simply stared at Diego without the slightest hint of emotion on his face.

“Is that all you have to say, Marquis?”

Surprisingly, it was Diego who looked flustered instead, thrown off by Louis’s indifferent gaze.

“Leonia, you have to believe me!”

“I have no intention of believing you.”

I cut him off coldly.

Whether Diego’s words were true or not, there was no reason for me to take his side here and now.

“Marquis Regen, before you start throwing around baseless accusations, you should have begun by apologizing to me.”

I made sure to show everyone the bruise on my wrist and the red marks around my neck as I added.

“I’ll be filing a formal complaint about this matter later.”

With so many witnesses, it wouldn’t be easy to sweep this under the rug. Hopefully, all the unnecessary things I said in front of everyone to provoke Diego would have been worth it.

“What is the meaning of this commotion?”

Just then, as things were finally winding down, someone appeared to stir everything up all over again.

“Why is Diego in such a state?”

“Your Majesty, you see…”

At the emperor’s arrival, those who had been about to return to the banquet hall stopped in their tracks and turned their attention back to us. Even though the attendant at his side began to explain the situation, there was no way the emperor had come here completely unaware.

“Oh my god, Leni!”

Standing next to him was Alice, who had been summoned by the emperor earlier.

“Are you hurt? What in the world happened?!”

Maybe because it was an official setting, Alice was speaking more gently than usual, but she secretly shot me a sharp glare. She gave me a look like I had gotten into trouble again, even though I had been told to behave, and I couldn’t help but feel a little wronged.

‘It isn’t like I did anything! He’s the one who came at me.’

I gave her a look that said I would explain later, then gave a faint smile.

“I’m fine, Sister. But more importantly…”

Then, I fiddled with the coat Louis had draped over me and turned my gaze to Diego. As Alice’s eyes followed, fixing on him as well, she looked like she was holding herself back from punching him.

“Your Majesty the Emperor.”

At that moment, Louis stepped forward.

“Leonia and I are promised to each other. We’re engaged.”

Alice’s gaze snapped to me, clearly startled by the unexpected announcement. Now that I think about it, she must have missed my proposal to Louis since she had stepped out.

Ignoring her bewildered stare, Louis kept talking.

“Yet Marquis Regen publicly insulted Leonia and tried to kill her right in front of me.”

“No! That’s not true! I-I just…”

As Diego stammered, I stepped in and interrupted him.

“Additionally, the Marquis insulted His Grace by speaking ill of the late Duke and Duchess. This is by no means a matter that can be taken lightly.”

I deliberately adjusted the coat around me as I stepped forward, making sure everyone could see the bruise on my wrist.