Ethan grabbed the reins of Camille's horse and caught her as she started to fall.
“Oh...!”
Thanks to his stability on the ground, Ethan maintained his balance.
He pulled Camille tight in his arms, tightening his grip on the reins.
he breathed, calming the horse, which was snoring and pawing the ground with its paws.
"Camille! Are you okay? Camille!"
He received no response from Camille.
She clung to Ethan's neck, shaking uncontrollably.
“…What on earth is going on?”
Ethan had never seen Camille this way before.
Was she always afraid of thunder? Or is she suffering from some disease?
He couldn't remember anything. No matter how hard he tried, nothing came to his mind, which made him even more confused.
Suddenly, Camille's words from a few days ago came back to his mind: "I don't know why you care now all of a sudden. You never cared when I cried before."
Ethan's face turned red with frustration.
“Oh my God, why is this coming to my mind now?”
In any case, he had to move Camille to a safe place and have her examined by a doctor as soon as possible.
Ethan looked around, still holding Camille in his arms.
Surely someone else had heard her screams, but strangely enough, there was no one in sight – neither her personal maid nor even the stable staff.
Ethan let go of the reins, and lifted Camille into his arms.
She clung to his neck more, her whole body trembling. He felt a slight warmth and dampness on his shoulder where her face was buried.
Is she crying?
Ethan's mouth twisted into an angry smile.
This feeling – he'd felt it before. It was the same feeling he had experienced months before, at a feast they had attended together.
“As I mentioned, it is a precious and special dress, so I thought I should only wear it on important occasions.”
“And today is such an occasion?”
“Well, yes. "This is the first time we've been out together in a while."
Not only that, but he felt the same way when Victor told him that Camille suddenly burst into tears.
When they were first married, Ethan thought she was just a spoiled and childish girl.
But at some point, Camille changed.
She became shockingly sharp, infuriatingly eloquent, and annoyingly quiet.
A while ago, I got on his nerves like no one else had.
He was seething with anger.
Yet, here she was again, showing a weakness that made her seem like a completely different person.
He couldn't understand it. Which version of her is the real Camille?
What exactly is this strange feeling that is gnawing at him now?
No...maybe it's me. Maybe I made her like this.
To be honest, it never occurred to Ethan that he might be wrong.
He never tried to understand Camille or made any effort to repair their relationship.
But maybe he should have done that.
Since he lost his parents, he has devoted himself entirely to protecting Dumont.
Maybe he should have paid more attention to his wife, enough to know what she was afraid of or if she had any illnesses.
With a hard face, Ethan quickened his steps.
***
When I opened my eyes, I was lying in bed.
It was my familiar room.
“Are you awake?”
I blinked in astonishment, then turned toward the sound, terrified.
"...Ethan? Why are you here?"
Involuntarily, I pulled the blanket up to my chest.
I was wearing a thin nightgown, and for a moment I couldn't understand why I was in this position or why Ethan was in my room.
“Don't you remember?”
"Remember? What do you mean...?"
“In the stables. There was a sudden storm with thunder, and you were not feeling well...”
Hearing his words, the memory suddenly came back to me, and I started shaking uncontrollably and feeling nauseous.
Ethan's expression became serious, “Camille.”
I lowered my head and closed my eyes.
… decent. I'm fine. Everything is in the past.
The rain stopped, and there was no more thunder. decent.
I kept repeating these words to myself, trying to calm down.
Ethan put his hand on my shoulder, “Camille, are you okay?”
I raised my head to look at him, “Yes, I’m fine.”
I tried to smile, but I wasn't sure it was as intended.
“...What happened? Are you sick?”
“Nothing. I just got a little spooked by the thunder.”
"A little? You don't remember what happened earlier, so how can this be just a little?"
“That's not true. I remember everything now.”
“Do you remember how you got back here?”
“……”
When I hesitated, Ethan frowned deeply, "Tell me the truth. Why did that happen? Are you afraid of thunder?"
Suddenly I felt a lump in my throat and I swallowed hard.
"...Just...I've never been outside during a thunderstorm. It always happened while I was inside...Honestly, it was louder than I expected, and that's all," I muttered, staring at the ground.
I heard my voice getting weaker.
“The thunder stopped a long time ago, but just talking about it makes you shake again. You’re still pale.”
“……”
“Camille”
Ethan's voice was soft when he called my name.
“Camille, look at me”
“……”
Despite his question, I couldn't raise my head.
I realized that my back was drenched in cold sweat.
The memory was when I was nine years old in my past life.
As I remember, my parents were always busy with work. When I wasn't in school or attending classes, I was always alone.
That day, I had fallen asleep reading in bed, only to wake up to a loud crash that seemed to shake the entire house.
Suddenly, the entire house went dark.
I ran into the living room in a panic.
For some reason, the living room window was wide open, and rain was pouring down heavily.
Then I saw a stranger coming out of my parents' bedroom.
Even now, I still remember that moment clearly.
It's a memory I'll never forget.
The man was huge, his face silhouetted in the darkness.
His eyes were cold and menacing, looking at me indifferently.
As soon as our eyes met, lightning flashed outside, followed by a loud explosion sound.
I collapsed to the ground, started screaming at the top of my lungs, and eventually lost consciousness.
When I woke up, I was in the hospital.
I later learned it was a break-in.
The thief thought the house was empty because I was sleeping in the back room. When my neighbor heard my screams, he called the police.
Since then, I have had an intense fear of thunderstorms.
Although my symptoms have gradually subsided as I've gotten older, they've never completely gone away.
What I said to Ethan wasn't completely a lie.
This was the first time I found myself in the middle of an outdoor thunderstorm, with nowhere to hide.
In my past life, I always lived in the city, so it never happened.
Whenever a storm hit, I would lock myself in the bathroom, put headphones in my ears, and turn the music as loud as possible to drown out the noise.
I had no luck this time.
If I were in the palace, I wouldn't feel such fear.
After taking several deep breaths, I finally felt a little better.
“I'm sorry you had to see that. It's ridiculous, isn't it? At my age, I'm afraid of thunder.”
Ethan held my hand.
Not gently, but he gripped her hard, almost painfully.
I looked at him in amazement.
“Why are you ashamed of this? Everyone has weaknesses. This is completely normal.”
Ethan's eyes met mine as he spoke, his expression extremely serious.
Honestly, I was surprised.
I expected that he would make fun of me or call me stupid.
At least, I never imagined that he would be so worried, and stay by my side until I woke up. Did I really look that sick?
His silver eyes seemed to glow more intensely than usual, as if they were filled with an entire galaxy.
Suddenly, I remembered that moment when we exchanged glances in the knights barracks.
That memory made my cheeks flush with heat.
I quickly averted my gaze, looking down to avoid his eyes.
“Anyway, I'm fine now. I didn't mean to distract you. You should go.”
I tried to pull my hand away, but Ethan was holding it tightly.
“You're still shaking. What's 'okay' about this?”
“No, really. I'm completely fine now.”
I wasn't lying. The storm passed, and the thunder no longer haunted my mind.
What was worrying me now...was Ethan.
“Camille.”
“I mean it. Please, let go of my hand.”
“Do you really think I don't care about you?”
I couldn't help but look at him after hearing those words.