Chapter 31
When news of the secret affair scandal causing a stir in high society first reached him, he felt a pang of guilt toward Hera.
On the day of the carriage accident, Marriot had witnessed Ober Tolin’s vulgar attitude toward his daughter, which left him with a lingering sense of debt.
He had wondered if Emilia Tolin was, perhaps, just another victim being used as a tool by her own father.
If that was the case, he regretted speaking so coldly to her that day.
‘See? A tool, really? She’s clearly trying to use the scandal for her own gain—just like Ober Tolin.’
But in the end, his sympathy had been misplaced.
How could he have missed the meaning behind her concerns and supposed “worries”?
There was no need to investigate to know it was Ober Tolin who had spread the affair scandal.
His plan was to use his daughter to somehow break into Marriot’s private life.
The man had cunningly exploited the fact that no noble family, wary of Marriot’s notorious womanizing, wanted their daughter associated with him.
Marriot had assumed Emilia, like him, would want to escape from an unwanted scandal.
But he had been completely wrong.
She was as vile as her father.
It was as if her sole purpose was to make the false scandal seem true.
The way she stared at him with a stern expression, as if angry—
‘She’s acting just like a real lover.’
That absurd thought popped into his head, and Marriot suddenly stood up.
Maybe it was the alcohol, but his thoughts were getting stranger.
To cover up the sudden movement, he exaggerated a wave of his hand.
“Look around. Everyone here is happy. Are you worried that they’re too happy, Miss Emilia Tolin?”
Marriot was slick and difficult.
That’s how Hera had come to define him.
He sometimes said things that were hard to understand, and he responded to her sincerity far too easily.
The more she dealt with him, the more she realized he was someone too much to handle.
“It’s not that, I just…”
Or maybe—maybe he was doing this on purpose.
‘Just to me.’
Hera couldn’t even finish her sentence. Her strength was draining out of her body.
She felt like she had been lost in a strange illusion all this time.
Marriot saying that “Hera Wintail” was the one meant to be his bride—of course he had no feelings for “Emilia Tolin.”
It had been foolish of her to believe that their connection would naturally lead to something special.
To Marriot, Emilia Tolin was nothing more than a nuisance.
‘If I had been Hera instead.’
If that were the case, what would you be like now, Marriot Laurent?
You mourned a woman you didn’t even truly know.
You would have been easy—someone with an obvious answer.
“You and your father’s intentions are obvious. But they’re so sloppy, it makes me worried for you.”
Marriot didn’t notice the way Hera’s face had suddenly darkened.
The longer she stayed here, the more likely the people gathered in the hall would remember her.
There was too much risk of getting caught up in unnecessary trouble.
Marriot thought it would be best to make her leave on her own—even if it meant humiliating her.
Even better if she ended up hating and despising him.
“If I were to just pick any woman here…”
He pulled one of the prostitutes who had been wandering near him, reeking of alcohol.
Even with a light tug, the woman clung to his waist as if she had been waiting for it.
Surprised by how natural her reaction was, Marriot glanced at her—but having already started this, he couldn’t just stop.
He wrapped an arm around her shoulder and looked at Hera as he asked,
“What if I made a marriage vow right now? What would that do to your honor as a noble lady?”
Never in his life had he spoken so indecently.
As he processed the words he himself had just spoken, Marriot grimaced.
He felt like punching himself in the face.
“If I marry a prostitute just to avoid marrying Lady Tolin, the scandal you’re caught up in will last longer than jerky in Central high society.”
Still, it was better to hurt her now.
“Can you really endure that disgrace?”
Better that than being used as a tool on a battlefield where life and death are at stake.
“Even if you could endure it, what does that have to do with me?”
His cruel words came with a cold smile, and Hera’s face flushed with shame.
The skin on her face turned red, making her look pitiful.
Her robe sleeves half-covered her trembling hands as she clenched her fists, but instead of anger, the sight just looked… sad.
“You don’t have to say it like that. I know it was a mistake to come here.”
“If you know that, then don’t—”
“I do know! But I was forced to come.”
She knew. This wasn’t a situation where she could afford to be angry.
She knew anger would only make things worse.
She told herself over and over again how foolish and meaningless this all was—but still, Hera couldn’t stop talking.
She thought she had a higher threshold for pain than most, but apparently not.
Marriot’s words had pierced her heart like thorns, and the groan of pain escaped her lips involuntarily.
Every word she spoke now came from that pain.
A desperate cry—because his words had hurt her so much.
“You’re smart. I’m sure you know exactly what kind of situation I’m in. So maybe just a little…”
It was just a desperate threat. A scream destined to end as a whisper.
“…you could’ve spoken kindly.”
She had no more words.
Every outburst like this always left her feeling embarrassed.
As her face turned redder than before, Marriot simply stared.
His gaze only made her feel hotter.
“Then.”
He gently pushed the woman he was holding to the side and began speaking in a voice barely above a sigh.
He took a step closer to Hera.
Then he raised both hands and pulled the hood of her cloak over her head.
The weighty hood covered half her flushed face, and somehow, that alone brought a sense of calm.
“If I treat you kindly, just like you want… will you disappear from my sight, Miss Bold Emilia Tolin?”
“……”
Because of the hood, she couldn’t see his expression.
All she could make out was his infuriating mouth and his shirt, unbuttoned down to his chest.
His voice was unusually gentle—as he said something cruel.
That’s when Hera realized with certainty.
Marriot Laurent was far too much for her to handle.
“…The carriage I came in has already gone back. If you lend me one, I’ll leave immediately.”
So, Ober Tolin had planned this from the start.
All she could do was laugh at his vulgar schemes.
Marriot let out a chuckle and raised a hand to call his aide, Shane.
Shane approached and received Marriot’s order to prepare a carriage.
He nodded and passed Hera to step outside the hall.
After a while, he returned to Marriot and reported that the carriage would be ready in ten minutes.
Marriot picked up the coat draped over the back of the sofa and put it on.
The night was still cold.
Reading his master’s intentions, Shane gestured politely to Hera.
It was a signal that she should now leave the hall.
Just like when she had entered, the hall was filled with noise and unpleasant smells.
Feeling uncomfortable, Hera kept stopping and looking around as she walked out, hesitating often.
“Don’t stop. Keep walking, Miss Emilia.”
That was why Marriot, walking on her left, leaned in to whisper.
When they neared the exit of the hall, Shane assumed Marriot would accompany Hera to the carriage.
Otherwise, there was no reason for him to wear a coat.
But just a few steps before the door, Marriot suddenly stopped.
He looked down at his coat as if something about it displeased him, then scowled.
With his hands behind his back, he gave Lady Tolin an early farewell.
“Then, take care.”
‘He’s sending a lady off in a carriage by herself? At this hour?’
Even Shane, known for being completely devoid of sentiment, found Marriot’s behavior excessive.
Marriot smiled faintly at Hera, putting his handsome face to good use, but that didn’t erase the cruelty of his actions.
What’s more—he turned his back before she had even fully exited the hall.
It was a rudeness that even caught Shane off guard.
As he followed after Marriot, Shane glanced back at Hera.
She wore a hood, so her face wasn’t visible—but no doubt, her pride must’ve taken a serious blow.
‘This is the first time I’ve seen Lord Laurent treat someone like this.’
