And so, Stella walked past Kendrick. Feeling as if tears might fall for no reason, she tried even harder to regain her composure. Even so, she looked around. She felt relieved to see no one wandering nearby, perhaps because it was a secluded area and everyone was working.
"Why are you holding me back?"
So when her wrist was grabbed again, Stella was startled.
"Believe me."
Kendrick's voice was serious.
'Of course, I believed you.'
Stella knew that Kendrick was not the kind of man to kill someone. What frustrated her was that the Lady of Decrit wouldn't properly explain why she was saying such things.
'Even when I ask, you just change the subject. What am I supposed to do?'
It was too big a deal to just foolishly pretend she knew nothing and let it slide. Her instincts told her that she needed to stay away from Kendrick first. Because if even a few seconds passed here, she felt like she would burst into tears right in front of him.
'Ha.'
When Stella did not answer, he conveyed his intention once more.
"Please wait until I am ready to speak."
"Let go. My arm hurts."
Her body ached all over because he grabbed her arm and shoulder so tightly.
"You went to see Lady Decrit because you had something to tell her, didn't you? You two were sharing something when I wasn't around before, weren't you? Go and finish talking."
After shaking off Kendrick's arm one more time, he didn't grab her a second time. He probably did it out of guilt. Stella quickened her pace and walked away from him.
'Should I go find Skyle?'
Actually, having a meeting with Skyle was just an excuse to distance myself from Kendrick.
'No. You'll just worry for no reason.'
Stella walked wherever her feet took her.
'Sigh, I left my handkerchief behind, too.'
Stella could feel her eyes welling up without even looking in a mirror. She saw a large tree and a small bench next to it. Stella went and sat there. She didn't have a handkerchief, so she couldn't wipe away the tears welling up. She intended to wait, gazing at the tree, until her tears dried. However, the memories of what had happened with Kendrick kept coming back, causing her to cry. She was barely holding back her tears, knowing that rubbing them with her hands would only make the corners of her eyes redder.
"Lady Stella?"
A voice calling Stella was heard from behind. Stella flinched in surprise, but she couldn't turn around.
"Why on earth are you here...?"
Then the owner of the voice approached Stella.
"Lord Geron. Uh, the tree here is big and beautiful, so I was just looking at it for a moment."
Anton Geron gave orders to the knights who were far away.
"I have something to attend to in a moment, so you all go ahead."
"Yes, I understand."
Anton Geron carefully sat at the opposite end of the bench where Stella was sitting.
"Were you crying?"
"No."
Stella didn't want Anton Geron to see her crying. They weren't exactly comfortable with each other. She was about to get up, thinking she would just go find Skyle, when Geron stopped her.
"If it is because of me, please do not get up. I will be there soon. I won't take up your time, Lady Stella."
And he took a handkerchief out of his pocket and handed it over.
"Here you go."
"... Thank you."
Stella hesitated for a moment, wondering if she should wipe her tears in front of him, then pressed a handkerchief firmly against her eyes.
"I heard that the culprit who spread rumors about Stella requested a meeting. Did you come to meet that person?"
"Yeah. That's right."
"Did he cause any harm?"
"That is not the case."
The reason for Stella's tears was not due to Decrit's usual retaliation. Although she couldn't pinpoint the exact reason, the situation itself weighed heavily on her. In particular, Kendrick's angry face ignited her tear ducts. Stella sat silently, saying nothing. Anton Geron hesitated, acting as if he were going somewhere else but unable to leave.
"I liked you."
Stella turned her head and looked at Anton Geron.
"I liked you even though I knew there was no way you could be my woman."
Stella lowered her head again to avoid his gaze. She did not want to receive another confession in a situation like this. Moreover, he had confessed when she was at her lowest point.
"After hearing your answer, I tried to give up, but I just couldn't."
"Lord Geron, I'm sorry. I don't have the luxury to listen to anyone right now..."
"Even back then, you didn't listen attentively to my confession."
Anton Geron seemed to be recalling the time he had confessed to Stella a few years ago. Stella recalled her own situation at the time. Burdened by an inferiority complex toward Skyle, she had said things that would have hurt Anton Geron, who was in a similar situation, quite a bit.
"I don't mean to burden you, Lady Stella. I'm just letting you know that I've come to terms with it."
However, she stopped moving at his words that he had made up his mind. It was because she felt it would be rude to him. Stella just blinked her big eyes.
"You asked how I know so much about Lady Decrit, didn't you?"
Stella quietly nodded.
"It started with Lady Stella."
Her eyes wavered. Anton Geron gazed at the endless sky.
"At some point, I started hearing strange rumors about Stella."
He vividly remembered the first time he met Stella.
