Primrose has arrived.
As a result, I could clearly see curious glances switching back and forth between me and her.
The atmosphere instantly became very awkward and uncomfortable.
That’s why I deliberately acted as if I wasn’t paying attention to her. I didn’t want to care, and I didn’t want others to think I was reacting to her.
Perhaps those efforts had some effect.
Since today’s salon was a musical performance with gathered musicians, everyone’s focus shifted there once it began.
I could sense a sharp gaze piercing directly at me, lingering in the air.
However, I chose to ignore it completely.
While listening to the beautiful music and waiting for the time to pass, the salon itself ended without incident, and we all disbanded.
―Haa, I was being watched the whole time…
I quickly left the venue while exchanging farewell greetings, and as soon as I was alone, I let out a relieved breath.
It felt as if her relentless, snake-like gaze was still stalking me even now.
“Shall we take a detour on our way home?”
I really wanted a change of scenery to clear my mind.
If I did that, I was sure I could forget her gaze, even just a little.
Thinking this, I decided to go to the royal garden, which I could enter and leave freely.
~·~·*· . ·*· . ·*· . ·*·~·~
“No matter when I come here, it’s always well-maintained.”
Listening to the rustling leaves in the breeze, I was walking around a garden filled with orderly, vibrant flowers in full bloom.
As I wandered through this well-kept, deserted garden, my mind gradually started to settle.
―I guess I was holding up a little after all.
I don’t like Lord Cassius. In fact, I dislike him.
But the memories of being hurt still linger in my heart, and her very presence today cast a gloomy cloud over my mind.
However, as my mind calmed, that gloom gradually began to lift.
“It’s about time I head to the carriage.”
Since I couldn’t go directly from the garden to the carriage station, I had to return to the palace corridor first.
By the way, Lord Charlie said she was at the palace today for work, so maybe I might run into her if I’m lucky.
“Fufu.”
It’s been half a year since I got married, but I still feel just as strongly, if not more, about him.
Thinking of him makes my lips unconsciously curl into a smile.
―It would be lucky if we could go home together!
I turned around, hoping he’d be there, and as I quickly changed direction at the corridor behind me, someone unexpected appeared right in front of me.
“Leonie!”
My mood, which was just starting to recover, plummeted instantly.
There, in front of me, was Lord Cassius.
I hadn’t seen him since the day we announced our marriage, but seeing him again after a while, he looked much more frail than before.
But regardless of how he looked, it didn’t matter to me. I decided to ignore him and move on, but Lord Cassius blocked my path.
“Please, let me through.”
“Leonie… I was wrong. Everything was wrong… Please, give me another chance?”
What could possibly happen that would make him ask for another chance? And what even is ‘a chance’ in the first place?
“A chance?”
“Yes, I regret losing you in my moment of weakness. Please… come back to me.”
“I don’t know what’s happened, but—”
“Primrose has changed. She’s like a different person from the girl I knew. The servants are also troubled.”
“…”
“I didn’t let her work during her pregnancy to avoid burdening her, but since she has a nursemaid, I started giving her work after she gave birth. But now, she can’t even handle one of the tasks she used to do easily. If this continues, it will seriously hinder the management of the territory!”
With that, Lord Cassius knelt openly in the place where no one else was around, as if it was obvious.
“Leonie, I’m truly sorry. I have so much pending work from when she was pregnant. Please, I beg you—please take me back. From now on, I will never look at anyone else but you—”
“You really are hopeless, aren’t you?”
“Leonie…?”
His words were entirely one-sided, and his explanations were utterly exasperating.
He betrayed me first, and now he’s hoping I’ll come back just because I apologize? That’s so pathetic.
He shows no intention of hiding his attitude, acting as if I’m just a convenient machine for his convenience.
Every word grated on my nerves to the max.
“I am now Lady Claudia of Charlie. In other words, I am married. Lord Cassius, what you’re doing now is an act of adultery—an attempt at theft. How many times will you repeat the same mistake without learning?”
My disgust for him only deepened, and my feelings of hatred grew stronger.
His reckless thinking felt truly despicable.
Although environment played a role, I wanted to erase the fact that I once liked someone like him, even temporarily, so I lashed out at him with harsh words.
“Your words are disrespectful—to both me and my husband, Lord Charlie. We have no reason to be treated like that by you.”
“That’s not what I meant…!”
“Honestly, I don’t care what your intentions are. Take responsibility for your actions. Do you want to be ashamed in front of your children?”
“…!”
“I hate you. There’s no way we’ll ever go back to being a married couple, not in this lifetime. If managing the territory becomes difficult, you should consult His Majesty the King. And don’t speak to me again.”
Without even a breath to pause, I threw those words at him.
Hearing this, Lord Cassius looked utterly defeated, hanging his head in despair.
It was a terrible miscalculation, especially since I had come here hoping to lift my spirits.
