“…….”
Cecilia unknowingly swallowed her saliva. She, being of Lloyd’s bloodline, was quite tall and well-built for a woman. So, she always looked down on the women of other noble families, and even her own husband. But now, Daryl, who was much more robust and a head taller than her, was glaring at her right in front of her, and she felt a sense of oppression close to fear.
Cecilia turned her head to look at Eleanor, as if to avoid Darryl’s gaze. Eleanor was still silent, her gaze fixed near her knees.
‘Why does this woman shut up and act pitiful only at times like this? It makes it look like I’m the one who’s been tormenting her!’
“Do you know what time it is now?”
Darryl asked again.
“……”
“Herbert.”
“It’s 8:32, Master.”
Herbert, the butler standing behind him, quickly checked the pocket watch and replied.
“Just yesterday was the wedding, and we had a reception until late at night, and now it’s 8:32 in the morning. Don’t you see any problem with you being here at this moment without any prior notice?”
“…Do you mean to say that family members need to contact each other every time they come and go?”
“Then think about it the other way around. Suppose you just got out of your bedroom in the morning, and I’m standing at the door. Wouldn’t you feel uncomfortable? Wouldn’t you be annoyed?”
“Stop it. Right in my ear, with such a loud voice! Can’t you sit down and talk calmly?”
Cecilia clenched her eyes and shouted as if to start a fight. Daryl stared at her silently for a moment, then went to the table and sat down.
“Herbert, cigar.”
“Yes, Master.”
Soon Herbert brought a cigar case. Daryl took out a cigar, and Herbert lit it for him. During this whole process, Daryl’s gaze was fixed on Cecilia as if to pierce her.
“So?”
“…..”
“Wouldn’t you feel anything even if I did this in the morning? Because we’re family?”
“…I would think you must have a very urgent matter, wouldn’t I?”
Daryl let out a snicker.
“So, Aunt, what urgent matter brings you here today?”
“I came to talk to my niece-in-law.”
“What do you want to talk about?”
“It’s a matter between women. You don’t need to get involved.”
“So, the affairs of my wife and I at night are none of my business?”
“…….”
Cecilia bit her lip. Had he been listening?
“In my opinion, it seems like it’s rather a matter that you, Aunt, don’t need to get involved in.”
“…There are matters that only women can understand. It’s something that can’t be told to anyone other than a close family elder.”
“Well, it didn’t seem like you were trying to teach anything in particular.”
“……”
Where had he heard from to say such things? Daryl was leisurely smoking a cigar, a smile on his lips. Cecilia gritted her teeth.
‘That brat. I’ve been watching him since he was wrapped in swaddling clothes. How dare he disrespect me in front of the niece-in-law?’
His personality was cold and stubborn, just like his mother. It made her even angrier that he was a spitting image of Frederick.
“What I don’t understand the most is that you, Aunt, are worried about our second generation. You should know, as I showed you my father’s will and explained everything. There will absolutely be no child between us.”
“…..”
A cold sweat ran down her back. Cecilia glanced at Eleanor unknowingly. Eleanor still maintained her expressionless face. As if she was listening to a story that had nothing to do with her, or rather, it was even doubtful whether she was listening at all.
“Daryl, how dare you insult me like this.”
“Insult? I’m just asking out of pure curiosity.”
“If your father, Frederick, were alive, this would never have happened. He would never, never have let you disrespect me like this.”
“That’s a shame. But what can we do? As you said, Aunt, my father is no longer with us.”
“Darryl, you…!”
Cecilia glared at Daryl with bulging eyes. Daryl smiled coldly, his eyes devoid of any light.
“So, please leave my house.”
****
It was after the servants had struggled to drive out Cecilia, who was resisting with loud screams. Daryl, smoking his second cigar, glanced at Eleanor.
Eleanor was still quiet. She looked as if she was deeply engrossed in her own thoughts, or as if she had no thoughts at all. It was as if there were letters visible only to her on the pure white tablecloth, and she was reading them with her eyes downcast.
Why was it? The moment he saw Eleanor taking all the malice and hatred that Cecilia was pouring out with her small body, he couldn’t bear the anger welling up inside him.
‘Cecilia, ignoring me, the owner of the ducal house, and crossing the line again? Even though it’s all a bluff, because she’s my wife? And Eleanor, keeping her mouth shut like a fool, unlike what she did to me last night?’
Daryl clicked his tongue with a tsk. Judging by the irritation that welled up when he thought about last night, it seemed to be the last reason.
“Why were you just listening?”
“What do you mean?”
“You’re good at retorting word for word. Like you did to me last night.”
Eleanor looked at Daryl with clear eyes. Daryl wondered if her eyes had always been this light.
“If I had, it would have only provoked Aunt’s anger.”
“So Aunt’s anger is scary, and my anger is not?”
“It’s not a matter of being scary or not.”
“Then what?”
“It’s a matter of whether there’s a point in trying to have a conversation.”
“You seemed to have retorted quite a few times to Aunt before.”
“That’s because Aunt was trying to force me to do something I didn’t want.”
Come to think of it, he remembered hearing something similar before.
[From now on, please don’t decide and handle matters related to me on your own. If it’s something you need to get involved in, please consult with me in advance.]
Not long ago, they had added this clause at Eleanor’s insistence. The reason was simply because he had ‘given money to her relatives without her consent’.
The more he thought about it, the stranger she was. She endured injustices that seemed more unfair and harsh without a word, but she never gave in when it came to things that went against her standards.
“Next time something like this happens, call me. Don’t just shut up and listen like a fool.”
“……”
“Why are you looking at me like that?”
Eleanor was recalling the night of the family dinner when something similar had happened. Daryl had protected her from Cecilia then as well. But when Eleanor thanked him for taking her side, all he returned was intense irritation and anger.
Just because he helped her, just because he drove away someone who was hostile to her, didn’t mean he was on her side. She knew that for sure. She had learned it the hard way once, so there was no way she could forget.
“…It’s nothing.”
Eleanor said in a small voice.
So, like it’s good that Daryl saved her from his awful aunt…. He tells her to rely on him, it he is not reliable. There have been times where he makes her wait days or tells her off for trying to talk to him.