054. So many ways to break you
The news of Nathan Malvin's discovery of the elm forest reached Hardy Meyer in two days. It was not the lumberman or Beppy who brought the news.
The mercenaries guarding the forest did not monitor the private lives of the Bern family, but they were very strict with visitors. After hearing the report, Grojean could only sigh and knock on his master's door.
“They say the two of them spoke for less than ten minutes. They weren’t alone, either, because Beppy Dilson was watching them from the stables.”
Grojean explained everything to his master, even things he hadn't asked about.
“Young Master Melvin couldn’t help but be aware of the rumors.”
Hardius remained silent without any particular reaction. The pen glided across the paper without any obstruction.
But it seemed as if Grojean could see it clearly.
Cold eyes, tight shirts, bulging arms, things like that.
“Let’s find out why Young Master Malvin met Ms. Bern and what they talked about specifically.”
Hardius nodded.
“Is there anything else you would like to ask me?”
The pen pauses for a moment, and the colorless pupil turns to Grojean.
“Go and tell Miss Bern that I want her to visit Basilion House as soon as possible.”
Grojean swallowed dry saliva.
“If...she refuses.. what should I do?”
“I just want her to know that I know she met Nathan Malvin. If she doesn’t come, I’ll go find her myself.”
"...All right."
Hardius turned his head again and turned over the papers. The pen tip, which had paused for a moment, continued its smooth movement as if skating.
The next day, Grojean headed to the zelkova forest early in the morning.
Emilia was startled and frozen in place in front of the being that symbolized Hardius Meyer. Then, she soon made a face of resignation.
“If I don’t go, will Master Malvin really be ‘dealt with’? Like Lord Cavendish? Would Master Meyer... really... go that far?”
Grojean responded by remaining silent.
“You’re watching Master Malvin, right? Uncle Beppy has been here the whole time, so that’s the only answer.”
“...Please forgive me for not being able to give you any answer.”
Emilia swallowed a sigh and followed Grojean into the carriage.
She looked calm as she straightened her back and placed her hands on her knees, but inside, she was completely different.
Since meeting Nathan, she has felt her heart burning with a strange longing and frustration.
Nathan's proposal was a dream come true. It was so perfect that it was almost ridiculous to even think about it, that she could get sponsorship without any messy misunderstandings.
A free her with a scholarship, a university, and a thick book under her arm.
Just imagining it made Emilia's heart race, but at the same time, she was angry at herself for not being able to accept it.
Because of that vile man who really dealt with Cavendish!
He broke his promise. He said he would leave the Cavendish problem to her.
She thought she would be able to break off the engagement and live freely... She thought she would be able to smile proudly, free from people’s pointing fingers...
That guy ruined everything! Emilia arrived at Basilion with her emotions swirling around in her head.
When she opened the study door, Hardius Meyer was leaning against the edge of the desk. Looking at his calm and composed eyes, Emilia swore that she would never be deceived.
“What did he say?”
Hardius asked out of the blue.
“He apologized. He said that strange rumors started to spread because of him.”
“Oh, really?”
Something that had been weighing on Emilia's chest suddenly snapped in front of the man, who was even smiling faintly.
“Master Malvin was really, really sorry. He didn’t come with any strange intentions; he just came to apologize.”
She appealed with all her heart, but the other person was indifferent, as if he had heard the cries of a shepherd boy.
“He is a sincere and honest person. He is completely different from anyone else.”
“I admit it.”
The plain answer sets her heart on fire.
“He is a really good person. He is definitely not the kind of person who deserves to be threatened and taunted like this.”
“So you’re shaken? By that guy?”
“...Yes, of course. Who wouldn’t like a man like that?”
Emilia felt refreshed in front of the rapidly cooling gaze.
“I’ll deal with Master Malvin. Just threaten me again. I won’t sit still any longer.”
“What are you going to do?”
“Imagine for yourself. What would happen if a man and a woman who like each other were forced to stop each other? Like Romeo and Juliet.”
She blurted it out impulsively, and the man froze at the same time.
Hardius uncrossed his arms and stood up straight.
She feels like she can't breathe even though she's not being threatened or getting close.
“...It’s better if you tell me honestly. Now all I have to do is catch him and kill him.”
Although she was deeply shocked, Emilia never showed it.
“What are you going to do? Are you going to challenge him to a duel?”
