FOU – Chapter 7

“Will you marry me?”

The people encircling the dance floor were all thrilled, watching the scene unfold as if it were a romantic play.

“Oh my goodness! His Grace is so brave!”

“So romantic…”

“I wish I could be proposed to like that.”

“Dylan! Why haven’t you said ‘Yes!’ already?!”

It seemed everyone’s inner thoughts were rose tinted, thinking they were witnessing some romantic proposal. Only Dylan was terrified, her feelings bordering on panic.

‘I have to refuse.’

That was the first thought that came to Dylan’s mind.

‘I have to refuse…’

She had thought earlier that it was a situation where refusing would be impossible, but she still had to refuse. She wanted to…

There were many reasons as to why. First, she didn’t want to marry Cedric at all. Second, she didn’t want to become Cedric’s first wife, the one who would die after a stillbirth in Emily’s place. Though she doubted it would happen, there was still a chance it might. Most importantly, she wanted to avoid the path laid out for her in the book. Even if it meant encountering death.

Of course, the current Dylan was different from the ‘Baroness Samuelson’ in the book. She wasn’t infatuated with Cedric, nor was she jealous of Emily.

However, looking at the current situation, wasn’t it as if she was jealous of Emily and wanted to marry Cedric in her place? Hadn’t Cedric implied the same? …There was ample reason for caution.

There were even some shared experiences between the Dylan of the book and the current Dylan. In the novel, Dylan was extremely envious of Emily. It was not only because as Emily grew older, she became more beautiful and in turn, this caused people, especially men, to constantly compare and discriminate against Dylan, but also because of a broken engagement.

Yes, Dylan had been engaged…. Past tense, so she wasn’t anymore.

It happened a while ago. Around the same time her memories of the book returned. The reason? The man was absolutely insane.

The insane man in question was named Miles Whitewood, the eldest son of Baron Whitewood, who had maintained a long-standing friendship with the Langton family.

It was at a New Year’s Eve ball, when everyone was anticipating the new year. There was a custom at such gatherings where, after the countdown, engaged or married couples would kiss behind a fan. At that time, Miles Whitewood said to Dylan, verbatim, “Actually, I’ve never liked you. I’ve only ever thought of you as a friend. That’s why I can’t kiss you.”

And he hadn’t even officially proposed yet.

To Dylan, he was also just a long-time friend. She wanted to tell him that she had never seen him in that way either, but she couldn’t, because Miles then said something truly insane.

“I like Emily, not you.”

Those were his exact words.

He uttered those words for everyone to hear.

Dylan was furious. Not because she was publicly dumped— though that certainly contributed to her anger— but because Emily hadn’t even reached her fifteenth birthday yet. How could a grown man, over twenty years old, confess his feelings for his fiancée’s underage younger sister in a public setting?

Miles, whose brain had clearly evaporated, then said, “I wasn’t going to act on my feelings with Emily. I just wanted to express my true feelings. I was in pain for deceiving you. I didn’t want to do that anymore.”

After uttering such insincere, self-righteous nonsense, he left town. Naturally, all contact with the Whitewood family ceased.

In the book, this incident became the starting point of Dylan’s hatred for Emily. The current Dylan, of course, didn’t feel the same way. Emily was also a victim of that conscienceless pervert.

In fact, Emily and Dylan still used the phrase “Have you ever seen such a Miles-like situation?” as an insult. Actually, the entire Langton family used it in settings like, “The weather is so Miles today.”

After that incident, the Dylan in the book accepted any marriage proposal sent her way and ended up becoming Baroness Samuelson. All the while, she was still longing for Cedric and continuing to envy and hate Emily. So, when the female protagonist, Adeline, who resembled Emily, appeared by Cedric’s side after her sister was finally out of the picture, how could Baroness Samuelson have possibly remained sane?

She completely lost it.

