NMRJKM Chapter 99

 

“Why have you come looking for her?”

Seth Dolorante responded to Carlothian’s sharp words.

“I’m sure I wrote it clearly in the letter.”

That was right. Not long ago, a letter had arrived from the Dolorante family addressed to Ariadeline.

Carlothian couldn’t ignore the letter that came in the name of Seth Dolorante to Ariadeline. The moment he saw its contents, he was engulfed in anger.

[To the Beautiful Miss Ariadeline, it has been several seasons since I last saw you.]

The poignant opening line ultimately ended with a longing to see her again, as if he were her lover.

Carlothian immediately burned the letter. It was only natural.

‘Why?’

Carlothian thought. Ariadeline was, at the moment, under his protection. He held her, possessed her, and ultimately claimed her as his own.

A sticky sense of possessiveness, one he had never felt before, began to creep up on him. He crossed his legs as he looked at the man smiling gently in front of him.

“I believe Ariadeline hasn’t replied.”

“Is that so?”

The man deepened his smile as he spoke.

“How can one respond to a letter that hasn’t even reached them? Isn’t that right?”

At Seth’s words, Carlothian’s expression hardened instantly. Normally, he wouldn’t let his face change this much in front of others. But this time was different.

It was about Ariadeline. It was about the same Ariadeline who had recently told him she didn’t love him.

Seth Dolorante looked at Carlothian’s face and was convinced. So he hadn’t delivered the letter after all.

He didn’t have a deep connection with Ariadeline. He knew it wasn’t good for him to get involved with her.

Yet, he couldn’t help but come. He had thought he would never see her again. Now that she was within his sight, he didn’t want to lose her anymore.

But wasn’t the face of the husband, who had once been so cold to her, now completely transformed?

Carlothian acted like a beast, trying to intimidate another male eyeing his female. The fierce energy and atmosphere made Seth feel a tingling in his fingertips.

‘Why has he changed like this?’

Perhaps it was because of the rumors. That Ariadeline had become kinder. He himself had only come to see her after people had started to view her favorably.

Some might criticize him for this. For not seeking her out when the situation was unfavorable, only to do so now that things had improved.

But that was the aristocratic society, and Ariadeline would surely understand this fact well.

Seth Dolorante could confidently approach her because of this.

She’s not even married anymore.

‘But your case is different. You loved another woman while you already had a wife.’

“So I’ll ask once more.”

He spoke while looking at the Duke of Denaves, who had not yet brought a cup of tea.

“I want to see Miss Ariadeline. Where is she?”

He intentionally provoked Carlothian’s mood. Carlothian Denaves glared at Seth as if he were about to devour him.

“That’s something you don’t need to know.”

Carlothian cut him off coldly.

“I’ll ask again. Why do you want to meet Ariadeline?”

“Because….”

Seth Dolorante replied, as if it were the most natural thing.

“I came to ask her to be my partner at the upcoming banquet.”

“What?”

It was ridiculous. Carlothian let out a snort without realizing it. Yet the man sitting in front of him remained composed, as if there was no issue at all.

“Her partner is me.”

Carlothian said in a low, strained voice. But Seth’s smile did not waver.

“You seem very confident, even though you’re not her husband anymore. Have you asked Miss Ariadeline directly?”

“….”

Carlothian’s mouth closed. He had never asked. He had simply assumed he should go with her.

Because he was the only one who knew what would happen this time. She would need no one but him.

But now, with their relationship having soured, he could not be certain of that.

“Should I… ask her?”

But even so.

“She is mine.”

He had no intention of yielding. At his arrogant words, Seth Dolorante’s smile twisted.

“In the past, you wouldn’t have even treated her like a stone by the roadside, yet now you claim her as yours.”

“Yet you only approached her again after the rumors about Ariadeline improved.”

At that, Seth laughed.

“I just didn’t want to put her in a difficult position. She must already be troubled by the scandal with the Duke. If I got involved too, it would have turned into a love triangle.”

A love triangle. That phrase was almost an admission that he also wanted her. Carlothian scoffed. But he was left speechless by what followed.

“I don’t care if Miss Ariadeline is a villainess.”

“….”

“You are now drawn to the version of Ariadeline who has shed her villainous image. But for me…”

The man confidently placed one hand over his heart.

“I am drawn to her, even if she is a demon.”

Those words struck home.

“Unlike you.”

When Carlothian said nothing, Seth stood up. And, rudely, he spoke.

“I have come to see Miss Ariadeline.”

He bowed elegantly.

“So, I will go and see Miss Ariadeline now.”

His brightly smiling face was so beautiful that it made one want to bite into it.

“Whether it will be me or you as my partner this time. We should give her the choice. Let her choose with her own hands.”

Dolorante was confident. He seemed to believe he could entice Ariadeline.

Carlothian trusted Ariadeline. No, he wanted to believe in her.

However, an inexplicable sense of anxiety seized him.

Where did this anxiety come from? Could he still trust her, the one who had answered his question about whether she loved him with a bewildered look?

“…She will choose me.”

Carlothian stubbornly replied. It was strange to think she didn’t love him.

Ariadeline loving Carlothian Denaves. That was something entirely natural in his world.

“Then you’re saying it’s fine for me to see her.”

Seth Dolorante slowly walked over and opened the parlor door.

“It was a pleasure meeting you today. I’ll see you at the banquet.”

Left alone, Carlothian wiped his face with his dry hands. The hand resting on the armrest of the sofa kept tapping it with his fingertips.

‘Ariadeline…’

He thought he didn’t know what she would do. Just a while ago, he believed he knew her best.

‘What should I do about you?’

An emotion he had never felt before stained his insides. Dark and murky.

A snake named possessiveness coiled around him.

Seth Dolorante, now in the hallway, grabbed a passing servant. He spoke leisurely.

“Do you know where I can find Miss Ariadeline?”

“Miss Ariadeline?”

The servant asked in confusion.

“I have received permission from Duke Carlothian Denaves. Where is she?”

“Ah, understood. Please follow me.”

The servant, upon hearing that he had the Duke’s permission, guided him to the annex. Upon arriving at the annex, Seth looked around and scoffed internally.

To think they would confine her in a place like this. Ariadeline was a woman best suited to sit arrogantly in a lavish room.

Moments later, in front of Ariadeline’s room, the maid guarding the door showed hesitation.

“…Miss Ariadeline is currently sleeping.”

At the cautious words of the maid, Seth smiled gently.

“Well, there’s nothing I can do then.”

The maid thought he would back down, but what came from his mouth was unexpected.

“I will wait.”

The maid was taken aback. Wait? Here?

“Perhaps it would be better to come back later…”

Just as she was about to suggest that, a sound came from inside the room.

Indeed, it was the sound of singing.

Ah, it’s Ariadeline’s song. The maid turned her head. It seemed she had awakened.

The song was one she often sang. A style of song he had never heard before. A voice singing of love that was beautiful yet desperate, soft yet heart-wrenching.

“It seems she has woken up…”

“Shh.”

He interrupted the maid’s words, placing his finger to his lips.

For a moment, he narrowed his eyes and smiled, then listened intently to the sound of her singing flowing out from inside the door.