RYL Chapter 03

Chapter 03

Mathieu looked at me with a disapproving gaze.
“Just because we’re engaged doesn’t mean I feel the same way as you.”

What? Do you even know how I feel?
I don’t want to marry a cheating scumbag like you, just like my ex-boyfriend!

“Don’t try to tie me down with an engagement that only exists to maintain the connection between our families.”

Then why don’t you break it off first?
Would the Count’s family even dare to bring up the word “breakup” in front of a Duke’s family?

He misunderstood my silence, thinking I was hurt by his words, and clicked his tongue in pity.
“Know your place, Claire.”

I almost threw my fork at his damn mouth.
Haah… Maybe I should just steal all the money from the Count’s family and run away…
I don’t care if the Count’s family collapses or not.

Just then, Mathieu stood up.
“I’ve lost my appetite, so I’ll leave first. You can finish your meal alone.”

He knew.
He knew that no matter how rudely he treated me, neither I nor the Count’s family could complain.
That’s why he acted however he pleased.

But guess what? I’m not the same Claire anymore, you jerk.

As he turned his back on me without a second thought, I impulsively spat on a tissue, crumpled it up, and threw it at his head.

Mathieu flinched in surprise and turned around.
He looked around, confused, and then finally glanced at me with a doubtful expression.

I smiled sweetly at him—the same gentle smile Claire always wore.

Not even considering the possibility that I could be the culprit, he scratched the back of his head and turned away again.

I immediately dropped my smile and scowled.
“Just wait and see, you piece of trash. One day, you will be the one groveling at my feet.”

***

“I really almost stabbed him in the eye with a fork!” I fumed.

Sabrina, sitting with her arms crossed, huffed along with me.
“You should have done it! He’d still be fine even with one less eye—his good looks would carry him through life anyway.”

Lilianne, who was quietly sipping her tea, went pale.
“I-Isn’t that a crime…?”

“I’m just saying. You think I’d actually do it?”

“Oh… I see…”

Lilianne sighed in relief, and Sabrina let out an exasperated sigh.
“More importantly, how’s it going with getting rid of the male lead?”

Sabrina asked bluntly, and Lilianne nervously fidgeted with her hands.

“Well…”

Sabrina and I patiently waited for her to continue.
After hesitating for a long time, she finally spoke in a tiny voice.

“Since we’ve been childhood friends for so long… it’s hard to cut him off just like that…”

Sabrina groaned and clutched her chest like she was in pain.
“You’re about to die, and you’re worried about childhood friendship? If you want to escape the ‘terminal illness’ route, you need to do something!”

“But I’m going to die anyway…”

“You never know! Are you really going to follow the original story and just die like that?”

Lilianne looked down, completely discouraged.
“I’m sorry…”

“You don’t need to apologize to me…”

I shot Sabrina a look and sighed.
“I get where Lilianne’s coming from. Even though we got reincarnated into these bodies, their memories and personalities are still in us. It’s hard not to be influenced by them. Sometimes, I even feel like I really am Claire.”

Sabrina tilted her head, unconvinced.
“Not me.”

Yeah, well, you’re just mentally strong.

I glanced at Sabrina and then leaned closer to Lilianne.
“Why don’t you think of it this way? Imagine you’re acting.”

“Acting…?”

“Yeah. Pretend you’re playing a selfish, arrogant woman.”

Lilianne thought about it for a moment, then suddenly lifted her head.
“I think I can do that!”

She clenched her fists with determination, but Sabrina still looked doubtful.

I nudged Sabrina’s side and raised my fists along with Lilianne.
“Of course! Let’s destroy the original story and survive!”

Then I turned to Sabrina and asked slyly,
“And what about you? Didn’t you say you were going to quit working for the villain?”

“Oh, that?”

Sabrina let out a long sigh and suddenly straightened her back, frowning.

She was imitating someone’s serious expression.

Lilianne and I watched curiously as she dramatically lowered her voice.
“Rejected.”

Then she immediately dropped the act.
“He just crumpled my resignation letter and threw it in the trash.”

Lilianne looked at her with pity.
It seemed like she felt a sense of resemblance, knowing that all three of us were struggling.

I hesitated before asking,
“What if you just run away?”

“He’d just show up with my employment contract, grab me by the collar, and drag me back.”

“…Yikes.”

Yeah… The villain in this story was a relentless psycho.

Duke Valerian—the head of the third great ducal family, alongside the Laurentinos (Mathieu’s family) and the Belfours.

So Sabrina was basically doomed to work for him until she dropped dead.
Honestly, out of the three of us, her death might be the least terrible.

Then, suddenly, Sabrina smirked mischievously.
“That’s why I left copies of my resignation letter everywhere. Let’s see if he still finds it fun after cleaning them all up.”

Sabrina was definitely insane in her own way.

“I’ll make sure he gets sick of it and finally accepts my resignation.”

…Strangely, that was kind of reassuring.

As I was lost in thought, Lilianne quietly asked,
“And what about you, Claire?”

Sabrina also turned to look at me.

I scratched my head awkwardly.
“Well, my situation’s pretty much the same.”

All three of us let out a synchronized sigh.

Then Lilianne mumbled in confusion.
“If Mathieu is messing around with other women so much, why doesn’t he just break off the engagement?”

Sabrina scoffed.
“He doesn’t want to go against the Laurentinos.”

Lilianne frowned.
“So he wants to keep Claire as his ‘official’ fiancée while fooling around with other women?”

“Ugh… If only we could use his playboy behavior to force a breakup…”

I shook my head.
“My family knows about it. They’re just ignoring it because they don’t want to lose their connection to the Duke’s family.”

“So that means we need to make the Duke’s family want to end the engagement first…”

“And preferably without harming the Count’s family.”

Not for their sake—for mine.
I planned to take over the family before my stepmother could give it to her daughter.

“Then we can’t use the usual ‘fight fire with fire’ method…”

Lilianne hesitated before suggesting,
“What if we don’t do anything ourselves, but just expose everything Mathieu is doing?”

I paused, considering it.
That… might actually work.

“The fact that the young duke is a playboy is already a well-known rumor,” I pointed out.

“But it’s just a rumor,” Lilianne replied. “Even though the Duke’s family knows about his behavior, they ignore it because there’s no solid proof.”

Sabrina nodded in agreement. “No matter how powerful the Duke’s family is, they won’t be able to deny it if the issue is fully exposed.”

Lilianne continued, “Since they care so much about their reputation, they might be forced to call off the engagement to protect themselves. They could even offer compensation to the Count’s family as an apology.”

Hmm, that part annoyed me a little.
If there’s compensation involved, I’ll make sure I get my share, one way or another.

With that thought, I nodded enthusiastically. 

“Great idea! I’ve been wanting to expose that bastard’s affairs to everyone anyway!”

At that moment, Lilianne pulled something from her pocket and placed it in front of Sabrina and me.

It was an invitation.