Everyone Realized the Saint Was a Fake, but She Still Thought She Was Fooling Them - Chapter 29

A few days after the sentencing at the royal palace—

Ernst paid an official visit to Yelena’s family, the Dukes of Maselesten.

It was to break off their engagement.

Ernst and Wallace had kept their promise to Dustin and did not mention Yelena’s name in the incident.

Because of that, Yelena’s family name remained unharmed.

However, Yelena was completely devastated after Dustin’s arrest. She locked herself in the mansion and refused to step outside.

When Ernst visited Yelena, he got straight to the point.

“You’ve heard about Lucilda and Dustin, haven’t you?”

“Y-Yes… Is that why you came here?” Yelena said, sounding annoyed.

“That’s right. The public doesn’t know, but I’m aware that Dustin was your lover. You’re not going to deny it any longer, are you?”

When Ernst asked, Yelena responded with indifference.

“Yes. So, are we calling off the engagement?”

“Of course. I cannot forgive your infidelity.”

“…”

Yelena remained silent, looking somewhat relieved.

She then lowered her gaze as if she had finally accepted the broken engagement.

Seeing this, Ernst spoke again, this time with a hint of irritation.

“Oh? We’re not done talking yet. Do you have nothing to say about the fact that Dustin stabbed me?”

“…I thought it was unfortunate,” Yelena replied flatly.

“That’s all?”

“…”

Yelena pursed her lips and looked away.

“It was your lover who stabbed me. And from what I’ve heard, it wasn’t out of jealousy or anything personal. He simply did it because Lucilda told him to. That was his only reason.”

“Ah, yes. That sounds like him,” Yelena said in a detached tone.

“That’s not the point! Why didn’t you stop him? Were you fine with me dying?”

“It was Lady Lucilda’s order.”

Even now, Yelena spoke indifferently.

That was the last straw for Ernst, and he finally raised his voice.

“Because it was an order, you were fine with me dying? We were engaged, weren’t we?!”

“Yes, we were engaged—though it was only a formal arrangement.”

Yelena’s voice was cold and dismissive.

“A formal arrangement? I’m sorry, but our engagement was official, wasn’t it?”

Ernst stepped closer to her.

Yelena looked at him with sorrowful eyes.

“Yes, I was engaged to you. I signed the documents. It was a decision made between our families, without my consent. But if my feelings weren’t considered, was it really an official engagement? I wanted to marry someone I loved!”

Hearing this, Ernst also looked sad.

“Could you never love me? I tried so hard…”

“Yes, you did. You always prepared conversation topics, made time to visit me often, and gave me gifts for even the smallest reasons. No matter how busy you were, you attended every party I went to just to escort me. You introduced me to all of your friends and always made sure I felt included in conversations.”

Yelena spoke passionately.

“Yes, I did everything I could to make you look forward to our marriage!”

Ernst interrupted, but Yelena took a deep breath and then whispered softly.

“I felt suffocated…”

“What?”

“You never left me alone…”

Yelena’s voice trembled.

“Of course not! Especially since I knew you weren’t happy about the engagement! But as a future husband and wife, we needed to grow closer…”

Ernst desperately tried to explain his feelings at the time.

“That’s exactly why I felt suffocated! The pressure was unbearable. Since you were so devoted, I felt like I had to be a good wife in return. But I hated that! I wanted you to leave me alone! I knew my duty—to marry for my family’s sake, to bear children. But that should have been enough! A light, surface-level marriage, yet with mutual trust—that would have been fine!”

Yelena shouted.

“…Are you saying I went too far?”

Ernst asked, doubting himself.

Yelena nodded firmly.

“Meeting you became more and more painful. And because you were a good person, it hurt even more. Then, I met Dustin. He lacked morals, was reckless, and lived for the moment. But to me, he was a relief.”

“A reaction against me?”

“Perhaps. I was surprised myself that I was drawn to someone like Dustin. I never knew I had that side of me. But with him, I felt free. I could relax. I realized in an instant who my heart truly desired.”

Yelena’s voice was unwavering.

“…”

This time, Ernst was the one left speechless.

“But I couldn’t break off the engagement myself. If my affair was exposed, even if I managed to get out of the engagement, no one would ever accept my relationship with Dustin. The royal court is strict about infidelity. I’d be shunned by high society.”

“That’s right.”

Ernst nodded as if it were obvious.

“But Lady Lucilda assured me that you wouldn’t want to stay engaged to me if your life was in danger. Dustin would take care of it discreetly, and you’d only suffer a minor injury. That way, you’d be the one to call off the engagement. And once it was over, she would recognize my relationship with Dustin. If the Crown Princess accepted it, no one in high society could ignore it.”

Yelena spoke as if reliving her past trust in Lucilda.

“…And you actually went along with such a foolish plan?”

“I did. What did I have to lose?”

Yelena sounded defiant.

“Unbelievable… So my life was considered so worthless.”

“I was only told you’d be injured! I never expected him to stab you!”

Yelena shouted as if trying to justify herself.

“Well, I was stabbed. Do you feel sorry for that?”

“…Of course, it was too much…”

Yelena lowered her head.

“Sigh… But for someone as smart as you, I can’t believe you agreed to such a plan. What did you think of Lucilda when she suggested it? Did you truly trust her?”

Ernst, now calmer, questioned her.

Hearing “as smart as you,” Yelena fell silent.

“…”

“Did you believe in her because she was a saint?”

Ernst pressed further.

After a long pause, Yelena finally spoke.

“…No. To be honest, I never believed she was a real saint.”

Hearing that, Ernst felt a little relieved. So Yelena had not truly trusted Lucilda.

“Haha. I see. What made you doubt her?”

“…There’s an old well in the northern garden of our estate. It’s a strange well—its water level rises when something sacred is nearby. Once, when Lady Lucilda secretly visited our house, she passed by the well. But the water level didn’t rise. That made me suspicious. And then, I heard she didn’t know the goddess’s prayers and even demanded bribes from you. Little things added up… By the time I heard she wanted to hurt you, I no longer believed she was a true saint.”

Yelena confessed her vague doubts about Lucilda.

“I see.”

Ernst murmured.

Then, Yelena suddenly changed her tone.

“By the way, from what we’ve discussed, doesn’t this mean I’m also an accomplice to Dustin?”

“…Dustin said he would take all the blame himself.”

Ernst spoke in a reassuring tone.

“No! He doesn’t have to take it all alone! I will admit my crime too. We are accomplices. We did this together, for our future!”

“…! You truly cared for each other that much…”

Ernst felt a sharp pain in his chest.

“Oh, s-sorry.”

Seeing his expression, Yelena suddenly felt guilty and apologized.

“No, it’s fine. It’s not like I kept loving you even after I found out you betrayed me…”

Ernst spoke honestly, though his face showed sadness.

“Huh?”

“I had already given up on you long ago. Our engagement was political from the start. It wasn’t something that could be fixed with effort alone. When I learned you had betrayed me, I actually felt relieved.

That said, since we were still engaged, I swore to myself that I would never betray you in return.”

“You swore not to betray me…? I-I’m sorry… I hated the engagement, but maybe I should have talked to you properly about how we could make it work…”

Feeling guilty over Ernst’s sincerity, Yelena lowered her head.

“There’s no point in talking about it now. This is the end for us.

…Since you insist on admitting your crime alongside Dustin, perhaps you should enter a convent.”

“I will gladly go. Being his accomplice is proof of my love.”

Yelena, now completely resolute, declared it firmly.

Ernst could only sigh in disappointment.

“Your idea of love is surprising… A little sad, too.”