“I wonder?”
“How great your pretense is. If someone saw me, they would think that you love me so passionately, the great Lord Meyer.”
“I think I’ve already expressed my feelings, that day in the carriage, very passionately.”
"Crazy..."
She was even more surprised by the curse words that came out unconsciously, but all she heard in response was a low laugh.
“I don’t know if you remember, but you weren’t much different that day. Who was it that asked me to do more?”
Her heart sank.
Some scenes that were deleted under the pretext of being drunk have been revived and are strangling her.
Emilia had to bite her cheek, unable to control the feeling of her face turning bright red.
“Melvin’s ancestors were shepherds. Even now, they barely make a living by disposing of sheep manure and such. If I wanted to, I could trample on that common earldom any time.”
“Really... It’s so childish that I can’t listen to it...”
“You know how childish I am.”
He laughed, but her body trembled as she remembered that he had really taken care of Cavendish.
“No, I don’t think so. I believe that the young master would not go that far.”
“I’ll do that. The moment he hands this to me, he’s already dead.”
Thud, 'Principles of Accounting' was placed on the desk. Emilia felt as if the blood was draining from her body.
“What the... why? You saw us at the ball, right? We didn’t do anything wrong... Master Malvin just came to apologize. What on earth did I do wrong...”
She was muttering in a dazed manner, then suddenly glared at him fiercely.
“Give it to me, it’s mine.”
Emilia stretched out her arm towards the book, but her hand was grabbed before she could reach it.
“Let go!”
“Try to stop me and I’ll give it to you.”
“Pardon me?”
“Prove to me that you won’t be swayed by that kid from now on.”
"This person..."
Emilia chewed on her cheek, searching for the most evil expression. In the meantime, Hardius had arrived right in front of Emilia's nose.
“It would be better if you prove it here.”
A cold gaze touched her lips. Emilia unconsciously raised her arms.
Just before she could slap the man in the face, Hardius grabbed her wrist. Both her hands were tied.
“Let go!”
Emilia felt her heart stop beating as she stood before the lips of the man who was slowly approaching her.
The man who approached her as if he was going to kiss her at any moment stopped at a distance that was barely touching her, as if mocking her.
“Does that kid know? How did you allow me to come here?”
The breath touching her lips is terribly lewd and terribly cold.
“Is this the only place?”
He lowered his gaze further. At that moment, the sensation of being bitten and licked in the carriage came back to her, slowly rising up her spine.
Emilia fell into extreme self-loathing.
“Stop doing dirty things.”
The lips that were moving as if they were brushing against each other twist into a bitter smile.
“It wasn’t like that in ‘Elver’. Did you think it was dirty back then, too?”
“...I told you clearly. That day, I was drunk and made a mistake. That is the memory I want to erase the most from my life. Last time was the same. It was dirty, disgusting, and disgusting.”
The blood immediately boils along the man's neck.
“Please stop. If you keep doing this, I think I’ll really, truly hate you. Don’t you get it? We’re in a relationship where we have to break off the engagement to be happy. We have to live freely in our own worlds.”
Emilia put her heart into every word. As if her evil feelings had been fully conveyed, the hand that had been holding her wrist suddenly loosened its grip.
Emilia, now free, straightened her body and put strength into her legs to keep herself from staggering. Her blurry vision gradually became clearer, and her breathing returned to normal.
The emotions that had been running high began to slowly subside, and the tension between them began to loosen.
“I beg you, seriously. Stop this crazy behavior. Before the last of my good feelings toward you disappear.”
Emilia put her trembling hands into her pocket and took out the ring.
“Take it. I can’t just take it just because it fits on my finger.”
Hardius did not even accept the ring, but stood motionless with his eyes dark as the abyss.
“I think differently from you, my lord. Since we have never had each other, it is easy to throw each other away.”
Emilia reached out and put the ring in his jacket pocket.
A darkness without even the cold engulfed him.
“...You still don’t know what I really want?”
“Yes, I don’t know... No, I know one thing. The young master wants a sow. One that you can have messily.”
“No, I want you in 'Elver'. The only moment in my life when I was close to happiness.”
The man laughed. It was a bitter laugh she never imagined she would see from Hardy Meyer.
“I have to get it back. If not, I have to force myself on it like a horny pig.”
Emilia's eyes, astonished, showed a determined yet cold-blooded expression.