In the book, Dylan is part of the same clique as Sabrina, the wife of Cedric’s uncle. It’s a plot point that hints at her shady intentions to somehow worm her way into Cedric’s family circle. After Adeline enters Cedric’s life, Baroness Samuelson (he didn’t even want to call her “Dylan”) would sneer at Adeline for being vulgar, belittle her background, spill drinks on her, and engage in all sorts of childish antics whenever Cedric brought Adeline to a party.

Despite this, the two protagonists still managed to grow closer, and Baroness Samuelson becomes even more unhinged as a result.

Naturally.

Cedric’s actions, like making Adeline wear alluring dresses and hurting her feelings by telling her to act like a ‘proper mistress,’ were all just his stubborn reactions to Adeline’s insistence that, “I’m just a mistress, so don’t expect anything more.”

The Cedric in the story was incredibly jealous of the male attention Adeline received and openly displayed his possessiveness over her. Of course, this behavior didn’t help dispel Adeline’s suspicions that she was just a replacement for his late wife. Not to mention, the Dylan in the book also played a crucial role in solidifying Adeline’s insecurities about her resembling Cedric’s deceased wife.

And since Dylan was her sister, Adeline believed Dylan’s lie that Cedric deeply loved his late wife.

Convinced that she was just a mistress to him, Adeline pushed Cedric further away. But the more she did, the more Cedric’s affection and obsession for her grew. Dylan’s low-brow interference in the story only strengthened the emotional bond between the two.

However, Baroness Samuelson didn’t know that. She only grew to hate the vulgar and promiscuous female protagonist who clung to Cedric’s side all the more. That’s where the main villains, Cedric’s uncle and his wife, Sabrina, come in. The two were motivated by the thought that if Cedric were out of the picture, they would inherit the dukedom’s wealth and title.

They could see that Cedric was smitten with Adeline, so they tried to use Adeline as a spy, but it didn’t work because Adeline was already… well… in love with Cedric. Frustrated, they try to manipulate Dylan’s insecurities to torment Adeline instead. Telling her such nonsense like, “If that woman weren’t around, Cedric would notice you.”

Because Dylan was a part of Sabrina’s clique, Sabrina already knew about Dylan’s obsession with Cedric. Using this information, she repeatedly whispered poisonous lies, poking at Dylan’s insecurities.

How does the current Dylan know all this? Well, considering how little her actions actually affected the main characters, Baroness Samuelson wasn’t a particularly important villain in the novel. She was really only a minor nuisance.

Usually, the past or psychology of such a villain isn’t described at length, but everything Dylan recalled had appeared in the book. It was even mentioned at a rather crucial moment, that’s why she remembered it… and it was when Dylan tried to murder the female protagonist.

It was an opportunity given only to villains on the brink of ruin. A final space to spill their dark past and inner feelings before being punished. Baroness Samuelson’s past was revealed entirely in that moment.

The half-crazed Baroness Samuelson attacked the female protagonist with a knife. Adeline, bleeding from her wound, falls down the stairs while trying to escape and loses consciousness.

Of course, she’s immediately discovered. Because Baroness Samuelson hadn’t hired someone to do the job discreetly, she went to Adeline’s house and caused a scene herself, so it was inevitable that things wouldn’t go to plan.

Fortunately, Adeline’s life wasn’t in danger. It was attempted murder, after all, not murder. Moreover, considering that Dylan was a noblewoman, she didn’t directly push Adeline down the staircase, and because Cedric had connections to the Langton family, Dylan was sentenced to indefinite confinement in a mental institution.

And that was the end of her appearance in the novel. If Dylan had to imagine what happened afterward, the Baroness would probably have her head shaved, be forced to wear a straitjacket for the rest of her life, and be regularly beaten and branded with a hot iron under the guise of ‘medical treatment’ until the day she died.

Her evil deeds hadn’t been entirely meaningless, though. They played a significant role in the story’s development. As it turned out, the Adeline in the story was pregnant when she fell down the stairs!