“Haa…”
I let out a sigh and turned back to the corridor, leaving him behind.
A knot of unpleasant feelings churned in my heart.
I wanted to see Lord Charlie soon and somehow clear this fog of unease.
As I kept walking, I noticed a few ladies returning from the salon appearing in the corridor.
One of them suddenly looked surprised and called out to me.
“Lady Claudia!”
It was Lady Muller, whom I’d become quite close to since the day we announced our marriage.
“Lady, what’s wrong?”
“I was just looking for you.”
“Me?”
―I wonder why?
I tilted my head in confusion, but she beamed happily and explained.
“Duke Charlie came to pick you up as soon as he heard the salon was over. But it seems you just missed each other.”
“Really?”
“Yes.”
Ah, I’m so happy. We can go home together!
For me right now, Lord Charlie is like an oasis.
I have to find him quickly!
“Lady, where is your husband now?”
“I thought he’d be at the venue, so I told you he was there.”
“I see. Then I’ll head to the venue now.”
“Please do.”
“Thank you, Lady.”
A smile involuntarily formed on my face.
Lady Muller watched me with a gentle, amused smile and waved me off kindly.
~·~·*· . ·*· . ·*· . ·*·~·~
―I hope Lord Charlie hasn’t moved much…
I can’t reach the venue without passing through this path.
So I believe I’ll see him there.
And if I don’t, he’s probably waiting for me by the carriage.
The answer will become clear once I turn the last corner ahead.
As I approached the area near the venue, the crowd disappeared, and I felt my heart pounding with excitement. I hurriedly took a few steps and rounded the corner.
The moment I did, an unexpected scene burst into my view.
―What are they doing…?
Right outside the corridor just after leaving the venue, I saw Lord Charlie’s back and Primrose clinging to him.
A chilling sensation, as if I were being frozen from the tips of my fingers, overtook me. Yet, even then, I was struck even more forcefully by his face.
“Eh…”
I couldn’t help but gasp at how pitiful and distressed he looked—so overwhelmed with despair and sadness that it was almost unbearable.
―To think I’d see Lord Charlie like this.
A rush of anger and sadness welled up inside me.
And then, suddenly—
“Leonie…!!”
My voice must have reached him, because he looked over and shouted my name.
His face, anguished and frantic, was unlike any I’d seen since we met—so desperate that it almost frightened me.
Always calm and composed, seeing him like this—so utterly panicked and frantic—made me feel uneasy.
Maybe it was because he cared about me more than himself, sensing the danger and tension.
And from my mouth, words unexpectedly spilled out that I’m sure he never expected to hear.
“Uh, I… I don’t mind at all…”
A jumble of feelings—my desire not to be misunderstood, my wish not to see him like that, and complicated emotions rooted in past experiences—made me panic.
In my confusion, I left behind only those terrible words and hurriedly tried to escape.
But before I could, Lord Charlie’s voice rang out from behind me.
“Wait! Don’t go!”
The instant I heard his voice, I froze as if nailed to the spot.
And as I slowly turned around, I saw Lord Charlie pulling Primrose away from him. Then, he dashed full speed toward me.
“Don’t say you don’t care… I can’t make excuses. I’m sorry for making you feel uncomfortable. But I… I have nothing with her—”
“Of course I understand! It’s just that I was so surprised…”
“Ah, I truly am sorry for startling you. It’s my fault for being careless. I never thought I’d hurt you like this…”
His face, twisted with regret and anguish, was so painfully pathetic that it made my own heart ache.
“I’m fine. More than that, I’m worried about you, Lord Charlie. Please don’t apologize anymore.”
I gently embraced him, softly whispering.
The moment I did, his body jerked stiffly and tensed up.
But gradually, that tension eased, and he pulled me into a tight embrace in return.
“Leonie… Leonie…”
He kept calling my name again and again.
Seeing him act more like a child than his usual self, I gently stroked his back.
Then, Lord Charlie raised his face and showered my face with kisses, repeatedly.
“Leonie, you’re the only one for me. I love you.”
His words of love, spoken with such longing, freed my heart, making me almost forget everything that had happened so far.
However, a discordant chime, like an unpleasant bell ringing amid his sweet, low voice, suddenly snapped my thoughts back to reality.
“Why… why…?”
His voice seemed to reach Lord Charlie as well, because he quickly pulled away from me and turned to face her, shielding me.
Through Lord Charlie’s body, I glimpsed her expression. Her eyes were wide with shock, staring at us as if she’d seen something utterly unthinkable.
~·~·*· . ·**##^^##**· . ·*·~·~
Hey there, It’s Green Rose 😉
Since I human I might have make some mistakes while translating so please if you find them let me know here in the comments or in the Discord group so I can correct them and be careful in the future so they do not repeat.
Thank you so much for reading, I hope you enjoyed this chapter.
~~~Next Chapter~~~
Next chapter will be released on April, 11.
See you then!!
