Chapter 9
“No. It’s not like that. It’s just….”
She bit her lip.
She was afraid he would find out she couldn’t hear in one ear.
Afraid he would eventually turn away from her.
The words she could not say lingered on her tongue.
An illegitimate daughter… and a wife who cannot hear from one ear.
If Kaiden found out all of this, he would have no choice but to divorce her. Just like her marriage with Enzo, she would be abandoned in the end.
There was a time when she thought Kaiden would accept everything about her. She had wanted to be honest with him, even though her father had stopped her.
Would it have been better if I had told him back then?
Regret rose in her chest, but the past could not be changed.
“Or… do you not want to get closer to me anymore?”
Disappointment appeared on Kaiden’s face.
Irene’s eyes wavered.
Even after learning she was illegitimate, Kaiden had still accepted her. He never spoke of divorce. He forgave her.
But if she ran away now… would she ever get another chance to get close to him again?
She didn’t know. She wasn’t sure.
While she was confused, the sound of footsteps echoed through the silence. It stopped right nearby.
“Kaiden, why aren’t you coming?”
It was a familiar, friendly way of calling him.
Irene looked toward the woman who approached.
Short red hair, brown eyes, sharp gaze, and a mole above her lip. A face she felt she had seen before.
The woman ignored Irene and continued speaking to Kaiden.
“Everyone is complaining they’re hungry. Let’s go sit down.”
The woman smiled and grabbed Kaiden’s arm. He gently removed her hand with a polite smile.
“I will join you shortly. Please go ahead.”
“It doesn’t look like something that will end quickly.”
“Cernia.”
“I always find it scary when you smile like that. Come back soon and cheer up.”
Irene clenched her skirt tightly. Her mouth felt rough, like she was chewing sand.
The sight of the two of them smiling at each other felt uncomfortable—too fitting.
The smooth smile on Kaiden’s lips disappeared the moment he turned toward Irene.
It was only a small change, but it felt like her heart sank.
Kaiden let out a short sigh.
“It seems I should go now. If you want to return to your room, Irene, I won’t stop you anymore.”
With those words, Kaiden turned around.
His broad back, one she had seen countless times, filled her vision.
Maybe in the future… she would only be able to see his back.
A sudden wave of anxiety rose inside her.
Irene closed her eyes tightly and opened them again.
That was when she saw Cernia smiling as she turned back toward Kaiden.
Without thinking, her body moved.
She quickly walked forward and grabbed his sleeve.
“…I want to meet your colleagues. Please introduce me.”
The words that left her lips were impulsive.
* * *
“Kaiden, I didn’t think you would marry before me.”
“How could I leave my beautiful wife alone?”
Kaiden smiled softly and held Irene’s hand.
Irene looked at him with wide eyes, then smiled shyly.
Kaiden had returned.
The cold, distant version of him was gone.
When she felt uneasy, he smiled reassuringly. Sometimes he held her hand. Even while speaking with others, he would meet her eyes.
The anxious beating in her chest slowly turned into excitement.
She liked that feeling and kept looking at Kaiden.
“Is the food to your taste?”
“It’s good. Eating with many people like this isn’t bad either.”
Irene answered carefully.
It was noisy around them, so she couldn’t hear everything perfectly, but she could understand parts of it.
She sat on his right side on purpose and focused whenever his lips moved. It was tiring, but she didn’t mind it.
She could be in places with many people like this. Normal. Like others.
That fact gave her hope and confidence.
“Kaiden, are you free next Wednesday?”
A soft voice reached her faintly.
She couldn’t understand the words, but she quickly identified the speaker.
Cernia Taylor.
It wasn’t a coincidence—they had met before in social gatherings, even before she knew Kaiden.
Cernia now ran a large art museum in the capital. It was surprising.
She looked very close to Kaiden.
“I don’t have any plans in the evening.”
“That’s good. My parents want to see you after a long time. Let’s have tea together. I’ll prepare your favorite dishes, Kaiden.”
Irene lightly grabbed her skirt.
Even if she couldn’t hear everything, she could tell Cernia kept calling his name.
She hesitated, then spoke carefully.
“You seem to have known Miss Cernia for a long time.”
“Of course. Since childhood. We grew up in the same count’s household. Didn’t Kaiden tell you?”
Cernia answered before Kaiden could.
Irene quickly turned toward her and focused on her lips.
“…I see. I didn’t know much about your relationship.”
Irene glanced at Kaiden.
He was talking to a servant beside him.
Now that she thought about it, Kaiden rarely talked about his personal life or business.
Still, it felt a little reassuring. At least today, he introduced his business partners.
“Irene, wait a moment.”
Kaiden stood up and pointed toward the terrace.
“I’ll be back shortly.”
He left with a servant.
Soon after, Cernia also stood up and followed.
Irene watched her back.
That was when a man across the table spoke.
“Madam Hegwins! It’s been four months since your marriage—any good news yet?”
The room went quiet.
Before Irene could read lips, it had already happened.
She took a small breath and smiled calmly.
“Sorry, I didn’t catch that. Could you say it again?”
She didn’t need to be afraid anymore.
As long as she stayed calm, she could look normal.
* * *
Why did Kaiden bring that woman?
Cernia couldn’t take her eyes off Kaiden and Irene the entire meal.
They looked like a couple truly in love.
It was supposed to be a marriage with no value anymore—just an act—but it still made her uncomfortable.
Cernia stopped in front of the terrace.
That was where Kaiden had gone with the servant.
She wanted to know what that man was thinking.
“She lost her right hearing three years ago.”
Cernia froze with her hand on the door.
The voice slipped through the slightly open door.
Who… lost hearing?
“The divorce with the Fredman family was because of her hearing condition.”
Fredman family divorce.
It wasn’t hard to guess who they were talking about.
Cernia covered her mouth.
She almost laughed.
From the terrace, Kaiden’s gaze turned toward her, but she couldn’t stop laughing.
“Nice to meet you, Miss Cernia Taylor. May I join your conversation for a moment?”
Irene Whitfield.
Graceful speech, elegant smile, noble status, and sharp business knowledge.
She was a woman who stole all attention in any room.
Cernia admired her… and envied her.
Whenever Irene was present, Cernia became nothing but a shadow.
Men only talked about Irene.
Even when she wasn’t there.
Jealousy had led Cernia down a new path—studying business under her father and delaying her engagement with Kaiden.
And during that time, Irene had taken the man she liked.
“I am currently in a relationship with Miss Irene Whitfield.”
Kaiden had canceled his engagement completely.
But now—illegitimate, and even partially deaf.
Irene’s misfortune brought Cernia overwhelming satisfaction.
A man like Kaiden would never keep a flawed woman by his side.
Cernia barely suppressed her laughter and opened the terrace door fully.
“May I join you as well?”
It was the happiest and most delightful day for her.
