IWEML 04

chapter 04

Now that I think about it, hadn’t Pollius mentioned Melanie recently?

There had been that scandal about breaking up, so he must have stopped me from running a tab under Melanie’s name. Of course — nothing like this would happen without a reason.

“I suppose I’ll have to step in myself, then.”

Why would Pollius let one girl humiliate him like that? If those two get back together later, I’ll be sure to take credit and enjoy the perks.

And of course I’ll bring Miss Clotilde to that dressmaker who slighted me and make them pay for today’s humiliation!

Starting the next day, Madame Mila began waiting incessantly at the places Melanie was known to frequent.

A few days of that, and finally she got something out of it.

“Hey, Melanie. Wait a minute—oh my!”

“What is it?”

Unlike the previous guard, the newly assigned bodyguard stepped quickly to block Melanie’s path.

Madame Mila, faced with such an openly aloof attitude toward outsiders, hurriedly straightened herself.

“How dare you block me!”

Madame Mila’s voice sharpened.

“…What’s the matter?”

At first she raised her voice in anger, but Melanie’s composure was unsettling.

“Huh? Oh?”

When she realized what was happening, Madame Mila’s tone began to soften and coo.

“Oh my, what’s the fuss? Do I need a reason to see you?”

“Haven’t you heard that you blocked access to the Duchess’s residence?”

“Yes, I heard you had a quarrel back then. If Pollius upset you, tell me—I’ll give him a proper scolding.”

Madame Mila feigned a kindly attitude. She judged it was better to bow for now and prepare for later.

But Melanie was ice-cold.

“That isn’t necessary. We didn’t merely quarrel — we broke up entirely.”

Madame Mila’s eyes narrowed.

‘I was trying to be friendly and she acts like a snob?’

No matter what, this attitude was hard to stomach. Shouldn’t Melanie be the one trying to charm her?

“Even if you fought with Pollius, to treat the woman who could become your mother-in-law this way… I’d be so hurt. How are you planning to look at me later?”

The countess sighed softly and muttered.

“Clara used to make me sandwiches and be so affectionate…”

“Then make that woman your daughter-in-law.”

“What?”

Madame Mila was so shocked she couldn’t continue.

No matter how she rubbed her eyes, the girl before her was the same Melanie Clotilde who had doted on her son — the one who used to be desperate to earn points even with her own mother.

“Aren’t you… really going to do this?”

The old Melanie had been lacking in natural warmth but still somewhat charming; now she was unreasonably cold.

While Madame Mila reeled in shock, Melanie carried on with a firm, emotionless tone.

“You asked what Pollius did wrong. He did exactly the same things you’re doing. Comparing me to other women… flirting with women who confessed to him despite already having an engaged fiancée… ”

“I — I was only—!”

Melanie cut her off, raising a fan to hide her face. Only her eyes remained, chillingly cold.

“‘I’? I am the heir to House Clotilde. Don’t address me lightly.”

“What!”

“Oh, and one more thing.”

But that wasn’t all. As she turned away, Melanie added as if she’d just remembered.

“From now on, stop selling my name to beg for credit. I’ll sue.”

Melanie forced herself to remain composed as her anger cooled into steel. Behind her, she could hear Madame Mila floundering and losing her temper.

‘She used my name to run up a tab and I didn’t even know.’

If she hadn’t pressed the bodyguard and done some checking, she would have kept not knowing.

Because she liked Pollius so much, the Clotilde name had been used to smooth things over and pay some bills — to avoid any trouble for the family.

The Clotilde name wasn’t cheap, and Melanie’s pride in her family wasn’t trivial either.

‘I really didn’t want to do this… but they used me in so many ways.’

She had intended to quietly call off the engagement with Pollius. But when they keep acting shabby first, what else could she do?

Not only Pollius but his mother had been trading on Melanie’s name. She had intended to part gracefully, but now she felt like she’d been pushed into becoming the “bad one.”

‘What a coincidence — the person I’m about to meet is someone Pollius and Madame Mila hate most in the world.’

