Reinhardt’s eyes turned red with anger.
‘Why on earth is Cornelia…?’
He tried to understand the situation, but it was completely incomprehensible.
At that moment, Cornelia spoke.
“I want to talk more, but my body isn’t feeling well, so I think I’ll head back to the mansion. We’ll talk at the state council meeting.”
Her voice lacked strength.
Upon closer inspection, her face was pale. It seemed she could hardly stand. Her body was trembling and slightly swaying.
‘Ah, she was holding onto him because she couldn’t stand.’
Just as he felt a moment of relief, Reinhardt changed his expression again and said,
“Alright, take care of yourself, and I’ll contact you again soon.”
“Okay.”
With that, Cornelia passed by Reinhardt with Erich.
As he glared at their retreating figures, Reinhardt twisted his lips.
‘Even if she had nothing to hold onto…’
Cornelia’s face, as if she had lost everything, was pitiful beyond measure.
However, it was not him supporting her, but Duke Blant.
Of course, it was likely that she held onto Duke Blant because he was next to her.
He understood that logically, but honestly, he couldn’t help but feel anger rising within him.
‘You should have collapsed in front of me, Cornelia. If you had, I could have held you and comforted you.’
He had hurried here just to offer her comfort, so he could not forgive her for leaving with another man’s arm around her.
At that moment, a voice filled with hatred echoed.
“Princess, I will definitely kill you!”
‘Indeed, you’re a traitor, so you’re good at picking up on ‘suggestions’.’
Reinhardt turned away with a satisfied smile and returned to the carriage, calling out to his subordinate.
“Yes, milord.”
“Pass this on to Robert discreetly. Give the prisoner more drugs, strengthen the ‘suggestion’, and then break the lock.”
“Yes, understood.”
Left alone in the carriage, Reinhardt smiled with the corners of his mouth raised.
Under normal circumstances, he wouldn’t have gone this far.
However, it was Cornelia who had brought this punishment upon herself.
“If your trusted subordinate attempts to assassinate you, your mind and body will become even more devastated. And…”
Perhaps she would start to rely on Duke Blant, who was by his side.
However, that would soon turn into even greater despair.
“When you realize that Erich Blant has deceived you, things will become even harder than today.”
☪︎ ִ ࣪𖤐 𐦍 ☾𖤓 ☪︎ ִ ࣪𖤐 𐦍 ☾𖤓
Originally, the script Sardin had given me did not include linking arms.
Sardin surely knew that it would be unrealistic for Erich and me to portray such a close relationship.
Yet, the moment we linked arms, I felt both exhilaration and disgust at the twisted expression on Reinhardt’s face.
‘You really treat me like an object that you desperately want to have.’
Was it because I unconsciously lost my strength?
I stumbled slightly, almost twisting my ankle.
At that moment, Erich caught me like a ghost.
“Let’s go.”
How long did we walk with our backs turned to Reinhardt? The carriage came into view at the bottom of the stairs.
“Cornelia, if you’re okay, could you please loosen your arm for a moment?”
‘Huh?’
I glanced at my hand absentmindedly and flinched. I realized that I had been gripping his arm tightly.
“You should have said something earlier.”
Erich’s face didn’t change at all despite my scolding as I hurriedly released his arm.
He simply sighed, awkwardly looking at his own arm.
‘Yeah, he probably didn’t like that.’
During our time together, Erich had completely avoided any contact with me.
And only occasionally, he would escort me in a way that seemed like he was trying to show off, like he was a good husband. But only in situations like this, where it was necessary.
‘What matters to him is how others see him.’
I looked around.
There weren’t really any people around, so there was no need to continue pretending to be a friendly couple with our arms linked.
‘Still, this is too much. He wouldn’t even try to help on the stairs; this isn’t just a matter of personality; it’s a matter of manners…’
“Excuse me for a moment.”
At that moment, I was startled to the core.
“Wh-what are you doing?”
Honestly, anyone would be taken aback in this situation, not just me.
Of course, that would be the case, because I was going down the stairs in Erich’s arms.
“Let me down! This is uncomfortable!”
I couldn’t bring myself to shout and whispered instead, and Erich looked at me.
Maybe because the distance was so close, his beautiful blue eyes, like the ocean, looked even clearer than usual.
They looked familiar somehow.
And I also noticed his earlobes were slightly reddened.
‘Huh?’
At that moment, his tightly closed lips parted.
“I feel eyes on us from multiple directions. They might be people sent by Archduke Tarrant. So… even if you’re uncomfortable, please bear with it for a moment.”
At his words, I flinched before letting out a hollow laugh.
‘Ah, because there are people watching…’
Of course, his earlobes must have turned red from the embarrassment of acting shamefully in front of others.