Anton Geron first saw Stella when he went to meet Skyle.
'Wow, she's really cute.'
Stella's face, which he had glimpsed in Skyle's room, was beautiful enough to appear in his dreams. He was so deeply infatuated that he even told Skyle he wanted to marry Stella. At first, it was curiosity. Then came a sense of kinship. After all, she was a girl who, just like him, was hidden behind Skyle and unable to see the light.
'That kid has the same eyes as me.'
Anton had high expectations from a family famous for swordsmanship, but he ended up losing to Skyle.
"Even Anton Geron is no match for Skyle."
"Skyle is definitely a genius."
Whenever Geron looked at Skyle, he felt both anger and despair at the same time. He also noticed that Stella’s eyes held that same despair. Especially when he heard about her cheating incident, he felt deep within his heart the loneliness and inferiority complex Stella had been feeling all this time.
'It looks like Stella is having a hard time, being overshadowed like me.'
That is why he liked her. It felt like they could understand each other well.
"I'm saying I don't want to get close to someone who lives in the shadows like you."
However, Stella rejected him. She cast Anton Geron aside as if she didn't even want to associate with him. He could sense that Stella was looking at him with contempt.
'I can't stand it.'
Whether it was Skyle or Stella, these siblings tormented him greatly. Skyle chose the path of a researcher rather than a knight, and thanks to that, Anton Geron was able to take the position of Commander of the Imperial Knights. Anton Geron heard a strange rumor while patrolling the back alleys.
"By the way, about the woman I saw on stage last night... doesn't she look a little like Lady Stella?"
"Ah. The one who became Mrs. Adrian this time?"
"That's right. Her figure was incredible, too."
"Oh, come on, she didn't look like the type to do that."
Anton clenched his fists as the knights spread sinister rumors about Stella. On top of that, he heard shocking news.
"No. They say it's true. They say when she took off her mask in the waiting room, her face looked exactly like Lady Stella's."
Anton Geron investigated this rumor. Here, rumors spread quickly, but it is difficult to trace their source. This is because nobles would try to conceal the fact that they had visited entertainment establishments, so it was rare for them to accurately convey the circumstances under which they heard the rumor.
Before Anton Geron could even find the source of the rumor, other rumors successively overwhelmed it.
"I heard Lady Stella took children through the guild. I heard she likes that kind of thing."
"She looks so noble, yet she has such nasty tastes."
Not only does she stand on a vulgar stage, but Stella also takes children and enjoys herself in debauchery.
"I heard someone saw her buying drugs directly?"
Rumors about drugs even spread. Unless someone was maliciously provoking Stella, it was strange that the rumors wouldn't stop to this extent.
Anton visited entertainment establishments where such rumors were likely to circulate several times. However, catching the culprit was not easy. The person spreading the rumors was cunning.
"Fabian assigned someone to Anton Geron."
"To me? Why?"
Anton Geron found out only later that he was being suspected of spreading strange rumors about Stella. Strictly refusing to admit his innocence, he continued his investigation. Decrit was cunning. Every time Anton Geron went to a bar, Decrit spread a rumor about Stella, naturally making him appear like the culprit. In any case, Anton Geron continued his investigation and eventually caught the culprit.
'To think a famous bar owner was ordering this.'
Anton Geron followed her.
'Why on earth? Under whose orders?'
She even had many names. At times, she lived as a doctor, and at night, she lived as a madam named Srira. She was also the owner of a famous boutique these days. She had at least three identities.
'Seeing how well-established it has become, it must have taken a long time to prepare.'
She was practically someone determined to torment Stella. Despite his weighty duty as the Commander of the Imperial Knights, he did not turn a blind eye to this matter. However, Anton Geron felt uneasy about investigating it. It felt like he was proving to himself that he could not let go of his lingering feelings for Stella, who was already a married woman.
That was the reason.
The reason the rumor could not be corrected quickly is that
However, Anton Geron had a plausible justification. He felt at ease thinking that the woman harboring a grudge against Stella was committing the blatant crime of identity forgery, and that he was digging into the matter for that very reason.
'I am only looking into that woman because it is my job.'
Anton Geron spurred his pursuit of Decrit. Then, he ended up witnessing a strange scene.
'Why is Duke Kendrick here?'
He was Stella's husband. No less than Stella's husband. The very person who was tormenting Stella was meeting with her husband.
'Surely not, did Kendrick instigate the spread of rumors about Stella?'
Anton Geron's heart sank. However, he could not step forward rashly.
'It's again today.'
Their meetings were not just a one- or two-day affair. If they had met formally at the Duke's estate, they would not have even caught Anton Geron's eye. They met secretly in front of the hospital or in dark alleys.