It was completely different from the carriage. The extremely restrained, calculating gaze frightened Emilia.
“I’ll give you time. The deadline is a week, no more.”
“No, surely... there’s no way the young master would do something like that...”
“What’s the problem? We’re engaged.”
A wet voice rises like a snake and strangles my throat.
“Come to Sitmer’s cottage. It is a place prepared for you.”
“Are you crazy?! Do you think I would allow you to do something like that?”
“I don’t need permission. There are countless ways to break you. I know that from experience.”
Emilia, who ran back home, fell ill again that night.
Charlotte was the first to find her lying there in a cold sweat. Kalia realized it was because of the fever and quickly prepared a lukewarm towel.
“It’s okay, I’ll feel better after I wake up...”
“What are you talking about? I said your body feels like a ball of fire!”
Ignoring his sister's dissuasion, she went with Beppy to get the doctor.
She walked around the town and even the wealthy Dill Street without stopping, but shr failed to meet the doctor. Coincidentally, everyone else was either on a business trip or had gone to another place to make a royal appointment.
Eventually, they had no choice but to settle for obtaining fever-reducing medicine from a herbalist.
Fortunately, the medicine worked well. With the family's attentive nursing care, the fever that had been rising all night subsided the next day as if nothing had happened.
Emilia put down the towel that had disappeared from her forehead and struggled to get up from the bed.
Kalia, who was boiling oatmeal, was delighted to find her daughter like that.
“What about Charlotte?”
“I went to pick wild strawberries with Beppy. I ordered them because I thought they would taste bad if I put them off any longer. We went to the barn.”
"Ah...."
“How are you feeling?”
“It’s okay now. Mom, you should get some rest, too. You must have had a hard time because of me.”
Although Kalia felt relieved at her daughter's faint smile, she couldn't help but feel sorry for her dark circles under her eyes and her gaunt face.
“You should sleep a little more. When the kids come, it’ll be noisy and you won’t be able to sleep.”
“...Yes, I will do that.”
Kalia waited until Emilia fell asleep before leaving the room. After tidying up the living room, she was about to starch the fabric when suddenly, a dog barking was heard.
As she opened the door, an unexpected face was standing there with a broad smile.
The news of Nathan Malvin's discovery of the elm forest reached Hardy Meyer in two days. It was not the lumberman or Beppy who brought the news.
The mercenaries guarding the forest did not monitor the private lives of the Bern family, but they were very strict with visitors. After hearing the report, Grojean could only sigh and knock on his master's door.
“They say the two of them spoke for less than ten minutes. They weren’t alone, either, because Beppy Dilson was watching them from the stables.”
Grojean explained everything to his master, even things he hadn't asked about.
“Young Master Melvin couldn’t help but be aware of the rumors.”
Hardius remained silent without any particular reaction. The pen glided across the paper without any obstruction.
But it seemed as if Grojean could see it clearly.
Cold eyes, tight shirts, bulging arms, things like that.
“Let’s find out why Young Master Malvin met Ms. Bern and what they talked about specifically.”
Hardius nodded.
“Is there anything else you would like to ask me?”
The pen pauses for a moment, and the colorless pupil turns to Grojean.
“Go and tell Miss Bern that I want her to visit Basilion House as soon as possible.”
Grojean swallowed dry saliva.
“If...she refuses.. what should I do?”
“I just want her to know that I know she met Nathan Malvin. If she doesn’t come, I’ll go find her myself.”
"...All right."
Hardius turned his head again and turned over the papers. The pen tip, which had paused for a moment, continued its smooth movement as if skating.
The next day, Grojean headed to the zelkova forest early in the morning.
Emilia was startled and frozen in place in front of the being that symbolized Hardius Meyer. Then, she soon made a face of resignation.
“If I don’t go, will Master Malvin really be ‘dealt with’? Like Lord Cavendish? Would Master Meyer... really... go that far?”
Grojean responded by remaining silent.
“You’re watching Master Malvin, right? Uncle Beppy has been here the whole time, so that’s the only answer.”
“...Please forgive me for not being able to give you any answer.”
Emilia swallowed a sigh and followed Grojean into the carriage.
She looked calm as she straightened her back and placed her hands on her knees, but inside, she was completely different.
Since meeting Nathan, she has felt her heart burning with a strange longing and frustration.
