The Villainess is my fiance: But she is gentle towards me-Chapter 209 -: This distance between us.

The Harencross estate was alive with sound and light.

The wide halls were filled with nobles. Some had come from the Indrath Empire, others from the Arya Empire.

Expensive clothes brushed past one another as servants moved through the crowd with trays of wine.

Soft music played in the background, trying to bind two empires together for one night.

This wedding was no small event. It joined the daughter of Count Harencross of the Indrath Empire with the successor of Duke Cyan of the Arya Empire. Every guest present carried status, power, or both.

Among these high-ranking nobles, one figure stood out without trying.

"Haa..." Marinate sighed.

She was alone in her room, far from the noise and laughter outside.

She had no interest in joining the crowd. Over the years, such gatherings had lost their charm for her.

Once, she had been known for her bright and lively beauty.

Now, that beauty had changed. It had grown calm and deep, like Charlotte’s. It was no longer loud, but it was impossible to ignore.

If Vivian were to see her now, he would struggle to recognize her.

It had been more than four years since he last saw her.

Back then, she still carried a soft, girlish charm. Now, that charm had settled into something graceful and lady-like.

Her long hair was neatly tied into a bun. A few loose strands framed her face.

She wore a simple but elegant gown, light green in color. It covered her well, modest and refined, fitting her perfectly.

Her face too had grown more mature, showing the marks of time, but it only added to her beauty, like fine wine that becomes better with age.

Marinate looked at herself in the mirror for a long moment. Her eyes were calm, but deep inside, they carried memories she rarely allowed to surface.

Four years was not a short time. Many things had changed during those years, including her.

She slowly stood up and walked toward the window.

From there, she could see the large garden of the Harencross estate.

Guests moved around in groups, laughing and talking, their voices blending into a soft hum.

Carriages kept arriving, each one carrying nobles dressed in rich clothes and bright colors.

This wedding was important. It was not just a union between two people, but between two powerful empires.

The Indrath Empire and the Arya Empire were both watching closely.

Marinate let out another quiet sigh.

She did not dislike such gatherings before. But as time passed she started she started to dislike such gatherings.

Perhaps it was the memories tied to that boy she had met. Or perhaps it was the people she might meet outside.

She adjusted her dress slightly and touched the bun of her hair, making sure it was neat.

Her movements were slow and graceful, showing the calm of someone who had learned patience over the years.

Back then, she would have rushed out, curious and excited. Now, she only felt tired.

"If Vivian were here..." she murmured softly, then stopped herself.

The last time she had seen him was four years ago, by that quiet lake.

That day, they had talked for a long time.

She asked him what he planned to do after graduation, where he wished to go, and what kind of future he imagined for himself.

It felt like a normal, peaceful conversation. She never thought it would be their last.

After that day, she never met him again.

When she later asked Charlotte about him, Charlotte only said that he had gone somewhere important.

Marinate wanted to ask more, where he had gone, when he would return, but Charlotte had not shared those details on her own.

Marinate did not push. She did not want to seem desperate or selfish.

Soon after, Marinate returned to the Arya Empire.

Even after returning, her thoughts often drifted back to him.

No matter how busy her days were, his face would appear in her mind without warning.

She wanted to see him again, even once, but she knew it was impossible.

So she forced herself to move forward.

To keep her mind busy and away from those thoughts, she accepted the position of foreign affairs executive from her father.

Work filled her days with meetings, letters, and duties between nations.

It helped her stay strong.

But some nights, when everything was quiet, she still remembered that lake, and the boy she never got to say goodbye to.

Over the past four years, many things had changed.

The world moved forward. Empires shifted, people grew older, and responsibilities piled up on her shoulders.

Yet no matter how much time passed, she could not suppress her feelings for him. She tried to ignore them, to bury them under duty and reason, but they never faded.

Many noble families approached her father, asking for her hand in marriage.

Powerful names, respected houses, and promising futures were laid before her. She refused them all.

She did not want anyone else’s attention if she could not have his.

To her, accepting another would feel like betrayal, of her heart, and of the quiet hope she still held.

And today, she was here for a reason.

As a princess of the Arya Empire and its foreign affairs executive, attending this wedding was her duty. She could not avoid it, no matter how much she wished to stay hidden.

But there was another reason. One she did not dare say out loud.

There was a chance, small, fragile, almost foolish, that she might see him here.

That single thought was enough to make her heart beat faster as she stood in the Harencross estate, waiting for a past she never truly let go of.

She stared out of the window for a long time.

The lights outside blurred as her thoughts drifted far away. After a while, she pulled her gaze back and slowly walked toward her bed.

"Haa... I wish I was Charlotte..." she muttered.

A sharp feeling of envy hit her chest, making it hard to breathe.

From the outside, Marinate seemed to have everything.

Status, power, beauty, and a future many could only dream of. People admired her. Some envied her. Others wished to take her place.

But what people saw was not the full truth.

If she were honest with herself, she would give up all of it without hesitation if it meant she could spend even a few hours with him, just like Charlotte did.

Laughing together. Talking freely. Standing beside him without rules or distance.

That was why she envied Charlotte so deeply.

She envied the time Charlotte spent with him.

She envied how natural it was between them. Most of all, she envied the way he looked at Charlotte, with warmth, with care, with tenderness he never tried to hide.

He never treated Marinate like a stranger. He was polite, calm, even gentle with her.

But those eyes...

They never looked at her the way they looked at Charlotte.

Marinate sat down on the edge of her bed and clenched her hands tightly.

That difference, small yet cruel, hurt more than any rejection ever could.

And she knew it very well, no matter what she did, she could not change it.

It felt as if Charlotte and Vivian were meant to be together from the start. Like a story already written.

And she was nothing more than a small pebble on that path, something the story would step over and forget.

Still, even knowing that, a selfish wish remained.

If it were possible for her to take even a few moments of his time, just for herself, she would have been satisfied. Just a short memory to hold on to.

Her thoughts wandered like that for a while.

Then she slowly stood up and walked toward the mirror.

A gentle face looked back at her. Beautiful, yet clearly tired. Her eyes held a quiet longing that could not be hidden, no matter how calm her expression was.

"I wish I had met you before..." she whispered.

As she spoke, she loosened the bun of her hair. Long strands fell down her back, and she gently combed through them, her movements slow and careful.

The mirror reflected a woman who had grown strong and graceful—

And a heart that was still waiting.

And no matter what happened, in this life she had already made her choice.

If he accepted her, she would marry.

If he did not, she would remain unmarried.

Even if the sky fell and the earth split apart, nothing would change that decision.

"So this is how it feels to be alone..." she murmured softly, a small smile forming on her lips.

The smile was calm, almost gentle.

"Honestly... it isn’t that bad, is it?" she said quietly to herself.

There was no bitterness in her voice, only acceptance.

"I admit, if you had accepted me, it would have been better. My life would have bloomed even more beautifully," she continued, her fingers slowing as she combed her hair.

"But... this distance between us..."

She paused and looked at her reflection again.

"It isn’t that bad."

The woman in the mirror looked lonely, yes...but she also looked strong. A person who had chosen her path, even if it meant walking it alone.