'Should I give this to Stella?'
Anton Geron wanted her to be happy.
So he told Stella about this, and he stepped into her life once again.
"Why are you holding me back?"
So when her wrist was grabbed again, Stella was startled.
"Believe me."
Kendrick's voice was serious.
'Of course, I believed you.'
Stella knew that Kendrick was not the kind of man to kill someone. What frustrated her was that the Lady of Decrit wouldn't properly explain why she was saying such things.
'Even when I ask, you just change the subject. What am I supposed to do?'
It was too big a deal to just foolishly pretend she knew nothing and let it slide. Her instincts told her that she needed to stay away from Kendrick first. Because if even a few seconds passed here, she felt like she would burst into tears right in front of him.
'Ha.'
When Stella did not answer, he conveyed his intention once more.
"Please wait until I am ready to speak."
"Let go. My arm hurts."
Her body ached all over because he grabbed her arm and shoulder so tightly.
"You went to see Lady Decrit because you had something to tell her, didn't you? You two were sharing something when I wasn't around before, weren't you? Go and finish talking."
After shaking off Kendrick's arm one more time, he didn't grab her a second time. He probably did it out of guilt. Stella quickened her pace and walked away from him.
'Should I go find Skyle?'
Actually, having a meeting with Skyle was just an excuse to distance myself from Kendrick.
'No. You'll just worry for no reason.'
Stella walked wherever her feet took her.
'Sigh, I left my handkerchief behind, too.'
Stella could feel her eyes welling up without even looking in a mirror. She saw a large tree and a small bench next to it. Stella went and sat there. She didn't have a handkerchief, so she couldn't wipe away the tears welling up. She intended to wait, gazing at the tree, until her tears dried. However, the memories of what had happened with Kendrick kept coming back, causing her to cry. She was barely holding back her tears, knowing that rubbing them with her hands would only make the corners of her eyes redder.
"Lady Stella?"
A voice calling Stella was heard from behind. Stella flinched in surprise, but she couldn't turn around.
"Why on earth are you here...?"
Then the owner of the voice approached Stella.
"Lord Geron. Uh, the tree here is big and beautiful, so I was just looking at it for a moment."
Anton Geron gave orders to the knights who were far away.
"I have something to attend to in a moment, so you all go ahead."
"Yes, I understand."
Anton Geron carefully sat at the opposite end of the bench where Stella was sitting.
"Were you crying?"
"No."
Stella didn't want Anton Geron to see her crying. They weren't exactly comfortable with each other. She was about to get up, thinking she would just go find Skyle, when Geron stopped her.
"If it is because of me, please do not get up. I will be there soon. I won't take up your time, Lady Stella."
And he took a handkerchief out of his pocket and handed it over.
"Here you go."
"... Thank you."
Stella hesitated for a moment, wondering if she should wipe her tears in front of him, then pressed a handkerchief firmly against her eyes.
"I heard that the culprit who spread rumors about Stella requested a meeting. Did you come to meet that person?"
"Yeah. That's right."
"Did he cause any harm?"
"That is not the case."
The reason for Stella's tears was not due to Decrit's usual retaliation. Although she couldn't pinpoint the exact reason, the situation itself weighed heavily on her. In particular, Kendrick's angry face ignited her tear ducts. Stella sat silently, saying nothing. Anton Geron hesitated, acting as if he were going somewhere else but unable to leave.
"I liked you."
Stella turned her head and looked at Anton Geron.
"I liked you even though I knew there was no way you could be my woman."
Stella lowered her head again to avoid his gaze. She did not want to receive another confession in a situation like this. Moreover, he had confessed when she was at her lowest point.
"After hearing your answer, I tried to give up, but I just couldn't."
"Lord Geron, I'm sorry. I don't have the luxury to listen to anyone right now..."
"Even back then, you didn't listen attentively to my confession."
Anton Geron seemed to be recalling the time he had confessed to Stella a few years ago. Stella recalled her own situation at the time. Burdened by an inferiority complex toward Skyle, she had said things that would have hurt Anton Geron, who was in a similar situation, quite a bit.
"I don't mean to burden you, Lady Stella. I'm just letting you know that I've come to terms with it."
However, she stopped moving at his words that he had made up his mind. It was because she felt it would be rude to him. Stella just blinked her big eyes.
"You asked how I know so much about Lady Decrit, didn't you?"
Stella quietly nodded.
"It started with Lady Stella."
Her eyes wavered. Anton Geron gazed at the endless sky.
"At some point, I started hearing strange rumors about Stella."
He vividly remembered the first time he met Stella.
***
Anton Geron first saw Stella when he went to meet Skyle.
'Wow, she's really cute.'
