Chapter 47

“Don’t delude yourself into thinking you’re the only one who can make Rivera happy. If it weren’t for you, we could’ve been happy.”

Just keeping the anger bottled up inside was unbearable. It boiled within him.

The wealth of the Bartman Ducal House was astronomical. For Duke Bartman at the time, raising the Denmark family, which was nothing more than a minor house, was no difficult task.

If Adrian had revived the family and made him the head of the Denmark House, Antonio would have gladly yielded Rivera to him. His parents would still be alive, and he wouldn’t have been branded a disgraceful son who didn’t even attend their funeral.

“Money you can’t take with you when you die… If you’d just shared a little, none of this would’ve happened.”

Antonio blamed Adrian for everything that had gone wrong.

He would make sure Adrian would never live happily. He would ensure Adrian never saw Rivera again, and he hoped Adrian would slowly wither away while listening to her resentment until he died.

“Just wait and see…”

Muttering to himself, Antonio turned his gaze toward the mansion, filled with the kind of hatred one would reserve for a traitor who had sold out their country, and then turned away.

‘This is all your doing. The moment you forced me to break up with Rivera, this future was set in stone. Rivera, who knows nothing, will only resent and miss you like a fool, Duke Bartman, but you’ll just stand back and let it happen.’

The only person who could comfort Rivera in her pain was himself.  

That’s how Antonio intended to make the woman Adrian loved his own.

***

“Phew. He’s stabilized now.”

The healer wiped the sweat from his forehead as he packed up his bag.

When the news came that Duke Bartman had collapsed, the healer, though trained to never doubt a patient’s illness, couldn’t believe it. 

He thought it might be a joke, but if it was true, it was serious enough to warrant rushing over with medicine—and it turned out his decision was the right one.

At the time, the Duke’s condition had been critical. He had a high fever, hallucinations, and even seizures, to the point where treatment would have been impossible without the knights restraining him. 

His strength had been so overwhelming that it took several strong knights to subdue him.

“Is he really okay now?”  

“Yes, he just needs to rest for a while.”  

Seth let out a sigh of relief.  

The fever hadn’t subsided all night, and there was a moment when he thought the Duke might actually die. A man who hadn’t even caught a cold suddenly coming down with such a severe illness was shocking.  

Seeing Adrian groaning and suffering in his unconscious state, Seth had seriously considered calling Rivera.  

“What on earth is happening here?”  

At one point during the night, Adrian had even vomited bile, worsening his condition. Despite giving him medicine, he kept throwing it up, causing the healer and the maids tending to him to struggle greatly.  

“He never got like this, even when he swept through battlefields.”  

Seth wondered how much emotional turmoil Adrian must have endured for his healthy body to collapse like this.  

As Adrian, complaining about the heat, tried to kick off his blanket, Seth felt pity for him and covered him up again. The healer had said sweating it out would help him recover.  

But no matter how many times Seth covered him, Adrian kicked the blanket off again. Even without opening his eyes properly, Adrian flailed his arms and threw the blanket to the floor, testing Seth’s patience.  

The healer, seeing this, advised Seth not to bother covering him anymore. The worst had passed, and all that was left was to maintain the room’s temperature.  

“He’ll be fine now. So just leave him be…”  

“No. What if his condition worsens?”  

Out of sheer stubbornness, Seth pulled the blanket back up, tucking it securely around Adrian. When Adrian tried to push it off again, Seth stopped him.  

“Think of this as Rivera and hold onto it tightly.”  

If Adrian still threw it off, Seth planned to tattle later. He would tell Rivera that he had suggested Adrian think of her, but Adrian had kicked the blanket away and caused a scene.  

However, Seth was left dumbfounded.  

“What the…?”  

The same Adrian who had been so determined to push the blanket away was now clutching it tightly, refusing to let it go.  

“He really must be sick.”  

Even such nonsense seemed to get through to him in this state.  

“Recover soon so you can deal with that bastard first.”  

Seth knew Adrian’s condition had worsened after Antonio’s visit.  

Every time that man showed up, something bad happened, and it was driving Seth crazy. Normally, Adrian would handle things well, but this time, the involvement of the temple complicated matters.  

“A man with no family, managing an estate this vast all alone… When I heard he was getting engaged to Rivera, I thought it was a good thing. But now, what kind of disaster is this?”  

Seth looked at Adrian with a heavy heart.  

Divine punishment was feared by all, as it condemned the target’s family to three generations of poverty and illness. If Adrian killed Antonio without a valid reason and the temple declared him a target of divine punishment, he would never be able to marry Rivera.  

To Adrian, whose life revolved around making Rivera happy, marrying her only to subject her to poverty and unnecessary illness would be unthinkable.  

Seth looked at Adrian, who was murmuring Rivera’s name in his sleep, with pity.  

“Even my master is still human, I suppose.”  

He had thought Adrian would go his whole life without ever getting sick.  

