34. Marital Quarrel (1)

“How do you think I felt when I barely missed you in the forest last time? That terrifying moment keeps haunting me.”

He had sworn never to lose her again, but mocking that oath, she repeatedly darted beyond Darius’s protection.

Darius felt his heart crumbling more at her impulsive actions than at the shock of the trusted Lady Ygret being a traitor, or the relief of resolving one of the castle’s problems.

‘When Darius couldn’t catch me in the Ash Tree Forest….’

At that time, Darius’s expression had been devastated, as if his world had collapsed. Thump. Remembering that expression somehow made my chest ache sharply.

‘Don’t be mistaken. That pained expression was because of Rose, whom he grew up with from childhood.’

Darius was only scolding her with an expression he had made out of concern for another woman. No, that’s how it had to be.

‘Remember the original story. Darius belongs to Evangeline Stockwork.’

“You saw that I have a spirit. If you hadn’t come, I would have resolved it with the spirit.”

This isn’t right. She knew he was speaking out of worry and concern for her.

Yet she felt hurt. Instead of scolding her out of concern, he could have praised her. She had just nearly died. Couldn’t he comfort her with kinder words?

“I don’t understand what I did wrong. The investigation will reveal that Lady Ygret has been doing terrible things all along.”

“You could have at least said something to me.”

“No, I’ll do it again next time too.”

Darius looked at her in disbelief.

“Fine.”

He growled.

“Since you have no intention of preventing accidents, and my heart nearly drops because of you, I have no choice. Stay confined to your room for a while. I’ll only feel at ease if you don’t go anywhere.”

* * *

It was their first marital quarrel.

Her cheeks swollen, she burrowed into the blankets.

“Madam, I heard there was a big incident today.”

The maid attending her tried to comfort her kindly, but she was too upset to answer.

‘I prevented this castle from going bankrupt.’

Moreover, she had eliminated an evil presence secretly operating in the castle.

And this is what she got in return? Confinement? What did she do wrong!

She had done wrong.

‘I don’t care about Your Highness’s concern.’

She knew he said those things out of worry for her. That she didn’t need to get involved in dangerous matters. That he was worried. That she shouldn’t make him feel like an incompetent husband.

She should have apologized for that sentiment. Said she hadn’t considered his feelings, that she would be more careful. If she had said that.

“Oh, Your Highness.”

With the sound of the door opening, the maid greeted Darius as he entered. Soon after, she felt weight on the bed.

“Then I shall take my leave.”

She heard the maid opening the door and leaving. She remained still.

Darius also showed no sign of getting under the blankets.

“Anette, you are my only family.”

“……”

“My mother passed away early, and my father also died of illness. Have you considered how significant you, my only wife, are to me?”

The man who had been coldly composed when confronting Lady Ygret was now emotional.

“When I saw Lady Ygret raising her hand against you, I ran to her room without even thinking to call someone. You sent me the mirror today to expose Lady Ygret’s embezzlement. But if you thought something was wrong with her, I could have simply accompanied you.”

He quickly continued.

“Then I would have protected you right there. Not rushing in belatedly.”

He placed his hand on the bed.

“I want to protect you. I want you to trust and rely on me.”

Liar.

“Lady Ygret’s betrayal was shocking today. Until then, she was the most respected lady in this castle.”

Her voice remained cold despite Darius’s heartfelt persuasion.

“How long have I been here? Do you think I could accuse the respected Lady Ygret without sufficient evidence, just based on a bad feeling? Why did I go alone? Because I needed to pressure her first!”

Although he was treating her with a kind and proper attitude now, she clearly remembered what he had said about her when she wasn’t present.

Trust and rely on him? He probably meant she should show vulnerability for him to exploit.

He carefully pulled back the blanket and tried to touch her.

“Don’t.”

She swatted his hand away like an angry cat. She hated him for speaking with kindness he didn’t mean.

“Even if I hadn’t seen Lady Ygret’s betrayal with my own eyes, I would have believed whatever you said. From the moment I rushed into that room, my sword was pointed at your enemy.”