“Fortunately, the baby is safe.”

Only after hearing the doctor’s words did Adeline realize she was pregnant, and in a panic, she ran away from Cedric. She didn’t want to raise her baby as the Duke’s illegitimate child, or be told to have an abortion!

That’s right. A runaway pregnant woman… Another cliché.

Of course, Cedric, who learns about her pregnancy from the doctor later, tracks her down after a few months. When he found her, the conflict continued with, “Did you really not want my child that much?” versus, “I don’t want him to keep me by his side because of this child…!”

Although the conflict was eventually resolved after a kidnapping incident orchestrated by the main villains… though there’s really no need to mention that now.

The important thing is that no matter how much the Dylan in the novel flailed about, infatuated with Cedric, she ultimately got used as a tool and discarded in the end.

In the story, Cedric hated Dylan, and never had any feelings for her, so this sudden proposal was absurd. It was something that could never have happened.

‘But why…?’

‘How could a few words asking him not to propose to Emily lead to this?’ Dylan was frustrated.

All around her, people continued to whisper.

Several dozens of seconds passed while Dylan was lost in thought for a short time… or a long time, depending on how you looked at it… before the silence around her became a commotion once again.

“Why isn’t she answering?”

“Accept it, quickly!”

“She should say yes.”

“Is she too overwhelmed to speak?”

Unless Dylan had suddenly developed telepathy, everyone was verbally urging her on. This was just further proof of how undeniable this proposal was.

But she didn’t want to. The current Dylan wasn’t the Dylan from the book, so she didn’t want to accept the proposal. She didn’t want to marry Cedric. Especially in order to avoid the disastrous path laid out for her in the book.

She had no feelings for him now, but what if she suddenly fell for him later? Then the ending would be pretty much the same as in the story because Adeline would soon appear.

If she fell for him, she would be coldly rejected and end up jealous of the female protagonist.

Even if she didn’t fall for him, she would still be an obstacle.

They would meet in a year or two at most. Dylan didn’t want to get between them, nor did she want to turn their relationship into an affair, and she certainly didn’t want to die in child birth and cause Cedric to become a villain.

‘Why are you doing this to me when you’ll just get together with the female protagonist anyway?’

Dylan looked down at the kneeling Cedric. The fact that she couldn’t read his expression made her sigh even more. If he liked her even a little, he wouldn’t be so expressionless. In many ways, this was a proposal deserving of rejection. But then…

Accept it.

Accept it.

Accept it quickly!

The unspoken pressure from those around her was immense. Of course, Lord Langton’s gaze was also mixed in with the onlookers’.

It was only natural. The Sutherwick Dukedom wasn’t only a family admired and respected by all, but also a benefactor who had provided financial assistance to the Langton family. If she refused, rumors would definitely spread that Lord Langton’s daughter had publicly humiliated Cedric Hayworth by rejecting him.

And it wouldn’t just stop at rumors. The newspapers, the magazines, they would all write about the Langton family as presumptuous and ungrateful. That would naturally harm her family’s reputation, and their honor would be tarnished. Even Emily might be lumped together with Dylan and subjected to countless rumors because she was a Langton daughter.

Cedric Hayworth’s proposal carried that much weight.

As Dylan’s silence stretched on, the commotion around her intensified. Dylan’s anguish deepened, and her mouth went dry.

‘Refuse… I have to refuse.’

Accept it!

‘I have to refuse—’

Quickly!

‘I have to refu—’

“My dear, I understand your anguished heart, but please put the poor man out of his misery and answer him.” A gentle, elderly voice broke the tension in the ballroom.

The crowd’s attention, focused on Cedric and Dylan, shifted to the newcomer. He was an elderly man, but tall and with a commanding presence. Cedric also turned towards the sudden voice and, upon recognizing him, spoke.

“…Grandfather.”

‘Grandfather?’

“Y-Your Grace…?” Dylan’s voice trembled as she spoke, and the elderly man smiled faintly in response.