“It must have been uncomfortable for you. I’m sorry.”
After whispering that, he slowly helped me sit down on the carriage seat.
His touch was careful and respectful, as if he were handling something precious.
Suddenly, a bitter feeling rose within me.
It reminded me of someone from the past who had received such kindness from him.
<Erich is so kind. He helped me when I twisted my ankle.>
Thinking of Medelin, I couldn’t help but smile wryly.
‘Right, I shouldn’t get the wrong idea. Erich is being kind to me for his own purposes.’
And I had something to say about that purpose as well.
Soon, he climbed into the carriage.
“Let’s head to the mansion.”
As the carriage door closed with those words, I opened my mouth to him.
“I have something I want to ask.”
“Yes.”
Seeing him nod made me bring up something I had been curious about.
“I want to hear your answer to the question I asked earlier. Why are you suddenly being kind to me?”
☪︎ ִ ࣪𖤐 𐦍 ☾𖤓 ☪︎ ִ ࣪𖤐 𐦍 ☾𖤓
When Erich first learned of Sardin’s betrayal, he was furious.
However, the reason he decided not to kill Sardin was simple.
It was because he didn’t want to see Cornelia sad.
And as expected, after talking with Sardin, Cornelia looked relieved.
“Uh, thanks to you. Thank you.”
Her face, adorned with a subtle smile, was truly lovely.
Caught up in that sight, Erich couldn’t help but smile back.
“I was just doing what was natural.”
However, when she looked at him, her gaze was again filled with wariness and hostility.
“You didn’t even do those natural things before.”
At that remark, he felt a tightening in his heart.
‘Yeah, I did something unforgivable.’
In his heart he wanted to confess everything and ask for forgiveness.
However, he wasn’t sure how she would react if he revealed his true identity.
‘If I tell her my true feelings, will she forgive me?’
As he pondered this question while looking at her, she opened her mouth.
“Speak your truth. Erich Lennon Blant. Why are you being so kind to me?”
Suddenly, he remembered the conversation he had overheard between her and Sardin.
<If you’re sorry, then live by my side and pay for your sins. As my guard.>
And that generous forgiveness filled Erich’s mind with hope.
‘Perhaps I too…’
“That’s because I…”
As Erich was about to speak, he heard Sardin’s insults and frowned.
‘No matter how dire the situation is, how can he say such things…’
He absentmindedly glanced at Cornelia and then wore a wry smile.
“Just wait, Sardin.”
Though she was gritting her teeth, her gaze didn’t seem genuinely angry.
‘It’s so different from when she looks at me.’
Only then did Erich realize.
He was fundamentally different from Sardin in many ways.
‘I foolishly misunderstood the most important thing.’
And when the troublemaker appeared, Erich had to restrain himself multiple times from reacting to her actions, which included putting her arm around him.
‘Don’t be mistaken. This is just her using me to provoke Reinhardt after learning his true nature.’
As he repeatedly calmed himself down, he saw the stairs.
They weren’t steep, but it looked like it would be uncomfortable for her to walk down in her high heels.
Moreover, if he wasn’t mistaken, she had slightly twisted her ankle a moment ago.
“Cornelia, if you’re okay, could you please loosen your arms for a moment?”
She snapped back at him but eventually relaxed her grip.
However, one thought consumed Erich’s mind.
He had to carry her down the stairs.
After a brief sigh, Erich immediately said to Cornelia, “Excuse me for a moment.”
Then he lifted her up.
Despite having calmed himself multiple times, holding her made his feelings mix inappropriately.
Unwanted thoughts made heat rise all over his body.
He quickly activated his aura to barely suppress the flush on his face.
At that moment, she spoke.
“Let me down! This is uncomfortable!”
She was uncomfortable.
It was something he already knew, but hearing it like this felt like a blow to his chest.
Still, he couldn’t let her walk like this with her legs in discomfort, so he feigned calmness and came up with a plausible excuse.
Once she stopped resisting, he quickly moved her to the carriage.
‘I need to get back soon.’
As he thought this and climbed into the carriage, she caught him off guard.
“I want to hear the answer to the question I asked earlier. Suddenly, why are you being kind to me?”
He thought to himself.
‘Because I want to treat you well, even if it’s late.’
But soon, a bitter expression crossed his eyes.
‘If I speak the truth, you’ll leave my side.’
It wasn’t just a mistake, but he was convinced by her earlier reaction.
‘You find my existence uncomfortable and dislike it.’
She was already uncomfortable, the moment he revealed his insignificant feelings, she would push him away.
Suppressing his anguish, Erich finally gave her a response she would accept.
“I would like to accept the proposal you mentioned before.”
