Chapter 25
“Were you having a secret romantic meeting with another man in the garden?”
Kallion’s voice was low and cold, filled with tension.
At that, Lloyd calmly stepped forward.
“I think you’re misunderstanding something, sir. That’s not what this is.”
As if defending me.
Kallion tilted his head slightly.
“I was asking my wife, not you.”
I let out a deep sigh and gently tugged on Lloyd’s arm.
A silent signal to step back.
Kallion watched my movement closely as I carefully touched Lloyd’s arm.
“Please go back inside.”
“But, Madam…”
Lloyd looked concerned.
“This doesn’t concern you. Please give us some space to talk.”
My firm words made him hesitate, then sigh softly.
“Alright. I just hope there’s no misunderstanding.”
Even as he turned to leave, he glanced back at me with worry in his eyes.
I turned to face Kallion, who was staring down at me.
“You seem pretty close with Silverstel’s second son.”
“I only met him properly today.”
“For someone you just met, his gaze seemed awfully familiar.”
I sighed again.
Why did I even need to explain this to him?
“Are we close enough to question each other about our private matters?”
My cold words made Kallion fall silent.
He stared at me for a while, then asked in a low voice,
“What were you two talking about?”
“I don’t think I owe you an answer.”
My sharp reply made him let out a dry laugh.
Then, with his usual cold expression, he sneered,
“Silverstel’s second son… not bad for a lover. Honestly, maybe too good for you, don’t you think?”
I clenched my fists tightly.
Unlike Kallion, who could sleep with someone without emotion, Lloyd was kind, pure, and sincere.
And in the last life, I ruined him. He wouldn’t have suffered if he’d never met me.
So hearing Kallion insult him like this made my blood boil.
“Don’t speak about him like that.”
He’s not someone you get to insult.
Kallion misunderstood my defensive tone and narrowed his eyes, smirking.
“Did I hit a nerve?”
This entire conversation was ridiculous.
He was the one who walked out of the banquet with another woman in front of everyone, and now he was interrogating me over a simple conversation?
“Even if Lloyd was my lover—so what? Isn’t that exactly what you told me to do?”
“…”
My words were a clear warning: don’t push me.
I turned away to leave.
Or I tried to—until he grabbed my wrist and stopped me.
“Where are you going?”
He frowned, noticing I was walking in the opposite direction from the banquet hall.
I looked at him blankly and replied,
“I think the guests have had plenty of entertainment tonight. The clown is off duty.”
“…What?”
He didn’t seem to understand at first.
I yanked my hand from his grip and walked away.
I could feel him staring hard at my back.
Don’t think I’ll ever be the obedient wife I was in the past.
Enjoy playing the host by yourself now, Kallion.
***
The banquet ended without any further trouble.
Still, rumors of the Valdormer couple’s rocky marriage had probably spread like wildfire.
But I didn’t care.
I only came here to take what I needed. After that—I would disappear.
Kate, misreading my hardened expression, spoke gently.
“Still… I’m glad the banquet ended without any disasters.”
Glad, huh…
Well, if you can call this mess a “blessing in disguise,” then sure.
“Oh! And Madam, you received a letter.”
“A letter?”
I took the envelope from her, puzzled.
“It only has your name—no sender or seal. I’m not sure where it came from.”
I studied the envelope.
Sure enough, there was no name, no family crest.
I walked to the desk and carefully opened it with a letter opener.
The moment I read the first line, I froze.
[To Yuliana,
Please forgive me for contacting you so suddenly.]
The gentle handwriting and respectful tone made it obvious.
It was from Lloyd de Silverstel.
[After we parted that night, I couldn’t shake the heaviness in my heart. I worried I may have caused you trouble…]
The letter was filled with sincere concern for me.
Why, Lloyd?
Why are you trying to connect with me in this life, too?
I have nothing to give you.
[I didn’t include my name in case your husband suspected anything.
I know this letter may not be welcomed, but if I didn’t write it, I feared I’d go to the Valdormer estate myself.
I don’t expect anything.
I just want to know if you’re alright.]
I didn’t even read the rest.
Just like he said, it wasn’t welcome—it was painful.
Even though I had confidently told Kallion that Lloyd could be my lover if I wanted, the truth was—I didn’t want Lloyd anywhere near this mess.
That was the only thing I could do for him now.
[…I’ll be waiting for your reply.]
I stared at the final line, then walked to the fireplace.
Ignoring Kate’s confused expression, I threw the letter into the flames.
It burned to ash in seconds.
Kate looked at me in shock as I said calmly,
“This letter never existed. Forget about it.”
She paused, then nodded firmly.
“Of course, Madam. I don’t remember a thing.”
Her determined expression made me let out a small, empty laugh.
***
Meanwhile, Kallion rubbed his forehead with a sigh.
He recalled his father’s furious voice earlier at the villa.
Darkin had shouted at him, demanding to know about the rumors with Layla.
Kallion insisted Layla was just a secretary.
They had grown up together—why was that so hard to believe?
His father had warned him to act properly and replace her before the gossip spread further.
But Kallion refused. He wouldn’t fire a capable employee just because of rumors.
In the end, Darkin gave up and left, ordering him to behave and stop adding fuel to the fire.
Now, whether he liked it or not, he had to go along with Yuliana’s suggestion: a public display of sleeping together.
That was the only way to kill the rumors and keep the two families from interfering.
Then Kallion remembered her words:
“You were the one who told me to take a lover.”
His grip tightened around the pen in his hand.
Was she really having something with Silverstel’s second son?
A woman who talked about “bedding” like it was casual might easily sleep with someone else.
She even asked for an allowance to support a lover.
His brow furrowed.
Yes, he had said she could take a lover.
But why did it feel so disgusting?
It was like swallowing fire—hot, angry, choking.
That woman—who would soon be sharing his bed—might already have been with another man.
And he, unlike her, was clean, untouched.
The more he thought about it, the angrier he became.
The woman who once followed him so blindly—clearly in love—had changed the moment they married.
And now? It felt like he was the fool.
Was it because I became the fish she already caught?
