I AM NOT THE LOVE INTEREST!

Chapter 32: Chapter 32: Confused Man

Chapter 32: Confused Man

—SEBASTIAN BLACKWOOD—

Being engaged to Aria Valen had once felt like an endless punishment.

That thought alone would have sounded cruel to anyone else, but it was the truth.

Because from the very beginning, she was never meant to be the woman tied to me.

I still remembered that day vividly.

Duke Valen had originally intended to introduce another girl into the household. Rumors quietly spread among noble circles about an illegitimate daughter hidden away from public eyes. At the time, I barely cared enough to pay attention.

Then Aria suddenly pointed at me during dinner and declared she wanted me as her future husband.

Just like that.

No hesitation.

No shame.

No concern for what anyone else thought.

And Duke Valen, despite the fury I briefly saw hidden behind his smile, agreed to it immediately.

That single moment altered everything.

At first, I thought Aria merely acted out of childish selfishness.

She wanted attention. freewēbnoveℓ.com

But unfortunately for me, Aria Valen was never temporary about anything.

She pursued me relentlessly afterward.

Morning visits.

Tea invitations.

Letters.

Gifts.

Sudden appearances at social gatherings.

Arguments whenever I ignored her.

At some point, even entering House Valen became exhausting because I already knew she would appear the moment I stepped through the doors.

And truthfully?

I handled it poorly.

No.

Worse than poorly.

I became cold.

Dismissive.

Sometimes openly irritated.

There were moments when I deliberately avoided looking at her entirely simply because I knew she would immediately brighten the second our eyes met.

At the time, I convinced myself that distancing her was the kinder option.

If I remained detached long enough, eventually she would lose interest.

But Aria never did.

She continued chasing after me stubbornly like someone desperately trying to hold together a collapsing world.

And somehow...

I never once stopped to question why.

Now, looking back at everything, the guilt settled unpleasantly inside my chest.

Because the moment she finally stopped...

I lost my peace entirely.

I leaned back against the chair inside my office and stared blankly at the documents spread across the desk before me.

Since that day she rejected me, I had attempted repeatedly to focus on work only to fail every single time.

Every thought returned to her.

To Aria. freewebnovёl.ƈom

Or rather...

To the strange woman she had suddenly become.

Because the Aria I knew no longer existed.

The current Aria laughed freely without restraint.

She spoke carelessly.

Mocked noble etiquette openly.

And most dangerously of all...

She looked at me differently now.

Before, whenever she saw me, her entire expression used to brighten instinctively.

Like I had become the center of her world.

Now?

Now she looked at me as though I were merely another person standing in the room.

Nothing more.

That realization bothered me far more than it should have.

And that irritated me most of all.

Because logically, this should have resolved everything.

Aria no longer pursued me.

She wanted freedom.

She wished to end our engagement peacefully.

That was precisely the outcome I once wanted.

For a year, I endured her relentless attention while convincing myself that distance was the correct response. I believed that eventually she would tire herself out and move on naturally.

And now she finally had.

So why did it feel unbearable now?

I exhaled slowly and rubbed lightly against my temple as though physical pressure alone could force my thoughts back into order.

Perhaps because I no longer understood her.

Aria used to be predictable.

Demanding.

Transparent.

Everything she felt always appeared directly across her face without restraint.

If she was angry, the entire room knew immediately.

If she was jealous, she became impossible to tolerate.

If she was happy simply because I looked in her direction for longer than usual, she glowed so brightly it almost felt uncomfortable to witness.

Back then, every reaction she had could easily be anticipated.

But the current Aria constantly caught me off guard.

One moment she laughed loudly in crowded streets while clinging dramatically to that male servant as though noble dignity no longer existed in her vocabulary.

The next moment she looked at me with detachment and rejected me as though severing our engagement cost her nothing at all.

And somehow...

That calmness disturbed me more than her obsession ever did.

Because obsession at least meant I still occupied space inside her world.

Now?

I could no longer tell where I stood at all.

I suddenly remembered her words again.

"I am giving you back your freedom."

At the time, I should have felt relieved.

Those were the exact words I once wished desperately to hear from her.

Instead, something twisted unpleasantly inside my chest the moment she said them.

I felt strangely...

...abandoned.

The realization itself irritated me immediately.

Ridiculous.

I leaned back further against the chair while staring toward the large office windows overlooking the estate grounds.

Outside, servants moved calmly beneath the afternoon sunlight while distant fountains shimmered quietly under the breeze. Knights trained near the far courtyard while several attendants crossed the stone paths carrying documents and tea trays between buildings.

Everything appeared normal.

Yet my thoughts remained entirely disordered.

No matter how many times I attempted to focus elsewhere, my mind returned to her effortlessly.

To the way she laughed without restraint.

To the strange phrases she used that sometimes made no sense at all.

And worst of all...

To the expression she wore while rejecting me.

There had been no anger in her eyes.

No bitterness.

No desperate attempt to change my mind.

Just acceptance.

As though she had already decided long ago that I no longer belonged beside her.

That expression unsettled me deeply.

"...Your Grace?" my attendant asked cautiously after what was likely my fifth sigh within several minutes.

I looked toward him again.

"What is it?"

He hesitated briefly before speaking carefully.

"...Would you perhaps like me to arrange a visit to House Valen?"

Immediately, an image surfaced in my mind.

Aria smiling brightly while patting that servant’s head without hesitation.

Aria laughing loudly inside the streets while completely unconcerned with who might witness her behavior.

Aria looking at me calmly before rejecting me outright.

Then another memory followed shortly afterward.

Her face turning pale while clutching her stomach after I called her my love.

My expression darkened slightly at the recollection.

At the time, I genuinely thought she might collapse.

And somehow, despite the absurdity of the situation, I could still vividly remember the warmth of her body against my arms when I pulled her away from that servant.

That woman truly possessed the ability to irritate me beyond reason.

And yet...

I wanted to see her again.

I wanted to understand what changed.

No.

More honestly...

I wanted to know whether Aria still had space for me in her life.

The thought alone made my chest feel heavier.

"...Yes," I answered at last.

The attendant blinked slightly, perhaps surprised by how quickly I responded.

But before he could say another word, I spoke again.

"Prepare gifts."

The moment the order left my mouth, silence settled briefly across the office.

Because even I realized what that sounded like.

For a year, Aria had been the one constantly bringing gifts to me.

Now the situation had somehow reversed completely.

My attendant lowered his head respectfully. "Immediately, Your Grace."