Seven Years A Fool One Day A Queen Manga Drama

"Sorry, the number you have dialed is currently on another call. Please try again later..." The automated message sounded distant and unfeeling.

Beyond the doors of the courthouse in Gridron, Kristine Green stood stiffly in a slate gray suit. The chill of the autumn wind stripped any trace of warmth from her sharp, elegant features.

Her fingers clenched around a document that had already been wrinkled beyond repair.

This was supposed to be the day she officially tied the knot with her boyfriend, Colton Yates.

From morning until now, she had waited, but he never arrived.

At this point, she could not even count how many times he had left her waiting like this.

Another call went through as she tried his number once more. The same mechanical voice answered her again.

As she finally dropped her gaze, a breaking news alert lit up her phone screen. "Yates Group CEO Colton Yates personally appears at the airport to welcome his girlfriend back from abroad. The couple reunites sweetly and shows open affection."

Curiosity and dread pushed her to open it, and an image filled the display.

The photograph showed Colton in a tailored black suit, standing tall with effortless poise. Even from a side angle, his sharp profile was striking enough to draw attention.

What caught Kristine's attention above everything else was the softness reflected in his gaze.

A faint, bitter curve formed on her lips as Kristine reacted to the sight.

She had never known Colton to look this gentle or this openly tender toward anyone.

It became clear to her that Elyse Lloyd had always been the woman Colton could never let go of. After all, a single call from her had been enough for him to walk away from a day that was supposed to matter more than anything.

Kristine's phone vibrated again, and a new message appeared on the screen. "You saw the news already, didn't you? If you still have any pride left, you should leave Colton immediately."

Elyse had sent it, the woman who clearly held Colton's heart.

Scrolling upward, Kristine came across a message Elyse had sent several days earlier. It was a prenatal checkup report confirming that Elyse was already more than eight weeks along.

The document clearly listed Elyse as the expectant mother, with Colton's name recorded as the father.

When she first saw the report, Kristine wasn't shocked in the slightest.

Year after year, Colton spent nearly half of his time traveling to Eyling, the country where Elyse lived.

Given how long this had gone on, she might have questioned his fertility instead if Elyse had not ended up pregnant by now.

Rather than choosing to walk away, she suggested that they get married.

Maybe it was because she simply could not bring herself to let go.

Back when she was eighteen, love struck her hard the first time she saw Colton standing at the university entrance.

People around her often said Colton was the Yates Group heir, someone unreachable and far removed from ordinary lives.

Still, she refused to accept that. Fueled by passion and stubborn hope, she chased after him without hesitation.

By the third year of pursuing Colton, she finally made it.

Even so, happiness never came.

Because right after she confessed her feelings and he agreed to be with her, a call from Elyse came through, and he left her standing alone in the biting wind.

That was the moment she first heard Elyse's name.

Taking a slow breath, Kristine brought up the call screen once more.

This time, the number she dialed was not Colton's, but her mother's.

The call went through almost immediately. Without waiting for her mother to say a word, Kristine spoke in an even, distant voice. "I'll return and accept the arranged marriage."

The surprise in her voice was unmistakable when Monica Palmer heard Kristine's decision. "So you've finally made up your mind?"

Without pausing even for a breath, Kristine answered, "I have."

After a brief silence, Monica asked, "When will you be coming home?"

"The twentieth." Ending the call right after, Kristine slid into her car and drove back toward Colton's villa.

During the drive, she allowed the ache in her chest to swell without restraint.

In the end, it no longer mattered. This was meant to be the final time.

By the time Kristine reached her destination, exhaustion weighed heavily on her body. Once she finished showering, she fell onto the bed.

She knew she could have chosen to walk away much earlier, but seven years of loving Colton had tied her emotions too tightly to let go so easily.

With less than half a month remaining, she needed to use every remaining day to settle everything and cut him out of her life for good.

Later that night, while she slept, Kristine sensed the bed dip slightly beside her. Moments later, a cold pair of arms drew her into an unfamiliar embrace.

A crease formed between her brows as irritation surfaced. Colton's low, magnetic voice brushed against her ear. "I'm sorry."

Wrapped in darkness, Kristine did not open her eyes. Her lashes quivered as she lay still.

Colton spoke quietly. "How about we get married tomorrow morning?"

Almost immediately, the phone resting on the nightstand lit up.

Colton loosened his hold on her, and his tone turned gentle. "Don't cry. I'll come over right now."

The rustling of him changing clothes reached Kristine's ears from behind. She reacted with a silent, humorless laugh.

Moments later, she turned on the bedside lamp and called out to him as he reached the doorway. "Colton, don't go."