Chapter 11
“Damn it.”
Chloe knew that expression all too well.
“Oh no, Sister, do you really hate me that much?”
“There you go again.”
Melvin always picked a fight first, then made that exact same expression whenever things turned against her. She always finished with the same line—You hate me, don’t you?
“I always enjoy having meals with you… I never dreamed you’d hate sitting at the same table with me.”
“I can’t help it, Melvin.”
Clara jumped in to support the hunched-over Melvin.
“It’s just… now that you and Dür are… well, you know.”
“Ah, so that’s it, right? You say you’ve forgiven me, but deep down, you hate me!”
Acting wounded. Acting pitiful. The mother and daughter duo were pulling every deceitful trick in the book, and Chloe couldn’t help but let out a dry laugh. In Kaiden’s words, it was nothing short of a ridiculous farce.
“Melvin, didn’t I already tell you last time? I don’t care anymore what you and Dür are doing—be it roasting beans together or sesame seeds or whatever.”
“You’re lying. If that’s true, then why do you hate me so much? If you didn’t still have feelings for Dür, you wouldn’t treat me this way!”
“I told you, I don’t have a shred of feeling left for him!”
“What is this commotion?!”
No sooner had she shouted at Melvin than a thunderous voice came from behind.
“Father!”
At Melvin’s plaintive cry, Chloe turned toward the voice. There stood Count Gareth, her father, face twisted in anger at the entrance to the dining room.
“Here we go again.”
Chloe bit her lip as she watched Melvin and Clara rush toward the Count with sorrowful expressions. Putting on a pitiful act in front of him was their specialty.
“What is all this noise during mealtime!”
“Father, Sister must really hate me.”
How could they time his entrance so perfectly? It was beyond frustrating—it was almost supernatural.
“And I fell for the same old trick again.”
It wasn’t that she hadn’t known how to get angry all this time.
She just didn’t want to become like Melvin. She didn’t want to waste emotions on useless fights.
“But today…”
Today, her emotions wouldn’t settle down so easily.
Something inside her screamed not to hold back any longer.
That part of her had come to life after meeting Kaiden.
“Thanks to Kaiden, I experienced what real satisfaction felt like for the first time.”
After always being the one to suffer, her first taste of retaliation was electrifying. She would even smirk thinking about that moment of revenge before falling asleep. Kaiden’s influence on Chloe was immense.
And today, unable to forget that thrill, she had made a mistake.
“Even though I have no allies at all.”
She clicked her tongue at her own foolishness.
“When you treat me so coldly like this, it’s obvious you still have feelings for Dür. There’s no other reason to hate me this much—”
By this point, the Count was expected to scold Chloe for hurting poor illegitimate Melvin. That was the typical pattern.
“Melvin.”
But this time, he didn’t call Chloe’s name. Instead, he cut off Melvin’s whining and said her name.
“Yes?”
Startled, Melvin’s pink eyes widened.
“Enough of that talk. Your sister has no interest in her ex-husband—or rather, your soon-to-be husband.”
“What… what do you mean?”
It was the first time the Count had ever taken Chloe’s side. The shock wasn’t limited to Melvin and Clara.
“What’s going on?”
Even Chloe’s eyes widened, prepared as she was for another round of scolding. Her gaze then shifted to a basket in the Count’s left hand—something she hadn’t noticed amidst the chaos.
“What’s that?”
Perplexed by the unusual scene, she watched as the Count placed the basket on the table.
Inside were multicolored roses, a jewelry box, and a letter.
“Chloe.”
“Yes?”
“Why don’t you open it?”
Chloe obeyed and pulled out the jewelry box buried among the roses.
“This is…!”
She couldn’t finish her sentence. Neither could Melvin or Clara.
Inside the box was a pair of earrings so coveted, even imperial princesses scrambled to obtain them. The many-faceted blue diamonds glittered with dazzling brilliance.
“Who on earth would…?”
Chloe hurriedly opened the card next to the box. Melvin and Clara also craned their necks to read it.
To my dearest Chloe,
It pains me that this is the only way I can express the aching in my heart.
It’s not much, but I hope you’ll accept this as a token of my feelings.
—Yours truly, Kaiden Verder
“This lunatic…!”
Chloe hastily folded the letter and hid it in the inner pocket of her dress. But it was already too late. Melvin, Clara, and Count Gareth had all seen it.
“F-Father, this is, um—”
“No need to hide it. Everyone who needs to know already knows.”
“But that’s not true!”
She wanted to scream it. But when she saw Melvin’s stunned face, she couldn’t bring herself to say it.
Because it felt so damn good.
Instead, Chloe asked a different question.
“Where did you get this?”
“I was coming back to the estate when I saw a carriage parked in front. They said it was a gift from Lord Kaiden for you, so I brought it in.”
Sending a gift precisely at the Count’s return time—what a mind-blowing coincidence.
“Melvin, stop saying your sister still has feelings for Dür.”
“……”
“Her suitor is Lord Verder. With his devotion, why would she have any reason to linger on someone like Dür Duncan?”
Even the Count’s favorite child lost sympathy in the face of Kaiden’s power. Chloe was reminded again how sweet power could be.
“If you can’t support someone trying to start anew, at least don’t say such vile things. Apologize.”
“…I’m sorry.”
Melvin’s usually proud head dipped, barely, then lifted again. It was obvious she didn’t mean it.
“Well then, let’s get back to eating.”
How he expected them to eat after that, no one knew. But the Count sat down regardless. Melvin and Clara sat as well, faces sullen.
The only one still standing was Chloe.
“What are you doing, Chloe? Sit down.”
“Father. I’m sorry, but…”
Chloe slowly stepped away from the table, clutching the jewelry box in her right hand.
“I’ll be stepping out for a bit. Please eat without me.”
“Wait—where are you going? Chloe!”
The Count called out to her, but Chloe didn’t look back.
She had only one thought in her mind.
Chloe headed to the café with one goal in mind: she had to see Kaiden Verder.
It was the same café where they’d talked about marriage just days earlier.
“If you ever want to see me again, come to this café,” he had said.
Chloe told the owner she wanted to meet Kaiden.
“Please wait here for a moment.”
He led her to a window seat. Soon after, a steaming cup of herbal tea was placed before her.
“This tea is excellent for calming the nerves.”
It was perfect for Chloe right now.
“Thank you.”
She took a few sips of the soothing tea, but surprisingly, it did little to calm her nerves.
“He went after my father?”
There was no way the timing of Kaiden’s gift had been a coincidence. Chloe was sure of it, even without evidence.
“He must think expensive gifts will win me over—but I’m not that easy.”
Thankfully, she wasn’t materialistic. For the average person, it would’ve been an irresistible bribe.
She glared at the jewelry box on the table, then turned to the window.
She was wondering when Kaiden would arrive.
As she waited, many people passed by outside. Chloe scanned the crowd, trying to ease her growing impatience.
“Wow…”
That’s when someone caught her eye.