It was a smile of affirmation.

Dylan swallowed hard. She hadn’t expected to see him. At this time in the book, he was already dead.

‘So that’s why Cedric was the Duke…’

Just before Emily died after giving birth in the story, the previous Duke also passed away. Cedric inherited the dukedom after his grandfather’s death, but his heir died soon after, before even seeing the light of day.

The previous Duke had cherished and loved Cedric very much. Immediately after losing his dear grandfather, Cedric also lost his wife and son, leading him into deep and utter despair. But the current Duke was alive and well, appearing here before her.

“How did you—?”

“I came after receiving your telegram. I seem to have witnessed a lovely sight.” Graham replied Cedric’s question with a delighted smile.

Dylan’s panic intensified. The Duke, who loved his grandson, had witnessed his proposal. It wasn’t humane to reject his heir’s proposal in front of him.

“Oh dear, this old man has shamefully interrupted an important moment. My apologies, Cedric. I suppose we must give the young lady another chance to respond.”

Graham smiled sheepishly and gestured towards Dylan. Cedric’s gaze returned to Dylan. He rolled his eyes dramatically, then spoke again in a firm voice.

“Miss Dylan, will you marry me?”

Twice. He had proposed not once, but twice.

Everyone was waiting for Dylan to say yes. Cedric, the Duke, her family, and everyone in the hall waited. No one expected a refusal. Not even Dylan herself.

The reputation of her family, which was sure to be ruined, and the future tragedy that might not even happen weighed heavily on her mind.

Then… the scales tipped.

“Y-Yes… I will.” Dylan answered.

‘Wow.’

As if on cue, a thunderous cheer erupted in the hall with some applause mixed in. As everyone rejoiced, Dylan began to feel dizzy. The blurring of her vision had to just be her imagination…

“The ring might not fit. It’s a family heirloom from my grandmother.”

Cedric said as he gently slipped the ring onto Dylan’s finger. The ring, set with a large diamond, fit slightly loose on her ring finger.

“It doesn’t… matter.” Dylan replied in a subdued voice, as if holding back tears. She clenched her trembling hand.

The audience was moved by her answer. The ring was a dukedom heirloom. Whether it fit or not wasn’t important. What mattered was the bold proposal and the lady’s tearful acceptance. The dramatic scene itself would be remembered more clearly than whether or not she said yes.

Dylan then took Cedric’s hand and helped him to his feet. The audience watched as Dylan’s hazel eyes, looking at Cedric, glistened with unshed tears. She looked up at him with an expression filled with indescribable emotion. Then, as if about to say something, she parted her lips, only to close them again and lower her head.

Every noblewoman in the hall understood Dylan’s feelings. They had also been overwhelmed when they received their first proposal! It felt like they would burst into tears! Not to mention that the proposer was Cedric Hayworth and that she was being blessed by so many people, simply not bursting into tears on the spot was a commendable display of composure.

“It’s truly a touching scene.”

Some noblewomen dabbed their eyes with handkerchiefs, weeping on Dylan’s behalf. Some young ladies romanticized the public proposal. Some men thought they should try that method for their future proposals. And so, public proposals at balls became briefly fashionable among the upper class, but that’s a story for another time.

At present, there were some people who continued to applaud, the delighted family members, the proposer whose legs were numb, and…

‘There’s no way out now… I’ll just have to wait for him to break off the engagement before the wedding.’

Dylan Langton was the only one who thought this… she hadn’t given up yet.

The night of the small ball ended not with dancing, but with chatter about the spectacular proposal.

Immediately after the ball, the Duke and his grandson left Langton Manor to stay at one of the Duke’s cottages nearby. This was partly because Cedric was no longer a mere guest but Dylan’s fiancé, and partly because the Viscount’s staff were considered insufficient to accommodate the Duke of Sutherwick and his entourage.

“I’ll send it to the jeweler to have it resized.”

