Chapter 10
When Helia regained consciousness, her head was quite clear. However, she felt a bit dazed.
She glanced around.
“Gone.”
The sandwich that had been on the bedside table was nowhere to be seen. It must have been removed, as it would have surely gone bad if left there.
Even though it was something expected, she felt strange.
Helia slowly got up from her seat.
“How much time has passed?”
Suddenly, she thought of the Viscount and Viscountess Richiano, who were probably wriggling in the darkness, and a chilly smile formed on her lips.
Knock.
At the sound of the door opening, Helia reflexively raised her head.
“Ah…”
“Are you awake?”
“Yes.”
“How is your body?”
The voice asking mechanically without meeting her gaze was quite cold.
Helia nibbled on her lower lip slightly.
“I’m fine. How many days has it been?”
“It’s been four days.”
“You’ve caused trouble.”
Instead of answering, he put down the water jug. It was somewhat unexpected that he had brought it himself.
“You brought it yourself?”
“Don’t you dislike being touched by others?”
“…Yes, but.”
Helia looked at him with surprise.
“Of course, I dislike it too, but it’s better than unnecessary rumors spreading.”
His voice was full of self-pity.
Her throat felt tight.
Helia tried to say something, but in the end, she couldn’t say anything.
“By the way, wasn’t there a reception your mother is hosting a week from now?”
“Yes.”
“The servants have been instructed in advance, so once things are arranged here, you can leave.”
His calm tone, as if nothing had happened, distorted her judgment.
Caligo struggled to suppress his boiling irritation.
“Don’t you have anything to say to me?”
“What?”
“There’s nothing in particular.”
There was no appropriate response.
She hadn’t expressed gratitude to him, but…
“Do I need to thank you even though I didn’t ask for help?”
He coldly laughed at her misguided speculation.
“It seems you have a sense of needing to thank me.”
“I didn’t ask for help.”
“Then you’d rather just groan and die quietly. I mean, it’s the Marchioness we’re talking about here. It would be an entertaining topic for society.”
Although she thought the conversation had taken a strange turn, Caligo’s words gradually became rough.
Helia only now realized that his mood was much more uncomfortable than usual.
“Are you angry?”
He did have a somewhat hot-tempered side, but he was mostly indifferent and apathetic.
Although they clashed occasionally due to his tendency to interfere with others, he would usually say a few words and then withdraw.
But now, it was a bit different.
“Do I look like I’m angry?”
No, it was definitely strange.
Caligo doesn’t ask such questions. Instead of mixing more with her, he usually just turns away and avoids eye contact.
But what about now? With flickering eyes, Caligo was facing Helia, meeting her gaze.
Her azure pupils flickered relentlessly in front of the blazing fire.
She was very clumsy at dealing with unfamiliar situations.
Seeing Helia not saying anything, Caligo spoke first.
“I heard an interesting story from one of the maids.”
“An interesting story?”
“All the servants in this house have apparently fled with valuables and money.”
He said with a dry laugh. His raised eyebrow was as cold as his gaze.
“I was going to tell you.”
“You should have. Instead of making me look like a fool.”
His voice became more aggressive.
“The situation wasn’t favorable. And I clearly said they would be punished.”
“You should have told me directly. You should have. Rather than trying to make a scene out of me. Like a petty thief. I’m the Marchioness.”
“That’s right. I’m not here to interfere with your household affairs.”
“What do you mean by ‘as usual’?”
Caligo furrowed his brows. He raised his hand and rubbed his forehead.
“‘As usual’? Has she ever treated the servants roughly?”
Although there were instances of misbehavior at gatherings, there had been no such incidents in the mansion.
Suddenly, it felt like being hit on the back of the head with a realization.
Caligo looked back at Helia’s eyes.
But she was already looking away, opening her mouth and speaking.
“I was just venting my frustration about one of them. It didn’t matter what happened to this house’s property, so I didn’t bother mentioning it. And I thought there was no need to waste unnecessary manpower.”
“They stole everything and you’re just venting your frustration…”
“I know, right? Rather than reporting them to the authorities…”
“Are you going to report them to the authorities?”
“No, they’ll take care of it themselves.”
The one who froze at the chilly voice was Caligo. Indifferently, he was pronouncing someone’s end.
She was trying to walk the path of a corpse emanating the familiar scent of fresh blood, a path she had already walked away from.
“What’s your problem? If there was something wrong, you should have said it.”
Caligo raised the question again several times, his tongue touching the tip of his mouth once more. It felt like being stuck in a relentless swamp, no matter how much he investigated.
“There was nothing wrong. Everything you know is all there is.”
Helia answered calmly.
“Nothing happened.”
As if reminding herself once more.
‘Helia Helios’ had to be an impeccable existence, noble, proud, with no flaws.
Helia wanted to be such a presence in front of Caligo Helios. At least until this ridiculous contract marriage was over.
“Come on, I hope we have a child between us.”
Caligo said tiredly.
“It’ll all be over in a year.”
This tiresome and nauseating contract marriage would end.
As if soothing a poem inside his jacket, which he used to touch habitually when wandering on the battlefield, he finally withdrew his hand from within.
Watching Caligo turning away, Helia spoke.
“Shall we?”
“…What did you say?”
It was an impulsive utterance.
In this wretched mansion, this prison-like room, she wanted to do the most disgraceful thing possible.
‘Well, he might even get rid of me.’
Wasn’t he a nobleman who never bowed to anything?
If she embraced him in this filthy place, would the traces of the past clinging to him like leeches disappear?
“The urgent matters are all settled. We just need to hire and arrange the servants and leave this mansion.”
Caligo, who stopped walking in front of the door, turned back again.
“If you’re okay, I’ll go wash up.”
“What do you think of me as? Embracing someone who just got up from the bed…”
“It’s once a week, isn’t it, for such a contract?”
Caligo’s rejoinder was fierce.
Her calm demeanor and matter-of-fact words were absurd.
Approaching with shaky eyes, while speaking in a calm tone, her words were amusing.
Approaching her again, Caligo grabbed her shoulder and pressed her down onto the bed.
Helia bit her lower lip tightly as his fiery hand swept up her thigh. She stared wide-eyed. She wasn’t prepared to endure even the touch, let alone this sudden advance.
“Do you think you can handle even this touch, without flinching, without any preparation?”
Caligo sneered at Helia’s eyes full of revulsion.
“…I can.”
Helia gritted her teeth.
Her azure pupils met Caligo’s crimson ones filled with irritation.
“Then bear with it.”
With a fierce command in his chilly voice, Caligo quickly straddled her.
He lightly tapped her knee with his own and leaned in close to her ear, intertwining their hands. Then, he held her hand against his own, clasping it tightly.
Caligo acted differently from usual, and Helia’s eyes widened slightly.
He softly kissed her neck, leaving a deep mark.
“What are you doing…!”
At this unfamiliar action she had never experienced before, she couldn’t hide her surprise.
“I don’t particularly feel like it, but since you’re suggesting it, Helia. So spread your legs.”
With a light tap of his knee against hers, Caligo commanded in a chilly voice.
