Chapter 3

I Accidentally Married the Male Lead in a Marriage of Convenience

Emilia was dumbfounded.

But perhaps because it was so absurd, she was more surprised than anything else.

Judging from Reina’s current situation, she was probably going through a difficult time emotionally.

She must have been frightened at the thought of being sold off to some trashy nobleman.

‘No, but even so, how could she possibly covet someone who already has a fiancée?’

No matter how desperate her circumstances were.

Emilia felt a throbbing headache coming on.

If the male lead found out about this later, it would be absolutely ridiculous.

“Reina, surely there must be better options for you.”

But that was all the advice Emilia could give her.

Even if she told Reina that she would eventually enter into a contract engagement with the male lead and end up spending the rest of her life happily with him, Reina would never believe her.

“No! You’re only saying that because you don’t know my circumstances!”

Reina suddenly raised her head and shouted.

“I really need Cedric… I really can’t live without him!”

Rather, she looked at Emilia resentfully, as though Emilia were being annoyingly carefree about the whole situation.

“And Cedric said he was sick and tired of you and wanted to break up with you! So even if the two of you continue your relationship, you’ll only cause each other pain!”

Emilia’s expression hardened for a moment.

Until now, she could have dismissed Reina’s words as nothing more than the desperate ramblings of a distressed woman.

But what she had just heard…

“…Did Cedric really say that himself?”

Reina bit her lip tightly and nodded.

As though she hadn’t wanted to say something like this.

The image of Cedric at the restaurant flashed through Emilia’s mind.

For a moment, she felt as though she had been struck over the head.

“So please give Cedric up to me.”

“…Just leave for now. I don’t want to hear any more of this.”

There was no reason for her to keep listening to Reina.

And she needed to find out whether Reina was simply talking nonsense or not.

‘If what Reina said is true…’

If the confidence with which Reina was acting came from Cedric…

If the way Cedric had been so familiar with Reina wasn’t merely because he was happy to see an old friend after a long time…

“Aren’t you leaving?”

Emilia stopped her thoughts and turned around.

But Reina remained where she was.

As if she was determined to hear Emilia say that she would break up with Cedric.

“Fine. I’ll leave myself.”

Emilia stood up and reached for the doorknob.

She had been planning to go see Cedric anyway.

But she couldn’t leave because of Reina’s cry that came from behind her.

“Ac-actually, I’m pregnant with Cedric’s child!”

Emilia’s arm dropped limply to her side with a soft thud.

“…Say that again.”

“I-I’m sorry.”

“Don’t apologize. Just say it again.”

“Hic… Sob…”

“Who exactly is supposed to be the one crying right now?!”

In the end, Emilia exploded and shouted.

Was Reina really going to cry more than the woman who had just been told that another woman was carrying her fiancé’s child?

Just then, the door flew open.

“What’s going on? Why are you two shouting?”

Emilia turned her head and saw Cedric.

He looked around the room, then his eyes widened when he spotted Reina crying miserably.

“Reina…? Why are you here…?”

He immediately hurried over to her.

“What’s wrong?! Did Emilia do something to you?!”

Cedric knelt beside Reina, unable to contain his concern.

He even gently put an arm around her shoulders as though they were lovers.

At the sight, Emilia’s eyes turned cold.

“Cedric.”

“What?”

He answered distractedly while busy wiping Reina’s tears.

“She says she’s carrying your child. Is that true?”

“…What?”

Cedric’s neck turned unnaturally.

“Reina is carrying… my child?”

He looked dazed, apparently shocked by the sudden news.

Judging by his reaction, it seemed Cedric hadn’t known about the pregnancy either.

Yet seeing him like that only made Emilia want to laugh bitterly.

‘The fact that he isn’t even getting angry and asking what kind of nonsense this is—’

It meant that the two of them had definitely slept together.

And because Emilia caught a trace of delight in Cedric’s eyes—

“…You really are insane.”

Emilia clenched her fists tightly.

“You’re not even a beast. How could you… How can you call yourself a human being after doing this?”

Only now did she understand why he hadn’t contacted her even once.

She hadn’t mattered to him at all. He had been too busy meeting Reina.

‘And I didn’t even know.’

She felt like such a fool for worrying all this time, wondering if something had happened to him.

Then Cedric suddenly shot to his feet.

Perhaps he felt insulted, because his face had turned bright red.

“H-how am I supposed to help it if I don’t see you as a woman?! It’s not like you’re lovable like Reina or gentle and sweet! You’re always trying to lecture me when you’re nothing special!”

“…Me? To you?”

Emilia asked slowly, as if the words had taken a moment to register.

“Yeah! Do you know how awful you made me feel every single time?!”

Cedric snarled, pouring out his words as though a dam had burst.

“And Reina said she’d accept even a guy like me! She said she’d give me the title of Count!”

Finally, he raised his chin arrogantly.

“But what can you do except hold me back from now on?!”

Emilia quietly stared at Cedric.

From the perspective of the Count of Illayke’s family, Reina was nothing more than a shameful illegitimate child.

So the idea of giving her the title of Count was absurd.

Besides, the Count, who intended to sell Reina off for a hefty sum, would have no reason to welcome Cedric.

Anyone who thought about it for even a moment would realize that something was strange.

If only Cedric hadn’t become so blinded by Reina.

But what good would it do to tell him that now?

To Cedric, Emilia was simply a woman who didn’t know her place and was always trying to lecture him.

“You… really thought of me as nothing more than that.”

Emilia slowly lowered her head.

They had spent four years together.

The reason she hadn’t immediately doubted Cedric when Reina spoke was because they had shared so much time together.

‘I should slap him right now. I should grab him by the collar and shake him.’

But she didn’t really feel like doing any of that.

Even the hand she had clenched into a fist gradually lost its strength.

Rather than anger, she felt strangely drained.

She simply felt unbearably uncomfortable being in the same space as those two.

‘I can’t breathe.’

Without saying a word, she turned away.

Cedric, still fuming, reached out toward her.

“Hey! Where are you going?! I’m not finished talking! I said we should brea—”

Smack.

Emilia firmly knocked his hand away.

“I’ll break up with you, so… don’t you dare put those filthy hands on me.”

“W-what?”

Cedric flinched at her cold voice.

By then, Emilia had already run out of the house.

Whoosh—

A heavy downpour had begun to fall, blocking her path, but she merely wiped the rain from her face as though it were an inconvenience.

Creak. Thud.

Without even changing her clothes, Emilia collapsed onto the bed.

‘What a bastard. What an awful man.’

Perhaps because of the rain, her body felt as heavy as soaked cotton.

She covered her eyes with her cold arm.

If only he had apologized as soon as he returned…

If only he had shown even the slightest hint of remorse…

No. At the very least, he could have refrained from making her sit there alone like a fool at the restaurant.

If he had done that, perhaps she wouldn’t have felt this way.

‘Just how ridiculous must I have looked?’

It hurt so much to realize that, to him, she was someone he didn’t even need to show the slightest bit of respect toward.

That was what hurt the most.

Emilia suppressed the emotions welling up inside her. Feeling as though her fever might rise again, she squeezed her eyes shut.

‘For now, I won’t think about anything.’

Curling up as her trembling body grew cold, Emilia eventually fell asleep.