Stella's face, which he had glimpsed in Skyle's room, was beautiful enough to appear in his dreams. He was so deeply infatuated that he even told Skyle he wanted to marry Stella. At first, it was curiosity. Then came a sense of kinship. After all, she was a girl who, just like him, was hidden behind Skyle and unable to see the light.
'That kid has the same eyes as me.'
Anton had high expectations from a family famous for swordsmanship, but he ended up losing to Skyle.
"Even Anton Geron is no match for Skyle."
"Skyle is definitely a genius."
Whenever Geron looked at Skyle, he felt both anger and despair at the same time. He also noticed that Stella’s eyes held that same despair. Especially when he heard about her cheating incident, he felt deep within his heart the loneliness and inferiority complex Stella had been feeling all this time.
'It looks like Stella is having a hard time, being overshadowed like me.'
That is why he liked her. It felt like they could understand each other well.
"I'm saying I don't want to get close to someone who lives in the shadows like you."
However, Stella rejected him. She cast Anton Geron aside as if she didn't even want to associate with him. He could sense that Stella was looking at him with contempt.
'I can't stand it.'
Whether it was Skyle or Stella, these siblings tormented him greatly. Skyle chose the path of a researcher rather than a knight, and thanks to that, Anton Geron was able to take the position of Commander of the Imperial Knights. Anton Geron heard a strange rumor while patrolling the back alleys.
"By the way, about the woman I saw on stage last night... doesn't she look a little like Lady Stella?"
"Ah. The one who became Mrs. Adrian this time?"
"That's right. Her figure was incredible, too."
"Oh, come on, she didn't look like the type to do that."
Anton clenched his fists as the knights spread sinister rumors about Stella. On top of that, he heard shocking news.
"No. They say it's true. They say when she took off her mask in the waiting room, her face looked exactly like Lady Stella's."
Anton Geron investigated this rumor. Here, rumors spread quickly, but it is difficult to trace their source. This is because nobles would try to conceal the fact that they had visited entertainment establishments, so it was rare for them to accurately convey the circumstances under which they heard the rumor.
Before Anton Geron could even find the source of the rumor, other rumors successively overwhelmed it.
"I heard Lady Stella took children through the guild. I heard she likes that kind of thing."
"She looks so noble, yet she has such nasty tastes."
Not only does she stand on a vulgar stage, but Stella also takes children and enjoys herself in debauchery.
"I heard someone saw her buying drugs directly?"
Rumors about drugs even spread. Unless someone was maliciously provoking Stella, it was strange that the rumors wouldn't stop to this extent.
Anton visited entertainment establishments where such rumors were likely to circulate several times. However, catching the culprit was not easy. The person spreading the rumors was cunning.
"Fabian assigned someone to Anton Geron."
"To me? Why?"
Anton Geron found out only later that he was being suspected of spreading strange rumors about Stella. Strictly refusing to admit his innocence, he continued his investigation. Decrit was cunning. Every time Anton Geron went to a bar, Decrit spread a rumor about Stella, naturally making him appear like the culprit. In any case, Anton Geron continued his investigation and eventually caught the culprit.
'To think a famous bar owner was ordering this.'
Anton Geron followed her.
'Why on earth? Under whose orders?'
She even had many names. At times, she lived as a doctor, and at night, she lived as a madam named Srira. She was also the owner of a famous boutique these days. She had at least three identities.
'Seeing how well-established it has become, it must have taken a long time to prepare.'
She was practically someone determined to torment Stella. Despite his weighty duty as the Commander of the Imperial Knights, he did not turn a blind eye to this matter. However, Anton Geron felt uneasy about investigating it. It felt like he was proving to himself that he could not let go of his lingering feelings for Stella, who was already a married woman.
That was the reason.
The reason the rumor could not be corrected quickly is that
However, Anton Geron had a plausible justification. He felt at ease thinking that the woman harboring a grudge against Stella was committing the blatant crime of identity forgery, and that he was digging into the matter for that very reason.
'I am only looking into that woman because it is my job.'
Anton Geron spurred his pursuit of Decrit. Then, he ended up witnessing a strange scene.
'Why is Duke Kendrick here?'
He was Stella's husband. No less than Stella's husband. The very person who was tormenting Stella was meeting with her husband.
'Surely not, did Kendrick instigate the spread of rumors about Stella?'
Anton Geron's heart sank. However, he could not step forward rashly.
'It's again today.'
Their meetings were not just a one- or two-day affair. If they had met formally at the Duke's estate, they would not have even caught Anton Geron's eye. They met secretly in front of the hospital or in dark alleys.
'Should I give this to Stella?'
Anton Geron wanted her to be happy.
So he told Stella about this, and he stepped into her life once again.
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