Back home, Melanie sat at her desk, took out stationery, and began to write lightly.

[To Lord Damian, Marquess Matop.]

The recipient was Pollius’s half-brother, Damian Velderet.

Marquess Matop Damian — the villain Pollius faces in the novel “A Bastard Who’s Best at Business!”

This man, Pollius’s half-brother, is the biggest obstacle to Pollius becoming the heir to the Velderet countship.

Unlike Pollius, who is the government’s son, Damian is the child of the Countess of Velderet, and the two clash at every turn.

There had always been something suspicious, though.

‘Maybe because the novel was told from Pollius’s perspective, but objectively Damian Matop doesn’t seem to be entirely at fault?’

From the start, the count who brought his mistress into the main count’s house was out of his mind.

And who knows what kind of extravagant treatment he’d expect next.

Pollius wanted to get along with Damian as if they were brothers, but their values were plainly different, so they always missed each other.

“I don’t want to be like your father, so I don’t court women,” one would say.

“Don’t say that — he was your father too. Nobody’s perfect. We shouldn’t turn our backs on him either…” the other would reply.

Damian appears cold and unfeeling, while Pollius plays the warm-hearted protagonist who tries to embrace even antagonists — but still.

‘My mother was humiliated in public as nothing but a temporary wife; wouldn’t Damian try not to lose to Pollius?’

I mean, a father who cheated on his pregnant wife and then adopted the child of the other woman to make him the legitimate heir — who could forgive that?

‘And Madame Mila keeps pretending to be the count’s wife outside, so the damage is ongoing.’

Ugh. In that situation, asking to be like brothers seems strangely heroic for a protagonist. Why play the victim, insisting you were scorned as an illegitimate child?

“Miss, we’ve arrived.”

Lost in thought, the coachman opened the side window.

‘Oh!’

It was Melanie’s first time seeing Matop House up close, and it was astonishing. Even someone who’d seen many noble houses would find many things here unfamiliar.

It wasn’t just a matter of fewer luxury items or more flashy decorations.

Floating petals, a brightly lit interior without visible windows, windows that each reflected a different season.

“The marquess awaits.”

She gathered her thoughts and entered the reception room, but her eyes instantly narrowed.

The impressive presence of the man there was so strong it wiped away any awe she felt at the marquess’s curious things.

‘No wonder Pollius felt inferior.’

His thin black hair and rare red-tinted eyes were exquisitely elegant. If Pollius was a weed, this one was a rose.

‘If I kept being impressed by his looks I’d knock my forehead and cure my hunched neck.’

He was so dazzling close up that she allowed herself a little vain thought.

When she had been engaged to Pollius, she had avoided this half-brother who disliked Pollius so much. He carried himself so differently that even from afar he stood out, so avoiding him was easy.

She had done it for Pollius’s sake — but now there was no need.

“Good day, Marquess Matop. I am—”

“You surprised me by asking to see me so suddenly.”

He cut her off, and she couldn’t help but shut her mouth.

‘He didn’t even let me finish my greeting.’

It was clear Damian Matop didn’t welcome her very warmly.

‘After all, I am Pollius’s ex-fiancée.’

If Pollius disliked Damian, Damian disliked Pollius even more — perhaps more than Pollius disliked him.

“I’m curious why this wasn’t a letter but had to be in person, Miss Clotilde.”

Every word was icy. If one could kill with a look, this man would.

It felt like a warning: I hope it’s not important.

‘Still, the letter I wrote must’ve sounded suspicious, so it’s understandable he’s wary.’

Even if she were the Duchess Clotilde’s heir, Melanie doubted she’d have been granted an audience if she weren’t Pollius’s former fiancée.

Damian Matop wasn’t someone you could meet easily.

Unlike Pollius, who gallivanted around meeting this girl and that, this man seemed to hate people and rarely appeared before others.

Melanie pretended not to notice his lack of welcome and spoke in a clear, composed voice.

“Marquess Matop, will you be engaged to me?”

He snorted.

And with that, the cold expression on his face immediately crumbled.