Cedric took the ring back, along with the paper on which he had measured the circumference of Dylan’s ring finger. She hadn’t said it didn’t need resizing, so he took it from her carefully.

As a result, Emily was very disappointed that she couldn’t get a proper look at the ring. She was even more excited about the proposal than Dylan, the one who had actually been proposed to.

“It’s alright. I’ll be able to see it all the time later!”

After saying that, Emily whispered to Dylan incessantly, claiming she had known this would happen all along and praising herself for tactfully not interfering between them. Dylan simply patted Emily’s cheek as rattled on.

Even after Emily finally fell asleep, Dylan continued to ponder how to tell Cedric she wanted to break off the engagement. The Langtons could never initiate the break-up. It would be too problematic, so the Dukedom would have to take the lead. This was the first time she had considered her family’s lesser status to be a weakness.

Dylan agonized over this all night, but no matter how much she racked her brain, only one answer came to mind.

‘It’s probably best to just be upfront and ask him.’

The next day, after breakfast and two cups of morning tea, Cedric visited Langton Manor again. The family and servants were even more flustered than Dylan.

Her maids fussed about needing to curl her hair in the latest fashion, but Dylan refused. She had already decided what to say to Cedric. There was no need to look beautiful.

When she entered the drawing-room, wearing a shawl over a dark olive muslin dress, Cedric was already waiting for her, his face bearing a formal smile.

Dylan curtsied slightly to him and greeted politely, “Good morning, Your Grace.”

“Indeed, it is.”

Dylan considered offering tea and conversing in the drawing-room, but changed her mind. She had already drunk too much tea that morning due to her nervousness. A walk outside seemed like a better idea.

“Would you care for a walk?”

“I would.”

Dylan took the arm the man offered for escort. It felt much firmer than the arms of her father or Hailey, which she was accustomed to.

They walked along the same path they hadn’t finished walking the other day. The grassy path, dotted with daisies, was still damp with dew.

“The season of blooming flowers is upon us.”

“It is.” Dylan nodded vaguely in response to Cedric’s small talk. She listened to the small twigs crunching under her feet and gauged when to bring up the main topic.

She wasn’t good at gracefully starting conversations. …But so what?

“It was a rather sudden proposal yesterday.” Dylan blurted out as soon as the conversation about the cold oyster dish and lemons served at the ball ended.

“Was it? I thought there was sufficient cause.” Cedric replied smoothly, without a hint of embarrassment.

Dylan bit her lip. A memorable first encounter, a walk alone, a dance at the ball. After passing through the mouths of gossipmongers a few times, it would certainly become a supremely romantic love story.

But the reality wasn’t like that.

“Don’t we both know that wasn’t the case?”

Dylan looked directly at Cedric. She smiled with just her lips. It was a veiled threat, implying, ‘You and I both know the truth, don’t we?’

“The circumstances were favorable. I don’t see why it should be considered strange.”

“Is a proposal such a trivial matter that it should be based solely on circumstances?” She pressed, her smile unwavering.

“I didn’t take it trivially. I had already decided to propose to a Langton daughter before arriving at the Langton Manor.”

Cedric tilted his head as if seeking agreement.

‘See? I told you’, she could almost hear his voice say.

“I already had the intention, and a suitable opportunity presented itself. Besides, I fulfilled your request, didn’t I?”

“Request?”

“You asked me not to propose to Miss Emily.”

Cedric smiled softly. It seemed like a gentle smile, but it didn’t reach his eyes. Dylan forced a smile in return.

‘If you say this, I’ll say that. If you poke here, I’ll poke there.’

He truly wasn’t an easy opponent.

“I clearly asked you first if it would be alright to propose to you instead. As far as I recall… you never said no.”

That was true, but who would have expected this? Dylan resisted the urge to rub her face in frustration.

