Chapter 56

Chapter 56

Dressed up, Chloe cautiously left the room.

Through the window leading to the corridor, she could see the clear sky. Indeed, it was a clear sky that she hadn’t seen in a long time, so Chloe could feel her heart beating little by little. It was because she was expecting that her future would be clear, like the clear sky.

“….”

But soon, the hope disappeared.

She recognized the situation again… that she would die.

She would die anyway. She couldn’t live. In the midst of this, even if she had hope, it would be her who ended up pitiful. Therefore, she should no longer have hopes or imagine a pleasant future because she was going to die anyway.

As she thought so, Chloe slowly looked back the way she had come. She wanted to go back to her room.

She had come too far for that. Still, maybe she should go back.

Anyway, she…

“Chloe!”

As she was at a loss, she heard Eric’s voice. He grabbed her arm.

“You said you were coming, but you didn’t come, so I came to find you. Though what were you doing standing here?”

“Ah…”

Chloe regained her composure for a moment, then turned her body toward Eric.

“I was thinking.”

“Thinking?”

Eric opened his eyes lightly.

“Were you trying to go back to your room?”

She didn’t answer. It was an unspoken yes.

Eric sighed and grabbed Chloe’s arm.

“How long will you not come out of your room? Come on, let’s go. I’ve created something you’ll love. I also prepared snacks.”

Chloe responded by staring up at Eric. She didn’t know why he was acting like this or why he had declared that he loved her. Could this be because of his possessiveness? Or was it his sincerity? Should she go back, or should she take his hand and go…?

Chloe was in deep trouble.

“Chloe.”

At this time, he called her and she could see her figure in his gray eyes — Chloe, looking up at him with confused thoughts.

“Let’s go.”

Eric led her.

Since she did not return, Chloe had no choice but to hold his hand and move. Even so, she kept looking back because she wanted to go back. However, Eric was holding her hand, she couldn’t go back.

His hands were really big and hot. It was different from usual.

Tak.

Eric put the teacup in front of her and poured her tea with his own hands.

Chloe stared down at the steaming tea. As his kindness made her feel awkward, she just sat there, not knowing what to do.

Yes. Everything was awkward.

Eric’s mention of divorce again, him saying he loves her, and now living together like this… It was awkward and bizarre. It was definitely something she had hoped for, so why was her heart so uncomfortable?

Aah, this was probably because of the uneasiness that rose inside her.

She was expecting things again though there was an anxiety that her hope might crumble. However, she didn’t have the courage to say these words to Eric. It seemed that he would get angry again.

In the end, she shut her mouth as Eric, unaware of her feelings, sat across from her.

“Try some tea. I brought it in because it was said to be good for your health, but it tasted pretty good.”

Chloe nodded her head and took a sip of the tea. A bittersweet scent travels down her throat. Like she said, the taste wasn’t bad. Then, she opened her mouth cautiously, feeling the scent lingering in her mouth.

“You said you had something to show me.”

“Yes.”

Eric smiled and nodded his head. Soon, he got up and went to the back of the sofa.

Chloe took a sip of the tea, thinking once again of how kind he was today. Actually, Eric had never been angry and had always been kind lately, but since it had been a while since they met, it seemed more touching.

As she put the teacup down, he put something on the table.

“What is this?”

Chloe asked.

“It is a portable hearth.”

Eric answered.

“Doesn’t that sound good for people like you who are sensitive to the cold?”

Her eyes twinkled. She looked at him with disbelief.

“Did you make it… for me?”

Half right, half wrong.

When Chloe was in the North, he started to make it to keep her from getting too cold, but the reason why the development was successful in the end was because he recognized the marketability of this stove.

However, looking at her eyes, he should not tell the truth. Eric responded by nodding his chin.

“Yes.”

He responded, observing the overwhelming emotion that spread across Chloe’s face.

“I started developing it because I thought it might be useful to you. It is now perfect enough to be commercialized.”

Chloe clasped her hands tightly.

