Chapter 54

Chapter 54

Eric thought carefully when he first saw her. It was the academy entrance ceremony… Yes. How was it? Since this was also an old memory, there were some vague parts. Nevertheless, one sense was clear…

“It was terrible.”

Eric groaned and clenched his teeth.

“It was terrible, to the point where I don’t want to look back.”

At that time, he was just starting to make a name for himself as an inventor.

The inventions he made were groundbreaking and great enough to advance the times, but people did not want to buy items made by the hands of the poor.

So, Eric was forced to enter the academy. It was a decision that he chose to accept even the title of Viscount. That was why he wanted to rise to a higher position and, at the same time, despised those in high positions.

It was not only because of his life where he was persecuted by the nobles in the past. He hated the hypocrisy of the nobles, he was fed up with pretense, and he hated the world that didn’t recognize him.

At that time, he met Chloe.

She had a noble appearance that could be called a role model. Like a dashing peacock, her eyes, every gesture, everything was elegant and beautiful.

However, what about him?

He was just a clumsy man who had just lost — was about to lose — his vulgar commoner appearance. At that moment, Eric realized that no matter how hard he tried, he would become a lowly being who would have to kneel under that noble nobility.

Oh, what was the great status that makes him so helpless? Eric hated this world. Yes. So he didn’t like Chloe. He hated that woman who was so upright, as if she was representing the noble society.

Really, he doesn’t want to see her again…

Still, his gaze was always on her. As Daniel said, he could find Chloe in the midst of the many people, and the moment his eyes met her, he felt as though her world was getting brighter.

Upon graduating from the academy, Eric was very happy to be freed from the filthy noble but also regretted not seeing Chloe anymore.

What were his feelings at that time?

Was it love?

…No, no.

Eric shook his head.

The feelings he had for Chloe were just a mixture of admiration and jealousy, but not a grand feeling like love.

He could be sure. Even this moment—even this moment, when he was on the verge of separating with her and being completely alienated from her—he didn’t love Chloe because he couldn’t be completely sure that he loved her.

Right…

The hurt he received when Chloe said she didn’t love him anymore… It was born out of a sense of betrayal. Feeling betrayed by Chloe, who had nailed the ‘I love you’ chant for all five years, to change her mind so easily…

Eric couldn’t forgive her.

However, that didn’t mean he wanted to divorce her, and that was not the case. As mentioned, he did not want to be a toy for the nobles, and furthermore, he wanted to press their noses down… To curry favor with Chloe, it was necessary to force her to withdraw her decision to divorce.

What would be good for that?

He was determined to throw away his ideas of clichéd love games and made realistic judgments.

“Yes. That would be nice.”

Eric mumbled and beckoned to Daniel.

“Bring a quill.”

Daniel tilted his head.

“Not the typewriter?”

“Yes. The noble Duchess doesn’t like letters written on such a lowly object as a typewriter.”

“Yes? Are you going to write a letter to the Duchess?”

Daniel said, terrified. Sure enough, he knew that the Duchess and Chloe’s relationship was terribly bad! In addition, Eric must know that, but he wanted to write a letter to the Duchess? Daniel couldn’t understand him at all.

“Her Excellency will hate you.”

“No.”

Nonetheless, Eric firmly shook his head.

“She will love it this time.”

He replied as he gripped the quill that Daniel had brought him.

“Because Chloe will do whatever she wants.”

A few days later, Chloe greeted the morning with a little bit of refreshment.

As she expected, after a few days of pain, she felt much better. She didn’t think she had to push through the snow and go back to the North to see a doctor. Still, her desire to return to her North was rising because of the conversation she had with Eric a few days ago.

“I’m trying to do what you call love.”

“It means that I will try my best to love you even now.”

Oh, how unbelievable was that?

Chloe pondered for days and days about Eric’s words, the reason why he said these things, but in the end, she couldn’t come up with an answer.

The only thing she could guess was that there must be some kind of change of heart in him. Regardless, there was no way for her to know what the cause of the change was, so her frustration remained the same.

Andrea said he had been visited by Count Theo Jassen a few days ago. Did he learn something from a conversation with his close friend? So, that was why he said that to her?

However, based on Eric’s honest disposition, she was sure he wasn’t the one who fell for someone else’s fanning.

There must be other reasons. Another reason…

But, did the reason matter?

She had already declared that she would not accept his love anyway. Chloe refused Eric. She had no choice but to refuse. She didn’t believe him, and she was living a time-limited life, unable to accept his heart, even if she believed him in the slightest.

Chloe remembered clearly the expression on Eric’s face when she rejected him, the empty and sullen face. She was worried the whole time because it was the first time she had ever seen such hot emotion engraved on his face, which used to be as cold as a machine.

Still, there was no way to do anything because she couldn’t and wouldn’t accept him.

“Madam, are you awake?”

Andrea came in with the wash water and interrupted the flow of her thoughts. Chloe welcomed her, now fully accustomed to her.

“Oh, come to think of it, there were several letters addressed to Madam. I snatched it before it went to the Master! I did well, right?”

Andrea said with a sarcastic smile. Chloe received the letter while praising her for a job well done.

All mail coming into the mansion was managed by Eric, so she used to receive invitations from the ladies through him.

Chloe always wanted to enjoy social gatherings after a long absence, but she always knew how much money she spent at those meetings, so she would always turn down invitations because of Eric. Nevertheless, she could go without Eric’s permission when the invitation didn’t come through him.

Because of that, she praised Andrea over and over again, and she looked at the letter addressed to her.

However…

“…Mother?”

Chloe was surprised. It was because it was none other than her mother, the Duchess!

Her mother was not the usual sender of letters. She was the kind of woman who, if she had something to say, she preferred to come herself. Wasn’t that how she came the last time? But, a letter…?

Chloe felt her heart beating fast and opened the envelope.

The contents were as follows.

[ “You impudent b*tch.” ]

Chloe was instantly dazzled by the intense anger felt from the first sentence and closed her eyes tightly. What was going on? Why was she trying to torment her again?

She bit her lips and read the following:

[ “I don’t know how you persuaded your husband, but I can tell you about this one thing. I will curse you for the rest of my life!

How can you end the support at your own discretion?

This time, Joseph seems to be getting all right, but he’s so depressed he doesn’t even come out of the room! Ah! Everything is messed up because of you! It’s all because of you…!

If you don’t appeal for support to the Marquis again, your relationship with me ends here! I will never see you again!” ]

She was stunned.

What did this mean? It wasn’t until she re-read the letter over and over again that she could understand what it meant; Eric had cut off his support to the Duchy! He didn’t listen to her even if she asked him, so why all of a sudden?

Could it be that there was a problem with his finances? So, he had to cut off support? Was the move financially burdening?

Chloe knew she was being rude, but she couldn’t stop thinking about it.

“I have to go.”

Eventually, she straightened her back and muttered.

“Andrea. Get ready. I have to go see my husband.”

Andrea said she would be happy to do so, and shortly Chloe arrived at Eric’s lab.

Whoa.

Then, she took a deep breath in her.

It had been a long time since she had visited Eric in person. It was because they ran into each other or Eric came to visit. Chloe could feel her heart beating fast. It was because she was afraid she would fight him again…

‘Please, don’t fight this time!’

Chloe put her hands together and prayed.

__