Nathan's proposal was a dream come true. It was so perfect that it was almost ridiculous to even think about it, that she could get sponsorship without any messy misunderstandings.
A free her with a scholarship, a university, and a thick book under her arm.
Just imagining it made Emilia's heart race, but at the same time, she was angry at herself for not being able to accept it.
Because of that vile man who really dealt with Cavendish!
He broke his promise. He said he would leave the Cavendish problem to her.
She thought she would be able to break off the engagement and live freely... She thought she would be able to smile proudly, free from people’s pointing fingers...
That guy ruined everything! Emilia arrived at Basilion with her emotions swirling around in her head.
When she opened the study door, Hardius Meyer was leaning against the edge of the desk. Looking at his calm and composed eyes, Emilia swore that she would never be deceived.
“What did he say?”
Hardius asked out of the blue.
“He apologized. He said that strange rumors started to spread because of him.”
“Oh, really?”
Something that had been weighing on Emilia's chest suddenly snapped in front of the man, who was even smiling faintly.
“Master Malvin was really, really sorry. He didn’t come with any strange intentions; he just came to apologize.”
She appealed with all her heart, but the other person was indifferent, as if he had heard the cries of a shepherd boy.
“He is a sincere and honest person. He is completely different from anyone else.”
“I admit it.”
The plain answer sets her heart on fire.
“He is a really good person. He is definitely not the kind of person who deserves to be threatened and taunted like this.”
“So you’re shaken? By that guy?”
“...Yes, of course. Who wouldn’t like a man like that?”
Emilia felt refreshed in front of the rapidly cooling gaze.
“I’ll deal with Master Malvin. Just threaten me again. I won’t sit still any longer.”
“What are you going to do?”
“Imagine for yourself. What would happen if a man and a woman who like each other were forced to stop each other? Like Romeo and Juliet.”
She blurted it out impulsively, and the man froze at the same time.
Hardius uncrossed his arms and stood up straight.
She feels like she can't breathe even though she's not being threatened or getting close.
“...It’s better if you tell me honestly. Now all I have to do is catch him and kill him.”
Although she was deeply shocked, Emilia never showed it.
“What are you going to do? Are you going to challenge him to a duel?”
“I wonder?”
“How great your pretense is. If someone saw me, they would think that you love me so passionately, the great Lord Meyer.”
“I think I’ve already expressed my feelings, that day in the carriage, very passionately.”
"Crazy..."
She was even more surprised by the curse words that came out unconsciously, but all she heard in response was a low laugh.
“I don’t know if you remember, but you weren’t much different that day. Who was it that asked me to do more?”
Her heart sank.
Some scenes that were deleted under the pretext of being drunk have been revived and are strangling her.
Emilia had to bite her cheek, unable to control the feeling of her face turning bright red.
“Melvin’s ancestors were shepherds. Even now, they barely make a living by disposing of sheep manure and such. If I wanted to, I could trample on that common earldom any time.”
“Really... It’s so childish that I can’t listen to it...”
“You know how childish I am.”
He laughed, but her body trembled as she remembered that he had really taken care of Cavendish.
“No, I don’t think so. I believe that the young master would not go that far.”
“I’ll do that. The moment he hands this to me, he’s already dead.”
Thud, 'Principles of Accounting' was placed on the desk. Emilia felt as if the blood was draining from her body.
“What the... why? You saw us at the ball, right? We didn’t do anything wrong... Master Malvin just came to apologize. What on earth did I do wrong...”
She was muttering in a dazed manner, then suddenly glared at him fiercely.
“Give it to me, it’s mine.”
Emilia stretched out her arm towards the book, but her hand was grabbed before she could reach it.
“Let go!”
“Try to stop me and I’ll give it to you.”
“Pardon me?”
“Prove to me that you won’t be swayed by that kid from now on.”
"This person..."
Emilia chewed on her cheek, searching for the most evil expression. In the meantime, Hardius had arrived right in front of Emilia's nose.
“It would be better if you prove it here.”
A cold gaze touched her lips. Emilia unconsciously raised her arms.
Just before she could slap the man in the face, Hardius grabbed her wrist. Both her hands were tied.
“Let go!”
Emilia felt her heart stop beating as she stood before the lips of the man who was slowly approaching her.
The man who approached her as if he was going to kiss her at any moment stopped at a distance that was barely touching her, as if mocking her.
