Love's Perfect Match

"I'd like to mend our relationship, as well as your relationship with Callum."

"There's nothing worth mending," Edmund retorted stiffly.

"I know you're still affected by the fact that I ran away from the altar. Even though you act as if you're completely fine about it, I know it made you upset. I just never found the time to talk to you about it."

Edmund was a little flustered at the mention of this incident. His hostility dissipated and was replaced by evasiveness. It was as if he wanted to avoid this topic.

"Actually, I—"

"Actually, I know that you begrudge the way things played out, so I want to give you a proper apology. I'm truly sorry for hurting you. I'm sorry that I couldn't return your feelings. I'm sure you'll meet someone else who's better than me, but the woman earlier is certainly not her."

While listening to Elspeth, Edmund's feelings were complicated.

It went without saying that he had indeed been affected by the whole situation.

When she ran away from the altar, he didn't pursue the matter. Instead, he scrounged up an excuse on her behalf and protected her reputation.

That was because he knew that she was never in love with him. Even if he did marry her, he couldn't change that.

Thus, he hoped she would find happiness, even if he weren't the one for her.

His expression became a little awkward when Elspeth mentioned the woman. "Stop talking about her."

"But this isn't like you."

At the end of the day, Elspeth never truly detested Edmund. She could accept his sharp tongue as him simply being a blunt and straightforward person, but she was caught off guard by what she saw today.

To numb oneself was also a form of reckless abandon.

won't do it again." Yet, after answering her, Edmund realized that he seemed like an errant child who'd just been reprimanded by a parent, and his expression

of avoiding an outburst from him, she cleared her throat and refuted, "I'm not. We're the

"Fine. Are you done?"

to crack a joke with me, it means

again and stated, "Now, it's

you stop bringing him up? It's good enough that I'm not engaging in any form of conflict with him. Don't get yourself involved in this mess." Edmund eyed her coolly, but his gaze slowly hardened. "I had feelings for you

of the Winthrop Family now. This

must be resolved. You

in ridicule. "What misunderstanding? I know you love him, so you see him through rose-tinted glasses, but that's no excuse for you to try and absolve him

to absolve him, huh?

the situation from a different angle and brought

change in topic. He

grow so rapidly because of your unparalleled excellence?

come right out and say what was

pause in thought for a few moments before

secret, you'd probably still be having a hard time surviving in the

of all this. She

never thought that something like this had been happening in secret. He turned red at the thought of

flashing eyes. "But I don't want to see you harboring misunderstandings about him when he has done so much for all of

picked up on the words she used and asked, "What do you

his fans, and whenever the paparazzi take

right? I'm part of the Winthrop Family now. This counts as a family matter of mine as

Max's invitation to train in Wohler, Callum paid to get

…

quietly listened to Elspeth as she listed out the things Callum had done for his brothers.

was largely the same, he was in turmoil

never mentioned these things to any of