Chapter 8
“Am I wrong? This whole act of yours is exhausting. Let me guess—you went to Sieber and whined that you were suffering because of me again, didn’t you?”
“Ha.”
So that’s how my sister rejected Hugo. Pathetic.
If Sieber was truly that kind of person, she shouldn’t have accepted you in the first place.
“I don’t have any lingering feelings for you.”
“Don’t talk nonsense. If you didn’t, you wouldn’t be acting like this toward Sonnet, would you?”
“What did I even do to Sonnet?”
Sonnet looked flustered and tried to shield me behind him, about to say something. But at that moment, Hugo yanked my arm harshly.
I glanced at the knights standing behind him, silently pleading for help, but they acted as if they saw nothing.
Well, of course they would. Hugo was Sieber’s lover. If there was a dispute between him and me, the one who’d come out on top was obvious—he was the guest of the Count’s daughter, my stepsister, who was treated as a lady of status, unlike me.
Unbelievable.
“Ah—!”
“You’re just pretending to be interested in Sonnet to provoke me, aren’t you?”
The problem was, Sonnet also pulled me toward him, while Hugo let go with similar force.
“Ah…!”
I lost balance and fell. My palm hit the ground as I landed hard on my backside, and pain shot through my hand.
“Leila!”
Sonnet shouted in shock, and Hugo seemed taken aback by his reaction.
“This is the last time I’ll say this—don’t ever get between me and Sieber again! Do you think I’d ever marry a corpse like you?”
Something felt wrong with my hand. After Sonnet helped me up, I finally looked at it—my left hand, which had been under me, was bleeding profusely, probably because I’d fallen on a sharp stone.
“Miss.”
Out of nowhere, Rainier appeared, shoving Sonnet aside and taking hold of my hand with a grim expression.
I was sure I hadn’t seen him earlier—not even nearby.
“Rain.”
“And who the hell are you?!”
Hugo’s loud outburst made disgust rise in me.
“Is yelling the only thing you know how to do?”
The wound looked serious. The skin had torn open, and blood was streaming out, throbbing as if my hand were on fire.
And I wasn’t someone who should be treated this roughly.
“You’re really… I hate you so much… urgh—”
When I realized the thing rising in my throat was blood, tears spilled uncontrollably.
‘Being with you felt like being with a corpse. It was disgusting. Sorry, Leila—I want to live with someone alive, not an invalid like you.’
“Miss!”
Rainier called out in alarm and scooped me up in his arms.
The sudden lift made me dizzy, but I had no strength left in my body.
“Wait. Where are you taking her?”
“I am the attending physician of House Avierre. The young lady needs immediate care.”
“What are you—wait!”
“No.”
That was all Rainier said before he carried me swiftly back to the mansion. The sky above changed with each of his long strides.
His expression seemed strange—lips tightly pressed, eyes unreadable. And yet… why did he look flawless even from this low angle?
As I gazed at his perfect beauty, a sigh escaped me—then I lost consciousness.
Hugo, left behind in frustration, tore at his cravat and glared at Sonnet.
“Why are you coming here every damn day?”
“And why are you behaving like this, Young Lord Ronald? Have you forgotten you promised to help me?”
“Ugh, whatever.”
Everything about this situation irritated Hugo. It wasn’t the first time Sieber had asked to break up with him.
But until now, they always got back together quickly—thanks to Leila clinging to him every time.
This time, though, Sonnet was in the picture, and that fool Leila seemed to be turning her attention elsewhere.
‘Hugo, I’m sorry. It’s all my fault. I’ll change. I’ll do everything you want.’
That was what Leila always begged him whenever he threatened to leave.
Hugo felt Sonnet’s sharp glare and met his eyes.
Man to man. Sonnet was undeniably good-looking. But good looks were common enough.
Even that handsome man who carried Leila away—he looked like a doctor, probably a minor noble. There were plenty of attractive men of similar status.
So Leila must be momentarily blinded by a face. Looks are something you eventually get tired of. When that time comes, she’ll come back to me.
‘I have no one but you, Hugo. Without you, I’m nothing.’
