IHMEB - Chapter 14 < Obsessively Engraved Petal Marks >

IHMEB - Chapter 14 < Obsessively Engraved Petal Marks >

Having An Enemy's Baby

 “Then tonight. Don’t sleep and wait.”

“...Yes?"

“I guess I can do what I endured.”

Claudel opened her eyes wide.

"Wait. That is...”

“I suddenly got busy. I’ll have to finish my work before dinner.”

Before she could say anything, Kaian put down his cutlery and stood up from his seat, wiping his hands on a towel.

“I will hear from the butler whether you have emptied the dishes diligently. Don’t leave anything behind, just eat it.”

Kaian came out of the room with long strides.

As he walked toward his office, he felt his lips twitching without even realizing it, so he ran his hand over his mouth.

“They say that if you show utmost sincerity, even heaven will be moved.”

After being devoted to his benefactor, he finally had a feeling that something good would happen.

“Why did you suddenly act like that while eating?”

Kaian hurried to the office to finish work quickly, and the butler who saw his back tilted his head.

I didn't know what to do.

"Ah. How..."

I didn't know that Kaian would visit me every day like this.

As my illness worsened and I had not been able to eat well, there was no way my body could easily recover from a major injury, but I couldn't refuse Kaian's scary glare and fed me, so I forced myself to eat, my starving body struggled even with that.

Over the past few days, I have been able to feel a difference in the strength coursing through my body.

However, my chest hurt a lot every time I swallowed, so I didn't want to force myself to eat, and I didn't feel comfortable seeing Kaian, who often visited me.

'You're a benefactor.'

'You saved me.'

I didn't save him because I wanted Kaian to think of me as special.

I'm going to die soon anyway.

For a moment, I thought it would be better for me to get hurt than for him to get hurt.

That was it.

I often had fleeting thoughts when I saw a cold and cold man holding back his temper, or softening his eyes after glaring at me, as if he would accommodate me 

If...

If Kaian had treated me like that from the day I first came to Rowen Castle, maybe I would have liked him?

When I saw him even having such thoughts, I was just grateful and wanted to stop forcing him to come to me out of a sense of responsibility.

However, when he picks up me, who is not yet able to move my legs well, and moves me to another position, even for a moment, the body heat that comes from his broad chest, where I rest my head for a moment, or from the large hand that holds my hand, It was warm.

'It's probably because of the illness.'

That's why it's so cold.

My coughing like icy spikes in my chest made me so cold that even the slightest hint of warmth made me sad and weak-hearted.

I was so starved that even a lump of food the size of a fingernail fed my panting body and left a ray of warmth in my lonely, love-starved heart.

But before I even came to his land in Rowan, I had heard of the notoriety in Kaian from Valmonde, and I knew that he was the same man who had shunned and humiliated me all my life. I didn't forget it.

Kaian was an amazing and scary person.

As far as I knew, he was only five years older than me.

But is the difference between 20 and 25 that big?

Unlike me, who is full of unknown things, he inherited the position and title of head of the family at the age of only eighteen, and still ruled this large territory and its numerous residents.

The sense of intimidation emanating from him scared people, causing them to hunker down and lower their heads.

Is it really that different to be raised as a successor from the beginning?

I was curious, but the rest of my life was too short to find out.

If I continue like this and turn cold, he'll be very upset, right?

Even if I don’t particularly like him.

I just trying to tolerate it without getting hurt.

One good thing was that my life really didn't last long, so it was highly likely that I would live comfortably like this.

I don't think Kaian, who takes care of me as his benefactor, will throw salt in my wounds by calling me his benefactor.

I had nothing to leave behind, so I continued to organize my personal affairs.

Although it wasn't much, I left everything I had to Hannah.

Hannah.

“So, where did Hannah go?”

My stream of consciousness, where I had been thinking about various things about Kaian, finally returned to reality.

'You can just endure it.'

What on earth did I put up with?

“I think I said everything I wanted to say.”

My will and consent were not required.

Anyway, I wanted to talk to Hannah quickly, but even after quite some time, she didn't come back.

***

Hannah was running briskly near the castle gate.

She felt sweat rising on her forehead, and now her fighting power was also rising.

Soon the person she was looking for caught her eye.

"Hey! You’re standing there!”

When Hannah screamed at the barak, Antjone turned around after her.

"Hey? Did you say hey now?”

In the Rowan estate ruled by the Temnes family, the Young Lady, who was a Temnes relative, did not like Hannah's attitude because no one treated her carelessly.

"Yes. I said hey.”

Hanna, putting aside all manners of respect, approached the blue-brown line.

“You have to be respected to be respected. Give it to me.”

“What, what?”

You flinched when you saw Hannah holding out her hand.

“The stolen ring.”

"What?"

Hannah was smart and had a keen eye for attention.

When she was very young she had no tact or strength, but by the age of three, she was able to do the work of a man.

A theft was a very big deal.

