The End of First Love - Chapter 14

“Where… am I?”

Elizabeth sat up in bed, glancing around the elegantly furnished room.

(I went to the Fountain of Memories with Lord Heinz, and there was talk about a marriage between the ducal families…)

“—What!?”

She was shocked as the memories of the fountain suddenly came flooding back. The black-haired, black-eyed Heinz and the golden-haired boy from her childhood were the same person—something Elizabeth had never even imagined.

(His hair only looked golden in the sunlight… Childhood memories really can’t be trusted.)

And yet, Elizabeth had foolishly mistaken that first love for William and pursued him blindly. Now that she knew the truth, she felt ridiculous for having been so fixated on William.

(Was it a matter of pride?)

She had believed that the boy who saved her could never betray her. Clinging to that belief was the only way her young heart could protect itself from the pain of letting go.

Perhaps she had idealized the past too much—love really did make one blind.

Even so, she had to be grateful to Heinz. If nothing else, he had helped her see herself more objectively.

But just because she now knew Heinz was her childhood savior didn’t mean she could love him the same way she had loved William.

(My first love ended the moment William betrayed me.)

“Elizabeth, you’ve awakened?”

“Yes. I fell into the fountain, didn’t I?”

“You did. I may have cornered you a bit too much.”

“That’s rich, coming from you. Still, I suppose I must thank you for saving my life—both now and in the past.”

“Elizabeth! You remember!”

“Yes, everything. It was you, Lord Heinz, who saved me when I fell into the fountain as a child.”

When Heinz rushed to her bedside and took her hand, Elizabeth’s heart skipped a beat. This was not his usual smirking expression laced with sarcasm—it was a pure, unrestrained smile of joy. She had never seen such a face on him before. Her heart pounded.

“I’ve waited for this… for so long… Elizabeth, every time you reached for Prince William’s hand, it felt like my heart was being torn apart. How many times I wanted to cry out that it was me who saved you, that I was your first love…”

His words implied he had harbored feelings for her all along, making her heart race even faster.

And yet… something felt off.

This was not the same Heinz she had encountered at social gatherings.

Even as her emotions swirled, a warning bell rang in her mind. This was Heinz Schwein, son of a powerful duke. His political acumen was so infamous that even noblewomen uninterested in politics spoke of it. He was known for using any means necessary to achieve his goals, ruthless in his pursuit of power. That was why he was already being considered as the next Prime Minister.

For such a man to speak of love and romance… It felt unnatural.

Was this not just another manipulation?

Doubt spiraled in her mind.

“Lord Heinz, how did you know that the boy who saved me at the fountain was my first love?”

“Heh. I know everything about you, Elizabeth. Your favorite flowers and trinkets, the dress and jewelry shops you frequent, the patisseries and restaurants you love. I could go on forever. I even know all about your social circles and the tutors you’ve studied under.”

That wasn’t what she wanted to know. Everything Heinz listed could be discovered by anyone willing to investigate.

But her first love—she had only shared that story with a handful of close friends.

“I’m asking how you knew about my first love—something I only told my dearest friends!”

“Oh, is that all? Simple. Most of your friends have strong ties to me. Did you never find it odd? That despite being engaged to the second prince, most of your friends were supporters of the crown prince?”

She had noticed. Many times.

Despite being Prince William’s fiancée, nearly all of her friends were either neutral or aligned with the crown prince’s faction. It had always felt unnatural.

She had assumed William himself was responsible—he had always seemed eager to distance himself from her. It made sense that he would try to isolate her.

(So Iris and Miranda… were never really my friends?)

A sharp pain tore through her chest.

“Are you saying Miranda and Iris approached me under your orders?”

“And if I am? Will you sever ties with them?”

Cut ties… with Miranda and Iris?

Memories of their time together flashed through Elizabeth’s mind.

She had spent so much of her life with them, their bonds deep and meaningful. They had supported her through William’s coldness. Every time she was left alone at a ball, they had quietly stayed by her side. They had never belittled her feelings, only listened with understanding.

They had known about William’s womanizing habits, but they never condemned her for loving him. They simply accepted her emotions. That alone had been a great comfort.

“Even if they approached me under your orders, I will never cut ties with them. What we built together was real. Even if you order them to leave me, I know they would refuse. No matter what their partners say. Don’t underestimate the power of female friendship!”

“As I expected from you, Elizabeth. Indeed, I once pressured Lady Iris’s mother through Duke Louis, but she outright rejected me. Naturally, I have no direct connection to your friends—I merely hold ties to their partners. So no, I did not get my information from them. But information is easy to obtain, especially when you’ve been tracking someone as closely as I have.”

Heinz chuckled darkly.

A chill ran down Elizabeth’s spine.

He had been following her every move… for years?

She felt suffocated, trapped by his overwhelming presence. She had no strength left to put up a front.

“Now then… With your first love mystery solved, we can finally move on to the real matter. You will be my fiancée, Elizabeth.”

“W-what!? You’re joking!”

“Why would I be? You wanted to marry your first love, didn’t you? Now that you know I am your first love, isn’t it only natural that you become my betrothed?”

“No! That’s absurd! Just because I now know you were my first love doesn’t mean my feelings for you have changed! My first love ended the moment Prince William cast me aside. Even if you were the boy from my past, that’s irrelevant now. My heart does not belong to you!”

Her first love had already ended.

“William… What an infuriating man. Ha… Haha… Hahaha!”

Heinz covered his face, laughing as if he had just heard the greatest joke in the world.

Elizabeth’s instincts screamed at her—Run! If you don’t, you’ll never escape!

But her body wouldn’t move.

“If I am not in your heart, then I shall carve myself into it so deeply… you will never forget me.”

With a gentle push to her shoulder, she looked up—and the expression on Heinz’s face was one she would never forget.

That pained, tearful face…