try begging
While he quietly suppressed his anger and self-loathing, his mother began to display an exaggerated display of grumbling.
"I'm tired because I had a lot to worry about while staying in the capital. Going to the palace and going to parties only last a day or two..."
"I think you should consider staying in the countryside for a while to recuperate."
"Jerome, I would love to do that too. But when I get back to Halewood, there'll be a mountain of invitations waiting for me. It's annoying."
So, Grand Duchess Winston has been staying in the capital all month to show off her talents in coordinating the preparations for the award ceremony.
A ball. In fact, there is not much to coordinate in a formalized event. In fact, Jerome, who was watching from the side, and Leon, who was far away, knew that his mother was busy going around the royal entourage every day to ask for favors.
It was not a request for a title, since the title had already been confirmed. It was a request to be able to add a title to her deceased father's name. It was purely so that she could be called Lady Winston, not Lady Winston, the title given to the widow of a previous earl.
But then it seemed that Archduchess Aldrich was jealous that she would one day be called a countess, something she had never heard before. Her mother brought up the same thing she had been saying ever since the announcement of the title.
"No matter how much I think about it, it's regrettable. Leon, I think you rushed your engagement too much. To be honest, I accepted the Archduke's offer even though it was a loss because it gave you the strength to receive a title..."
Mother rolled her eyes as if displeased.
"I don't know what the Archduke has done. Leon, you earned this title through your own power."
There is always a trap waiting at the end of every right word.
"Of course, I am the one who gave birth to you and raised you. Don't forget."
Even as we drove out of Winsford and into the suburbs, my mother's slander of the Archduke's family continued.
"It's a bit late to say this, but the Archduchess wasn't exactly a nice person. She didn't make any effort to get close to her husband. Leon, did the Archduchess ever call you? As far as I know, no. She seems to have no comfy corners..."
Finally, Jerome, who couldn't hear any more, intervened.
"My brother would be more considerate in that regard. In fact, I don't think there is a bride who is as suitable for our family as you are."
Elizabeth glared at her second son, who was sitting opposite her with sharp eyes, and snapped.
"Why are you taking the side of the Grand Duchess and not that of your beloved brother?"
Of course, it's not me that Jerome loves, but the Archduchess. Leon, who had been listening silently, snorted quietly.
"Now, our family's status has changed. No. We have regained our original status. Ah, no matter how much I think about it, I was too hasty. I could have found a better match. Even if I had married into the Grand Duke's family, I could have done it on much more favorable terms."
The two brothers did not respond to the things they had heard so many times, but just stared out the window.
"The Grand Duke is also perceptive, so he seems to know that things have changed now. Last year, he wanted to postpone the wedding, but now he shamelessly wants to hurry up and set a date. That's why I flatly refused. Wasn't that a good thing?"
When the topic of the Archduke came up, Leon clenched his teeth again. This was because he suddenly remembered what the Archduke had said in his toast at the celebratory party held after the award ceremony.
"I sincerely hope that Count Winston, who has finally shaken off all the stains of the past, will have a fresh start as clean as the snow that fell last night."
The Archduke knew that the woman was gone. He not only showed that he was glad that she was gone, but he treated the woman and the child like a dirty stain.
I had to resist the urge to pull out my pistol and turn it into a beehive right then and there. That wasn't Leon's thing.
Just wait and see. Someday. When that woman comes back.
"Congratulations, Your Majesty."
As soon as the car stopped in front of the main building of the mansion, the butler opened the door with a bright face.
"Everyone has been waiting. Come on in."
The butler gestured toward the wide-open main entrance. The first-floor hall seemed empty except for the carpet leading to the stairs. The mansion's employees, dressed in identical work clothes, were waiting to greet their master, but Leon pushed Jerome's back instead.
"What about luggage?"
He asked the maid standing next to the butler. Mrs. Belmore nodded, folding her hands politely.
"I have organized it as you instructed."
The woman's belongings in Blackburn's boarding house were moved to the mansion by Mrs. Belmore. The Riddle family's belongings in the cellar were also moved to the annex. It was evidence belonging to the military, but his word was law at the scene.