The Dylan in the original story was scorned for showing him excessive affection. She had never expected that simply omitting that affection would earn Cedric’s favor. She thought she had expressed enough dislike to annoy him. She hadn’t anticipated it would result in a proposal at the ball.

“I hope the proposal wasn’t made with the expectation that I wouldn’t be able to refuse.” Dylan said, clenching her jaw.

Her words implied, ‘I didn’t think you were that cunning.’

Cedric frowned slightly, as if he had heard something unexpected.

“I didn’t assume you wouldn’t refuse. I proposed with the possibility of your rejection in mind.”

Dylan raised an eyebrow and replied, “In that setting, with His Grace present? Wouldn’t that be tantamount to insulting the entire Dukedom? How could I dare do such a thing for fear of the consequences?”

“Then the same applies to my actions. I didn’t want to humiliate you with false excuses in that setting. I know how much the Langton family values honor.”

Dylan pressed her tongue against her upper teeth at his calm words. He deftly countered her with logical arguments. Quarreling with him was always a losing battle for her. This was especially true because Dylan’s reasoning was based on the fact that this world was inside a book… which no one would believe… it was a truth profoundly significant to her, but utterly meaningless to others.

“It would have been fine. I’ve been publicly dumped before, so something like that isn’t embarrassing the second time.”

Dylan brushed it off lightly, as if joking. At her casual remark, Cedric’s smile abruptly vanished.

“…Such a thing happened to you?”

“Yes. A public break-up followed by a public proposal? They’re not experiences one can forget so easily.”

Cedric looked as if he didn’t know how to respond.

Dylan smirked. When someone casually reveals their vulnerabilities, most people are momentarily speechless. It’s awkward to offer comfort, and it’s not right to ignore it. While trying to choose one of several appropriate responses, they inevitably become tongue-tied.

Dylan seized that moment to drive her point home.

“However, I think experiencing a momentary embarrassment in that setting would have been better than becoming a woman dumped twice.”

In other words, ‘Please break off the engagement’.

Cedric’s expression twisted slightly at her transparent intention. As she always thought, he was a man whose impression changed drastically when he was smiling versus not smiling.

“Are you that opposed to it?”

“Is it that desperate a matter for Your Grace?” Dylan countered.

Their unspoken words clashed in the air.

‘Do you dislike it that much?’

‘Then do you like it that much?’

If they were lovers, it would have been a simple lovers’ quarrel, but in this case…

“If you happen to harbor deep feelings for me—”

At Dylan’s words, all expression vanished from Cedric’s face.

Looks like he doesn’t.

“—you don’t. And neither do I.”

She smiled brightly and then slowly resumed walking.

“Some say that friendship is enough to sustain a marriage, but I’m someone who believes that love is essential for a marriage.”

“So do I.”

“So— Excuse me?” Dylan stopped abruptly at the unexpected words.

Cedric replied with a picture-perfect polite smile.

“I believe mutual affection is a necessary element in marriage. I don’t think a marriage without affection is worth sustaining.”

“But we don’t have that… do we?” Dylan retorted, unsure as she gestured between the two of them without realizing it.

“It could develop over time.”

‘No, it won’t.’ Dylan swallowed the words that almost escaped her lips.

‘Rather, I think you might come to intensely dislike me.’ She couldn’t say that either.

“You’re quite an amusing person. I believe positive feelings might develop as we spend time together.”

Cedric spoke as if it were obvious. At first glance, it sounded like a simple expression of interest in her, but Dylan knew it wasn’t.

It was the kind of curiosity one feels when seeing a peculiar animal for the first time. When one is used to receiving only the favor of refined and perfectly mannered people, they might find an unrestrained person refreshing. But in her experience, once such novelty wore off, it would became a source of annoyance rather than charm.

She swallowed her discontent and opened her mouth.

“I’m talking about true love, not something that naturally develops over time. The kind of fateful love where you recognize each other at first sight and are instantly drawn to each other. I believe that there’s one, and only one person for everyone. And I think marriage should be with that one person.”

