Chapter 44: Chapter 44

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Chapter 44

After saying that, Marquis Aris took the lead, and McCain glanced at me and immediately followed. But Bleon didn’t move and just stared at me. He seemed to want me to stop him.

“I’ll go to talk with the Duke, so please wait for a moment.”

“Yes. Take your time.”

Looking at his expression, I thought he would never move like this, so I asked Leila and Marchioness Aris for their understanding. As soon as I reached out to him, Bleon grabbed my hand. I could feel his will to not want to let me go. I walked a little slower than the two of them were walking. As Bleon was following me, he stared at me from the side. Then, I opened my lips.

“Did you not forget our promise?”

“…I didn’t.”

Bleon’s reply came late, and his expression hardened. Thinking about what to do, I finally came up with the best way to appease him.

“If you do well today, you will be rewarded.”

“…Reward?”

Bleon’s eyes widened at my words of a reward.

“Not yet. I’ll give it to you when we get home.”

But somehow, the corners of his eyes seemed a little red as he remembered each of the rewards I had given him so far. I quickly waved my hand to his face to distract him from his sneaky thoughts, just in case something might happen. Then, fortunately, his gaze became clear as if he had regained his senses.

“So, let’s do well today. Understand?”

“…Alright, my Wife…”

“Then go now? Marquis Aris and Sir Holster are waiting over there. Go quickly.”

I pushed Bleon’s back to where the two men were waiting. Bleon reluctantly returned, but he continued to look back at me. Every time he did, I waved my hand to tell him to go, and as soon as I saw Bleon disappearing after joining Marquis Aris and McCain, I immediately turned around and walked with a light foot toward Leila and Marchioness Aris.

But it was then. It wasn’t too far away, so I thought of the two people waiting and walked quickly, when suddenly I heard a familiar but reluctant voice next to me.

“Astell.”

I already recognized who it was by the voice, so I forced myself to turn towards the place where I heard the voice calling me. Julia, Michael and Helena were standing side by side and looking at me.

“Sister Julia, Brother Michael. Helena.”

“You are here, too.”

“It’s not like I’m not allowed to be here.”

I didn’t want to talk too much, so I spoke harshly. But I quickly turned around, recognizing what kind of place this was now. I also wanted to get away with just a few words exchanged.

“I couldn’t even say goodbye properly. Thanks for inviting me to dinner.”

“What? Are you really thankful?”

Julia said sarcastically.

“Yes, of course. It was nice to see my family after a long time.”

I purposely raised the corners of my mouth and answered.

“Hmm… I wasn’t sure, but just like you said, Julia, this girl has really changed.”

However, Michael, who was looking at me with an unpleasant gaze from the side, opened his mouth with a low voice.

“Listen to my words, woman. Next time we see you, be polite,” I replied.

My expression quickly hardened my expression, and criticized him in an equally low voice.

“This idiot is still out of her mind. Hey, no matter how much you become a Duchess, you’ll always be the Heines’ ugly girl. Where are you looking with your eyes open?”

Michael made fun of me, poking my forehead with his finger.

“Put your hands away.”

“But I don’t want to?”

“I told you to put your hands away.”

“Why are you rebelling? What do you believe in? Your husband? Your husband is not here now?”

People around me were already paying attention. And just as they always did ten years ago, they were looking at me with an interested, fun-seeking gaze, like a monkey in a zoo. And the three of them had a smile on their faces as if they were enjoying it.

‘Garbage humans.’

Keeping my composure and telling them to stop, Michael continued to tap my forehead and I couldn’t stand it any longer. So I kicked Michael’s shin as hard as I could with my left foot.

“AAAAACCK!”

“Brother Michael! Are you okay?!”

“Are you crazy?!”

With his face contorted in pain, Michael grabbed his leg and fell backwards, and Julia yelled at me.

“Didn’t I warn you?”

I said to him in a very calm voice. It was useless to express my feelings to these people.

“This, this b*tch!”

Then Michael got up and came up to me with his eyes half-turned and looked more angry at my response, stretched out his hand, grabbed my collar, and lifted me up high.

“Didn’t I tell you not to mess with me?”

“Ugh, let me go!”

As my throat tightened, it was getting harder and harder to breathe. I shook my body roughly to get away from him. But it was impossible to overpower a man.

“I’ll show you properly today. Follow me.”

And he just dragged me and tried to go somewhere. Neither Julia nor Helena, as well as none of the nobles around, came forward, so it was a time of despair that I had to be dragged like that.

Suddenly, someone wrapped their arm around my waist from behind, and as I was trapped in the person’s arms, their foot hit Michael’s stomach at the same time. Michael was thrown on the floor incomparable to before. As Michael fell, the chairs and tables that collided were scattered all over the place, and at the same time, a loud rumbling sound resounded in the garden.

“…Bleon?”

As I managed to escape from Michael’s grip and breathe in, a familiar and warm scent enveloped me, and I immediately recognized that it was Bleon.

“Are you okay, Wife?”

“Bleon!”

I twisted my body in his arms and looked back. And when I saw his handsome face in my sight, I felt a deep sense of relief and at the same time exclaimed. So I hugged him tightly and snuggled into his arms. Bleon accepted me and patted my back warmly. But I couldn’t calm myself down, so tears were about to come out, but I held it back. I didn’t want to show my weakness in front of those people.

“Sh, sh*t…!”

Suddenly I heard a swear word behind me and I turned my head slightly. Michael, who had been thrown out by Bleon, got up like a roly poly toy again, and he staggered towards us with constant swearing. But he couldn’t come any closer, and he fell again into the scattered chairs and tables. Because Bleon kicked him again.

“Wife, stay here for a moment. I’ll be back soon.”

“But…”

As I tried to get away from him, some kind of anxiety crept in. So, hoping not to go, my voice got hoarse.

“Wait a minute. Okay?”

Saying that to me, Bleon, who smiled with a smile that was prettier than anyone else, kissed me on the forehead and walked over to Michael, who was lying on the floor.

Earlier, after separating with Astell— Bleon, Marquis Aris and McCain were talking quietly in the parlor with just the three of them. The other two were talking and Bleon was just listening, but it was what Astell wanted anyway, so he was patient, hoping that this boring time would pass quickly.

And his head was filled with only the words Astell had told him earlier. Reward. Excitingly imagining what kind of prize she would give, he heard the two of them in one ear and blew them out the other when he suddenly heard a sound outside looking for Marquis Aris.

“Marquis. There’s trouble.”

“What’s going on?”

“There was a great commotion outside.”

“Commotion?”

“Yes. I think you should go and see it for yourself.”

At the mention of a commotion, Marquis Aris got up, then Bleon and McCain followed and went outside. As they hurried to the place where the commotion occurred, he saw a familiar figure. Astell and her family.

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