Regret With All Your Might

Chapter 1: A New Dawn

"What on earth was the trick?"

It was the last day of the victory celebration. Sharp words were poured out on Olivia without any filter. The father facing her, Duke Madellayne, spoke coldly as if to freeze everything.

"What words did you whisper to Duke Vicander to propose to you, the fiancée of the crown prince?"

Contempt was reflected in the crystal like eyes looking down at Olivia.

"Just one thing. Are you so messed up that you can't even keep that one thing, to become the prince's wife without any hindrance?"

Always as it had been.

That's when Olivia, who had been silently listening to the sharp criticism as always, burst into laughter.

The duke raised his eyebrows as if he was uncomfortable, but Olivia had no intention of stopping laughing.

My goodness. To put an end to my foolishness so perfectly.

The duke will never know for life.

Why I followed the duke out of the banquet hall.

What my shattered expectation was at this moment.

"Can't you answer right away?"

"If I tell you, will you believe me now?"

"What?"

The fierce gaze seemed to pierce Olivia.

She always endured that gaze.

Someday, someday those eyes will look at me affectionately, acknowledge me as his daughter, I never doubted it.

There was a time when I was happy just to share the feature of the Madellayne ducal family, looking at the duke's silver hair, the same color as my hair.

Not anymore. My efforts were up to here. With my best smile, Olivia smiled faintly.

"If you ask me, I have never whispered to the Duke to ask for marriage, the one who ignored me, his fiancée, for years, and made noise while getting along with Lady Etel, was His Highness the Prince."

"Shut that mouth."

"The one who brought me to the mansion to send me as the Crown Prince's fiancée instead of Eshella is the Duke himself here,"

"Shut up!"

The fierce roar shook the night. The sound of the startled birds flying away was loud.

Duke Madellayne finally glared at Olivia as if he had lost his sanity. The purple pupils, as if the blood vessels had burst, turned red.

"It's your fault. You. You. If you hadn't come to my house, nothing would have happened! You made me unhappy. It's all your fault. All."

The hardened anger oozed out with each syllable. The duke took a harsh breath. The hatred was so intense that there were times when she doubted herself if it was not really her fault.

"Now, then."

"......"

"I really didn't do anything."

"......"

"I didn't make you unhappy, Duke."

"Olivia Madellayne! How dare you!"

Despite the duke's roaring anger, Olivia no longer bowed her head. It was strange. The duke, who felt so big, was no longer scary. It seemed like it was really time to end.

"......You wanted to erase me?"

"If I could, I'd like to erase you from my life."

Even though it was a memory from a few days ago, the duke's voice, spitting out as if vomiting, was clear. The words that hurt like her heart was falling out had become numb in just a few days.