CH 2

“…I really don’t understand your words,” Lari said as Cain remained seated, pulling her closer by the waist. He buried his face in her waist and stifled his sobs.

Unconsciously, Lari placed her hand on his head. Her delicate fingers gently brushed through his disheveled hair, which was as soft as black silk, entwining around her hand.

“…Ah.”

As their hands met, he felt the touch that had only existed in his dreams, with that, he let out a breath of ecstasy.

“I was wrong. So please, don’t pretend not to know me. Lariana,” Cain pleaded, lifting his head. His tear-streaked face, filled with longing, was heart-wrenching. She softly wiped away the tears that clung to his dark eyelashes.

“Duke, do you really know me?”

“…Lari?”

“I have lost my memory.”

Cain stood up with an expression that seemed as if he didn’t believe her. Now, it was Lariana’s turn to look up at him.

The trembling figure that was afraid of being abandoned a moment ago had vanished completely.

Cain’s expression was filled with joy and delight as he laughed, tears streaming down his face.

“I am your husband.”

For a moment, time seemed to stand still. Despite the noise and commotion beyond the terrace, Lariana couldn’t hear a sound. It felt as if there were only the two of them in the world.

“What did you say?”

“Lariana Heliosen. That’s your name. After marriage, you were called Lariana Delacroix.”

She had never expected to have a title as grand as that, but now she possessed a name and status that exceeded her wildest dreams.

Overwhelmed by emotions, Lariana bit her lower lip and tightly clenched the hem of her maid’s apron to suppress the explosive feelings welling up within her.

“Lari, we are a couple.”

“Why? Why did you come to find me now?”

For the first time since meeting Cain, tears kept welling up in her eyes. Before the tears could fall, Cain reached out his hand to wipe them away. However, just before his hand could touch her, she turned her head and looked away.

His hand dropped abruptly.

“I’m sorry. It’s my fault. I searched all of Martessen thoroughly. I even searched Davask. But I never thought you would be in Serren. It’s all my fault.”

Lariana forcefully pushed him away as he approached. He, a sturdy man, was effortlessly pushed back.

She couldn’t believe the story about her being a duchess. It was clear that the duke was trying to deceive her with false flattery.

Unable to bear it any longer, Lariana turned her body away from him. He urgently grabbed her wrist as she tried to leave.

“Your Excellency, please let go of me!”

“I made a mistake… Please don’t go.”

“Ah…”

He held her wrist tightly as if he would never let go again. When Lariana groaned in pain from the grip, he was startled, didn’t know what to do, and finally released her hand.

“Lari? Are you there?l

“Lady Sorelle?”

“Lari, is that you?”

A gentle voice of a young girl echoed through the terrace. Startled, Lariana pushed Cain toward the opposite door.

“Yes, it’s me. Your Excellency, please leave this place and avoid further trouble.”

“I refuse.”

Cain stood his ground, unmoving. Contrary to his cold demeanor, he acted stubbornly, like a child throwing a tantrum.

How could he resemble that boy so much? Amidst the confrontation, she almost forgot the situation and had to suppress the laughter that was about to burst out.

At that moment, Sorelle, the young lady and the daughter of the Duke, appeared nervously.

Sorelle, who appeared with a bright smile, furrowed her brows at the scene before her.

“Are you okay? Did you get hurt?”

“I’m fine.”

“That jerk was bothering you, wasn’t he?”

“Oh no, lady! You shouldn’t use bad language.”

Concerned about whether Lariana was injured somewhere, Sorelle carefully examined her, unable to take her eyes off the reddened wrist.

“You’re hurt.”

“I’m fine, lady.”

Sorel made Lariana, who was at least two heads taller than her, stand behind her and glared at Cain.

He smirked and slightly bent his knees to meet Sorelle’s gaze. This absurd staring contest unexpectedly lasted for a long time.

“Lady.”

Lari gently placed her hand on Sorelle’s shoulder.

“Ah! I almost won!”

Startled, Sorelle blinked her eyes and stomped her feet while pouting.

“Your Excellency, please stop as well.”

“Oh? Ah, I heard from my mother that a Duke is coming to Martessen.”

“So, you’re Lady Isis? Quite ill-mannered, I must say.”

“And what about the Duke’s behavior towards someone else’s servant?”

“Lari is not a servant. I can never accept you calling Lari a servant.”

Cain forcefully held back his anger, audibly exhaling. The suppressed intensity seeped from his body.

Even the bold Sorelle shrank under his imposing presence. The young girl trembled but mustered all her strength to protect her precious servant and glared at the opponent in front of her.

“Sir, the young lady is just ten years old. What will happen if you intimidate her like this?”

“I’m just…”

Overwhelmed by Lariana’s reproach, Cain struggled to find words, looking perplexed.

“They are my benefactors.”

