Chapter 55: Who Are You to Say That

 “My body feels completely battered.”

 Clea bit her lip from the pain she still felt in her body as she got up.

 She thought it was fortunate that Edmund wasn’t by her side, though she also missed him.

 Now his mere presence gave her strength.

 ‘At least I took painkillers before falling asleep.’

 Thanks to the painkillers, she felt less pain than before.

 Because of that, she had no problem getting out of bed.

 She examined the large mirror in the room.

 ‘The blood has been cleaned off.’

 Until she collapsed, her entire body had been completely soiled by the blood she had vomited.

 However, in the reflection she saw now, there was no sign of red blood.

 “Are you awake?”

 “……Could you call Edmund for me?”

 “Unfortunately, His Highness is not at the temple right now.”

 As she was examining herself, a voice came from the doorway.

 Thinking it might be Edmund, she turned her head, but there stood Hayden, who had been present before she collapsed.

 She was curious about where Edmund had gone, but she asked something else first.

 “What happened to that man?”

 “That man?”

 “Don’t ask when you already know.”

 She asked what had happened to Lloyd.

 If he was still at the temple, Edmund wouldn’t have left.

 Understanding her question, Hayden answered what she wanted to know.

 “People from the grand ducal family came and forcibly took him away.”

 You should have seen it, my lady.

 Hayden swallowed the rest of his words and smiled innocently.

 The scene of Lloyd being taken away by the grand ducal family was truly shocking.

 He was scolded for being at the temple instead of the Hersher ducal residence.

 Nevertheless, Lloyd childishly insisted he wouldn’t move until he saw Clea again.

 In the midst of what could only be described as chaos, even the knights of the Persi family caused a commotion and forcibly dragged him away.

 Where else could one see the young grand duke being dragged across the floor?

 That’s what Hayden meant, but completely unexpected words came from Clea’s mouth.

 “I’m sorry.”

 Hayden was taken aback by words he had never heard from her before.

 “Why are you apologizing?”

 “Because ultimately, I’m the cause of all the commotion at the temple.”

 Clea spoke firmly without any change in expression.

 It was a perfectly normal answer. She seemed to understand the situation well.

 Although Lloyd was the one who caused the incident, fundamentally, the reason he came was because of her.

 “But that’s no reason for you to apologize. In my view, you are also a victim.”

 Clea was aware of this as well.

 Strictly speaking, she could be considered a victim.

 The person who suffered the most damage from Lloyd was none other than her.

 However, Clea made a mysterious expression after hearing Hayden’s response.

 Seeing her expression, Hayden narrowed his brow for a moment and asked,

 “Why are you making that expression?”

 “I’m surprised.”

 “About what?”

 “I didn’t expect you to take my side.”

 “My lady?”

 Hayden couldn’t understand her reaction.

 It wasn’t like someone who had just woken up after nearly dying.

 An ordinary person would typically be angry or afraid, or at least not react the way she did.

 In his eyes, Clea’s reaction didn’t seem normal at all.

 “Why do you think I lived with such a bad reputation?”

 “I don’t know.”

 “No, you do know. Someone like you who doesn’t reveal your true feelings to others.”

 Hayden felt as if his inner thoughts had been pierced by the weak smile she sent his way.

No one had ever pierced through Hayden’s inner thoughts.

 It wasn’t that they hadn’t noticed, but rather that they didn’t feel the need to, believing his distinctively gentle demeanor was his true self.

 “People tend to focus only on what’s immediately visible when it comes to condemning others without properly understanding what happened.”

 She had lived such a life until now.

 Despite not having done anything wrong, people would look at her and be quick to point fingers.

 Even if they knew the truth properly, the result would be the same.

 Between the young grand duke who would inherit the grand ducal family and a lady who had been virtually abandoned by her family, the direction people would choose was crystal clear.

 “Even if that’s the case, I won’t get involved. Worldly matters are governed by God, not me.”

 “I see. So you’re just an ordinary bystander.”

 Though she said this, Clea didn’t mock Hayden.

 She considered it natural not to expect help. So for her, even calling him a bystander felt strange.

 Looking at Clea, Hayden opened his mouth.

 “But I can help with other matters. For instance, the temple can correct those false rumors about you that will arise in the future.”

 At Hayden’s offer to help, Clea opened her eyes wide and looked at him.

 “I didn’t mean anything by it. If it’s because of what I just said, you don’t need to worry.”