Cold sweat dripped from her palms and wet her gloves. She was nervous that much, and at the same time, she felt her heart pounding.

Eric did something for her! A machine she would cherish and love the most…!

She couldn’t believe it. Nonetheless, the hearth in front of her eyes was indisputable evidence of the pillar of her faith. Needless to say, she was deeply moved and could feel one side of her chest slightly warming.

“Thank you.”

She spoke in a short but sincere voice.

“Really. Thank you.”

Seeing Chloe like that, Eric felt a little bit of remorse. If this hearth had no commercial value, it would have been destroyed right away. But in any case, the hearth was made as a result, and she must have been moved by it.

He thought that this was it. Eric dismissed the remorse as something insignificant and moved on.

“Then, will you go to the opening ceremony tomorrow?”

Her eyes twinkled.

She took off her gloves and wiped her sweaty palms on her skirt, catching her breath.

“You…”

The next moment, Chloe slowly raised her head. She met Eric’s eyes.

“I don’t know why you are doing this to me.”

“I can’t find a reason for my feelings.”

He replied, expecting it.

“Does the voice of the heart, called emotion, necessarily have a causal relationship?”

That was right.

Emotions always have no cause, only consequences. The result of loving that person, the result of hating that person… The cause was not so important. Chloe also only had the result of loving Eric though she didn’t even know the reason why she came to love him.

Eric could be the same, too, she thought.

“You are not wrong.”

She laughed softly and clenched her chin.

“I see. I will go with you this time.”

<8i>…This time. She stressed these words.

“But after that, I don’t know.”

As Eric was silent for a moment, he smiled and nodded his head.

“This time is enough.”

An outing to show off to nobles since there was no better event than the opening ceremony. He smiled at Chloe again and raised the teacup.

It felt good.

Cough!

Chloe coughed up blood as soon as she returned to the room.

When she spat it out, dark red blood came out. She smiled bitterly and wiped her mouth with her handkerchief, but she coughed again right away. Cough! And again. Her heart felt like it would break.

Eventually, Chloe sat down and curled up her body as the cough broke out incessantly.

Her body was not good.

Let alone going out tomorrow, recuperation for a while was not going to be enough. However, Chloe endured this pain and agreed to go out because it was Eric’s request.

Yes… She dared not refuse his repeated requests. She felt that if she refused, she would hear derogatory words again.

She was afraid, she was scared. Chloe wondered if it was right to be so afraid of her husband, but when she thought of her mother, it seemed plausible, so she made a decision anyway in the unknown situation.

Enduring the pain, she agreed to accept his request.

Did Eric know about this situation?

No.

Surely he would not know. There was no way he would know.

Cough!

Chloe coughed blood again and ran her hand across the floor.

It felt like her throat was burning, and her mind was giddy.

Groaning, she approached the place where the medicine cabinet was. The medicine she received from the north had long since run out. However, she was able to survive to some extent with a fever reducer and stabilizers. Chloe chewed the pills without water and squeezed her eyes shut.

She had to hold it in.

Hold on…

She should never be caught sick by him until she got a divorce and separated from her husband. Chloe even thought she’d rather tell Eric everything and get a clean divorce. She said that if she revealed that she was terminally ill, he couldn’t help either, but she thought he’d give her a divorce.

However, there was only one reason that stopped her.

…It was because of her pride.

Chloe didn’t want anyone to find out that she was dying. She didn’t want to be found out about being sick or about to crumble and disappear. She wanted to keep it to herself, and she wanted to keep it her secret for all eternity.

This was due to her unwillingness to accept cheap sympathy, and this was partly due to the noble habit she still couldn’t abandon.

Whatever it was, she never intended to tell Eric anything about her being ill.

…Yes. So far.

As Chloe crawled back into bed, the medicine turned her mind numb. Beyond her blurry mind, the portable hearth that Eric showed her today came to mind.

That was really good.

She smiled and slowly closed her eyes.

When she woke up, the pain would get better… Then, she could go out with her husband.

That was what she thought.

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