I Ended My Engagement With The Woman Who Despised Me

༺ 𓆩  Chapter 30 — A Hollow Laugh  𓆪 ༻
「Translator — Creator」
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Dale lay in bed, groaning in agony, lost in thought.

Do you know what it feels like to be kidnapped and beaten relentlessly, over and over, until you give your captors the answer they want?

No—no, actually, that wasn’t even the worst of it. There had been something far more shocking than that.

So let’s skip the trivial part.

Instead, imagine this:

Then, do you know how it feels when, after being hit dozens of times with a hammer, you regain consciousness — only to realize that something that should be there is gone, and something that shouldn’t be there is.

‘Fucking… fuck!—’

To put it bluntly, it was a colossal mindfuck.

No—wait.

Considering the thing in question was missing, maybe the better word would be emptiness.

…No, that wasn’t the point.

The point was that something precious had vanished, leaving nothing but rage, a pounding headache, and the overwhelming urge to murder someone.

Baggy clothes.

Hair—long hair.

Why the hell had my hair grown out? How did that even make sense?!

And then—

Slender arms.

Delicate ankles.

And, worst of all, an unmistakable fullness on the chest.

All of it. Every single detail.

More unbearable than the torture itself.

Dale writhed in frustration, barely keeping it together—

Unable to bear it any longer, hastily throwing on some clothes, Dale began rushing off to confront that garbage of a person.

* * * * *

By the time Rianna’s rough coughing fit filled the room, I already had a sinking feeling in my gut. Something was wrong.

"Rianna… the thing you gave me. That was a cure, right?"

"……"

"Right?"

Why wasn’t she answering?

A headache threatened to take hold as I let out a slow exhale. After a brief pause, she finally mumbled a response.

"…Well, the treatment worked, so isn’t that what matters?"

The sheer absurdity of her words made me stare at her with the same flat, unimpressed expression as before.

Rianna, realizing how ridiculous she sounded, promptly shut her mouth and averted her gaze.

She knew she had no excuse for this one.

I decided to hold off on giving her a formal complaint for later—right now, the real problem was dealing with Dale… or rather, Dasuni.

"Loraine, go fetch Dale. If we leave him be, he’ll probably kick down the door trying to get in."

"Understood."

With a sigh, I sent Loraine off.

Not long after, a thunderous shout rang through the hall, followed by the door slamming open with enough force to shake the hinges.

"YOU FUCKING BASTARD!"

A woman stormed into the room—

And I turned to glare at Rianna again.

Rianna, meanwhile, chose to ignore my accusatory stare, focusing instead on clearing her throat in a very suspicious manner.

I sighed, turning back to Dale, who was fuming like an active volcano. But before I could even attempt to calm him down, I decided to test something first.

Specifically, the contract we signed yesterday.

So, deliberately, I provoked him.

"Oh, Dasuni. You’re here?"

Dale’s eyes bulged.

He let out a high-pitched screech, lunging at me with the full intent of grabbing me by the collar—

Only for his body to convulse as he suddenly doubled over.

"Uweeehhk."

Instead of attacking me, Dale began dry-heaving onto the floor.

I watched with interest as the contract’s protective clause took effect, ensuring that any physical retaliation against me resulted in immediate bodily rejection.

Satisfied that the contract was working as intended, I casually pushed Desuni away.

"Could you step back a little? This is kind of disgusting."

"Ugh… you bastard… ughh…!"

Despite the undeniable beauty of Dale’s current form — courtesy of his original protagonist status — I still felt a strange sense of revulsion.

Probably because I knew what was underneath.

I instinctively took a step back, keeping my distance.

Meanwhile, Siren trotted up beside me, narrowing her eyes at Desuni with clear suspicion.

Dale, watching this unfold, muttered under his breath, "This is fucking ridiculous."

Then, after a few deep breaths, he finally managed to speak properly.

"…Hah. Listen. I’ll say this once. Turn me back. Now."

Since I wasn't responsible for this, I glanced subtly at Rianna.

She offered me a very unconvincing smile before finally providing an answer.

"Just wait one day. The effects will wear off on their own, so there’s nothing to worry about."

"One day? You’re telling me I have to stay like this for an entire day?"

"……"

Rianna, whether because she truly had no way to reverse it or because she simply didn’t want to, merely smiled and said nothing.

Looking at this, I inwardly sighed and fell into thought for a moment.

'The stick would work better than the carrot in this case.'

Since the contract forced obedience, I could always dangle the threat of turning him into a woman again if he ever disobeyed.

Not a bad deterrent.

That said, it wouldn't hurt to find an actual carrot to offer Dale as well.

Just as I was considering my options, someone knocked on the door.

"Young Master, Lady Elysia has requested an audience with you."

At the mention of Elysia, my expression momentarily hardened, and I was about to refuse the meeting. But seeing the flustered Dale in front of me gave me an amusing idea, so I said I would accept it.

"Very well. Then I shall escort Lady Elysia to the reception room."

After giving a brief nod of acknowledgment, I turned to Dale.

"You're coming too. Get ready."