“That’s because you saw everything through the mirror.”

“I’m only grateful for the mirror because it allowed me to know immediately when you were in danger. Even without the mirror, I would have believed your word……”

Surprisingly, he smiled briefly amid all this.

“Honestly, I can’t say I would have attacked Lady Ygret right away. After all, she was my relative, and we had known each other for several years. I would have tried to understand the situation first.”

He added firmly.

“But in the end, no matter what, I would have listened to you, Anette. Because you are my wife.”

He spoke again.

“Anette, if you tell me to cut, I will cut. If you tell me to protect, I will protect. But for that to happen, there’s a prerequisite that you need to tell me in advance.”

He added soothingly.

“……Even if it were Lucion, if you told me to cut him down, I would do so without hesitation next time. Though I truly hope such a situation doesn’t arise again.”

There’s no need to worry about that; Sir Lucion would never betray Darius.

“As a lord, I’m grateful for your efforts, but as your husband, I’m angry.”

Darius whispered to her as she avoided meeting his eyes.

“I can’t heal someone like you can. So my best option is to prevent you from getting hurt in the first place. But you always rush ahead without caring if you get hurt.”

He carefully met her eyes.

“Please take care of yourself. That’s the only favor I ask.”

Anyone watching would think he actually loved her.

“Do you really want to know why I don’t open up to Your Highness? Are you curious why I hear all your words with suspicion?”

Her pent-up spite shone through.

No, please. Stop that mouth. You’re pressing the self-destruct button just to shut him up!

But her mouth moved fluently, defying her will.

“I know. I know that everything Your Highness says to me is a lie. That there are calculations behind it.”

Her only pleasure was watching his pitch-black eyes gradually freeze over like a winter lake.

“You told Sir Daniel. To be wary of me, not to open up to me. I heard everything. And I thought: My goodness, everything until now has been a lie. And I was naively mistaken without knowing it.”

〈Daniel, how long have you been watching Anette to speak so well of her?〉

〈Don’t take Anette too much to heart. She is my…… no, our enemy from the Pochet family. Are you already lowering your guard?〉

He had clearly said this.

With those beautiful lips, so coldly.

In front of the door that she had her back to.

Twinge. A pain sharper than before stabbed her heart.

It was ridiculous. Even if she had become a little closer to Darius since then, Darius was still the male lead who belonged with the female protagonist.

‘I wonder if he’ll claim not to remember when that happened? Or will he deny ever saying such things?’

“……That.”

Darius’s lips moved. She deliberately averted her gaze from his face.

“You never imagined I would be listening then, did you?”

‘Don’t make excuses.’

Because if she heard them, she might forgive him.

“I was naive to have harbored even a small newlywed’s dream when starting this marriage.”

She was the eldest daughter of the Pochet family.

Born to Darius’s enemy family, and an extra who would have to disappear for the female lead who would appear someday.

“You want me to consult you before acting?”

So there’s no need to pretend to be kind and package your real intentions.

“That’s right, what would this southern woman know about doing anything in Your Highness’s North? Of course I should report.”

If he were truly the male lead, he should have looked at women other than the female lead as if they were stones. He should have said plenty of coldly hurtful things to his wife on paper. He shouldn’t have given even a hint of possibility.

‘Why tell me to take care of myself? Why say you’re concerned about me getting hurt?’

When it’s not even sincere.

She had almost fallen for his sweet words. Like common extra villains, she might have forgotten her place, acted out, and ended up on the guillotine.

She hated him. For making her have illusions.

“Anette.”

Darius grabbed her as she tried to leave past him. The arm he held trembled slightly. Was it her trembling now, or him?

“Let go.”

Some strength left the hand that had firmly gripped her arm.

“I said let go of me!”

When she spoke again, the hand gripping her arm slid down to her wrist, then slowly released its fingers.

“What should I say?”

Darius held the end of her sleeve and asked. His eyes, as black as the night sky, were darkly sunken.

“When I’ve hurt you like this.”