Chapter 70
Ella quickly realized she had been mistaken.
Kaiden’s gaze, as he looked down at her, was cold and calculating.
Before he could make his judgment, she grabbed his arm.
“Kaiden… The duchess really is infertile. It seemed too easy how she signed the contract my mother gave her, so I got suspicious. You know Jeffrey, right? I pressed him for answers.”
It was a lie, but she had no fear of being caught.
Not just Jeffrey, but even Amanda and the physician of Baisen had already been bribed to back her up.
“Diana was just pretending to repent while deceiving everyone again. I… I actually believed she had changed, so I feel betrayed.”
Tears clung precariously to her eyelashes before rolling down her cheeks. Her flushed cheeks trembled as she spoke, holding back sobs.
“I’m already hurting this much—what about all the others she’s deceived? I couldn’t just let Diana keep fooling people. That’s why I planned to reveal the truth today with Countess Russell…”
“But the Countess said your claim about Diana’s infertility was a lie.”
“No! It’s true! You can confirm it with Baisen’s physician!”
Ella bit her lip stubbornly, her tear-filled eyes resolute.
“……”
Kaiden remained silent. Was this truly the sincere Ella he knew, desperately trying to prove herself with tears?
The once-transparent tears now seemed murky. He furrowed his brows, recalling the conversation between Ella and the Countess.
“Would you be satisfied just getting something from Diana? It’d be better to make it public and become the Duke’s benefactor.”
“Surely, he’ll leave something in his will for the benefactor who revealed the deception.”
She had skillfully tempted the Countess with greed. It didn’t feel like Ella at all.
For the first time, he felt something was off.
And the Countess’s words confirmed his doubts.
“I almost fell for your words. Because of you, I insulted the Duchess unforgivably.”
“Duchess Diana is infertile? Ha… You remember what I said, right?”
“Prepare yourself for trying to deceive me with lies.”
The Russell family was after Baisen and desperately wanted an heir from Diana and Harold. Yet, the Countess didn’t even bother verifying Diana’s condition before turning against Ella? That didn’t add up.
“…You don’t believe me?”
Ella’s eyes searched his face, sensing his hesitation. Kaiden finally spoke.
“You could have easily threatened Baisen’s physician into silence.”
“I don’t do things like that! You know that!”
“……”
That’s how she had always appeared. But now…
“Ella, how much of what I know about you is actually true?”
“I’ve always been honest with you, Kaiden. Please believe me. Okay?”
Her voice was filled with desperation. Before, when she cried and pleaded, he would reconsider. But now, he didn’t even feel the urge to do so.
Everything felt like a lie. Even her tears seemed fake.
The trust they once had was already shattered.
“…Go home alone today. I need time to think.”
“Kaiden!”
Ella grabbed his arm as he turned away. Their eyes met in midair.
But Kaiden gently removed her hand and walked out of the guest room.
“…Ah.”
A small gasp escaped Ella’s lips.
The way he looked at her just now…
“…He’s going to abandon me.”
He didn’t need to say it. She could feel it in her bones.
Ella slowly collapsed to the floor, hugging her arms around herself.
The future she had fought so hard to secure had crumbled into nothing.
A chilling emptiness crept up from the ground, piercing her skin like thorns.
Suddenly, she felt overwhelmed with sorrow.
What did I do wrong?
All she wanted was to be happy. All she wanted was to punish Diana for making her suffer.
What was so wrong about that?
Why am I the only one who keeps suffering?
…It was the worst.
After the party, Harold walked down the corridor leading to their bedroom.
He thought of Ella and let out a quiet chuckle. It was laughable how she had ever dreamed of driving Diana away.
His relationship with Diana had begun as part of her treatment. Even if he had no romantic feelings for her initially, he would never have left her just because of infertility.
Even if they had married under normal circumstances, it would have been the same. There was no way he wouldn’t want her.
And as long as he could keep Diana by his side, the issue of children didn’t matter.
As the head of the family, he had a duty to produce an heir, but that responsibility never outweighed his own desires.
If needed, he could always raise a child who resembled him as his own.
Even if Ella’s claims were true—if Diana was hiding some deep secret—it wouldn’t change anything.
