Chapter 41
‘What’s wrong with him, seriously….’
In her past life, Roze had done every kind of part-time job since she was young.
The reason she suddenly thought of this was simple—she had seen countless eyes that despised her and looked down on her far more than she ever could herself.
Roze had met all sorts of troublesome people in every industry imaginable, so she had built up plenty of resistance to that.
“…Noah, did I do something wrong?”
And yet, she couldn’t stand that look in Noah’s eyes.
He was the one who used to relax and breathe easy whenever he saw her, shoulders loosening the moment their eyes met…
But now, Noah had suddenly put up a wall and pulled away. That was something she didn’t think she could ever grow immune to.
Maybe that was why.
She hadn’t meant to ask like this, but as soon as the words left her lips, tears welled up without her realizing it.
In that instant, Noah’s once-cold eyes wavered deeply.
‘So it’s not that he’s grown to hate me….’
Seeing his eyes tremble at her wavering voice, it didn’t feel like there was a crack in their bond.
Relieved at that, Roze quickly steadied her fragile heart.
‘I’m not a cat anymore. I can’t be so dependent on Noah.’
To cry over something so trivial—she had gotten too weak.
If things went well, she would eventually have to leave his side. Starting now, she had to recover that past-life strength, when she had managed her life alone, no matter how hard it was.
“Let’s meet in the study at noon.”
“Yes.”
That was why Roze didn’t even thank him. Truthfully, it was Noah who deserved her thanks.
‘Who do you think I’m suffering like this for right now?’
Christina was indeed a bright and lovely girl, but at the same time, she was exhausting.
Having grown up smothered in love, Christina wanted every word she spoke to be met with a strong reaction.
And if the reaction wasn’t enough—
―Is my story boring?
―What? No, of course not! So then, Lady Christina, how did you respond?
She would immediately sulk and make people feel guilty.
Roze had been so exasperated that when Melissa suddenly showed up, she was startled but also secretly relieved—finally, a little break.
Even so, she was still trying her best to save Christina.
‘Then why is he mad at me? What did I do wrong?’
Not knowing the reason made it worse. And being upset over that, she hated herself even more.
‘I’ve really gotten so weak!’
Since when did she have the luxury of being hurt by someone else’s reactions? Just because Noah had been treating her kindly, she’d gotten complacent.
At the same time, at the breakfast table where the whole family gathered, Duke Raymond’s gaze kept drifting toward Christina.
“If you adore your daughter that much, why don’t you just keep her by your side forever?”
The duchess, who had always treated Christina no differently even though she wasn’t her own child, finally let such words slip out.
Not even the duke himself, who knew Christina wasn’t of his wife’s blood, could tell the difference most of the time—so much so that this had surprised even him.
But no one who overheard would imagine there was some hidden story behind it. The duchess was simply not an affectionate woman—neither toward Christina, nor her own husband and sons.
“Mother, what are you saying? I’m going to marry His Majesty the Emperor.”
“Yes, you certainly should.”
The duke recognized the scorn in his wife’s words but said nothing.
His mind was already overflowing after yesterday’s conversation with Melissa.
―I thought she was young and innocent, but you seem to have raised your daughter very well, Duke.
―What are you implying…?
Melissa had said she happened upon Christina at the palace yesterday, and that it had felt unsatisfying to part ways so soon, so she came to the duke’s estate.
The duke, of course, didn’t believe that excuse for a second.
Melissa wasn’t the type to visit someone’s home without reason.
As expected, the moment Christina, who had been chattering away, left the room, Melissa got to the point.
When the duke asked her directly what she meant, she only narrowed her eyes and smiled.
If not for their different eyes and hair, he could have been charmed a hundred times over. In fact, maybe he was, just a little—Melissa’s enigmatic smile made one feel as if they’d already been ensnared.
Some whispered that Duke Raymond must be romantically involved with Melissa, given his support for Noah. But… no.
No matter how beautiful, the duke felt an instinctive aversion toward women of different bloodlines.
He might have been momentarily swayed, but never to the point of succumbing.
Besides, people recognize their own kind, and the duke could see just how much calculation was behind that smile.
Duke Raymond was not a fool who would knowingly be ensnared.
He hadn’t fallen for her, nor had he ever desired her. Yet even he found himself momentarily speechless before that smile.
Instead of speaking too soon, he waited patiently, until Melissa finally answered.
―The young lady is lying.
―Tina? Lying? About what?
Melissa claimed Christina had slyly lied to her. And that lie was—
―There’s no way Noah would ask her to play the role of a cat-maid.
That was the very point at which Duke Raymond had suspected something might be happening between Noah and Christina.
―And to say he even thanked her and promised to make her a dress… Impossible.
Melissa flatly declared Noah would never show such kindness to Christina.
―If that’s all lies, then how do you explain Christina being inside the Emperor’s quarters?
―That’s precisely what we must find out.
Even the duke himself wasn’t permitted into the Emperor’s private quarters. Only two maids-in-waiting, assigned to the Emperor’s bedroom, were allowed regular access, and even then their identities were constantly verified.
So how had Christina entered such a place? Who, other than the Emperor, could have let her in?
He wanted to believe Melissa was just shaken by Noah’s sudden change, but her words were not easily dismissed. When it came to her son, Melissa was endlessly sharp.
“Tina.”
“Yes, Father?”
“Are you going to the palace again today?”
“Yes! I’ll prepare right after breakfast.”
“I have business there myself, so we’ll go together.”
“Really? I’d love that!”
If Christina had lied to him, he had to uncover the reason why.
He couldn’t understand. Not at all.
Even as Noah sat in his office going through documents, the questions kept resurfacing in his mind.
He should never have ignored that first feeling that something was off.
―We need to talk about where I should stay from now on.
―What do you mean? Why would we need to discuss that?
Noah couldn’t understand why Roze had brought that up.
Just yesterday, she had lain beside him as always, resting against his chest as she slept.
―We can’t keep living in the same room like this.
She had suddenly acted like sharing a bedroom was some terrible mistake.
―Huh? Where—Roze! Where are you going?
At first, he had been furious.
Then, a pitiful desperation rose in him—the fear that if he opened his mouth, he’d end up begging her not to push him away.
In the end, he grew terrified that their relationship would never progress.
He had thought that once he got used to it, everything would be fine.
So Noah spent the entire night in the training grounds, striking at practice dummies again and again.
He swung his wooden sword until every trace of the thought—Roze can’t really be trying to leave me—was beaten out of his head.
Only after hours of this did he finally calm down. But he still couldn’t bring himself to return to their bedroom, where Roze would be waiting.
Because he thought he might know what she was worried about.
Idiot.
How could he look at her like that?
He had thought he hid it well, but Roze must have noticed where his gaze lingered before returning to her face.
And so Noah kept swinging at the dummies for hours more.
He had to exhaust himself completely, until he could see Roze without betraying even the slightest dangerous thought in his eyes.
―Noah, where were you all night…?
When he finally came back, thankfully Roze only looked at him with worried eyes.
He hugged her close and pressed his face into her soft, fluffy hair, closing his eyes at last.
Being held so comfortably—he had convinced himself it was proof that she wasn’t pushing him away.
But then…
―Noah, about that conversation we left unfinished yesterday.
Roze brought it up again.