***

The next day, Adrian, who had been unconscious, regained consciousness.  

When he woke, his throat was dry and hoarse. Dark circles shadowed his eyes, and his body, drenched in sweat, gave off an unpleasant smell.  

“You’re finally awake.”  

Seth, who had stayed up all night nursing him, greeted his master while setting down a wet cloth.  

“How are you feeling?”  

Seth didn’t expect gratitude. But after days of tending to him, he thought Adrian could at least acknowledge his efforts.  

“Where’s Rivera?”  

“Is that really what’s important right now?”  

Seth felt a pang of disappointment.  

“Do you even know my name?”  

Adrian frowned in response.  

“Did you tell Rivera that I was sick?”  

Seeing Adrian ignore everything else and only ask about Rivera, Seth concluded that Adrian must have been fine all along.  

“She doesn’t know. I didn’t tell anyone outside the mansion, just in case. You can rest easy.”  

“That’s a relief.”  

Although Seth had wanted to inform her, he refrained. After all, Adrian had coldly pushed her away, and it would have been shameless to now inform her about his illness.  

“You’re stuck in bed for the time being.”  

Adrian raised his arm and clenched his fist. He had no strength at all. His body felt like a soaked rag, limp and unresponsive, as if all his muscles had been paralyzed.  

“Get some rest. You’ve been overworking yourself lately.”  

Adrian glanced at Seth.  

“What’s with you? Normally, you’d nag me about all the work piling up.”  

“Well, someone decided to finish two weeks’ worth of work in five days because his fiancée wouldn’t meet him, so we’re ahead of schedule.”  

“…I must have been out of my mind.”  

When Rivera refused to meet him, Adrian’s mind had been consumed with countless thoughts.  

What if she wanted to break up? What if she wanted to call off the engagement?  

Although they had written a relationship contract, Rivera ending things wouldn’t have been an issue. Everything had been set up for her benefit.  

To distract himself, Adrian had thrown himself into work, not realizing how much he had actually accomplished.  

Seth informed him of what had happened while he was unconscious.  

“Oh, and Antonio came by again to deliver a message.”  

“What did he say?”  

“He said, ‘The date we agreed on is approaching. Hurry up.’ What should we do? If you want, I can arrange an accident to get rid of him.”  

At Seth’s suggestion, Adrian shook his head.  

“Leave him be for now.”  

“Why?”  

Seth found it odd that Adrian would refuse. He had expected Adrian to agree to kill Antonio on the spot.  

Adrian slowly sat up, his body heavy.  

“There’s a reason.”  

It was a secret he couldn’t share with anyone.  

If he killed Antonio now, regardless of whether the letter Antonio claimed to have left at the temple existed, Rivera would suspect Adrian. He had already lost her trust, and doing so would eliminate any chance of restoring their relationship.  

‘And I can’t just tell her we’re breaking up.’  

Even the words “breaking up” would hurt Rivera, and announcing it publicly in the newspaper would be even worse.  

“There has to be a way. A way…”  

A way to deceive Antonio without hurting Rivera.  

***

Rivera had been invited to a party hosted by the Duke of Mongoberry. The invitation card included a note saying that Cassilia and Andre’s engagement would be announced, and they hoped she would attend.  

At first, she didn’t want to go. Julia and Cassilia had likely known about Adrian’s deception, and the thought of facing them was unbearable.  

But her mother insisted that no matter the circumstances, it was proper to attend important events. Rivera agreed but still felt awkward about going, given her current state.  

‘…Adrian isn’t here, my friends aren’t here, and now I’m alone.’  

Standing in a corner, Rivera overheard members of other families whispering. They were wondering where the people she usually spent time with had gone and why she was alone.  

‘Why do they care if I’m alone or not?’  

Rivera lowered her head. The confident demeanor she once had was nowhere to be found.  

She couldn’t forget the last time she had seen Adrian.  

– If you’re unhappy, then break it off. If you’re so angry and upset, let’s break up! I’ll do as you ask.  

It finally felt real—that it was over.  

‘I’ve never seen such cold eyes from him before.’  

He had once said he would never suggest breaking up, but in the end, he was no different.  

‘Come to think of it, Adrian threatened my boyfriends to break up with me. If he hadn’t interfered, maybe I could’ve dated someone longer.’  

The thought brought tears to her eyes.  

But even imagining such a scenario felt pointless now. Rivera couldn’t imagine being with anyone other than Adrian. She knew no one else would treat her as well as he had.  

Wiping her tears, Rivera tried to console herself.  

‘At least… my friend looks happy, and that’s what matters.’  

Despite her resentment toward Cassilia, she sincerely congratulated her on her engagement.  

The Duke of Mongoberry, blushing, announced that his daughter was pregnant and asked everyone to celebrate. He then glared at Andre, warning him that he would be watching him for the rest of his life.  

Although everyone laughed, Andre looked visibly tense.