Chapter 74

And when Innis learned to speak and walk, Lennox returned as a knight of the Aryan Empire and filled this once dreadful room with their shared space again.

Instead of Baron Dermann’s scent, the room now carried Lennox’s.

Ellen asked Lennox what he had done with Baron Dermann, but he never answered. In the end, Ellen gave up asking about Baron Dermann’s fate, her lips pressed tight. No, in truth, she vaguely knew. Baron Dermann would never appear in the world again.

“…….”

Ellen looked around. All the underwear and clothes that had been stripped off her by Lennox’s hands the previous night had vanished. In the cool autumn breeze, the voices of people moving about energetically in the garden drifted in. Ellen searched for the bell to call a maid, but it was nowhere to be found.

“My clothes……”

Ellen glanced around awkwardly. She searched every corner, wondering if Lennox had left them somewhere else, but found nothing. Just then, with a small click, the door opened. Ellen flinched and pulled the blanket up to her neck, staring at the person who entered.

“Lennox.”

Lennox entered, carrying a bed table set with a simple meal in one hand. On his arm hung clothes of a simple design, and in his other hand were a pair of sturdy shoes. Ellen’s dark eyes followed Lennox. When he set the bed table on the bed, Ellen’s gaze turned to the meal. It was a warm, gentle meal that wouldn’t upset her stomach.

“Did you bring this again today?”

“…….”

Without a word, Lennox took a brush and combed Ellen’s tangled red hair. It was the seventh day. Every morning since they reunited, when Ellen woke late in this room, Lennox would bring her breakfast and brush her hair, just as he used to. After five years apart, and only a week of being cared for by him again, Ellen felt nothing awkward about it—almost as if she’d returned to the past.

“My clothes?”

At Ellen’s question, Lennox finished brushing and dropped the clothes from his arm. Ellen looked down at the rough, dark clothes—comfortable, but the kind she’d never wear in her life.

“My original clothes……”

Lennox, his voice cold despite their intimacy the night before, said,

“These are the clothes you’ll wear from now on. I threw away all your old clothes.”

“…….”

“From today, you’re one of the spoils I’m taking with me.”

“All right.”

Ellen turned her head with a calm expression and pushed the meal away. Lennox’s gaze followed the food she’d refused. Without looking at him, Ellen spoke.

“I’m fine for breakfast.”

She reached out and pulled the rough clothes close. Maybe it was just her imagination, but they seemed to have a faint musty smell.

“Eat.”

“I don’t want to.”

“You don’t have the right to refuse.”

“…….”

When Ellen turned her head away without answering, Lennox said,

“Listen carefully, Ellen.”

“…….”

“If I tell you to do something, you do it. If I tell you not to, you don’t. That’s what you’ll do from now on.”

“All right. If that’s what you want, I’ll do it.”

Ellen pulled the bed table back. The freshly baked bread, thin soup, and steamed potatoes looked delicious, but she forced them into her mouth as if chewing sand.

While she ate, Lennox sat beside her, stroking her red hair. Ellen felt a strange mix of discomfort and comfort, forcing herself to finish the meal. As soon as she was done, Lennox picked up the bed table without hesitation.

“Get dressed and come out. We’re leaving soon.”

As soon as he left, Ellen quietly changed clothes. The rough fabric scraped against her skin with every movement. For the first time in her life, Ellen put on trousers, checking her appearance several times to make sure she hadn’t worn them wrong. Then she put on the stiff, sturdy shoes. As she grabbed the doorknob, Ellen glanced around the room. She stood for a moment, looking at the room with only a single bed left, then opened the door.

Click—the door closed, and the room, which would never welcome its owner again, fell silent.

On the way from Baron Dermann’s room to the entrance, Ellen saw no familiar faces in the mansion. Only a few knights in Aryan Empire uniforms and busy soldiers glanced at her, but no one acknowledged her. Ellen straightened her back, letting the stares slide off her as she had in aristocratic society with Baron Dermann. Though her expression was calm, inside she was tense. The entrance, always tightly shut, was wide open. Rough male voices mingled in a buzz. Outside the entrance, several carriages loaded with Baron Dermann’s valuables and knights and soldiers bustled about.

“What is this…….”

Lennox, looking at a map and giving instructions to Karan, turned to Ellen. Their eyes met for a moment, but Lennox quickly returned his gaze to Karan, ignoring Ellen. Ellen did the same, looking away. Soldiers didn’t come close, but their subtle watchfulness made Ellen uncomfortable, though she didn’t show it. Once all the luggage was sorted, Lennox gestured.

“……!”

At his signal, a knight with a wild beard, looking like a bandit, roughly grabbed Ellen’s thin arm and dragged her to Lennox. Ellen winced in pain but did not cry out. For a moment, Lennox’s red eyes darkened, but the look soon vanished. Without a trace of affection, Lennox’s red eyes watched Ellen as she was dragged forward.

“That’s where you’ll be riding from now on.”

Lennox nodded toward a shabby carriage with only a small window. Ellen looked at the carriage for a moment, sighed lightly, and nodded.

“But what about Innis…….”

As Ellen searched for Innis, her face brightened when she saw Innis playing with Karan’s cloak, looking troubled. Ellen tried to rush to Innis, but Lennox’s grip stopped her.

“She can’t go.”

“What? What do you mean?”

Ellen’s brow furrowed slightly. Lennox stared at her for a moment, then strode over and tucked Innis under his arm. Suddenly lifted, Innis giggled and squirmed happily. Ellen’s face broke into a smile for a moment, but Lennox’s next words made it fade. Stroking Innis’s round head, Lennox spoke coldly.

“I told you already.”

“……?”

“This child goes separately.”

“What?”

Ellen’s eyes widened, her pupils trembling. Lennox looked at her impassively.

“She’ll go with Emma. But not you.”

“I’m her mother! How can you send Innis away without a word to me?”

“You’re a spoil of war. You have no right to object or protest.”

“Lennox.”

“Be quiet.”

“……!”

The harsh words from the mouth that had whispered sweet things the night before made Ellen’s face go pale. Lennox, his gaze icy, handed Innis to Karan.

“That toad you claim as your husband was sent somewhere you’ll never see him again. And you won’t see this child again either.”

“You…….”

Karan, sensing the tension between Ellen and Lennox, quickly put Innis on his shoulders and hurried away. When Ellen tried to run after Karan, Lennox grabbed her waist.

“Let go, Lennox! Innis is my child. Who are you to take her from me?”

“…….”

“Lennox!”

The farther Karan went with Innis, the more desperate Ellen’s resistance became. She struggled to push Lennox away, but it was useless. Lennox dragged Ellen toward the shabby carriage, as if her flailing meant nothing.

“Give her back, Lennox. Give me my child.”

His arms were harder than stone. No matter how she scratched and pulled, his grip didn’t budge, and though she struggled, she couldn’t escape. Ellen braced her feet to resist being dragged, but only left marks in the dirt.

“Give her back, Lennox. My child……”

Thick drops of water fell onto the shallow dirt. Ellen suppressed her sobs, pleading and blaming, but Lennox ignored her. The more Ellen begged, the tighter his grip became. The rickety carriage door creaked as it opened. Lennox shoved Ellen inside as if throwing her.

Ellen sat on the hard bench, hands pressed down, her head bowed. Lennox waited silently until her sobs subsided. Breathing harshly, Ellen bit her lip. Her voice came out sharp and cold.

“If anything happens to that child… Lennox, I won’t forgive you.”

“As you wish.”

Lennox answered briefly and shut the carriage door. The sunlight streaming through the small window was the only connection to the outside; the cramped carriage quickly grew dark.