Chapter 11: Before the Beginning V

“…do you mean that Count Cernard sent a document indicating their intention to cancel Sarah’s engagement to me? That is quite surprising.”

It was indeed quite surprising. The surprise being that Sarah and I would be canceling our engagement 5 years earlier than expected. 

However, I had no strong feelings about the fact that my engagement to Sarah might be canceled. In fact, it would be even more strange if I even felt something.

If it had been the previous me, I might have made a fuss like a heartbroken romantic, but wouldn’t it be funny to do such a thing now? 

I was no longer a young teenager who would be swayed by my own emotions. In other words, the current Cain von Estel was a seasoned regressor who had gone through all of the tragedies of life over a period of 10 years.

“Well, if they want to break off the engagement, wouldn’t it be okay to accept it? Sarah is not the only woman in the world, so I don’t think there is any reason for us to cling to them.”

My father’s expression began to turn a little strange at my answer.

“…well, you are quite decisive. Usually, you wouldn’t know what to do and would maintain an indecisive attitude.”

“It’s true that I’m an indecisive person, but I’m not pathetic to the point of clinging to people saying that they don’t want me.”

At my firm answer, my father sighed, and burst into laughter.

“You speak with confidence. In the few days I haven’t seen you, your words have become very fluent. I heard that the cause of this incident was you as well, so I wonder where the hell your dignified attitude came from.”

“…what the hell are you talking about?”

“You think I have no ears?” 

My father raised the corner of his mouth to one side and gave me a mysterious smile.

“I heard everything. Sarah came for a visit, and not only did you refuse to greet her, but you were caught while being accompanied by another woman on the bed? I’m really curious to know your thoughts on the matter.”

“…..”

I had nothing to say in response. Honestly, if I continued to make excuses, I had a hunch that I would just be misunderstood as a philanderer. No matter what kind of excuses I make, Aria was indeed lying on my bed, and Sarah’s claim on the matter was inexcusable.

“To begin with, the situation is a complete misunderstanding. Aria and I have no such relationship whatsoever. In the first place, I’m not crazy enough to meet my fiancee with another woman in bed.”

At my excuse, my father raised his eyebrows, “Wait, who is this Aria you speak of?”

“…the explanation will be quite long.”

Saying that, I told my father about what had happened on the day I returned to the past without adding or subtracting anything. 

“That day, when I woke up, a mysterious white-haired woman was lying on my bed. What’s more, the woman was suffering from amnesia, and Sarah witnessed it by chance.  Then, it turned out that the woman had a natural talent for magic, so it was possible that she had instinctively used magic to appear in my room.”

I revealed it all to my father without hesitation.

“Hmm…quite an amusing story. It even feels a little bit suspicious.”

That was what my father said after hearing about the details of the matter.

“But I don’t think she’s lying. It’s too flawed to be called a lie, and it feels ridiculously contrived. If she really wanted to lie, why didn’t she come up with a more perfect excuse?”

My father shrugged his shoulders and said nothing in response. He seemed to really believe my explanation. 

I felt a bit moved when he trusted my opinion without an ounce of hesitation. Such was the faith between father and son.

“Well, it would be fun to question you more about the matter, but let’s put that aside for now. I didn’t call you here to talk about that.”

My father’s face changed to a serious expression in an instant.

“I will ask you one last time. Are you confident that you will not regret breaking your engagement to Sarah?”

At first glance, it sounded like a threat, but I responded with a smile.

“Didn’t I tell you already? I don’t want to cling to her.”

My lingering attachment to Sarah had already been burnt to ashes five years ago in the past timeline.

“…hmm.”

Then I continued to express my thoughts, “The fact that Count Cernard sent such a document so openly is proof that the other side also have their own calculations. In the first place, I don’t like the fact that they sent a letter like this without any prior discussion with us. Engagement between families is not child’s play, and the fact that they unilaterally announced the cancellation just because of one small incident seems to show their true intentions.”

“Intentions?” My father raised a brow. 

I nodded my head, “I don’t exactly know what they’re really thinking about. But an engagement between families is not something that can be easily decided and broken off. It even makes me think that their intentions weren’t in my engagement to Sarah in the first place.”

“…umm.”

At my words, my father only let out a groan, but didn’t say anything. 

It was a random statement to convince my father, but as I spoke, it somehow felt like a plausible explanation.

In the past timeline, Count Cernard and Sarah didn’t show any reaction even when the engagement was canceled. It was as if, the matter of engagement was not a consideration for them from the beginning.

It was clear that the Cernard family had an ulterior motive, contrary to what it seemed from the outside. If that was the case, it would be the right decision to cancel the engagement at this opportunity rather than dragging it along.

“You seem to be quite determined. And, you are correct. In fact, this document isn’t much of a formal notice as it is just Count Cernard’s own method of bringing up the matter of cancelation. It simply states that they are disappointed at your behavior, and using that to push for the cancelation. However, it also proves that the engagement was of no significance to them at all, as they dared to send a formal complaint like this due to an insignificant incident.”

After sighing for a moment, my father looked at the carefully folded letter in his hand for a moment.

Shiiii-shreeet!

The letter was torn in two without any hesitation. It was an expression of his bold and proud attitude.

“Alright. Since you have made your decision, there is no need to have any regrets. I liked Sarah, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that we will be dragged around by their whims. The Duke of Estel not a lowly dog. I will clearly show them that we are not a weak family that will be dragged around by mere upstarts.”

As the shredded letter fluttered quietly on the floor, my father lifted the overcoat that had been draped over the chair and looked straight at me.

“So you should prepare as well. I’m planning to go straight to the capital and have an audience with His Majesty the Emperor. I had something to tell him anyway, and I think it would be fine to take this opportunity to inform him about this matter.”

“…yes? What?”

“Did your ears get clogged? I said we are going to the capital to inform His Majesty about the cancelation of engagement.”

“Why would we have to inform His Majesty about such trivial matter?”

“A trivial matter? You’re saying all sorts of funny things today.”

My father looked at me blankly, as if he was looking at something stupid.

“Did you really think that His Majesty had nothing to do with the engagement of the heir to one of the four duchies of the empire? It seems that His Majesty was also secretly involved in this engagement. That is why we must report to His Majesty about the matter. Other than that, there are various other reasons I can’t tell you about, so don’t talk and follow me.”

Unfortunately, my father’s explanation didn’t reach my ears. Because at the moment, there was only one thought filling my head at the mention of visiting the capital…Princess Iris el Devhard.

She was one of the existing swordmasters of the empire, and at the same time, the woman who claimed to be my swordsmanship teacher in the previous timeline.

That brutal woman drove me to hell in the name of ‘training’, and in my heart, she occupied a position that was tantamount to a devil.

She had turned my life into literal hell throughout the expedition, and after the regression, I was now beset with dread at the fact that I might face the woman I swore never to face again for the rest of my life.

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