Taken aback by Cain’s actions, Lariana shielded Sorelle behind her. Then, Sorelle, who quickly regained her composure, stuck her tongue out and mocked Cain.

“Oh right! Lari, Kalix woke up. That’s why I came down personally.”

“Kalix woke up? I’m sure I burned some sleeping incense and came down…”

“Do you know how much the poor Kalix cried? I couldn’t calm him down at all. Let’s go to Kalix quickly.”

Sorelle’s words made Lari’s face pale.

Kalix was undoubtedly a male name. Immediately, anxiety and unease painted Cain’s face.

“Lari, who is Kalix?”

“….”

In response to his question, Lari tightly sealed her lips. She chewed on her lower lip, seemingly troubled. Words didn’t come out easily, as if a thorn had lodged in her throat.

“He’s Lari’s son. So, please don’t act so vulgarly towards a married woman,” Sorelle replied on behalf of Lari, who hesitated to speak with a bewildered expression.

As Lari followed Sorelle, she turned around to look back. In that very spot, Cain stood in shock and dismay, his body drained of strength.

“…Are you married?”

Struggling to ask, Cain slumped onto a nearby bench, seemingly losing all his energy, and didn’t pursue her any further.

Seeing him despair, Lari’s heart also ached. As if reading the expression of her distressed servant, Sorelle whispered, “I heard that Duke Delacroix divorced his wife. He might want you as his mistress. So, you have to run away from this place quickly. I’ll have a carriage ready behind the mansion. Just bring Kalix and come down with you.”

Divorce… If they were a married couple, he could refer to her as his wife, but they divorced, that means they weren’t a couple anymore. What on earth happened? The more Lariana learned about Cain, the deeper her doubts grew.

For now, she needed to get out of Cain’s sight as Sorelle advised, organize her tangled thoughts, and assess the situation.

If she didn’t escape, the young lady might have to stall longer for her. The young lady was a noble, and as a servant, she couldn’t burden her lady. So it was natural she needed to go soon.

Lariana swiftly climbed up to the attic of the Duke’s Isis mansion. Inside the cluttered room with a single wardrobe and bed, her son was sleeping, exhausted from crying. Seeing the tear-stained face of the child, her heart ached.

“Mom…? Mommy? Mommy’s here? I’m scared.”

“My sweet baby, I’m so sorry for leaving you alone.”

“I’m sleepy…”

“Alright. Mommy will hold you, so let’s go to sleep.”

“Mm.”

Lariana picked up her stubborn son, Kalix, and gently rocked him. After a while, careful not to disturb the sleeping child and cause a commotion, she cautiously descended to the first floor.

The ballroom seemed to be tidied up, but the banquet hall was still bustling with the party. The intoxicated revelers, lost in their pleasure, showed no interest in the maid carrying a child.

Behind the mansion, there was the carriage of the Duke Isis’.

Can she trust the words of the young lady who suggested to escape now?

At that moment, as she hesitated in front of the carriage door…

“Hurry and get in.”

Sorelle, accompanied by the coachman, walked to her, opening the door to the carriage. Lariana, along with Kalix, boarded first, and Sorelle closed the carriage door firmly behind them.

As Sorelle lightly tapped the carriage wall, the horse began to swiftly gallop away.

───── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ─────

The hostess of the ball, the Duchess Isis, was forced to give a smile, so her face twitched uncontrollably.

The esteemed Duke of the Empire, who was invited as an honored guest, stood motionless like a statue, not uttering a single word.

Amidst the lively party, this seemed like some new form of torture, but she concealed her true feelings and patiently waited for Cain, who sat on the opposite sofa, to speak first.

“I saw my wife.”

“What?”

Who does he refer to? The wife he abandoned?

The duchess barely suppressed the urge to snort.

Cain Delacroix’s marriage was well-known. He married the beloved daughter of Count Heliosen, Lariana Heliosen, who was only twenty years old.

Lariana Heliosen was the daughter of a prominent, influential family and with her unique beauty and innocent charm, she captivated the social circles, earning the nickname ‘Martessen’s Songbird’ even captivated Prince Lejandro.

Prince Lejandro was on his way to becoming an emperor, so it was widely believed that she would become the future empress of Martessen. However, her choice was not Lejandro, but Duke Delacroix.

What was even more astonishing was that Duke Delacroix took his long-time friend’s lover and married her. Then, he neglected his own wife without treating her well.

Their married life was known to be so miserable that it spread beyond Martessen and reached the social circles of the Serren Kingdom.

After a short three-year marriage, Duke Delacroix and his wife divorced by mutual agreement. However, rumors spread that the Duchess of Delacroix had been unilaterally cast aside.

What was even more bizarre was that shortly after the divorce, the former Lady Heliosen, who was now the Duchess Delacroix, went missing.

Some whispered speculations. They wondered if Lady Heliosen wasn’t in this world any longer, or perhaps the Duke, who had despised his wife so much, had killed her.