After hearing the answer he wanted, Leon immediately turned around and walked away. Was it because of his mood? The annex he had seen for the first time in a long time had an eerie atmosphere, like a mausoleum where a coffin is placed. It was a feeling he had never felt before when looking at the annex.
I opened the main entrance of the building, past the now unguarded iron gate. The creaking sound of the door opening and the sound of footsteps climbing the stairs had been so hollow just a month ago.
Leon's mind raced as he headed to the third floor. He had to go through the woman's things again. If he looked at it in a new place with new eyes, he might see something new.
First of all, Leon, who had been thinking of washing away the fatigue and discomfort from the trip, took a deep breath the moment he opened the door as usual.
"Leon, are you happy?"
The cunning question the woman had asked him the last time she left this place was now an auditory hallucination that ran through his mind.
He gritted his teeth.
Now, even the welcome began to show. The woman placed one hand on her stomach and smiled gently, the corners of her lips lifting. Just like that morning.
Behind that sad smile, he must have been laughing at me.
He wasn't crazy enough to reach out and grab the illusion. Leon just walked past the woman's illusion and went into the bedroom.
The first thing that caught his eye in the empty bedroom were the things the woman had left behind.
At the foot of the bed where the woman sleeps are neatly placed slippers, a half-knitted wool hat, a box of rings, a crystal bowl of chocolates, and even a catalogue from Penthouse.
"Fuck...."
After hearing and sight came the sense of smell.
The woman's familiar body odor mixed with the citrus scent of the perfume he had bought her poured into Leon. At that moment, his chest felt heavy as if something was blocking his breathing.
He ran from his bedroom to the bathroom. Even in the bathroom, he tried to ignore the traces of the woman who was rushing in again, took off his clothes, and went into the shower.
Leon fought the urge to look back as his heart pounded in his ears, faintly drowning out the sound of the water pouring down like a downpour.
Looking back, there seems to be a woman there. A woman shamelessly enjoying a bubble bath alone in his bathtub.
Actually, the moment I opened the bedroom door, I had a foolish expectation without realizing it. I thought that if I opened this door, that woman might be there.
No, from the moment I opened the door to the annex, I had that thought. That woman must be somewhere in this annex.
From some point on, the annex to Leon was the space where that woman was. This place didn't exist without her.
He was fighting the urge to search the entire annex, from the torture chamber in the basement to the maid's room in the attic.
Is it really necessary to confirm that it doesn't exist?
It was like buying something and giving up.
Crazy guy. Idiot. He may not be so crazy as to believe the illusions are real, but he's crazy or something.
It was when I tried to laugh and went out of the shower room.
He met eyes with the woman reflected in the mirror. While he was drying her wet hair, the woman, who had been lost in thought, glanced at him and snatched the towel from him.
No, he didn't even have a towel in his hand in the first place.
Clang.
Large and small shards of the mirror poured down into the snow-white sink, followed by drops of bright red blood dripping down and staining the shards.
Leon clutched the edge of the sink with both hands, staring down at the scattered blood and debris, breathing heavily. However, no matter how deeply he breathed, his breathing did not stabilize.
He was really going crazy, and he had to face reality before he went any crazier.
I was wrong.
He must admit from the beginning that he was completely wrong. Whenever he got involved with Grace Riddle, things inevitably didn't go according to plan, not because she was cunning, but because he was arrogant.
First of all, that foolish maid cannot be a spy.
Second, you can tame that woman.
Third, his child will become a leash to hold the woman back.
Fourth, a woman who has been abandoned by her comrade will return to him.
Fifth, if this damned world could just sweep away the dregs of hatred that have settled between them, they could fix their broken relationship.
And sixth, seventh, endless arrogance led to countless misjudgments.
I was blinded by my own greed and thought I knew her well. So, when I let go of my greed, will I finally be able to see her?
No, that won't happen. Even if he lets go of all his other desires, he won't be able to let go of his desire for that woman.