CH 40

By: Ms MTLer June 18, 2022

Novels, PDM

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As I went down the second floor, the employees waited with their heads bowed. Then, when the butler who took Takan’s place waved his hand, everyone looked up.

As I looked around them then straight ahead, I spotted Kyle staring at me from the entrance of the mansion. He approached me, his hair dyed light by the sunlight.

“Aelle,” he gently extended his hand. 

I stared at his hand but didn’t take it. This was the moment I longed for during the two years I loved him–him waiting for me, calling out my name, and reaching out for me.

Was it because I finally knew how he felt or because my feelings disappeared without a trace? I had no feelings or thoughts. Oh, there were times like that. I was able to calmy recall memories. 

I took his hand and walked through the entrance. When we reached the threshold, I squinted at the sun’s harsh glare and shaded my eyes with my hand. I had been inside the mansion the whole time, so I was no longer used to the sunlight.

“Madam.” Laura hurriedly approached me, a parasol in her hand.

“It’s fine,” I said, stopping her from opening it. I could feel his gaze on me, but I lowered my hands and kept my eyes on the waiting carriage in front of the mansion.

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As I looked away and went down the mansion stairs, I heard a ringing in my ear. Suddenly, my vision blurred, and my whole body trembled.

“Ah…!”

My feet slipped, and my vision further blurred. As the strength in my legs left, and I screamed, Kyle gripped my waist and held me in his arms.

“Are you alright?”

It wasn’t until my vision cleared that I realized that Kyle was holding me in his arms. 

I sighed and pressed my hands against his chest to pull away. I could feel his muscles twitch across the fabric. 

“Let me go.” We were close enough that I could hear his breathing. 

“Stay still.”

I could see the reflection of my crumpled face in his eyes. 

“Do you want me to let you go?”

“Let’s just go.”

“How can we go like this?” 

It was like holding hands in a ballroom and dancing. He tilted his head and loosened his hold on me. His arm was still around my waist. 

I burst into laughter and stared up the stairs to see Laura and the employees turn away as if they’re pretending they didn’t see anything. I turned to the other side and saw the knights waiting by the carriage coughing awkwardly.

“Let go of me. Everyone’s watching.”

“Who’s watching?”

I bit my lip and tried to wiggle out of his grip, but he tightened his hold on me instead.

“Right now–”

“I’m going to hug you, or I’m going to carry you on my shoulder.”

I blinked up at him.

“Choose.”

“…”

“I’m fine either way.”

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As always, I had no choice in the matter. I glared at him and looked away without giving him an answer. I quickened my steps to make sure not to touch him.

“You don’t seem to want to touch me.”

“…”

“But on the first night, you were so aggressive.”

“What…” I was struck speechless. I turned to Kyle in disbelief.

He raised one eyebrow briefly, as if asking if he had said something wrong. 

It was only after he broke my heart that I found out he was a person who could say shameful things easily.

“Yes, I suppose I could have done thar with someone else that day.”

His eyes widened, his expression wounded, and he closed his mouth.

I frowned and looked away, not wanting to have a meaningless conversation with him. The coach opened the carriage door in time, and I stepped inside.

As I gathered the hem of my dress to get into the carriage, a gloved hand suddenly appeared in my sight. 

“I’ll hold you.” He reached out and nodded. 

Even though I knew what he meant, I turned my head as if I hadn’t heard him. As I stepped on the foothold, I suddenly felt a strong force envelop my waist.

“Ah!”

Kyle held my waist and assisted me up. I wasn’t exactly small, but he lifted me so quickly, like I was as light as a piece of paper. 

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He got me in the carriage, climbed up, and sat across from me. I bit my lips in frustrated tears at his arrogance. Sitting across from him, I turned to stare out the window. 

After a while, the carriage departed.

The carriage passed through the Duke’s garden and headed for the gates. I continued to stare out the window to ignore the intense gaze on me. 

“Why do you look so sad instead of happy? I’m doing what you want.”

What I want? The plan to ignore it completely flew out the window, and I turned to look at him. He took off his gloves and let out a languid breath.

“I told you. Except for divorce and Quetray forest, I’ll do whatever you want.”

“Yes, thank you very much.” I bit my lips, well aware that I might express my uneasy feelings if I talked to him anymore. I turned to the window to see a forest filled with trees passing by like a painting. 

Then I repeated it to myself–I’ll escape after arriving at the mansion.

“Y-you’re here.”

The carriage passed smoothly through the fountain and entered the mansion’s entrance. Viscount Carena, waiting, passed by the butler and hurriedly ran to greet us.

This was the western village of Walton Square, where most of the wealthy lived. I stared at the mansion through the window, and my mouth fell ajar. 

Until now, I had no idea how much funds Kyle sponsored to make the Viscount live in a mansion with employees and butlers.

I looked down and saw Viscount Carena. Viscount Carena, the main reason for this visit, jumped out and greeted his guests.

We hadn’t even gotten out of the carriage yet, but he bent over, hiding his face. I scoffed at the sight of the Viscount prostrating like that. 

The time I feared him felt in vain.

Shortly after, the coachman opened the carriage door, then Kyle got off first and held out his hand for me as if it were natural. After a moment’s hesitation, I grabbed his hand and descended the carriage. 

With his head still down, Viscount Carena looked sideways at me. Though he still glared at me, he just pouted.

Kyle gave the Viscount a gaze colder than the winter wind. Then he raised his eyebrows coolly and said, “What are you doing? You’re not even guiding us.”

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“Ah, of course.” At the sound of Kyle’s hoarse voice, Viscount Carena jumped up and ran past the servants to the mansion. “Here we are.”

I followed the Viscount and tried to escape Kyle’s grip, but he only grabbed it as I tried to escape. It might hurt if I told him to let go, so I sighed and looked around inside the mansion.

The servants who followed Viscount Carena bowed again, and eventually, they withdrew at the Viscount’s beckoning. The butler took their place.

“Haha. Thanks to your help, I’m now living this way.”

The interior was simpler than I thought. As expected, it was clear that he didn’t put much effort into the interior because he was concerned about appearance. The remaining funds would probably be barely enough to pay the salaries of the butler and the employees. 

Kyle’s gaze drifted around the room and stopped at the Viscount. Startled when their eyes met, the Viscount bowed again.

“You have a gift for spending money.” His voice was full of scorn.

“Haha. All of this is Aelle Carena’s–”

“Aelle Harace,” Kyle cut him off sharply. 

The Viscount shrugged and looked into his eyes to see complete frustration. Kyle eyed the Viscount carefully and said, “If you want to maintain a life beyond your means, shouldn’t you be sensible?”

My eyes widened as I turned to Kyle. Was this why he told me he’d come with me after allowing me to visit? His cold words and actions gradually convinced me of my doubts.

The Viscount opened and closed his lips tightly, his pride obviously hurt. “I-I made a mistake. Please forgive me. Madam.” He gripped his hands together, pressing hard enough for them to turn white.

It scared me to see the angry veins on his hands, so I turned away, pretending I didn’t see them.

“Don’t worry about it.”

Eventually, the Viscount clapped his hands as if trying to lighten the atmosphere. “S-since it’s before dinner, I had luncheon prepared. Let’s eat first.”

“…”

“Of course, it’s insignificant compared to the duchy, but we took great care since you were coming.” The Viscount’s pupils trembled slightly as he spoke. He clearly wanted to good look to Kyle.