That’s what she said, crying and clutching his hand. She was a beauty but acted like she didn’t know it, clinging to him desperately.
“I’ve changed my mind.”
“…What?”
“I can’t help you anymore.”
“Then our deal about the Ethan Trading Company is off.”
“You really think you can do that?”
Sonnet found Hugo laughable—not only because Hugo was shorter, but because his arrogance was downright disgusting.
“What do you mean?”
“You think I don’t know why you want to marry Leila?”
“That’s none of your business.”
“Oh, don’t tell me Leila’s your first love? Give me a break.”
Hugo smirked mockingly. Sonnet almost grabbed him by the collar, resisting the urge to silence that filthy mouth with his fist.
“You want to marry her because she’s dying soon, don’t you?”
“Young Lord Ronald!”
“That way, you’ll inherit her dowry and the marquisate intact. Isn’t that the plan?”
Before Sonnet realized it, his hand was fisted in Hugo’s collar. Hugo gripped his wrist tightly and continued:
“Your family can’t inherit the title without marrying, right? That’s why you’re doing this. Once she dies, you can marry your mistress.”
“There is no mistress. Watch your mouth.”
“True or not, you still owe me money.”
Sonnet clenched his teeth, fury blazing in his eyes, and Hugo found it amusing—Sonnet never usually lost his cool like this.
“What do you think will happen if I tell Leila everything?”
“Young Lord Ronald.”
“You think she’ll still marry you, even if she’s a fool? A man plotting her death? And she still hasn’t forgotten me. She’ll come crawling back soon enough.”
Hugo tried to shove Sonnet’s hand off, but his strength was no match.
“Ugh—damn it!”
With a rough push, Sonnet threw him down. Hugo crashed to the ground—right where Leila had fallen earlier.
“F**k!”
Hugo screamed in pain. When he got up, blood was seeping from a tear in his trousers at the hip.
“Watch your mouth, Hugo Ronald.”
Sonnet growled and headed toward the main house—where Leila had gone.
When we returned to the mansion, I started to regain some clarity. They laid me on my bed, and the canopy above came into view—along with Rainier.
His jet-black hair gleamed in the sunlight streaming through the window, and his ruby-red eyes seemed to contract slightly.
My head must have been injured too—I thought I saw sadness and shock flicker across his face.
Then my vision cleared completely.
“Ah…”
“Young Lady.”
His expression, which had seemed startled a moment ago, turned cold.
“Your hand is injured.”
“So it seems.”
My clothes were still stained with blood—probably from coughing it up—and his gown bore smears of blood from my hand as well.
“Sorry, Rain. I’ll buy you a new gown.”
“The maids can wash it.”
“Still, blood doesn’t come out easily.”
“Lemon removes it quickly.”
Why does he know something like that so well?
“You spat blood—you need to rest. And I’ll prepare some medicine…”
Even as he spoke, his hands were trembling violently. He hid them behind his back and lowered his gaze.
“I’ll bring the medicine. Please take it.”
“Okay.”
Maybe my plan to act interested in Sonnet completely backfired. No matter his motives, no man would want to marry someone who seems like a corpse.
“…Phew.”
“Young Lady?”
“It’s nothing. My hand hurts a lot. Do you treat the wound first, or the medicine first?”
“The wound first.”
“Alright.”
He opened a medical bag I hadn’t noticed before and took out some supplies. Then he fetched a basin of water and a clean cloth, returning to sit by the bed.
The soft pillow behind me brought some comfort despite the pain.
“This will hurt.”
“Okay.”
He gripped my torn left hand firmly and cleaned it with the damp cloth. The gash was deep enough that blood pooled again even after he wiped it away.
“Haa…”
Rainier let out a sigh, then seemed startled by it and quickly hardened his expression again. Carefully, meticulously, he continued cleaning my hand. I couldn’t tell if it was his hands trembling or his whole body.
By the time the blood was mostly wiped away—
Knock, knock.
‘Leila.’
Sonnet had followed me.
“Please wait a moment.”
“Alright.”
Rainier wrapped my hand in a cloth and went to the door, his face colder than ever.
