“Thump, thump, thump.”
She was extremely nervous.
Eugenia couldn’t bring herself to open her eyes.
Her mouth was dry, and her breath was ragged.
Clasping her intertwined fingers tighter, she held on as if clinging to a lifeline.
But there was no response from Enrique.
‘Why isn’t he responding?’
‘There’s no way he didn’t hear my voice.’
Eugenia’s insides twisted.
Unable to bear it any longer, she tentatively opened her eyes to steal a glance at Enrique.
But she couldn’t figure out whether his silence meant yes or no.
Then, suddenly, their eyes met.
His eyes were as deep and dark as the ocean.
For a moment, Eugenia felt like she was drowning in its depths.
Enrique’s eyes seemed to lock onto hers, swirling like a quiet whirlpool beneath the surface.
Eugenia got lost in them for a moment, then snapped out of it.
“Oh…!”
Finally, Eugenia hurriedly cast her gaze downwards.
She was surprised.
Her heart beat at a distinctly different pace than moments before.
She breathed lightly, yet rapidly, as if holding her breath without realizing it.
Those small beats shook Eugenia with a greater resonance.
She swallowed another dry lump in her throat. Even amidst that, Enrique remained silent.
The time waiting for his response felt like an eternity to Eugenia.
‘Sigh… Let’s just wait. He’ll answer eventually, even if it’s just to send me away.’
As the silence stretched on, Eugenia, growing anxious, nervously began to scratch at the calluses on her opposite finger with her fingernails. It was an unconscious action.
That’s when it happened.
“Stop it.”
Enrique spoke softly, but there was an underlying hint of irritation.
“Are you going to keep at it until you see blood?”
—
He let out a short sigh.
At that moment, Eugenia’s movements halted, and instead of tormenting her fingers, she bit down on the tender flesh inside her mouth.
“That’s not why I bit.”
Feeling foolish for waiting for his response with bated breath and a heavy heart, Eugenia was unsure.
Enrique does as he pleases in situations like this. The thought that only I find this situation urgent made her feel a bit choked up.
But instead of getting angry, Eugenia composed herself.
‘It’s unfair, but regardless, the current situation isn’t in my favor.’
Enrique was difficult to deal with even without such incidents. It takes courage to speak up again to him.
She maintained a polite demeanor and spoke up once more.
“As I mentioned earlier, I have younger siblings.”
Unlike the heavy silence that had persisted until now, this time a small sound escaped his lips, “Hm,” as he parted them.
It was a clear signal that he was listening to her, so Eugenia continued speaking, trying to remain patient and calm her impatient heart.
“They’re still children. If you’re going to report me… could you perhaps give me a little time?”
Of course, she felt absurd saying it.
Giving time often results in escape. So even if this man finds her words ridiculous, she couldn’t help but think that he would understand.
But from Eugenia’s perspective, she had no choice but to speak up, at least for now.
“I have to think of the children.”
If she were caught by the authorities right here, what would happen to Joshua and Selmia?
The lives of children who had lost their guardian would certainly not be easy.
“They will surely end up rolling around like in the original work.”
She didn’t want to see that, so she offered a helping hand herself.
Before being taken away by the authorities, she wanted to explain the situation to the children.
‘I’m not going to abandon them.’
“So please wait a little until I come back for you.”
She wanted to take them to a place where she could entrust them, like an orphanage.
With her two hands clenched tightly, Eugenia looked up at Enrique with desperate eyes.
This time, she was determined not to avert her gaze until she heard a response.
As if reading Eugenia’s heart, Enrique parted his lips.
“I won’t report you.”
Eugenia’s eyes widened.
Of course, she knew that there were people who would say they wouldn’t report you to your face and stab you in the back.
But Enrique seemed different somehow.
“Are you serious?”
Enrique nodded.
“It’s not about money… and above all, getting involved in troublesome and annoying matters is something I’d rather avoid.”
After briefly holding his tongue, he opened his mouth again.
“But I have one request.”
“What? What request?”
