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☾ three ☾

I doubted my own ears when I picked up the low voice I hadn't heard in a while.

'Huh? Did my father just answer me back?'

Putting the shock aside, I clenched my teeth when I processed his words.

'Mikhail, that bastard! He said he was busy because of a training session but that was all a lie?!'

Any lingering affections I had for him quickly disappeared.

He really was unbelievable to the end.

I had a sudden urge to curse him out but quickly waved away the thought.

'Calm down, Juvellian. It's all in the past now.'

My chance at a second life and numerous part-time experiences were the main driving forces behind my ability to remain calm.

As I was recalling the times where I had to control my facial expressions when dealing with rude customers, my father interrupted my thoughts.

"You've returned home early today."

'Ah, it seems that I have.'

Come to think of it, I was always out stalking Mikhail so I usually came home late at night.

Today, however, I returned earlier than usual because I came straight after breaking up with him.

'Should I just tell him the truth?'

As was the case in the original novel, it seemed like my father put a lot of trust in Mikhail as his subordinate.

He had often called for Mikhail and seemed to pay him a lot of attention.

He was probably nominating him to be his successor since his only daughter was so useless.

I couldn't help but let out a bitter laugh.

In the past, I was always too nervous to talk to him, afraid that he would hate me if I said something wrong.

Now I realized, while searching through the memories of my past life, that there was no use in trying to be loved by this man.

Facing my father with the blue eyes I inherited from him, I spoke concisely.

"We are no longer together."

Though it wasn't explicitly said, it was clear my father knew who I was referring to, seeing as how his face became distorted.

"Why?"

A short but sharp question.

But I understood.

You wouldn't have had to worry about a successor if you made a competent man like Mikhail your son-in-law.

And since that is no longer possible, I would be upset too if I were in his shoes.

But no matter what, my love life is something I will decide myself.

"I do not wish to spend the rest of my life with someone who doesn't love me."

My father's face scrunched so quickly that it was scary.

[You ended things with such a competent person simply due to your useless pride?]

Was the reprimand that my father's fierce gaze seemed to imply.

Although my heart sank, it no longer hurt.

I was no longer a child who got hurt by words they didn't want to hear.