WHCCP 4

CHAPTER :04

Leaving the cafe behind along with the burning stares directed at me, I finally exhaled the breath I had been holding.

“I can’t believe breaking up was this easy.”

It was utterly ridiculous that I had died like that simply because I couldn’t do something so easy.

*‘But what should I do now?’*

Now that I had broken up with Delos, a wave of relief washed over me, but a vague sense of anxiety also began to creep in.

It had been a life where not a single thing was for myself, so much so that I could confidently say I had lived solely for Delos.

As I stood frozen in the middle of the street, staring blankly at the ground and lost in thought—

“Dahlia?”

Someone called out to me.

Turning toward the voice, I saw a man with the exact same silver hair and blue eyes as mine standing there.

“Cezar?”

It was my twin brother, Cezar Feldorand.

“W-Wow! What a coincidence! To bump into each other in a place this big.”

Cezar approached me with highly exaggerated gestures.

Not to mention the awkward grin plastered all over his face.

I studied him closely before asking,

“I know. But what brings you here, brother?”

Cezar was busy every day learning the ropes under our father, who was the head of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Why would someone like him be out in the middle of the city in broad daylight?

“Oh, that? Well, um, I just had some errands to run. But I happened to run into you here of all places, huh? Haha…”

Seeing him startle at my question, ramble, and subtly avert his gaze, I narrowed my eyes.

He had the face of someone who was clearly hiding something.

*‘Did Father send him?’*

Was Father worried because his daughter had suddenly started acting strange?

Otherwise, there was no way Cezar, who hated crowded places, would be here without a good reason.

“Ahem, we ran out of liquor in the cellar, you see. I was on my way back after stopping by the boutique myself.”

“Why would you go to a boutique to buy liquor?”

“No, I mean—the brewery!”

Cezar laughed awkwardly, trying to play it cool as if it were a simple slip of the tongue.

Watching him, I couldn’t help but chuckle inwardly.

He still can’t hide it when he lies, even now that he’s grown up.

“Anyway, this works out. Let’s stop by the brewery and head home together then.”

“Huh? Oh, sure. But didn’t you have plans?”

Stepping in line with me, Cezar asked while furtively checking my expression.

“Yeah, but it was a quick meeting.”

Cezar looked like he had a million more questions, but he chose to keep his mouth shut.

An awkward silence settled between us as we walked side by side.

*‘We used to be closer than most siblings.’*

Being twins, we fought a lot, but we were also closer to each other than anyone else.

Our relationship began to drift apart when I started dating Delos.

Every time Cezar saw me walking on eggshells and catering to Delos’s every whim, he grew furious, hating it more than anyone.

“Please, Dahlia! Can’t you just break up with that bastard? Look at yourself! A man who truly loves you would never treat you like that!”

That was what Cezar had said to me years ago, when he saw me crying my eyes out after Delos had threatened to break up with me yet again.

But at the time, I had only defended Delos, lashing out at my brother for calling him a scoundrel.

Because of that, we—who had once been two halves of a whole—became so distant that even simple small talk felt strained.

A bitter smile touched my lips at the memory.

I felt incredibly foolish for only realizing what was truly precious after I had lost everything.

*‘I will never do anything I’ll regret ever again.’*

On the way back home with Cezar,

I clenched my fists tightly and made a silent vow.

***

That evening,

I broke the news of my breakup with Delos to my family as planned.

“I broke up with Delos today.”

And the reaction I got was far more dramatic than I had anticipated.

*Clatter! Shatter!*

The sound of shattering glass echoed through the dining room.

When I looked up, Father and Cezar were frozen, pale as ghosts.

“What do you mean? You broke up? You and the Second Prince?”

“Yes. We broke up.”

At my firm expression, Father locked eyes with Cezar. They both looked as though they were trying to gauge if I had finally lost my mind.

“I’m serious. I decided to end things for good.”

My final, definitive words made their eyes widen even further.

“I’m so sorry for how I acted all this time. Father, and you too, Cezar.”

I offered them my sincerest apology.

Stunned by my bowed head and sincere apology, neither Father nor Cezar could find their words.

Finally, Cezar was the first to react.

“…Wow. You’ve finally come to your senses.”

His eyes were sparkling brighter than I had ever seen them before.

“Ahem. Well, yes. Hearing that you broke up is indeed… joyful—ah, no, surprising news.”

Father quickly covered his mouth with one hand as he spoke.

His true feelings had slipped out, but I decided to pretend I hadn’t noticed.

From then on, dinner was practically a festival.

“Butler, bring out the fine liquor we received as a gift the other day.”

Father kept drinking the precious vintage brought up from the cellar, while—

“Tonight, everyone shall feast! We must comfort Dahlia’s broken heart after her parting with her lover!”

Cezar ordered plenty of food and drinks for all the servants in the estate.

On the surface, it was supposed to be a party to comfort me after my breakup.

***

A few days had passed since the breakup.

Since that night, the atmosphere in the estate had completely transformed.

I turned my gaze toward my desk.

It was piled high with the gifts Father and Cezar had showered me with over the last few days under the guise of “comfort.”

“I’m grateful, but…”

I muttered, looking at the heap of items with a complicated expression.

Among the presents, books made up the majority, and their titles were quite something.

Titles like *101 Ways to Forget Your Trashy Ex* and *There Are Plenty of Men in the World* dominated the pile.

*‘I couldn’t even bring myself to reject them because I knew exactly what they were thinking when they bought them.’*

A soft chuckle escaped my lips as I recalled Father hand-delivering all sorts of self-defense weapons alongside the books.

Who would have thought our household atmosphere, which used to feel like walking on thin ice every single day, could transform so completely?

“It’s so peaceful…”

It was a feeling I had never once experienced in my past life.

I closed my eyes, savoring the tranquility for a moment, before getting up and stepping closer to the desk.

There lay an invitation stamped with a lavish wax seal—none other than the invitation to Delos’s birthday banquet.

I toyed with the card, letting out a heavy sigh.

Of course, my dismay wasn’t because of Delos.

“He will definitely be there, too, won’t he?”

Attendance at any imperial banquet was mandatory for high-ranking nobles.

Which meant Duke Ballestein would undoubtedly be attending tomorrow’s event.

***

The next day, inside the carriage heading to the imperial palace.

Unable to bear the intense stares prickling my skin any longer, I finally spoke up.

“I told you, I’m really fine.”

The moment I turned my head, two pairs of eyes hurriedly averted their gaze, pretending to look elsewhere.

“Ahem. I didn’t say a word, though?”

“I-I was just enjoying the view outside the window.”

Like father like son, they feigned innocence in the exact same manner.

I stared flatly at them before shaking my head.

Still, it wasn’t as if I didn’t understand why they were behaving this way.

They were clearly worried sick about me running into Delos again so soon after our breakup.