As long as he had her body and heart, that secret would never leave his lips.
Kaiden will break off the engagement.
Ella had overstepped because she was Kaiden’s fiancée.
Kaiden wasn’t the type to hold onto a broken relationship. Ella would lose everything.
And her downfall wouldn’t end there.
Harold recalled the information his men had gathered about Ella’s biological father.
By the time he reached their bedroom, he was already smirking.
Sensing movement inside, he absentmindedly touched the item in his pocket and chuckled.
As he entered, a lovely shade of pink hair caught his eye. Diana looked up at him with her round, innocent eyes.
As Harold sat beside her, the bed dipped slightly.
“You’ve become quite skilled at handling people at parties.”
“Hehe. I have to be at least this capable now.”
When he smiled, her long lashes trembled slightly, and a faint blush spread beneath her eyes.
“I like you.”
Her shy confession replayed in his mind.
A mix of satisfaction and longing stirred within him.
Lately, he had been feeling this thirst more often.
It was harder to control himself than before.
Now that he knew a simple confession was enough to satisfy him, the restraint he once had was slipping away.
The piece of her heart he had gained last time had only made him hungrier.
Sometimes, he wanted to confess first, just to end this waiting.
I thought I was good at being patient…
Harold’s gaze, filled with longing, lingered on her—so close that he could reach out and touch her.
“Harold?”
Diana tilted her head in confusion, wondering why he was looking at her like that. In response, Harold forced a playful smile and gently lifted her delicate chin.
“You seemed curious about my childhood earlier.”
“…!”
Her expression shifted instantly, eyes widening in surprise. Harold whispered like a devil tempting an innocent soul.
“I think I promised to tell you why I didn’t invite the Russell family to my wedding. Should I tell you that?”
“…”
“Or maybe… I should share the childhood story the Countess mentioned earlier?”
A brief silence followed before Diana slowly parted her lips.
“…Everything.”
“Diana, say it a little louder.”
“…Tell me everything.”
A dry swallow ran down Harold’s throat as he felt both satisfaction and hunger rise within him.
“You want to know everything about me…? Do you want to hear my sizes, too?”
“N-No! That’s not what I meant! I just want to know about your past!”
Her face turned as red as a ripe tomato. Harold, who enjoyed seeing her react to him, smirked in satisfaction.
His gaze drifted to her slightly parted lips, but he forced himself to hold back.
If he kissed her now, he might not be able to stop. If he gave in to his desires, he might take everything from her before she even had a chance to confess her feelings.
So, Harold turned away.
“The reason I started sword training isn’t anything special. I wanted to protect myself, and it was easy for me. Back then, it was harder to find something not easy. But among everything, the sword was the easiest.”
“Hmm, that sounds a bit arrogant.”
“Does it?”
Diana shook her head quickly.
“No.”
Harold chuckled, lifting the corner of his lips.
“Good. I’d hate to sound arrogant.”
He continued his story.
“Since I improved quickly, I got hooked on training. Whenever I had time, I practiced. And after three years… I learned how to wield sword energy.”
“…That’s an incredible pace.”
“They say it’s a talent that appears once in a thousand years.”
“…Do you still enjoy it? You still train even now.”
“I’m not a kid who enjoys achievements anymore. These days, I only practice a little because I don’t want my injured body to weaken.”
“Oh.”
“Hmm… Maybe things will change once I recover.”
Diana looked at Harold, then up at the cloudy night sky, and then back at him.
“Maybe. But even if you don’t enjoy it anymore, that’s okay.”
“…?”
“There are plenty of other things to enjoy besides sword training. Once you’re fully recovered, you can find new things to enjoy.”
Her soft smile shone, even without the moonlight.
“You have so many happy days ahead of you. Don’t you think?”
Harold felt a mix of fulfillment and deep hunger at the same time.
But the satisfaction was fleeting.
The hunger—his long-restrained desire—began to take over.
He rubbed his face roughly, exhaled heavily—
And then, his desperate lips captured hers.
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• ❁ • ❁ • ❁ •By Freya• ❁ • ❁ • ❁ •
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Advance chapters of this novel are available of my kofi channel
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Is he faking being sick? You bad boy😆