"What? What are you saying...?"
“You never trust me, you never rely on me. During the Bernard incident, and even during the Marcel Patch case, you tried to solve everything yourself, keeping me out of it.”
“No, it's because you were suspicious of me, so I had no choice...”
“If you had been honest from the beginning, there would have been no reason to doubt. I told you from the beginning: No matter what you fear, I will protect you.”
“……”
Those were the words Ethan said when he was pressing me on how I knew Gerard was after Liam.
“You are the Duchess of Dumont, under my protection. I will protect what is mine. No one, not even Gerard, would harm a single hair on your head.”
I knew then that Ethan was sincere.
It wasn't that I didn't trust him, and it wasn't the reason for my silence.
How can I tell him the truth? I know everything because I read the original novel, and everything I told him was made up so I could survive.
“I admit I was indifferent to you. But not because I hated you or didn’t consider you part of my family.”
“I know that. But...”
“Why then? Why does everyone in Dumont trust and follow me, and you, my wife, always keep me in my place and push me away?”
“……”
"It's still the same. You were so terrified that you fainted, and yet all you say is that you're fine. Do you even remember that you almost fell off your horse? If I hadn't been there, you would have been badly injured. Do you understand that?"
Ethan's voice was low and tense, as if he was barely holding back his anger. It wasn't loud, but it had a deep, raspy tone.
"...I didn't realize it. Thank you for helping me. Thanks to you, I'm safe."
At my words, Ethan's gaze sharpened, "See? You're drawing a new line."
“What do you mean? I just thank you for helping me.”
“You talk like you're talking to a stranger. You even said before that I'm a burden.”
“So what, shouldn’t I even thank you? It’s just etiquette.”
"Etiquette? Has our relationship reached this point, where we have to be polite to each other as strangers?"
“What a ridiculous thing-”
I stopped mid-sentence and sighed deeply.
"I really don't understand. What's bothering you? How long have you cared about our relationship?"
Ethan frowned heavily, “…What did you say?”
"Am I wrong? Like I said, we were strangers...no, worse than strangers. And now suddenly you want me to trust you, to depend on you? Does that make sense?"
“……”
Ethan's mouth twisted, but he didn't argue against my words.
"You say I'm drawing a line? Yes, I am. And why shouldn't I? We'll break up soon anyway."
“Divorce—”
Ethan's voice rose sharply, but he gritted his teeth and then lowered it again. He stared at me angrily, his voice barely louder than a growl.
“I told you divorce is not an option. Have you forgotten?”
"That's just your decision. As for me, my position is different. I don't want to be your wife anymore, and I don't want to stay in this house. I've always had this feeling, but I couldn't leave because you were keeping me here. So, yes, I'm setting a limit, and yes, I'm pushing you away. Isn't that normal?"
“……”
Ethan's eyes flashed with emotion as I spoke, his expression hardening with every word.
He stared at me for a long time before finally muttering under his breath, “…You seem completely fine now.”
“I told you I was fine from the beginning.”
Finally, Ethan let go of my hand.
I felt the blood return to my fingers as I rubbed them, relieved.
While I was busy massaging my hand, Ethan got up and walked towards the door. He grabbed the door handle and turned to look at me.
“...you”
He paused, carefully considering his next words.
For a long moment, he stared at me with a burning look in his eyes.
Finally, without saying anything else, he turned and left the room.
As soon as he left, Mary quickly entered, looking confused, “Ma’am, are you okay?”
I looked under the blanket and replied, “I'm fine. Nothing's broken... I don't think so.”
"Are you sure? Are you really okay?" Mary asked again, her voice full of genuine concern.
“Yes, I'm fine. Why are you so worried? It's not your nature.”
“What? What do you mean? This is too much,” Mary frowned, then continued: “Do you know how shocked I was when the master carried you inside? You were completely unconscious, slouching in his arms.”
I couldn't help but doubt my ears when I heard those words.
"What? Ethan... carried me?"
"Yes. Don't you remember? You came in wet from the rain. Honestly, I thought something bad had happened to you. The gentleman was not in his usual state either. He was very worried, and asked me to bring the doctor immediately. I had never seen him raise his voice like that before," Mary pointed out excitedly, recalling that moment.
“……”
Without thinking, I turned to look at the closed door.
***
In front of Camille's room, Victor, Jack, and Mile stood like children who had been scolded, their expressions gloomy.
As soon as Ethan came out, Mael took a step forward and asked, “Is she awake?”
“Yes,” Ethan answered briefly, passing by them without stopping.
The three men rushed after him.
“How is the lady? Is she okay?” Victor asked.
Ethan continued walking without looking back.
“You heard the doctor earlier. She's perfectly fine. She even seems more active than ever.”
The three men exchanged quick glances. They quickened their steps, blocking Ethan's way, and bowed their heads at the same time.
“sorry”
Ethan stopped and stared at them expressionlessly.
“We didn’t mean for this to happen. But it is true that the lady was put in danger because of us. We will accept any punishment she deems necessary,” Mael said without raising his head.
The three men had already admitted that the entire situation – Ethan and Camille's meeting at the stables – had been set up by them.
It was a pre-planned plan.
As soon as they learned Camille was heading to the stables, Victor informed Miles, who called Ethan and suggested a race.
“We thought that if you were alone together, you would have a chance to clear up the misunderstanding between you.”
“True. That's why we deliberately made sure to keep the lady's maid and the stable staff out of the way. We never imagined that something like this would happen...”
It was so ridiculous that Ethan didn't even have the energy to get angry.
Before, his concern for Camille was beyond all consideration, but now, thinking about it again, the whole thing became ridiculous.
Did they really think that leaving us alone would improve our relationship?
How did they not see that whenever he and Camille were alone, they would fight?
Even now, as soon as she woke up, they were fighting again.
When Ethan remembered their argument moments ago, his facial expression darkened.
“…Forget it. But don’t repeat these heinous acts.”
Ethan's voice was cold as he passed by them and disappeared down the hall.
Mile let out a long sigh, “I thought it was a good idea. I never expected things to turn out like this.”
“Really. Who would have thought… It seems that Heaven didn’t care about our efforts,” Victor added.
"I'm not quite sure. I don't think it's all bad," Jack interrupted them.
Viktor and Mile turned to look at him.
“What do you mean, Jack? The lady is badly injured.”
“Yes, but in the end, nothing bad happened. And sometimes, a little danger brings people closer together.”
“Ah...that's an interesting point,” Victor nodded, suddenly looking enlightened.
“You think so?” , Mael blinked in confusion. As someone who had devoted his entire life to equestrianism, matters of romance were beyond his understanding.
“Yes. Didn’t the master carry the lady to the palace himself? That speaks volumes.”
“Wasn't that just making sure no one else was there? It was a life-threatening situation, so anyone would have done the same.”
“……”
Jack gave Miles a look of annoyance.
“…Why are you looking at me like that?”