“Does that kid know? How did you allow me to come here?”
The breath touching her lips is terribly lewd and terribly cold.
“Is this the only place?”
He lowered his gaze further. At that moment, the sensation of being bitten and licked in the carriage came back to her, slowly rising up her spine.
Emilia fell into extreme self-loathing.
“Stop doing dirty things.”
The lips that were moving as if they were brushing against each other twist into a bitter smile.
“It wasn’t like that in ‘Elver’. Did you think it was dirty back then, too?”
“...I told you clearly. That day, I was drunk and made a mistake. That is the memory I want to erase the most from my life. Last time was the same. It was dirty, disgusting, and disgusting.”
The blood immediately boils along the man's neck.
“Please stop. If you keep doing this, I think I’ll really, truly hate you. Don’t you get it? We’re in a relationship where we have to break off the engagement to be happy. We have to live freely in our own worlds.”
Emilia put her heart into every word. As if her evil feelings had been fully conveyed, the hand that had been holding her wrist suddenly loosened its grip.
Emilia, now free, straightened her body and put strength into her legs to keep herself from staggering. Her blurry vision gradually became clearer, and her breathing returned to normal.
The emotions that had been running high began to slowly subside, and the tension between them began to loosen.
“I beg you, seriously. Stop this crazy behavior. Before the last of my good feelings toward you disappear.”
Emilia put her trembling hands into her pocket and took out the ring.
“Take it. I can’t just take it just because it fits on my finger.”
Hardius did not even accept the ring, but stood motionless with his eyes dark as the abyss.
“I think differently from you, my lord. Since we have never had each other, it is easy to throw each other away.”
Emilia reached out and put the ring in his jacket pocket.
A darkness without even the cold engulfed him.
“...You still don’t know what I really want?”
“Yes, I don’t know... No, I know one thing. The young master wants a sow. One that you can have messily.”
“No, I want you in 'Elver'. The only moment in my life when I was close to happiness.”
The man laughed. It was a bitter laugh she never imagined she would see from Hardy Meyer.
“I have to get it back. If not, I have to force myself on it like a horny pig.”
Emilia's eyes, astonished, showed a determined yet cold-blooded expression.
It was completely different from the carriage. The extremely restrained, calculating gaze frightened Emilia.
“I’ll give you time. The deadline is a week, no more.”
“No, surely... there’s no way the young master would do something like that...”
“What’s the problem? We’re engaged.”
A wet voice rises like a snake and strangles my throat.
“Come to Sitmer’s cottage. It is a place prepared for you.”
“Are you crazy?! Do you think I would allow you to do something like that?”
“I don’t need permission. There are countless ways to break you. I know that from experience.”
***
Emilia, who ran back home, fell ill again that night.
Charlotte was the first to find her lying there in a cold sweat. Kalia realized it was because of the fever and quickly prepared a lukewarm towel.
“It’s okay, I’ll feel better after I wake up...”
“What are you talking about? I said your body feels like a ball of fire!”
Ignoring his sister's dissuasion, she went with Beppy to get the doctor.
She walked around the town and even the wealthy Dill Street without stopping, but shr failed to meet the doctor. Coincidentally, everyone else was either on a business trip or had gone to another place to make a royal appointment.
Eventually, they had no choice but to settle for obtaining fever-reducing medicine from a herbalist.
Fortunately, the medicine worked well. With the family's attentive nursing care, the fever that had been rising all night subsided the next day as if nothing had happened.
Emilia put down the towel that had disappeared from her forehead and struggled to get up from the bed.
Kalia, who was boiling oatmeal, was delighted to find her daughter like that.
“What about Charlotte?”
“I went to pick wild strawberries with Beppy. I ordered them because I thought they would taste bad if I put them off any longer. We went to the barn.”
"Ah...."
“How are you feeling?”
“It’s okay now. Mom, you should get some rest, too. You must have had a hard time because of me.”
Although Kalia felt relieved at her daughter's faint smile, she couldn't help but feel sorry for her dark circles under her eyes and her gaunt face.
“You should sleep a little more. When the kids come, it’ll be noisy and you won’t be able to sleep.”
“...Yes, I will do that.”
Kalia waited until Emilia fell asleep before leaving the room. After tidying up the living room, she was about to starch the fabric when suddenly, a dog barking was heard.
As she opened the door, an unexpected face was standing there with a broad smile.
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