 “I’m already concerned. So please don’t decline.”

 “You really don’t need to help me from the temple.”

 “Actually, it’s not helping.”

 Hayden approached her.

 The ugly darkness that he had seen in Aria still resided in her eyes.

 But it was different from Aria’s.

 It wasn’t just the ugly darkness that resided there, but also something else that sparkled like stars.

 ‘I wonder how you would react if you knew that a curse given by others is eating away at what should have been your shining existence.’

 Numerous reactions came to mind, but Hayden chose not to say anything.

 Instead, he smiled brightly and said,

 “No one knows how things will turn out later.”

 He handed her a vial containing a reagent.

 Seeing it, Clea asked Hayden with her eyes.

 What was in this vial?

 Hayden answered.

 “It’s a medicine that will alleviate your pain somewhat.”

 “Don’t you know of a cure rather than something like this?”

 “Well, I don’t know that much either. But there’s a story in an ancient book at the temple about someone who experienced similar symptoms. I remembered it and brought this medicine.”

 Her curiosity about why he had brought such a thing wasn’t completely satisfied.

 This is a curse, not an illness.

 As described in the original work, ‘a curse that might appear once in hundreds of years’.

 Was it even plausible that he had prepared medicine in advance for such a curse?

 But Clea withdrew her suspicious gaze.

 “Should I drink it right away?”

 “Whether it’s real or fake, we’ll know once you drink it.”

 Since what mattered most was whether the medicine in her hand was effective, Clea wanted to test it.

 She would know if this medicine truly calmed the pain blooming in her body once she drank it. She poured the medicine directly into her mouth.

 There wasn’t a hint of hesitation in her actions.

 She seemed like someone who would calmly accept death even if it came right now.

 ‘The difference is so clear.’

 Aria desperately wanted unconditional help to survive.

 Hayden felt refreshed by Clea’s demeanor, which differed from Aria’s.

 To be so calm despite knowing what curse she was under, even knowing she was living on borrowed time.

 “It’s effective, isn’t it?”

 “I told you. It’s a medicine that will alleviate your pain.”

 After drinking the medicine he gave her, she was amazed not long after.

 Not completely, but the tightness and pain she felt in her chest were slowly subsiding.

 It was still painful, but she couldn’t help but welcome even this slight reduction in pain.

 “Oh right. I forgot to tell you one thing.”

 She looked at Hayden with an expression that seemed to ask if there was still something to talk about.

 “A guest has come to see you. Would you like to meet them?”

 “That’s unexpected. To think that I would have visitors.”

 She sighed, wondering if after Lloyd, it would be Aria next.

 She felt her body wouldn’t last if she kept meeting such troublesome people in succession. Just as she was about to refuse, Hayden spoke first.

 “He introduced himself as Viscount Lockin.”

 At the mention of Viscount Lockin, Clea made a puzzled expression.

 She was perplexed as to why that person would appear here now.

 But with the following words, she soon understood.

 “He said to tell you he came to offer help.”

 In truth, he wasn’t someone she needed to meet. Still, intrigued by the mention of help, she said,

 “Please tell him I’ll see him.”

 After all, there was no harm in meeting him.

 * * *

 “Edmund, please listen to me.”

 “I’m listening, so speak. Why did you send Lloyd to Clea?”

 On the way to the Hersher ducal residence, Edmund had heard from Oberon.

 That this wasn’t the first time Clea had coughed up blood.

 Apparently, she had already coughed up blood once when she met Lloyd before.

 When he heard this news on the way to the Hersher ducal residence, Edmund was about to demand why Oberon hadn’t reported it to him.

 But when he learned that she directly wished for it not to spread, Edmund clicked his tongue.

 At the same time, he became even more angry at Aria.

 She must have heard everything from Lloyd. She knew this and still sent him to Clea.

 Unlike when they first met, Edmund’s gaze had turned cold.

 Facing his changed attitude, Aria trembled with fear.

 It seemed like he would come to hate her completely if things continued this way.

 So she answered recklessly.

 “I hated how you only cared about that villainess! So I did it to separate her from your side, even if just for a moment!”

 She spoke hoping he would understand her feelings, but she had made the wrong choice.

 “Who are you to say that?”

 “E-Edmund.”

 His intention to scold her somewhat strongly had completely changed.

 “What relationship do you have with me that gives you the right to make such judgments?”