IOWYC Chapter 83

Chapter 83

“Don’t worry and just rest well, Yuliana. That’s good for the baby too.”

Every night, after putting me to bed, Lloyd would always leave the house.
I didn’t know where he went to sleep, and I never asked him to stay inside the house either.

If I let one boundary slip, I felt like it would become too natural to have him beside me all the time…

I was grateful for his kindness and care, but I still wished he would live his own life.
I knew it was selfish and unreasonable to think that way when I was the one depending on his help.

No matter how much I tried to push him away, he never left.
After several arguments, Lloyd promised that once he was sure the baby was born safely and both of us were secure, then he would step back.
When that day would come was uncertain.

So I tried hard not to take his help for granted.

Lloyd was truly kind and a good man.
But sometimes, when our eyes met, I felt uneasy—
As if I was facing a snake, ready to slip in through the smallest gap if I let my guard down.

That was why I tried so hard to keep the wall between us strong.
The problem was, the more firmly I built that wall, the more casually he leaned over it.

That morning, as always, Lloyd woke me after preparing breakfast.

“I told you, I can take care of breakfast myself.”

Even at my cold words, Lloyd only smiled and led me to the table.

“I made it because I was hungry. Surely you’re not going to forbid me from cooking in the house I found for us, right?”

“……”

“Here, try this. Spinach soup—they say it’s good for pregnant women. And this is fresh orange juice. I squeezed it myself.”

“……Wouldn’t that just be healthy for anyone, not only for pregnant women?”

“That’s why we should drink it together.”

You can’t spit on a smiling face.

It was always like this.

I told myself to be harsher, but whenever I faced Lloyd’s warm smile, I couldn’t help but yield.

Maybe I accepted it because, deep down, I thought all of this was helping me live for Denian’s sake.
If so, that made me selfish indeed.

During breakfast, Lloyd suddenly spoke.

“About the baby’s name… if it’s a girl, how about Chloe? If it’s a boy, how about Claude?”

My hand froze, spoon halfway to my lips. I answered lightly, as if in passing.

“I already decided on a name.”

Lloyd looked at me in surprise.

“What name?”

Quietly, I said,

“Denian.”

Noticing my expression, Lloyd didn’t press further.
Instead, he only smiled faintly, though his smile looked bitter.

“Denian… that’s a beautiful name.”

* * *

It had already been half a year since Yuliana disappeared.

In that time, Kallion had half-destroyed himself.
As acting lord of Valdormer, he still handled the bare minimum of duties, but all his other time was spent searching for Yuliana.

He hadn’t had proper sleep in months.
His strong abilities let him function without much rest, but the problem was how he spent those sleepless hours—
Drinking until his mind blurred,
Or working himself to the point of physical collapse.

Even for a powerful ability-holder, he wasn’t limitless.
The longer time went on, the more broken he became.

That day too, after searching around the outskirts of Silverstel in vain, the first thing he did upon returning was open a bottle of strong whiskey.

His study wall was covered by a giant map, filled with scribbled notes and X marks everywhere.
The desk was buried under piles of liquor bottles.

He didn’t even let the maids in to clean, afraid they might disturb his notes.
As a result, the heavy smell of whiskey never left his study.

Layla entered to deliver official documents and found him on the sofa, gulping drink after drink.
Just from the number of opened bottles, it was far beyond a normal person’s limit.

Even though she was there, Kallion kept drinking. She carefully approached and placed a hand on his arm.

“My lord, you’ve had too much.”

But he only replied coldly:

“Just deliver your message.”

His voice was clear and steady—no sign of drunkenness at all.

Awkward, Layla straightened and spoke.

“The vassals are furious. The vassals’ council has been delayed for several months now.”

“Have I ever failed to check their reports?”

“No… but since the council, usually held regularly, has been delayed for months, they—”

“The council is nothing more than the vassal lords whining about their grievances, isn’t it?”

“……”

Layla looked at him.
His face had grown gaunt, his jaw sharper than ever.
Where he once carried the weight of a solid rock, now he seemed like a blade—thin, sharp, and dangerous.

Even his air of ruin suited him.

She was staring at him blankly when Kallion suddenly rose and walked to the giant map.

The map showed the central capital, with the regions of Heister, Valdormer, Marcellino, and Silverstel marked.

Valdormer and Silverstel were so covered in marks that not a single gap remained.
In contrast, Heister and Marcellino looked relatively empty.

Heister was still too tense after his last visit, so only a few spies were sent quietly there.

As for Marcellino—

Looking at the few X marks there, Kallion narrowed his eyes and murmured:

“Cliff said the investigators found nothing unusual in Marcellino, didn’t he?”

Layla stiffened slightly behind him, but soon answered calmly.

“Yes, that’s what I heard.”

“Call Cliff. We need to investigate Marcellino again.”

Layla forced her expression to stay composed and nodded.

“If you command it, I can go investigate myself.”

But Kallion turned to her, his violet eyes cold and sharp as blades.

“Did I not say—call Cliff?”

His deadly tone made Layla bow her head quickly.

“…Yes, my lord.”

Even though he had far too much work for one man, Kallion never entrusted Yuliana-related matters to Layla directly.
It was clear he didn’t trust her when it came to Yuliana.

That hurt Layla, but she didn’t show it and left quietly.

As soon as she left, Kallion poured himself another glass of whiskey to the brim.

Glancing back at him, Layla left the study and walked down the silent halls.

Since Yuliana’s disappearance and Kallion’s downfall, the entire estate had fallen into gloom.
Everyone moved carefully, knowing that if they caught Kallion’s eye in a bad moment, they wouldn’t survive.

Walking through the quiet halls that felt like those of a haunted house, Layla finally reached her own private office.

Once inside, she locked the door, quickly pulled out paper and pen, and began to scribble.

It was a letter—
Urgent, hurried, addressed to someone.

At the very top, she wrote a single name:

Lloyd.