Guidelines for the Perfect Goodbye - Chapter 187

When Logan took leave for a holiday, they had met once, and it had been just under six months since then.

Cecilia hadn’t thought about Logan at all during that time.

…Correction.

She had tried not to think about him.

The truth was, she had consciously suppressed any thoughts of him, so saying she hadn’t thought about him wasn’t entirely accurate. It was like locking up an old, rusted farm tool in a shed—not exactly forgotten, but wrapped tightly in a box with several layers of string.

Yes, she hadn’t thought of him. But she couldn’t help being aware of him.

‘I saw your damn brother today.’

So the idea that she hadn’t thought of him was laughable.

‘I even danced with him…’

All the while, her thoughts had been consumed by the man standing in front of her now.

‘It was revolting.’

There was no avoiding the comparison.

“It’s been so long I thought you might have forgotten,” Logan said. “How could anyone forget their betrothed?”

“But you’ve been living as though you had.”

He didn’t deny it. Instead, he added simply,

“If a man were to give his undying love to a woman he doesn’t even know, that would be madness.”

“And talking about eternal love after meeting just once isn’t exactly normal, either.”

“I don’t recall making such a passionate confession.”

“…It’s just an example.”

She felt like she was being caught up in his words. Cecilia tapped the area just below her chest, a gesture of discomfort.

Logan noticed and his hand twitched, but he quickly continued as if nothing had happened.

“Well, it does happen sometimes.”

“…?”

“You know those stories, don’t you? The ones where men and women fall in love at first sight.”

“I don’t care much for clichéd novels. They’re too unrealistic to be of any use in real life.”

Logan nodded as though he had expected that answer.

Cecilia glanced around uneasily. The surroundings were quiet, but she still felt strangely unsettled.

“If we’re going to stay here, we should head inside…”

“There’s no one here.”

“…”

“I’ve been here longer than the actual owner of this house, and I can tell you, even after walking through the garden at night, not a single ant shows up. The same goes for during the party.”

Had he really stayed at the viscount’s residence for that long? Just as Viscountess Odridge had said, it was hard to understand him.

Why was he staying in someone else’s home when he had a perfectly good house of his own? He wasn’t like her, a young lady in need of a chaperone.

As if reading her thoughts, Logan spoke.

“The Odridge Viscounty is one of the main docking points for my fleet. Being a port city, it’s convenient for departures to the western seas. It’s also closer to the capital than the Rosencrantz Marquisate, so the navy often uses it.”

“Is that how you became acquainted with the viscount?”

“Well… something like that, yes.”

His vague answer left Cecilia puzzled.

Logan threw out a few more clues.

“There aren’t many reasons for a noble to be so casual with a commoner. And there aren’t many commoners who would feel at home staying in a noble’s residence.”

Is that so? It seemed obvious to her why they would treat Harper’s only grandson with such respect.

“Your wealth?”

“…?”

“Or, maybe your grandfather’s merchant guild?”

Cecilia spoke freely. There was no need to mince words with him, and she saw no reason to hold back unnecessary chatter.

In fact, she thought, It would be better if he saw my materialistic side.

“Money? Merchant guild?”

But Logan’s lips stretched into a grin, like someone excited by an entertaining game. For a moment, his previously expressionless face seemed full of life.

Life, of all things.

Cecilia blinked several times. Was she seeing things? Maybe the yellow and red hues from the outdoor lights had played a trick on her eyes.

But for a brief moment, his smile reminded her of a boy’s.

‘What madness.’

Cecilia deliberately spoke more coldly.

“If not that, then perhaps the viscount is simply a good-natured person?”

“Of course, he’s a good man. But that’s not the whole reason.”

Cecilia furrowed her brow.

“Don’t tell me, you’ve borrowed money from the viscount?”

“Are you asking if the viscount is my debtee?”

“Yes.”

Logan opened his mouth in disbelief. It was a statement that would likely make any man feel small, especially hearing such things from his fiancée.

But even now, his curiosity remained unshaken. In fact, it was Cecilia who found his reaction strange.

“You really are… committed to keeping your distance from me, aren’t you?”

There wasn’t a hint of anger in his voice.

“I’m serious about all of it. Do you know how important money is to living? I have no intention of marrying someone who’s financially irresponsible.”

“Irresponsible? …Me? Ha…!”

When Logan burst into laughter, it felt as if something immense had shattered and flooded in, like a dam breaking. The change was so abrupt it left Cecilia disoriented.

In less than a moment, Logan had completely torn down the composed mask he had so carefully built around himself.