If You Leave Without a Word - Chapter 91
‧₊˚ ☁️⋅♡𓂃 ࣪ ִֶָ☾.
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As Cain exited the audience chamber, Joseph quickly caught up with him.
“What did His Majesty say?”
Joseph asked, hunching his shoulders and lowering his voice as if someone might overhear.
Despite having transitioned to a desk job due to his leg injury, Joseph’s massive build still set him apart from ordinary men.
His attempt to shrink himself was almost comical, and Cain couldn’t help but chuckle.
“What did he say?”
“Exactly what you expected. Why do you keep asking?”
“So, you admitted to being disloyal to His Majesty?”
“I couldn’t deny it when he already knew.”
“You idiot!”
Joseph raised his voice in excitement but quickly clapped his hand over his mouth. In moments like these, he seemed like an overgrown boy. Cain shook his head slightly.
“Surely His Majesty didn’t let you go unpunished. What penalty did he impose?”
“What penalty. I did what was necessary for the people of the Empire.”
“Damn it! Who cares about theoretical nonsense? What did he actually say?”
“I requested the authority to reinvestigate Duke Kristin’s death.”
“What?”
“In exchange for halting the post-war reconstruction projects, I gained the authority to reopen the investigation into the Duke’s death.”
“No way….”
Leaving the confused Joseph behind, Cain strode forward.
“You don’t mean to say…”
As he trailed behind, Joseph mumbled to himself.
His thoughts seemed to jump from one question to the next, starting with, “Why now, after more than ten years?” to “No, now is the perfect time when the culprit feels safe,” and finally, “But what authority do you have to reinvestigate the Duke’s death? Did you marry Lady Kristin just to gain that authority?”
Not entirely foolish, Cain thought with a faint smile.
“By the way, how is Lady Kristin? Is she well? I mean, Duchess Kristin, is she doing well?”
“She had no reason not to be well.”
“Why do you always answer like that? Can’t you just say she’s doing well?”
“If you don’t like my answers, stop asking. Why do you keep asking the same thing when you know how I’ll respond?”
Joseph’s face turned red with frustration.
Such bickering was like child’s play to the two knights. For a moment, Cain’s mind, which had been tangled with thoughts of Duke Kristin, felt a bit clearer, and his expression softened slightly.
“You two never show up together, so the rumors keep spreading. While you’re in the capital, you should attend some social gatherings as a couple.”
“I don’t see why I should waste my time on that. Joseph, I’m not that leisurely of a man.”
“I’m not saying it for your sake, but for Duchess Kristin’s sake! You idiot.”
“What?”
“Because of the way you act, there are rumors in the social circles that you’re just a shell couple. People say Duchess Kristin is a pitiful Marchioness who isn’t loved.”
This time, Cain stopped in his tracks.
“Who dares to spout such nonsense?”
“Woah, why are you getting mad at me? Everyone in the social circles is talking about it.”
“Give me their names. I’ll personally shut their mouths.”
“Honestly, you get so sensitive whenever Kristin is mentioned.”
“…Enough. I don’t have time for this trivial talk. I’ll be on my way.”
Joseph shouted after him, telling him to take better care of his wife, but Cain was already walking away.
* * *
Upon returning to the capital, the first place Cain visited was the imperial palace, not his home. As a loyal servant of the Emperor, it was the right thing to do. But understanding it logically and managing one’s emotions were two different matters.
Agatha often found herself biting her lip to cope with the helplessness that sometimes overwhelmed her. She was well aware that Teschen openly disrespected her, but she had no energy to worry about what others thought.
During the days Agatha waited for Cain to return to the capital, she tried to think things through rationally.
It was natural for people to change their feelings. Moreover, a wife bound by a contract to achieve one’s desires could easily be abandoned in the face of true love. She was neither naive nor narrow-minded enough to not understand that.
What pained her was acknowledging that Cain’s promise to protect her in gratitude for her father’s kindness was far weaker than she had thought.
A week after the Vernat Knights entered the capital, Cain finally returned to the mansion where his wife Agatha was.
But even this was not a relief.
Late at night, Cain went straight to the guesthouse bedroom instead of the main house where Agatha was and spent another three days there alone, leaving her with only a brief message to contact him through the butler.
