Cinderella and Her Three Knights のすべてのチャプター: チャプター 41 - チャプター 50

Ella's POV Work closed for the day some hours later.I shut down my laptop and packed my bag slowly.Too slowly.Part of me was stalling.Part of me was hoping I wouldn’t have to walk past Lucian and Naomi together.But of course, I did.When I stepped outside the building, the late afternoon sun hit my face, warm and blinding. The car lot buzzed with movement — engines starting, doors slamming, people laughing, phones ringing.And there they were.Lucian stood by his car, one hand resting casually on the door while Naomi leaned in, saying something that made him smile. She slid into the passenger seat with an ease that came from familiarity. From belonging.My chest tightened.I told myself not to look.I looked anyway.Lucian lifted his head.Our eyes met.For a split second, the world narrowed again.He hesitated.Then he called out, “Ella!”I stopped walking.Against my better judgment, I turned.He jogged a few steps closer, leaving Naomi in the car. “We’re heading back toward t

Ella's POV The morning moved faster than I expected.As soon as I got to my desk, Lucian’s assistant sent for me. I barely had time to log into my system before I was grabbing my notepad and following him down the hallway.We joined a small team heading out — engineers, two project managers, and me. I felt out of place at first, like a child playing dress-up in a grown-up world. But Lucian walked beside me, calm and focused, explaining things as we went.“Don’t worry,” he said quietly when he noticed me scribbling frantically. “You’ll get used to this pace.”“I hope so,” I muttered. “My brain feels like it’s running a marathon.”A corner of his mouth lifted. “That’s how you know you’re learning.”The development site was massive — half-built structures, glass panels, exposed steel, and workers everywhere. The air smelled like dust, metal, and fresh concrete.Lucian stayed close, guiding me through the maze of corridors and open floors.“Watch your step,” he said more than once.At on

Ella’s POVBy the time I got back to the estate that night, my decision was already made.I couldn’t keep doing this to myself.I couldn’t keep reading into every look, every smile, every almost-touch with Lucian. I couldn’t keep pretending that what happened between us meant something when he had made it clear—without even saying the words—that it didn’t.So I stood in my room, kicked off my shoes, and stared at my reflection in the mirror.“It was a mistake,” I whispered to myself. “Just a mistake.”Alcohol. Emotions. Bad timing.That was all.I told myself I would forget it. I told myself I would move on. I told myself I would treat Lucian like what he was supposed to be to me in the first place—just one of the Blackwood brothers. My boss. Nothing more.For the first time in weeks, I cried quietly into my pillow.Not loudly.Not dramatically.Just enough to let it out.Then I wiped my face, took a shower, and went to bed with one clear goal:Move on.Two Weeks LaterLife settled in

Ella's POV I stood frozen after Julian walked away.The music from the speakers kept playing, children still laughing, people still clapping and dancing, but everything inside me had gone quiet. It felt like the air had shifted. Like something important had cracked open and nobody knew how to seal it again.Naomi’s face was tight with anger. Lucian stood a few steps away, his jaw locked, his hands clenched at his sides. I didn’t know where to look. I didn’t know who to feel sorry for. I only knew my chest felt heavy, like I was carrying a weight that wasn’t even mine.I slipped away before anyone could notice how shaken I was.Outside, the evening air hit my face, cool and grounding. The orphanage courtyard looked softer at night — fairy lights strung across the fence, plastic chairs pushed to the side, kids still running around in their party clothes, their laughter innocent and loud.I walked to a quiet corner near the old mango tree and leaned against the trunk, closing my eyes.T

Ella’s POVThe house changed after that night.It wasn’t loud.It wasn’t dramatic.It was colder.Julian and Lucian didn’t fight.They didn’t shout.They didn’t even argue anymore.They simply… stopped existing in each other’s space.Breakfasts became quiet and divided. If Lucian walked in, Julian would excuse himself minutes later. If Julian was already there, Lucian would grab coffee and leave. Their conversations shrank to one-word replies when absolutely necessary.It hurt to watch.Not because I thought it was my fault.But because I knew… I was part of the reason.Naomi stopped coming around too.At first, I thought it was coincidence.Then days turned into weeks.No surprise visits. No laughter in the halls. No late-night whispers. Her absence left a strange emptiness in the estate, even though the air itself felt lighter without the tension she brought.Lucian became more distant.Julian became more careful.And I felt stuck in between two brothers who used to feel like a unit