If You Leave Without a Word - Chapter 53
‧₊˚ ☁️⋅♡𓂃 ࣪ ִֶָ☾.
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The Countess couldn’t resist her greed, even after the marriage approval of the Marquis and Lady had been granted. She attempted to arrange a marriage between her son and the Lady by offering treasures to the Grand Duchess.
In return, she pleaded to let her son and the Lady see each other. Unfortunately, her son, who happened to be mentally unstable, did something unexpected, contrary to the Countess’s expectations.
He kidnapped and attempted to kill Lady Kristin, but failed.
This much was the truth behind the publicly known incident. When noblewomen gathered, they gossiped about Lady Kristin and Marquis Vernat. Touching the fiance of someone who is incessantly favored by the Emperor is madness, and that was the predominant reaction.
Moreover, the person behind the kidnapping was not a Count— not the Young Count, but a common nobleman without any title. He was someone insignificant compared to Marquis Vernat.
As the incident became known, Emperor Blahova was furious. Touching a loyal servant of the Emperor was like disrespecting oneself, and he chastised Calvino County with a severe punishment.
He confiscated half of the Count’s territory and ordered house arrest for the Countess, who was the mastermind behind the incident.
John Calvino, the main culprit, was instructed to follow the judgment of the Vernat Knights.
The Grand Duchess was also ordered to be on probation. The relatively mild punishment compared to the committed crime was the result of the Marquis’s repeated supplications to the Emperor, gaining leniency to protect his young wife.
The Count argued that the Emperor had no justification to intervene in the disputes among the nobility. However, Emperor Blahova dismissed this immediately, stating that it was a tragedy that occurred between the engaged couple whose marriage approval the Emperor had personally granted, and he would handle it himself.
No one had seen John Calvino since the incident. There were only rumors about his whereabouts. Some said that Marquis Vernat immediately cut his throat at the scene and threw the body into the sea.
Others claimed he was imprisoned in the secret dungeon of the Vernat Knights, tortured daily.
However, only the Marquis knew the truth.
⚜ ⚜ ⚜
“The sun is hot.”
It was Cain’s gentle voice that woke Agatha from her contemplation. The sunlight that was pouring onto her face was blocked by a large shadow. Agatha closed the book she had been reading.
“You returned early.”
“I pleaded with His Majesty for leave until the wedding. I don’t know if he will grant it.”
Looking up, Agatha saw that Cain was spreading his hands wide, casting a shadow over her face. It seemed he was concerned that she might strain her eyes reading in the sunlight.
“Why are you smiling?”
“You requesting leave seems so unlike you.”
“Everyone likes to rest.”
“Well, according to rumors, you dislike resting and enjoy working.”
“Hmm… enjoying work. I’m not a pervert, you know.”
Agatha burst into laughter, and Cain followed suit with a smile.
Since the kidnapping of John Calvino, Cain had not left her alone for a single day. Originally scheduled for two months later, the wedding was moved up by over a month. Cain rarely ventured outside the mansion, and if he had to, he hurried back before sunset.
“Would you like to take a walk?”
Agatha nodded and rose from her seat. Among the gardens surrounding the mansion, she particularly liked the space that extended from the central garden to the back of the mansion, and she spent most of her time there throughout the day.
The lush foliage in the garden swayed in the wind. A rocking chair, whose presence Agatha couldn’t recall, was also there. Sitting in the chair and enjoying the scenery or reading a book made time pass quickly.
Concerned about Agatha’s mental well-being, especially given the extraordinary events she had experienced before fully recovering from the injuries inflicted by the Countess, the staff at the mansion, including Izelle, were vigilant and often checked on her.
Cain didn’t leave Agatha alone for this reason. Having witnessed firsthand how people who had gone through significant trauma could suffer mentally, he made it a daily routine to check on Agatha’s well-being and engage in conversation.
To Cain, Agatha’s misfortune felt like his own fault. He believed that the tragedy could have been prevented if he hadn’t left her alone, using his busyness as an excuse. This belief haunted him, especially since he hadn’t accompanied her on her first outing beyond the mansion, which could have potentially averted the disaster.
He had never vocalized such feelings outwardly, and he had no intention of doing so in the future. However, the guilt of not keeping the promise to protect her had never left Cain since the incident.
“The weather has gotten much hotter.”
“Well, the sun has become stronger than before.”
“With the weather getting hotter, pirates might start plundering.”
“You don’t need to worry about that.”
She casually brought up a new topic, pretending everything was fine. Yet, despite her efforts to appear unaffected, Cain could see that she was struggling significantly.
A delicate lady who had never harmed anyone had stabbed a person and was covered in blood. The psychological impact must have lingered vividly.
“You don’t need to worry. If pirates appear, it just means it’s time for you to leave the mansion.”
“….”