“I’d appreciate it if you didn’t disclose anything about us even if you happen to get caught.”
There was a pause.
Eugenia turned her head stiffly to look at him, taken aback by the unexpected request.
‘What’s he thinking?’
It was a request so unexpected that it was impossible not to be suspicious.
But at this moment, there was only one answer Eugenia could choose.
Without hesitation, Eugenia nodded heavily.
“I’ll do that.”
Upon hearing her firm response, Enrique seemed to relax somewhat.
He gave a brief nod and gestured towards the door with his long arm.
“Alright. Then go ahead and leave.”
After quietly giving her respects, Eugenia left the room.
Thunk.
After hearing the sound of the door closing behind her, she let out a long exhale as if releasing the breath she had been holding without realizing it.
She quietly murmured to herself, recalling the last request Enrique had left her with.
“This man seems to have some tricks up his sleeve.”
It seemed he was preparing for a scenario, even if it was just considering one out of many possibilities.
Enrique hadn’t added any explicit threats towards Eugenia. However, the thought naturally occurred to her that if she were to break the promise, her end wouldn’t be pleasant.
“Now, I should go back.”
After roughly brushing her fallen hair back, Eugenia swallowed a sigh.
“Let’s stop thinking about it. I have enough trouble as it is, I don’t need to complicate things further.”
Shaking her head, she started to walk away from the room.
—
* * *
As Eugenia descended to the second floor, she encountered Albert waiting near the stairs.
“He said he would talk to you directly, but…”
Now that they were face to face, she felt obligated to at least explain what was happening.
“Well, I don’t need to give a detailed explanation of my situation.”
Eugenia mentioned being wanted without going into specifics, simply stating that they couldn’t work together anymore.
“What? What do you mean? Did the master refuse?”
“Yes. Things… turned out that way. It seemed like it would become troublesome for both of us.”
Upon hearing this, Albert’s face fell as if the sky had collapsed.
Regaining his composure, he spoke to Eugenia.
“Oh, it’s really regrettable.”
His genuine regret wafted through the air, and Eugenia felt a slight easing of her melancholy.
She forced a smile, trying to lift her spirits.
“Thank you for saying that. Your words make me feel like I’ve become a truly capable and remarkable person, comforting my heart.”
Perhaps feeling deeply disappointed, Albert followed Eugenia down to the first floor.
“Thank you for seeing me off. I hope you have a peaceful day, Mr. Albert.”
“I hope you stay healthy, Miss Eugenia.”
However, even after exchanging their final farewells, Albert hesitated.
Sending Eugenia away seemed to leave him with a deep sense of regret.
“Miss Eugenia, if it’s not too much trouble, may I ask where you’ll be staying?”
“What? Why?”
“After seeing Miss Eugenia off, I plan to have a discussion with the master straight away.”
“Hmm… Will that be possible?”
Eugenia slightly pursed her lips, her face showing little expectation.
‘That man… Enrique probably won’t accept me again.’
Despite Albert being delegated authority over this matter, the ultimate decision-maker seemed to be Enrique.
And the man she had directly dealt with seemed unlikely to go back on his word.
Eugenia glanced at Albert, her lips slightly pulled back.
“Don’t worry too much.”
Her voice was clear as if she had swept away all lingering regrets.
Oddly enough, it was Albert who seemed brimming with regret.
“Is it difficult?”
“Yes, it is.”
Eugenia’s expression showed her discomfort. She was hesitant to reveal where she would be staying.
‘It’s risky.’
Although she had received a promise from Enrique not to betray her, there was always a chance.
Eugenia reminded herself to be extra cautious at times like this and ultimately chose not to disclose where she would be staying to Albert.
“Well then, I’ll be going.”
After a brief farewell and a respectful gesture, Eugenia left the inn without hesitation.
As the door closed with a thud, Albert’s face crumpled like a crumpled piece of paper.
“Sigh.”
He let out another frustrated sigh.
—————————————————————
Translator Note:
This chapter was translated by Gon. Next post will be released on May, 12.
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