Chapter 100
Kayente could believe nothing except the claim that Cain had tried to seduce Yulia, but if it had been anyone else’s name, he might have doubted. However, considering it was Marquis Ver—who believed Kayente had stolen his farm for a pittance—it wasn’t hard to imagine he would resort to something so low.
When Kayente went to check, Marquis Ver was clearly inside the mansion yet pretended to be absent, as though he had something to hide. He kept peeking out the window, and in doing so, he was caught red-handed by Yulia, who had come with Kayente.
With no way out, Marquis Ver reluctantly allowed them into the reception room. Without even offering them a seat, he sat himself on the grand sofa and immediately complained, displeased that Kayente had disturbed his “rest.”
“Why have you come to my home this time? Are you looking for another fight?”
“I’d say you were the one who picked a fight first, Marquis Ver.”
Kayente hated the very act of breathing in the same space as this man, but exploding in anger wouldn’t bring any benefit. He decided to ease into the confrontation instead. Marquis Ver flinched, understanding the implication, then quickly feigned ignorance.
“What…! Who started a fight?! You’re the one barging in on a man who’s simply trying to rest!”
Even as he said that, Marquis Ver couldn’t meet Kayente’s eyes. His gaze instead drifted toward Yulia’s wrist, which Kayente was firmly holding, and for a brief moment he looked faintly guilty—though he tried hard to hide even that small expression.
Watching him, one question sprouted in Kayente’s mind:
Was all of this really Marquis Ver’s idea?
Kayente couldn’t believe Marquis Ver acted alone. Count Arin, who also held a grudge against him, likely had a hand in this as well.
But what struck Kayente as strange was that neither Marquis Ver nor Count Arin had the brains to plan something this elaborate.
And more puzzling—despite being called half-wits by everyone, those two supposedly believed that Kayente would abandon all his business in the Empire just to rescue his wife? It didn’t add up. There had to be a third person involved. And if that person wasn’t Cain… then who?
The uncertainty unsettled Kayente deeply. He could not yet assure himself that Yulia was safe.
* * *
For the first few days after the incident, Yulia thought it was natural that Kayente didn’t allow her to go out. But now more than ten days had passed, her wrist had healed, and she had even resumed her cello practice—yet Kayente still refused to let her set foot outside. It felt excessive.
“I just wanted to stop by the shopping district for a moment—”
“No.”
The moment she mentioned going somewhere during breakfast, Kayente cut her off instantly.
Yulia felt suffocated. He had even refused to let her meet visitors who came to comfort her after hearing about the incident. Now she wasn’t allowed a single step outside the mansion. If this continued, all the relationships she’d worked hard to build would crumble.
“There are guards my brother assigned to protect the house. If I go with them—”
“No.”
Even when she suggested a method that should have reassured him, he refused without listening. Yulia sighed loudly enough for him to hear. She understood why he was worried—her kidnappers were still at large, and the mastermind had yet to be identified.
But she couldn’t remain trapped indoors indefinitely until every single person involved was caught and punished.
“You’re not afraid something like that will happen again, are you?”
“I can’t say it won’t. Nobody expected this to happen in the first place.”
Kayente set his water glass down on the table with a sharp clack. No matter how she tried to find a compromise, his stance grew more rigid each day. Time was supposed to ease his anxiety, but instead it only worsened.
He didn’t stop at placing guards outside. He sent people to check on her every hour, making sure nothing had changed. He came home as early as possible and insisted she stay with him in his study. Even when she bathed, ate, or slept—he would not let her out of his sight.
It was just as suffocating as being unable to leave the house. And she couldn’t rebel; doing so would only heighten his anxiety.
“Today I’m supposed to start learning cooking.”
Trying to ease the tension, Yulia shifted the topic.
“Cooking?”
“I thought… since I’m stuck at home, I could at least learn something.”
“Who’s coming? Have they been screened properly?”
Kayente knew Yulia felt stifled, but he couldn’t help it. His anxiety was no longer just fear that something might happen to her.
From the day he brought her home safely, a near-delusional thought—that he would someday be punished—had begun to take shape.
“She used to work as a royal palace chef. They say her skills are trustworthy.”
“That’s not the kind of vetting I meant.”
That he would be found out.
That Yulia would eventually learn why he first approached her, what intentions he’d hidden, and how this entire revenge began and was meant to end. And once she knew, she would leave him—no threat or pleading could stop her.
So locking her inside the house wasn’t enough. He needed to know every word she exchanged each day; he needed to monitor her every minute or he felt like he would lose his mind.
“Ah… she’s older, but the daughters-in-law of the Viched Marchioness all learned from her. She’s been teaching for years and is well-connected with the nobility.”
Unaware of his panic, Yulia smiled, saying she wanted to learn something delicious to cook him for dinner.
Her smile was unbearably lovely, but Kayente couldn’t return it. He couldn’t think straight anymore. Every waking moment felt like standing on thin, cracking ice. He had felt less fear even the day his father died. And there seemed to be no escape.
He had arranged for all letters, visitors, and messages to be directed to him first, terrified that Baron might show up and expose everything the moment something happened to Yulia… yet the dread wouldn’t stop.
If he could, he would send Yulia to a remote island where no one could meet her or speak to her, and visit her alone.
“Oh—so you’re worried someone might harm you through the teacher? Don’t worry about that.”
Seeing his face tense, Yulia tried to reassure him.
But if she knew the truth, she would never smile at him like this again. Her kindness pierced him deeply. He wanted to kneel before her right then and beg for forgiveness.
Yet… even Yulia could not forgive this.
She had cut ties with Cain the moment she learned he had approached her with ulterior motives.
“Just… one week. Give me one more week. After the charity concert, if nothing changes, I’ll find a way for you to go out safely.”
“Thank you.”
So he was terrified. He had finally admitted his feelings, finally reached a point where they could smile together. He feared this peace would shatter in an instant.
* * *
Though she didn’t have any special errands, Yulia used to visit the shopping district often, and she regularly attended tea gatherings until the incident. Being stuck at home without reason made her restless. She couldn’t practice cello all day, so she needed something else.
“Ma’am, if you cut onions like that…”
So she had begun learning cooking. She enjoyed it, but apparently lacked talent—today she had cut an onion the wrong way again, rendering it unusable. Even the teacher looked more pitying than disappointed.
She wondered how long it would take before she could make a dish worthy of their dinner table.
Her enthusiasm was high, but her skills stayed flat; her interest was beginning to wane. After sending off the cooking teacher, she returned to the bedroom and opened the cookbook Kayente had bought her days earlier.
But her mind couldn’t focus. Daytime was boring and quiet, but even nights had lost their “fun.” After the incident, Kayente had become so cautious that even sharing the same bed resulted in… nothing.
She couldn’t remember the last time her legs trembled so much the next morning that she could barely get out of bed. Considering they’d nearly lost each other, she expected him to want her even more desperately. But no—something was off.
“We really do need to have a child soon…”
She wondered if she should drink wine like before and boldly throw herself into his arms. Embarrassing thoughts swirled in her head when Lucy suddenly announced an unexpected visitor.
