The Aftermath of First Love - Chapter 2

From the window before him, Adrian Garnet, Viscount’s son, gazed distantly down at the couple meeting in secret.

That night, Adrian wrote a letter to his family, informing them that, at this rate, Posy would be the cause of infidelity. He also suggested that it might be best to nullify their engagement.

A few days later, both families decided to come to the capital to meet with Adrian and Posy. While Adrian’s explanation was probably accurate, it was still a serious matter, so they preferred to discuss it directly.

The questioning began as soon as Lady Copeland raised her voice, “What do you mean, breaking off the engagement?”

Everyone was gathered in the townhouse that Adrian and Posy’s brothers rented together in the capital. Although it was a small house, this discussion could hardly be held in a public space.

“Engagement? Whose engagement?” Posy asked Lady Copeland.

“Yours and Adrian’s.”

“My engagement? My fiancé? Was Adrian engaged to someone?” Posy seemed unaware that she had an engagement.

Adrian explained to her, as if speaking to a child, “Yes, you and I were engaged.”

“I had no idea! Why didn’t you tell me, Mother?”

“I did tell you! I said you’d be marrying Adrian!” Mrs. Copeland replied in a flustered manner.

“And despite telling you not to be alone with Lord Nelson, you didn’t listen? Besides, Lord Nelson has a fiancée; what you’re doing counts as infidelity, Posy.”

“I never heard that Lord Darnell had a fiancée.”

“He does—a very suitable fiancée, Lady Cheriliana Murdock, the Marquess’s daughter,” Adrian again explained to Posy.

“Lord Darnell never mentioned a fiancée to me, and he said he enjoys being with me…”

Seeing that talking to Posy was getting them nowhere, Adrian turned to the parents of both families and explained the situation with Posy and Lord Nelson at the academy.

“I imagine discussions between the Marquess Murdock and Duke Nelson will soon begin. I’m sorry to involve the Copeland family, but I don’t want to be entangled in this. Please consider the engagement as if it never existed.”

Listening to Adrian, Lord and Lady Garnet seemed to understand.

“Yes, as Adrian says, it might be better for everyone to dissolve the engagement.”

“What will happen to Posy?” asked Lord Copeland.

“She has no escape now. At least this way, she won’t be branded as having committed infidelity while engaged.”

“………”

“Mother, I haven’t committed any infidelity,” Posy responded naively, based on what she’d half-understood.

Cheerful, gentle, obedient, and a little foolish, she hadn’t comprehended the engagement her foster parents had arranged, out of concern that her marriage could either bring happiness or sorrow depending on her partner. They had thought that with Adrian, she’d likely avoid hardship.

The Copelands sighed, wondering what kind of life awaited Posy from now on. Yet, they knew they must try to guide her toward a better future and ensure their territory remained unaffected.

“The best option may be for her to withdraw from school,” suggested Posy’s foster brother.

By putting some distance between her and the capital, the rumors about her innocent school romance would likely fade. Even if she couldn’t thrive in noble society, she could live peacefully within their territory, he reasoned.

Adrian and Posy’s older brothers had graduated from the academy when the two enrolled and were now working as civil servants at the royal palace. Though still low-ranking, they were acutely aware of the dynamics of power.

It would be impossible for the Copeland, with no special influence, to contend with the duke’s and marquess’s households. Their conclusion was to withdraw without conflict.

“There’s still time. I believe Posy would be happier marrying a prosperous farmer or wealthy merchant back home,” her brother persuaded their parents.

“Brother, but I… I care about Lord Darnell…”

“Even if you do, the Duke would never allow it. Posy could never manage a large house like the Duke’s. You know that, don’t you?”
“……” Posy lowered her head, clenching her hands on her lap.

Posy understood that she wasn’t particularly intelligent. She liked Lord Darnell and felt that he probably had some affection for her as well.

But, despite her lack of intelligence, she also realized that she didn’t have the strength to navigate the world of high-ranking women. She understood that it was inevitable that something would happen if she stayed at the academy. Raised as a commoner, she knew that.

She had let herself dream for a while; it had been fun while it lasted, but dreams always end. She closed her eyes and told her parents she would return home. A single tear slipped from her closed eyes, but she told herself it was just her imagination.

The Copelands decided to initiate Posy’s withdrawal process as early as the next day. Since there had been no formal declaration of the engagement, once they reached an agreement, it was over.

Though Adrian felt a slight pang at seeing his childhood friend tears, but he was relieved that the engagement had been dissolved. He suspected that everyone in the room felt the same way.

As he left his brother’s house with his parents and headed back to his school dormitory, Adrian thought back on her fragile figure in the opposite window, wondering if that cold violet gaze would ever regain warmth from tomorrow onward.