Chapter 45

“Lady Kaidel. Have I ever allowed you to call me by name? I can’t believe you would behave so rudely towards me.” 

“…I’m sorry. As my cousin’s wife, I behaved without proper etiquette. Duchess. Please forgive my rudeness. I will be more careful in the future.” 

Despite Lariana’s somewhat sensitive reaction, Evita apologized and slightly lowered her knees. Cain, who had been quietly watching the two women, took a deep breath. 

He patiently clenched and unclenched his fists several times. He opened his mouth like a predator before a hunt. 

“Lariana Delacroix. What are you doing to the guest who came to the Delacroix Mansion?” 

“As a Duchess, I am teaching etiquette to her.” 

“You, a mere knight’s daughter, addressing etiquette with her? The one being rude right now is not Evita, but you…” 

Sparks flew between the two couples as they stared at each other without flinching. Evita, who had been watching the intense fight between the Duke and Duchess caused by her, intervened to stop them. 

“Duchess. You said you had an appointment. Please leave.” 

Lariana, who didn’t want to give in, pushed Cain and left the foyer. Cain looked at her with surprise and then tried to follow her. 

However, Evita grabbed his coat in front of him and stopped him. 

“Cain. Stop it. Don’t you know how to compromise? Remember when you cried out that you loved the Duchess? Why are you doing this again today? It’s amazing that the Duchess is still sane and staying by your side.” 

Evita’s vivid green eyes were full of contempt. 

“Be quiet.” 

“If I had been treated like the Duchess, I wouldn’t have been able to stand it and would have run away already.” 

“As you said, I’m crazy. So stop preaching to the choir and be quiet.”

 “How did you get married with that temper? I feel sorry for the Duchess. No, no. It’s not just you who’s crazy; the Duchess who married you seems to be insane too. The two of you are a perfect match.” 

Ignoring Evita’s rambling, Cain stopped on the stairs. He glared at her, who was standing below the stairs. He roughly touched his slightly raised chin and the back of his neck. His agonizing voice seemed to be squeezed out of Cain’s firm lips with difficulty. 

“It’s okay to curse at me. But don’t curse at her; as you said, Lariana is a pitiful woman.” Cain said so with a sarcastic voice. 

Sometimes, he wanted to kill Lariana with his own hands and make her cry, but that was his job, not someone else’s. He could not bear or forgive someone else doing it instead of him.

Even if Marcella and Evita were the only family he recognized, he couldn’t stand the way they treated his wife, Lariana. 

Lariana was his. Whether they liked it or not, she was his wife and his possession. No one could touch what was his. He justified his possessive feelings towards Lariana as a form of love and protection. 

“If you’re going to say something you can’t say to the Duchess, then keep it to yourself.” 

However, Evita couldn’t stand by and watch her cousin’s obsession. 

He couldn’t have a conversation with Evita, who only said what she wanted to say. Cain realized that and turned his back, walking up the stairs. 

* * *

On the outskirts of Petika, the capital of the empire, Lariana confirmed her pregnancy. 

She walked to the hospital, leaving her carriage and coachmen far behind. She was treated under the name Jena, hiding her identity and name. Inside the examination room, an elderly doctor with a monocle stared at her. Sitting in front of the doctor, Lariana was tense, like a prisoner awaiting her sentence. 

“Congratulations. You’re pregnant. You’ll have to eat for two now. And in the early stages of pregnancy, rest and stability are important, so keep that in mind.” The doctor congratulated her and handed her a small handkerchief. It was only half the size of a regular handkerchief. 

“What is this for?”

 “It’s a baby handkerchief we give to pregnant women at our clinic. Keep it in mind and think about your baby.” 

She hoped for a pregnancy, but she also didn’t want it. She was scared and afraid. She couldn’t remember how she got into the carriage. 

She came to her senses and found herself inside the carriage. Lariana leaned her head against the window, looking at the handkerchief the doctor gave her. 

“Baby.” She whispered quietly, gently placing her hand on her still flat stomach. “This mother will protect you no matter what.” 

* * *

Delacroix Mansion was as grand as the palace. It consisted of a main building and an annex, both of which were suitable for noble mansions. 