‘I’m talking about you, not me!’ Dylan swallowed the rest of her sentence. ‘Because you will experience that kind of love soon… And I don’t want to be involved.’

If she told him the truth, she would undoubtedly be treated as a crazy woman.

“That’s… a rather dreamy and romantic wish.”

Or rather, ‘Your head is full of fluff.’ She could hear those words echoing in the back of her mind.

She wanted to make him read the original story. Anyone would think the same way she did if they had. Every element of the story existed solely for the love between Cedric and Adeline. The delicate emotional connection between them created the inevitability that they were meant to be.

It was a well-written story. There might be countless stories with similar narratives, but this one was the most captivating.

“It has to be you, only you! Even if I lose everything I have, I can’t live without you anymore.”

‘You even said that to Adeline at the climax of the book!’

If only she could say those words. If she did, she would be treated not as someone with a head full of fluff, but as an eccentric woman with rotten marshmallows in her head, and she might be confined to a mental institution even though she hadn’t tried to kill Adeline yet.

Instead of explaining all this, Dylan said, “Let’s just say there’s a difference in our values.”

“Is that an absolute, unchangeable value?”

“…In the current situation, it’s not a value I particularly want to change.”

Dylan both believed and didn’t believe in fateful love. To be precise, she didn’t entertain the presumptuous thought that she would ever experience such a love. If good things were so easy to obtain, people wouldn’t yearn for them.

However, the man in front of her had that rare opportunity, and she didn’t want to steal it or interfere with it.

‘Thou shalt not covet.’

Dylan Langton had learned that from Robert Langton. Dylan looked up at Cedric with an unprecedentedly serious gaze.

Cedric, his face noticeably stiffer than before, scrutinized her expression as he spoke.

“Then… perhaps it’s best to do as you wish.”

“Yes!” Dylan’s face brightened at his agreement after the prolonged silence. She knew he would be reasonable, even if he was a bit stubborn.

“However, only if you can convince my grandfather by persuading him yourself.”

Dylan tilted her head at Cedric’s unexpected words.

“By grandfather… do you mean His Grace the Duke?”

“The union with the Langton family was also my grandfather’s wish.”

“Wish?”

“My grandfather says he knew your grandmother for a long time. They had a good relationship in the past, and it was his lifelong wish to see his grandson marry her granddaughter before he passes away.”

‘Before he passes away…’

Dylan’s heart sank at that phrase. Cedric spoke casually, but she couldn’t take it lightly… because she knew that the Duke of Sutherwick would in fact die in the not-so-distant future.

“Is his health… very poor?”

“No, he’s very healthy. It’s a common figure of speech. However, his will is quite strong.”

Cedric’s light tone eased Dylan’s worries. It seemed he wasn’t in a critical condition yet.

Then, what was the cause of the Duke’s death? A heart attack? Heart failure? She didn’t remember exactly, but it was definitely a cardiovascular disease.

Heart disease, as always, was a grim reaper that struck anyone indiscriminately and unexpectedly.

Her chest suddenly felt tight. Regardless of her current situation, the Duke of Sutherwick was someone she had conversed with several times, and she had actually met him too. It made her feel uneasy to think his death was looming so closely. Above all, the fact that their marriage was the elderly man’s earnest wish greatly pricked Dylan’s conscience.

“So, it would be better for you to convey your intentions directly to him, rather than to me. Also, we’ll need my grandfather’s cooperation to make it appear as if the broken engagement was our mutual decision.”

“I… I’ll talk to him…” Dylan swallowed hard and nodded.

This wasn’t a bad thing to do. Even if it meant shattering the elderly man’s dream, it was unavoidable.

She had her own reasons for self-preservation, so causing some disappointment in the process was an unavoidable… a byproduct so to speak.

It wouldn’t be difficult, right?

‘You can do it, Dylan Langton.’

Dylan clenched her hands and steadied herself.