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 2
The burning sunset had disappeared, and the night had fallen.
It felt like my life had been swallowed by darkness.
I had lived for Rymer.
He was everything to me.
But now, he had pushed me away and abandoned me.
No one needed me. I had lost my home. And now, I stood under the cold night sky.
What a miserable and lonely woman I had become. That was how I felt.
Holding the pot with both hands, I walked home.
Rymer always said, “A knight’s body is his most important asset,” and ate a lot. So today, I made a big pot of stew just for him.
The pot was far too big to carry easily. I felt the urge to throw it onto the ground in anger, but I held back. If I smashed the stew here, it would bother the neighbors, and more importantly, it would be a waste of the meal I had put so much effort into making.
“—!”
My eyes burned, and tears welled up.
If I cried here, it would feel like I had lost to Rymer. So I swallowed my tears.
Breaking off the engagement so suddenly… and to an 18-year-old girl, no less.
Rymer was the same age as me—29. Didn’t he even consider the age gap?
And why would Saint Sui, of all people, choose a worthless man like Rymer? She also seemed different from before.
When I met her last time, she had been calm and reserved.
Maybe love changes people.
Just like ten years ago, when I fell in love with Rymer and even became a witch to support him.
Many emotions rose inside me, but the strongest one was anger.
He said he succeeded “thanks to Saint Sui”?
No! I was the one who supported him for ten years!
I bought him expensive equipment when his salary was too low, provided him with food and shelter, and even gave him money to drink with his colleagues.
I paid the fees for his martial arts tournaments—each one cost ten gold coins just to enter. He never did well in them, but he said just participating would help his career, so I paid for him seven times.
I didn’t even want to think about how much money I had spent on him.
I had loved Rymer since we got engaged when I was 19. I had believed in him and been certain that he would succeed, and we would have a happy marriage.
Why did I never doubt him?
Lately, he often said he was busy with work and didn’t come home.
Looking back now, what kind of “work” keeps someone from coming home?
He must have been spending passionate nights with the Saint.
The more I thought about it, the angrier I became.
Rymer von Ries! I will never forgive you!
“Hehehe… Ahahaha!”
As anger took over, I noticed someone standing in front of my apothecary.
“Oh?”
I had closed the shop two hours earlier than usual today. Normally, it would still be open at this time.
Feeling bad, I called out.
“Sorry, we’re closed for today.”
“Ah, I see.”
The voice sounded familiar. I quickly used magic to light up the shopfront.
The light revealed a man with messy long hair, cloudy glasses, and worn-out clothes. His age was hard to guess, but I recognized him.
It was Ie, one of my regular customers.
For five years, he had been coming to my shop.
He worked so hard every day that he was always exhausted. He bought the nutritional supplements and magic potions I made to keep going.
“Do you need any medicine?”
“No, it’s not urgent. But… that pot looks heavy.”
“…It is.”
For some reason, I couldn’t pretend it wasn’t. I couldn’t hold back my weakness, and even I was surprised.
“I’ll carry it for you.”
“Eh? But—”
“I may not look like it, but I’m strong.”
Ie easily lifted the heavy pot.
“Should I take it inside?”
“Uh, yes…”
I used magic to open the shop’s door, and Ie carried the pot inside.
Sensing movement, the glowing plants inside the shop lit up.
“Where should I put this?”
“On the counter.”
He walked past the shelves filled with magic potions and placed the pot on the counter.
A small tree on the counter rustled and moved.
“Mmm… Is it morning already?”
The tree had a face—eyes, a nose, and a mouth. It looked like an old man.
He was a tree spirit, a Dryad.
“Good evening, old tree. It’s still night.”
“Oh, is that so? Did a beautiful young lady come to visit today?”
“The shopkeeper is here.”
“Oh, but she’s old.”
“Who are you calling old!?”
This perverted old tree had just made an enemy of every 29-year-old woman in the world!
I threatened to throw him into the fireplace, and he quickly quieted down.
Ie watched our exchange with a smile.
“Sorry for showing you something embarrassing.”
“No, it was fun to watch.”
The Dryad constantly said inappropriate things. Rymer had even complained, saying, “Take that thing out of the house!” So I brought him to the shop instead.
He also often said ridiculous things to Ie, but Ie just accepted it with a calm smile. Maybe this was what true maturity looked like.
“Where did this pot come from?”
“Ah… well, it’s a long story.”
“Want to talk about it?”
“Huh?”
“You look like someone who’s lost. Like a child who doesn’t know where to go. I thought maybe something bad happened.”
Lost—that was exactly how I felt.
I had lost my purpose in life. I didn’t know where to go or who to rely on. My heart was wandering.
“But I can’t just tell you something so embarrassing…”
Just as I said that, a loud growl echoed.
It came from Ie’s stomach.
“Ahaha! Smelling the delicious stew made me hungry!”
He said it so cheerfully that I couldn’t help but laugh too.
“Would you like to eat with me?”
“Are you sure?”
Seeing the happiness in his expression, the darkness in my heart cleared a little.
His warmth was more than enough to pull me out of my despair.
“Yes. I made this stew for my fiancé, but he broke off our engagement. Now, no one is here to eat it.”
Leaving a surprised Ie behind, I went to the back of the shop to get utensils and seasonings.