However, it was rare for the direct descendants of Delacroix to reside in the annex. That was why it was a great insult for Marcella to use the annex as a residence, but she couldn’t leave the duchy. 

After leaving Delacroix Mansion, her future was akin to watching a fire. The power she held in her hand would burn out or disappear like waves ebbing away a sandcastle, and no one would look for her. 

She would grow old alone and eventually face her end. Suddenly, a bright light entered the greenhouse, which was engulfed in darkness. 

Nellua carried a lamp and entered one side of the greenhouse. Mercella was lost in thought and didn’t even realize the sun was setting. 

“It’s already this late.” 

She loosened her tightly tied hair, feeling a slight relief from her headache. 

“I’ve met the maid who took care of the Duchess.” 

Marcella, who was combing her blonde hair with a reddish tint with her hand, looked at Nellua standing in front of her. 

“Yes. Where did the Duchess go in such a hurry?” Her tone sounded kind, but it was also very cold. 

“She visited a small clinic after getting away from the carriage.” 

“Oh, Lariana couldn’t even get away, carriage.”

“She managed to convince the doctor who treated the Duchess.” 

She already knew that Lariana hadn’t been wandering around for a long time, but there was always a chance. 

 “The doctor said… The Duchess is pregnant.” 

It was actually late. Compared to Cain’s unusual and obsessive love, it was late. 

“Hmm…” Despite already expecting it, Marcella let out a deep sigh.

 “Is Cain in the palace now?”

 “Yes.” If her son knew about Lariana’s pregnancy, how furious would he be? 

Just thinking about seeing her future self made her head hurt and her stomach twist. 

“Good. We’ll have to send Cain away for a while. Get in touch with my uncle.” 

The Delacroix family had been nobles for generations. Unlike the nobles who returned to their territories after the social season, they resided in the capital all year round. 

That was why it was rare for Cain to leave the mansion except for official business. If she wanted to keep Cain away from the Duchess, she had to do something. 

Nellua, who was about to leave the greenhouse in a hurry, stopped. 

“Madam. Should we give new instructions to the servants?” 

She laughed bitterly, tapping the table with her fist. 

“Yes. They should be treated differently. After all, the heir is pregnant. Call Hanson and the head maid.” 

* * *

After confirming her pregnancy, Lariana wanted to tell Cain about it as soon as his madness disappeared. However, Cain, who had gone out on official business, did not return to the Duke’s residence.

There was some change in Martessen. There were still small-scale local wars going on between Davask and Rindell, and one of the Delactoix territories was also in the Northeast. Suddenly, the Rindell citizens and the local people joined forces and began a riot, so Cain was tied to the territory for several days because of the rescue.

A month had already passed. Cain’s madness had subsided and was probably burning fiercely again.

As soon as the moon rose, a gift from Cain arrived at the Duke’s residence. Lariana’s room was filled with gems that Cain had sent, as if he had moved an entire jewelry store.

Cain, who had lost his madness and regained his lost memories, always overwhelmed her with love and material possessions, to the point of being overwhelming. It was his way of unilaterally apologizing for the mistakes he could only repeat.

Lariana, who had seen so many gems that it was difficult to deal with, turned her gaze to the card that Cain had sent. After staring at the envelope for a long time, she picked up a paper knife.

[My songbird, Lariana.

It’s been a long time since I wrote a letter. Perhaps I have been indifferent because I have always been by your side.

The work in the territory is almost finished. I will be able to see you soon. But when that time comes, unfortunately, I will be a different person from the one you know now.

But Lariana. Even if I am not insane, I love you. From head to toe, my entire mind and body want you. I grew up alone in the darkness. The one ray of light that shone in my dark life was you.

As a dirty and hideous monster, I cannot live like a human without you. I am striving until the end to be a human and your husband.

So please forgive my madness and pitiful mistakes.

-With love, Cain Delacroix.]

Tears fell from the letter; the ink was so black that it was unrecognizable. Lariana held the precious letter to her lips, trying to hold back her tears.

Whenever she was scared, anxious, sad, or lonely, he was always the one who reached out and saved her. It was Cain.

That was why even in their marriage, filled with pain and suffering, she came to love him. In her empty bedroom, Lariana’s sobs were the only sound.

“I love you too. I miss you.” Read ahead here.