I’m Done Being Your Best Friend

The young duke could not help but pretend to be indifferent.
His vassals might be fussing and trying to prepare for the wedding right away if they knew.

But Fabian’s heart spoke otherwise.
When he found out about this, the fact caused a stir within him.

And that remained the same the following day.

She’s seeing a man? What kind of man was he? The thought of her never left his mind.

With his thoughts stuck on her, he could hardly concentrate on work.
From some point, something within him was changing.
Her voice, her expression, and every single gesture of hers were imprinted in his mind.

He became even more impatient when he heard she was dating another man.
He felt like running out of this place right away to see her.

But he couldn’t go to see her so recklessly, so Fabian ordered Justin to come to report on her instead.
Pretending that his mind was on something else for a moment, he said in a nonchalant tone.

“How did you go about finding out what I told you yesterday?”

“Pardon? Oh, are you talking about the rumours of the daughter of Marquis Nelson?”

“Yes.”

“I haven’t received any message yet.
I will pass it to you as soon as I get a report!”

It had already been a day, why was it so slow? Fabian clicked his tongue inwardly.

Then, suddenly, a thought occurred to him.
If it were Justin, wouldn’t he know about the unknown feelings that were going wild within him right now?

Justin was already married.
If so, he might have understood what Fabian was going through.
Fabian asked insinuatingly.

“By any chance… do you know what it means when a person suddenly changes?”

“What do you mean by change?”

“Their personality, thoughts or actions that they have never done before.
To a point where they became aware of their own accord.”

Justin said without much thought.

“Then it is time for them to go to heaven.”

“I don’t think that’s it though?”

Strangely, Fabian frowned, looking a little annoyed.

Justin tilted his head at Fabian’s odd look and said.

“If it’s not like that, then isn’t that person in love?”

Love? Was this unknown feeling love? The kind of love he longed for so much… Fabian found it hard to believe.
His tone became urgent.

“What if the said person keeps thinking about someone, looking at the other one makes him feel delighted, and just touching them makes his heart pound? Does that also mean love?”

“Yes… I think it’s love.
They are very common signs.”

Are you sure that’s not your own case? Though Justin did not voice it out loud.

Fabian wanted to get to know her better, so he pretended to meet her by chance.
When did his feelings for her change like this? Fabian was absorbed only in that thought.

Since when? When she told him she valued him? When they danced together at the masquerade? If not… When he found out she was in danger?

Or maybe it was from the moment he saw her visage in the magic fountain.

But that wasn’t the point now.
It developed from an interest to liking, and in the end, that emotion grew even bigger.

It was only after hearing Justin’s words that Fabian realised his feelings.
He seemed to have fallen in love with her.

***

The day he came to know his heart, Fabian had trouble sleeping since the following day was the day he met with Sienna.

Still, he couldn’t help but see her.
The day of their meeting was the day Fabian looked forward to the most.
Fabian once again waited for her in front of the library.

“Logan.”

Sienna, who arrived shortly after him, was different from usual.
With a worried look on her face, she continually looked around her.

Fabian, who was watching her, asked.

“You seem to be looking for someone.”

“Ah…I’m sorry.
It wasn’t like that.”

Sienna smiled at his perplexed face.
Fabian could partially understand why she reacted this way.
She’s dating another guy so of course she did not want anyone to see her alone with him.

Just right when he realised his feelings.
How could things turn out like this when he decided to listen to his heart for once? Looking at Sienna, Fabian swallowed the bitterness.

She stopped looking around only once they had entered the library building.

“I think it will be difficult for us to meet up for a while.”

Again, it was just as Fabian had expected.

After reading with Fabian for an hour or so, Sienna called him to the break room and said.

“I am in a bit of a situation right now.
I’m going to refrain from going out for the time being.
I could really use your help with that.
And…I’m really sorry.”

She seemed to have come to say this today.
‘For the time being’ in her words sounded like ‘from now on’ to him.

Would the situation have been different if he had realised his feelings sooner? If he had even told her how he felt…

“No.
There is nothing to be sorry about.”

What could he say when she was this sorry toward him? If she had a lover and still met with another man, that would be controversial.

He could not believe he only faced his love for her honestly after she had had another man…

Fabian’s shoulders drooped as he returned to the duke’s mansion in a carriage.

***

It was that evening that Justin came to him with the report.

“Your Grace!”

The self-proclaimed competent Justin soon brought new information.
He was running out of breath as he ran.
Though he was told not to run in the hallway.

Fabian looked at him with disapproving eyes and said.

“Tell me, what made you run like this?”

“Listen! I have brought you big news!”

Fabian tilted his head slightly as if to signify him to speak.
He wasn’t going to be surprised by what Justin said anyway.

But completely opposite to what he had thought, Justin’s words stunned Fabian.
In a different sense.

“She met up with a commoner.
She was seen meeting with a black-haired man.”

“A commoner… you say?”

Fabian flinched.

“Yes! Rumours are spreading these days that they are not on any terms, but he’s definitely a commoner.”

If it’s a dark-haired commoner Sienna met… Fabian fell in thought silently.

It was him.
It was undoubtedly HIM.

He did not know how the rumour came about, but the main character of the rumour was ‘Logan’.

And here he thought she got herself a man she loved… Hearing this, Fabian felt a sense of relief wash over him, and at the same time, a sense of absurdity.

Then, all this time, he was having a headache because of his own self? It never once crossed his mind, even for a split second that it could be him.
Naturally, he thought she had a man she loved, but…

… How can I be so stupid! Fabian’s face crumpled, a rare sight to behold.