"What? Me?"

"Yes, you."

"You’re fucking insane."

Dale recoiled in outright horror; but too bad for him — he couldn't refuse.

The contract ensured his compliance, even if he hated it.

Grinding his teeth in frustration, he would have no choice but to follow.

Watching him seethe, I couldn't help but chuckle before making my way toward the drawing room—

Where Elysia awaited.

*****

As I entered the reception room, absently running my fingers over the hammer tucked inside my coat, a habit I had developed to steady my nerves.

And there she was — Elysia.

"Have you been well?"

Her voice was as gentle as ever.

Meaning she still hadn’t given up on whatever plan she had in mind.

Ignoring her pleasantries, I slowly settled onto the sofa, meeting her gaze in silence.

‘............’

Just like in the original story, she still seemed to be suffering — trapped in the endless torment of hallucinations and voices.

The heavy dark circles under her eyes, the pale, sickly complexion—

It should have evoked some reaction in me.

Pity. Sympathy. Resentment.

But I felt nothing.

Instead, memories stirred.

Memories of why I had ever liked her in the first place.

When my parents passed away, I was left in my grandmother’s care, a child too young to grasp the weight of loss.

Poverty humiliated me at every turn, pushing me into a life where no one truly understood me; then, in my third year of middle school, I stumbled upon a fantasy novel in the library.

A typical story, drenched in the idealistic rhetoric of human perseverance.

But there was one scene — one single moment — that changed everything for me.

The protagonist, stripped of all power, abandoned, and left to rot at rock bottom—

And then, Elysia appeared.

She reached out to him, raised him up, and gave him the strength to stand again.

Why had that moment left such an impact on me?

I don’t remember exactly.

Maybe because I had wished for someone like that in my own life.

Maybe because, without parents, I had been desperate to understand love—to replicate it somehow.

Or maybe because, when my grandmother passed away, leaving me truly alone, she was all I had left to cling to.

It didn’t really matter now.

The point was—

That one moment, that one story, had become a defining part of me.

For five years, it shaped my thoughts, my dreams, my desires.

Then—

'And so, in January of my 21st year.'

I woke up in this world.

And when I finally met Elysia, I was overjoyed.

I tried.

Tried so hard to get her to see me — really see me.

But she—

She broke everything.

She promised to face me if I helped her find warmth again; then she broke that promise.

She took my achievements, my sacrifices, and claimed them as her own.

She acted as if my suffering was expected, something natural, something she didn’t need to acknowledge.

She was my fiancée—

And yet, she plucked flowers from the garden I gifted her…

…and gave them to Dale.

Even when she knew everything, even when I begged her—just once—to listen,

She dismissed me. Said it was meaningless.

It wasn't about rational emotions or anything like that — I simply lost any human connection to her and ended things.

No lingering love.

No rational thought.

Just nothing.

Throwing the hammer was just an outburst from pent-up feelings accumulated over a year, nothing more.

As I looked at her expressionlessly, not wanting to get involved or share any understanding anymore, Elysia gazed back at me and calmly pointed at Dale... no, Dasuni.

"I’d like to discuss something important, but… may I ask who this lady is?"

"She's my new guard. You can ignore her."

Though it seemed like she was indirectly asking me to send Dasuni away, I refused because I wanted Dale to see Elysia's true nature.

Elysia hesitated briefly before offering an awkward smile.

"Ah… I see."

Judging by how easily she accepted this, it seemed there wouldn't be much of a problem even if I told her. Or perhaps she figured she could manage the situation even if rumors spread.

So Elysia turned her gaze away from Dale and spoke to me.

"The reason I came today is to share some extremely important information with you, Damian."

There was only one event of major importance lately—

The council’s decision to appoint Dale as the Hero.

So that’s what this was about.

I forced my anger to settle, feigning calm as I nodded for her to continue.

"The council has decided to appoint Dale as the Hero."

"What?"

"Exactly as I said. They’ve determined that Dale is fit for the role, and after a brief examination, he will be officially recognized as the Hero."

Behind me, Dale flinched the moment his name was mentioned.

I felt his reaction and nearly laughed.

Instead, I kept my tone even as I spoke.

"…And why are you telling me this?"

"As I told you before—because I regret my past actions."

Lies.

Every move Elysia made was for the North—

And that meant this wasn’t about regret.

This was about undoing our broken engagement and taking back the warmth she had lost.

Still, I held my tongue, simply meeting her gaze.

She continued, her voice steady, her performance flawless.

"What I want to say is… if Dale becomes the Hero, it will be extremely dangerous for you."

"………………"

"As I told you before, Dale harbors deep resentment toward you."

"I can imagine."

"Yes. Right now, he’s just a commoner, so he has no real power over you. But once he is officially recognized as the Hero… that changes."

She was gauging my reaction, waiting to see if I’d take the bait.

Then, sensing no immediate rejection, she pressed on.

"Dale has already tried to kill—"

Before she could even finish, a dry chuckle escaped from behind me.

And Dale muttered under his breath.

"This woman is completely insane."

END of CHAPTER

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