I Supported My Fiancé for 10 Years After He Said, 'Let's Get Married When I Succeed,' but When He Finally Did, He Dumped Me. By the Way, I'm a Witch and Turning 30 Next Year!! - Episode 1

“Rei, I have something to tell you tomorrow.”

Last night, my fiancé, Rymer, said that to me.

As a Holy Knight, he had mentioned that he was about to be promoted soon.

We first met in the spring of my seventeenth year, the same year I debuted in high society.

After various events, we got engaged in the fall when I was nineteen, but we didn’t get married right away.

That was because, although Rymer was born into a noble family, he was the second son of a viscount, meaning he had no title or inheritance to claim.

He declared that we would only marry once he achieved success.

Being a Holy Knight required a lot of money—for equipment, social obligations, and other expenses. Because of that, saving up for marriage was difficult.

I was the fourth daughter of a baron’s family. My father told me it would be hard to prepare a dowry large enough to support Rymer’s career as a knight.

If money was the problem, then I would just earn it myself.

With that in mind, I became an apprentice to a witch, learning how to make and sell medicines and household goods while supporting Rymer.

Ten years passed, and now I was twenty-nine.

The women my age were already married, many with children.

I was a bit behind the ideal timeline for a noblewoman’s life, but finally, I was about to become a happy bride.

Today, I decided to close the apothecary early and finish the stew I had prepared yesterday.

I could even open that expensive wine I bought ten years ago when we got engaged. No one could blame me for celebrating a little.

Excited, I returned to the long-row terrace house where Rymer and I had lived for years and found him standing outside.

His wavy black hair, sharp fox-like brown eyes, and tall, slender build suited his knight’s white armor better than anyone.

Even after ten years, the burning passion we once had had softened into something more like familial love, but I still cherished him. Smiling, I called out to him.

“Rymer, welcome home!”

“Oh, Rei. Perfect timing.”

Even our timing was in sync—almost like fate.

Just as I was about to run up and hug him, I noticed a small woman standing behind him.

Her wavy, rose-pink hair was stunning, and her emerald-green eyes were clear and bright. Her skin glowed like pearls. Compared to her, my skin was already showing signs of aging.

She seemed to shine just by being there, and I immediately recognized her.

“Excuse me… Are you the Saint?”

The beautiful girl nodded.

“You must be Rei. Nice to meet you, I am Sui. Sui von Ernestine.”

“Oh… I see…”

I couldn’t understand why Saint Sui—the savior of this country—was with Rymer.

Or rather, why was she here at all?

This area was one of the safer parts of the Holy City, but that didn’t mean crime was nonexistent.

At night, the streets had few lamps and could feel dangerous.

More importantly, as a national treasure, she should have had guards with her.

“Um, Saint… I don’t see any escorts with you?”

“Yes! That’s because Rymer is my personal knight and bodyguard!”

“…What?”

I turned to Rymer, confused, only to see him gazing at Saint Sui with his face stretched into the dumbest grin.

“Rymer, you—”

“Yeah, that’s right. I got a big promotion as Saint Sui’s personal knight!”

Being chosen as the Saint’s personal bodyguard was the highest honor for a Holy Knight.

It was a massive, once-in-a-lifetime promotion.

But Rymer had always been just an ordinary knight. He had never done anything notable—no monster subjugations, no achievements to speak of.

Why was he suddenly chosen for such an important role?

I was happy for his success, but something felt off.

“How did you even become the Saint’s personal knight?”

“Because of love.”

“…Huh?”

Saint Sui looked up at Rymer with a dreamy expression.

“I was chosen by the power of love to be Saint Sui’s personal knight!”

“You must be joking.”

“It’s true!”

Choosing a royal guard based on love instead of skill was unthinkable.

But from Saint Sui’s expression, she wasn’t joking.

Rymer held her hand, and she blushed, gazing up at him.

“Thanks to Saint Sui, I finally made it! She gave me what you couldn’t even do in ten years!”

“You… don’t have to say it like that.”

Did he have any idea how hard I had worked to support him?

Hearing him dismiss those ten years so easily made my bl00d boil.

And then, as if to add insult to injury, Rymer made an unbelievable declaration.

“Rei, I have something to report. I’m going to marry Saint Sui. So, let’s break up!”

“What!?”

I screamed.

“You always complained about how hard your work was, how your back hurt, didn’t you? I made you suffer because you were trying so hard to support me. Now, you don’t have to anymore.”

“Wait—”

“I’ll even take this house. It’ll be our love nest.”

“What? You can’t just make the Saint live in this tiny house!”

“It’s like a secret hideout! How wonderful!”

“A s-secret hideout…?”

That wasn’t the point. There was one more thing I needed to ask.

“Rymer, can you even afford the rent here?”

“What kind of question is that? I’ve been paying it all this time.”

“You mean those two silver coins you gave me every month?”

“Yeah.”

That wasn’t rent. That was just the neighborhood maintenance fee.

The rent in the central district of the Holy City wasn’t cheap. Even in the lower city, two silver coins wouldn’t cover a two-story house.

“Rymer, I’ve been paying the rent this whole time—”

“Don’t start complaining now! Anyway, I already moved your things to the back of your shop. You don’t even have to pack!”

“Wait, Rymer—”

“What?”

Marrying Saint Sui? This was all too sudden.

I wanted him to explain things properly, but he wasn’t listening.

“I thought I was going to hear about your promotion today, so I made your favorite stew.”

“Oh, yeah, I saw that in the kitchen. But from now on, I’ll be dining at restaurants every day. You can take the stew with you.”

Rymer stepped inside, grabbed the pot of stew, and handed it to me.

“Here.”

“Rymer, wait—”

“See you, Rei!”

With that, Rymer shut the door with a loud bang and locked it.

Inside, warm lights flickered, and laughter echoed from within.

Left outside, holding a pot of stew, I couldn’t hold back my emotions anymore.

“What do you mean we’re breaking up all of a sudden!? And—wait—I’ll be thirty next year!!!”

Who could have predicted that I’d be facing my worst nightmare?

Single at thirty—what kind of future was this supposed to be!?