~Chapter 29~
Riden’s dress was a casual one, meant for private spaces, much shorter than the formal dresses women wear when going out, leaving her ankles exposed.
As she disappeared inside the building, her delicate calves and slender ankles were visible beneath the hem of her dress.
‘Red.’
The lukewarm spring breeze seemed a bit harsh on her.
From how her calves had turned red from just standing for a moment, it was clear.
Ethan remembered more of her expression than the words she had spoken.
Her eyes, which had been on the verge of tears, must have been even redder now.
He tilted his head as he silently watched her walk away, wondering which part of her face had turned red and how.
Was it so absurd that he couldn’t even be angry? Rather than focusing on the rudeness Riden had committed, he just… wanted to bring her back to him and look at her face more closely.
[Should I break her?]
Was today the day the full moon would rise?
Suddenly, he heard the malicious voice of that thing whispering in his mind.
Ethan looked up at the sky.
It hadn’t even reached the full moon yet. So why was it?
He didn’t know. He didn’t need to understand its emotions either…
[How can you turn your back on her first? Let’s knock her down before she reaches her room. Let’s make her turn back to you, Ethan. Make sure she never walks away from you again like she just did. It’s easy. Simple. Not difficult. Just grab that slender ankle with one hand and don’t let go.]
“….”
[You’ll cover her mouth just before she screams. And…]
The relentless fantasies flooded Ethan’s mind, as that part of him started running wild again.
It was the same method it used whenever it wanted to dominate him.
He didn’t react to it, though.
He simply stood still, continuing his thoughts.
Ah… he understood now.
Why was that whispering in his mind, chewing away at his resolve before the full moon even arrived?
‘Seems like you really don’t like that woman.’
[…You don’t want to, do you? You can’t lie to me! I’m you! Do you really think you can trick me? Don’t deny it. Your heart is racing with excitement right now, and it’s not me, it’s you. Remember the moment when she spoke to you as if she was defying you. What about the moment when she turned her cold face and walked away, leaving you behind? You were furious! You wanted to hold her back!]
“Shut up.”
Honestly, there had been some emotional turmoil.
Her defiant face had irritated him.
He thought she’d show at least a hint of guilt, if not a confession, but the moment he realized she hadn’t, he ended up saying something unplanned.
‘Why do I even care… she’s not a child.’
He almost wanted to explain that it wasn’t him, but that inside him that was pushing him to act, but sadly, he knew it was his own doing.
Ethan leaned against the terrace railing, unbuttoning the shirt that felt like it was strangling his neck every time he moved.
‘I should go back and make something, maybe fix this shirt.’
As he moved his stiff neck, Riden’s figure still lingered in his mind.
She had stopped walking in the hallway, standing still, exhaling.
‘What’s she doing?’
Just then, the sound of clicking heels echoed from the opposite direction.
“Ethan?”
The shadow moved, revealing a face Ethan had seen long ago.
With orange hair and brown eyes, freckles scattered across her cheeks.
A memory of a young servant briefly flickered in his mind.
She was the one who used to walk around the Duke’s mansion as if it was her own, never afraid.
He vaguely recalled hearing that Baroness Dolomi had started managing the villa.
“Henji?”
Ethan, recognizing her, smiled faintly, his eyes still distant.
Her presence stirred up memories of his father’s time.
Henji, thinking that the faint smile was a sign of approval, quickly approached and hugged him.
“Lord Ethan? What’s that over there?”
“No, nothing.”
Henji wouldn’t be able to see it.
She followed his gaze, turning her head as she rubbed her face against his chest happily.
“Lord Ethan, I missed you so much.”
So absorbed in Riden, Ethan hadn’t even noticed that Henji had wrapped herself around him until he suddenly pushed her away with a stunned expression.
“This isn’t appropriate.”
How dare a servant make physical contact without her master’s permission.
Ethan’s face hardened, but Henji’s thoughts were quite different.
‘Of course, Lord Ethan knows how to treat me well. Even when I hugged him, he didn’t force me away. He’s so kind!’
“This shouldn’t be seen.”
“Right? It wouldn’t be good if rumors spread about us when I become your wife.”
“You’re still the same. You haven’t changed at all from when you were younger.”
“And my feelings… are the same too, Lord Ethan!”
Henji blushed and said.
Thinking of the times when she would twist her body awkwardly in front of him, she suddenly shouted in frustration.
“But, Lord Ethan, isn’t this wrong?”
“What’s wrong?”
“I thought all the things brought to the Eduar villa were meant for my debut, but Merrick said they were all for that woman. I didn’t believe it at first, but I’ve been waiting and waiting…”
Henji’s eyes sparkled as she looked at Ethan.
A blunt voice escaped Ethan’s lips.
‘Unbelievable.’
“Unbelievable.”
“…What?”
Oh no, he had unintentionally mimicked that voice while distracted by the hallway.
‘Can’t you just shut up?’
[No, I won’t.]
Ethan quickly tried to fix the situation, leaving Henji bewildered.
“No, no. You must have heard it wrong.”
“R-right? Hoho, hahaha… oh my, what a surprise.”
Had so much time passed already?
Ethan suddenly realized that it was time for Henji’s debut.
“Right, you should debut soon-”
Just then, Riden, leaning against the corridor wall, exhaled heavily and collapsed.
“Hey!!!”
“Lord Ethan? My words!”
Henji looked with a worried expression as Ethan ran toward the dark hallway.
‘What on earth is going on?’
Samantha arrived at the villa in a cheerful mood, only to find Riden lying on the bed, looking like a corpse as soon as she arrived.
Why was my little chick, who should be chirping and happily singing songs about a happy marriage, lying there like a dead body, unable to even open her eyes?
“My dear?”
“Ugh.”
She made a sound.
“Ughh.”
A groan of discomfort.
Samantha’s heart sank as she bent down to look at Riden’s face more closely.
The face of the daughter-in-law, which should have been soft and plump, was pale and swollen.
From above, she was pale, and from the side, she looked blue and sickly, showing clear signs of illness.
Was she trapped in some nightmare? The girl kept sweating cold sweat, making the pillow darkly stained.
“Change it.”
“Yes, my lady.”
Samantha watched the maid as she went to change the pillow, her mind wandering.
‘Is this because of them? That Baron family, father and daughter, whoever they are?’
The things Merrick had told her, and given Riden’s mild temperament, they seemed like the source of her illness.
‘I’ll have to throw these pests into the trash.’
How much did they crawl over her before their daughter-in-law ended up in this state?
Leaving the villa for five years, they probably completely abandoned their duties, didn’t they?
Samantha turned around, intending to summon the Baron and his daughter right away.
“Hmm?”
But one of her sons avoided her gaze. The second one.
The first son didn’t avoid her gaze, but the second one kept avoiding her.
That… was a habit that showed up whenever her son felt guilty about something.
A strange sensation started at the tip of her fingers and crawled up her hand.
