The Villainess Lives Twice: Butterfly's Dream (IF Story) - Chapter 99

The next toast, led by Eloise, ended up celebrating not Artizea’s birthday but her engagement instead.

As soon as everyone emptied their glasses, the quick-witted orchestra began playing a waltz. Cedric took Artizea’s hand and gracefully led her toward the center of the dance floor.

Hazel, who had been cheering, leaned closer to a friend who tapped her arm and whispered, “Hmm?”

“Hey… is it true they actually broke off the engagement?”

“Yeah.”

“But if they’re already planning the wedding again just three days later, doesn’t that make it… not really a breakup?”

“No, it was definitely called off. Otherwise, how do you explain him giving his fiance a brand-new engagement ring and proposing again?”

Another girl nearby joined in with a puzzled expression, and Hazel found herself confused as well. Then, Miel smiled brightly and summed it up in one sentence.

“Who cares? Just celebrate.”

And that was true enough. Since none of them ever seriously believed Cedric would suddenly re-enter the marriage market, they were more than happy to offer their enthusiastic congratulations.

Grand Duke Roygar clicked his tongue.

“Honestly, even if they had tried to make this dramatic on purpose, they couldn’t have come up with something this ridiculous.”

“But isn’t it kind of sweet to watch?”

“Sweet, you say?”

“Oh, I’m jealous! I’ve always wanted a romantic proposal like that.” 

Garnet sighed with feigned seriousness.

Grand Duke Roygar looked flustered, almost as if he might hiccup, and turned his gaze away awkwardly. Garnet tugged lightly at his arm with a playful smile.

“Shall we dance, too?”

“…Let’s.”

He took her hand without resistance, becoming the second couple to glide onto the dance floor. As they spun together, he was already calculating their wedding anniversary date in his head. He would have to plan something truly special this year.

Eloise was laughing so hard she nearly cried, while Graham and Pavel looked less amused as they muttered under their breaths.

“Then why on earth did they even break up in the first place?”

“If they were going to reconcile in three days anyway, I guess it makes sense they wanted to handle it quietly without spreading rumors.”

“They should’ve just canceled the engagement contract in private and rewritten the premarital agreement.”

“Yes, well, it only blew up because the rumors leaked. And you two helped make that happen.”

At Eloise’s pointed remark, Pavel and Graham protested at the same time.

“Come on, who wouldn’t have been shocked? Everyone knew Tia was hopelessly in love with him, and that guy was spouting nonsense like he didn’t know anything…”

“You’re the one who warned me to keep an eye on them, Sister. And you were plenty involved yourself, weren’t you?”

“I was just enjoying myself. Unlike you two, I wasn’t going around making a scene about it.”

Standing nearby, Selenea, who knew the full story, quietly chuckled at Eloise’s lie, but the two brothers remained oblivious.

“It all worked out, so it’s fine now!”

Lysia chimed in cheerfully. Truthfully, part of her had wanted Cedric to suffer just a little during the breakup after all the anguish Artizea went through.

 But if they were happy now, that was all that mattered.

Pavel sighed and nodded, finally letting it go. Lysia smiled at him politely and asked.

“Would you like to dance?”

“Gladly.”

Pavel took her hand with a warm smile.

As the two of them headed to the floor, Eloise pursed her lips and glanced at Graham.

“Is there something going on between those two?”

“What? No. They’re just close friends.”

“So, the one I should be worried about isn’t Ced, it’s you.”

Eloise gave him a dry look, but Graham shrugged indifferently.

“I’m not the type to meddle in other people’s business. And you shouldn’t either, Sister. Don’t even think about using my personal life, or Pavel’s, for your entertainment.”

Eloise gave a soft laugh. Then Graham held out his hand lazily, which made her blink in surprise.

“It wouldn’t do for you not to dance at all. And rather than gossiping or getting ideas about some handsome stranger here, you should just dance with me.”

“With you…?”

Eloise gave his hand a long, reluctant look, sighed, and finally accepted it. As much as she hated to admit it, Graham had a point. The siblings headed toward the floor together.

Meanwhile, Cadriol set down his empty glass after the toast. To say he wasn’t disappointed would have been a lie, but he had already lowered his expectations three days ago, so there was no real sting.

‘Grand Duke Evron really is something else.’ 

He couldn’t help but think that.

But in the end, it was only a mild curiosity on his part, nothing more. At least he had gained valuable connections with Eloise and Grand Duke Roygar out of this, and he decided he’d send a thoughtful gift to congratulate them later.

Ansgar chuckled softly as he watched the dance floor fill up. 

Raising Cedric had never caused him this much trouble before. Well, except for the time Cedric fell out of a tree and split his head open. And the time he sled down the staircase into a marble statue and shattered it. And the time he was dangling from the chandelier…

…All right, perhaps Cedric had always been a source of headaches.

But since Cedric had turned ten, this was the first time Ansgar truly felt exhausted by him. Whoever said the real trouble came when you tried to get your children married had been right.

He didn’t just raise Cedric, but Artizea too. When he first heard the engagement was broken off, the grief had been indescribable. Even after learning it was a misunderstanding, his appetite didn’t return for days.

‘They’re both still young. Of course they’ll fight, misunderstand each other, and reconcile.’

To him, the idea of a permanent breakup had never made sense anyway.

Then, out of the corner of his eye, Ansgar noticed Milaira slipping quietly out of the ballroom with her head down. 

She was usually surrounded by attention wherever she went, so the sight immediately stood out to him. Anyone who wasn’t scanning the entire hall, as he was, would have missed it entirely.

He quietly delegated his position to the assistant butler and slipped toward the servants’ passage.

It didn’t take long to catch up with Milaira. She was heading toward the garden, alone. No guards, no maids.

Ansgar followed at a discreet distance. If she spotted him, there was a high chance she’d vent her frustration on him, but he couldn’t leave her wandering unattended.

She wandered aimlessly across the moonlit garden until she spotted a bench and sat down. Tear stains were visible on her cheeks, and fresh droplets glimmered as they slid down her face.

With a sharp flick, Milaira tossed her fan aside and buried her face in her hands. Her shoulders began to tremble.

Ansgar hesitated for a moment before approaching. Taking care of guests was part of his duty after all.

“Pardon me, Marchioness Rosan. Is there anything you need?”

Milaira turned her head to his voice. Her eye makeup was ruined. 

Ansgar quietly handed her a clean handkerchief. She snapped bitterly.

“You expect me to use a butler’s handkerchief just because I don’t have one of my own?” 

“Shall I fetch a maid for you instead?” 

“….” 

She didn’t reply, merely snatching Ansgar’s handkerchief.