It wasn't normal for her to lose something belonging to the owner she served.

Since it would end only when someone was dragged out of the castle crying, Hannah, who grew up in the castle among the maids from a very young age, could not help but be sensitive to that.

'I was suspicious until now because the Duke's personality was not normal.'

After Claudel got injured, she came to see her several times a day. She didn't mean to observe it on purpose, but she saw it often, and when she saw it, she looked at it more closely than before.

Anyway, in Hannah's opinion, Kaian just seemed to have no dating experience.

In the castle of Valmonde, all kinds of rumors were going around about Kaian. All kinds of stories circulated in the imagination about his wealth and skills, and about his status as someone who could not be overlooked.

The castles of Kaian and Rowan that Hannah actually saw seemed to have greater prestige and wealth than what she had heard about in the castle of Valmonde. He wondered if they had intentionally reduced that part because the people of Valmonde did not want to acknowledge Temnes.

On the other hand, Kaian, who was said to deal with three virgins in one night, seemed unlikely.

That's because he couldn't communicate well with even one Claudel, let alone three virgins.

He wanted to say something, but when Claudel didn't give him the answer he wanted, he would get angry and leave.

In the past, when such an incident occurred, they didn't have to see each other for days, but these days, he comes to visit several times a day under the pretext of being his 'benefactor', so every time he comes, Kaian shamelessly comes back as if he never shouted at her before and left.

Usually, those who enjoy women’s sex know the hearts of women well.

So, he can enjoy it with many people.

It was as if he was chopping up his body, but not his heart, and giving each woman a piece of the well-spoken words that said, 'You are the only one for me.'

However, when Hannah found out that Kaian's attitude toward women and his speaking skills were poor, she also became suspicious of Antjone's actions.

Then she saw it today.

In an attempt to openly insult and deceive Claudel, Antjone, who came wearing something that showed off her injured ankle and calf and called her a 'bad leg', covered up the blue diamond ring she was proudly showing off with her hand when Kaian appeared.

Moreover, the ring had disappeared from Antjone's finger, as she had left her empty-handed, as she had removed the ring while giving Hanna the bouquet.

'She took off the ring while pretending to give me a bouquet.'

Why?

Why?

Hannah heard that Kaian was so favored to her that he passed on her mother's mementos?

Hanna did not tell Claudel that she had bumped into Antjone that day.

Because Antjone wanted that.

Why bother telling her something that upsets her so much that she can't resolve it?

There's no need to chase down Kaian and check.

However, she was seething inside alone, but today, when she saw Antjone disappearing in front of Kaian as if running away, her impulse came to her.

“I’ll put it out when I have something nice to say, right?”

“W-what are you talking about?”

“A first night’s gift from My Lady.”

Antjone's blue eyes widened and she wavered aimlessly.

“Don’t you have any pride? You stole the gift that someone else’s husband gave his wife.”

"You... You. What are you talking about? Do you have any proof?”

“Proof?”

Hanna grabbed Antjone's left wrist.

“This ring is proof. Give it to me!”

“Ouch! Are you crazy? It’s mine!”

Antjone and Hannah had a fight. Antjone, who was struggling to keep Hannah from taking her ring, put her hands behind her back and slapped Hannah on the cheek.

Sigh.

Antjone said with a huff.

"You... I won't leave you alone. How dare a Vermont odd-job girl touch Temnes?”

It was then.

Slap!

A sharper, harsher sound fell on Antjone's cheek.

"Yes. Good. Let’s go and confess right now. Who will the Lord punish between me, who slapped the thief of Temnes, and you, who dared to steal the jewel that the Lord gave to his wife?”

“This is mine! How many times can I tell you that Kaian gave it to me?”

"Liar."

“What lie did I tell....”

“What you said about spending the night with Kaian was all a lie, right?”

“Well, well... ?”

Antjone's face contorted as Hannah put a sneer on her lips.

“Do you know what kind of posture the Duke likes?”

In fact, she didn't even know.

“Well, what is that...”

“You should have seen the petal marks that were persistently engraved on our Young Lady’s body and the bruises that were created when she was squeezed so hard as if she was being restrained.”

Even if Claudel had it, there was no way she would have shown it to her.

“You have no way of knowing how desperately the two of them could be heard calling each other’s names throughout that long night, even outside the bedroom door. I’m so worried that they might run out of breath.”

So, nothing like that happened.

However, since Hannah had received much of an early education from the maids of the Castle de Valmonde with whom she hung out, she threw out whatever words came to her mind at Antjonet.

“I don’t even know what to do.”

"No! Kaian can’t do that!”

Look at this? What did she do that gave her that shocked look?

Even if Kaian had a hobby of playing around with women as rumored, at least it was clear that that person wasn't Antjone.

How dare she call our Lady a bad leg over something like theft?

Grinding her teeth, she spoke to Antjone.

“I’ll put it out when I have something nice to say, right?”

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