Even If You Tear Me Apart - Chapter 50
The chapters are split like this so that the TL can update more consistently over time (✿ ＞◡❛)
“Young Master, did you know that our Marquis has a mage’s hat?”
“A mage’s hat?”
In the end, luring a child wasn’t difficult. Henri eventually moved to the Marquis’s four-horse carriage with the maid.
As soon as the door closed, Iris calmly pulled back the curtain and said,
“A man and woman alone in an enclosed space before marriage is bound to stir gossip.”
“Aren’t we to be wed soon? What does it matter what people say?”
The Marquis grumbled. But Iris did not draw the curtain again. Fortunately, the Marquis seemed satisfied just to be in the carriage with her. He soon began talking nonsense.
“Did you know I own three estates? Most of them are in the lands granted to me…”
Three estates, forty sacks of gold given by the Emperor—his stories were all about his wealth and accomplishments.
Henri might have found it interesting. Even if he didn’t care about money, he was curious about how powerful a water mage could be.
But Iris wasn’t interested. Even if she had been, it would’ve been hard to focus. The Marquis was toying with the fabric of her dress below the windowline, out of sight.
“Even with just this dress—see, with water magic…”
A puff of water suddenly appeared in midair and dampened her dress. Iris wasn’t impressed in the slightest but forced a smile as if she were.
And immediately regretted it. The Marquis reached for her hand.
“……Someone might see, Marquis.”
“No one can see from outside. It’s fine, isn’t it?”
Iris, glancing sideways out the window in desperation, tried to pull her hand away from his grasp with all her strength.
She was afraid someone might see the state she was in whenever the paladins glancing toward the carriage passed by. At the same time, she wished someone would notice what was happening to her.
‘What’s going on here?’
When he had stepped in like that the day before—how ashamed, yet grateful she had felt.
But because of that, Iris didn’t want Ezekiel, of all people, to witness this right now.
It was humiliating. To be seen like this by him. The reason she kept scanning the outside was, more than anything, because she didn’t want him to know.
To want help and yet wish not to be noticed—it was a truly pitiful and disgraceful contradiction.
“Why is the Marquis over there?”
“He said he wanted to talk or something.”
“Hmm.”
The paladins’ muttered words drifted in with the wind. The Marquis must have heard it too, but he remained shameless.
“Your maid must be lazy. Your hair’s a mess.”
Using her hair as an excuse, his wrinkled hand brushed her cheek. It was like a bug crawling across her skin. Iris shrank her shoulders.
And that was when Ezekiel entered her sight.
Clip, clop. Clip, clop…
All throughout the five-day journey, she hadn’t once seen him from the carriage—but now, he was riding slowly alongside. His movements were no different from the other paladins standing guard.
Of course, their eyes met. And Iris wanted nothing more than to close hers tightly. But she couldn’t. If she did, Ezekiel would notice something was wrong right away.
He, at least, couldn’t be allowed to see.
“How about the two of us dine together tonight?”
The Marquis proposed loudly just then.
Iris quickly turned her head to look straight ahead. She didn’t hear Ezekiel’s horse move away. He was still circling nearby. Iris forced a smile.
“If you’d like.”
“Oh, so you agree with me, my darling. I have so many questions for you. What you like, what foods you dislike…”
“But I grew up in the countryside, so I’m not very familiar with noble table manners. Will that be all right?”
“I’ve only studied my whole life, so I’m not well-versed either. My title’s practically a reward from His Majesty for being a good student.”
The Marquis laughed heartily. The conversation went on for some time, but Iris couldn’t remember a word of what she’d said.
Eventually, Ezekiel, who had been scanning the surroundings, moved away. Even from the corner of her eye, he looked completely indifferent.
Iris wished to die.
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Thanks for translate