Chapter 7 (Part 11)

As soon as they stepped out of the storeroom, she tried to pull away, but it was futile. Cardin didn’t let go of her hand.  

Sighing, she called his name.  

“Cardin.”  

He suddenly moved closer, his presence overwhelmingly large and dark.  

“Didn’t you miss me?”  

His voice was gentle, as if peeling back her carefully hidden emotions. All the longing she had suppressed began to surface.  

She had missed him. She had tried hard to forget, but she couldn’t bring herself to admit it.  

Not wanting to lie anymore, she lowered her head. Cardin cupped her cheek with one hand, his warmth seeping into her skin.  

“I missed you, so I came.”  

Even his voice was filled with warmth. When she slowly raised her gaze, Cardin lowered his face.  

For a moment, their breaths mingled, and their lips met. The soft sensation of his lips was familiar yet distant.  

She instinctively tried to pull away, but Cardin naturally wrapped an arm around her waist, pulling her closer as he deepened the kiss.  

Their breaths intermingled roughly. When she felt breathless, he would briefly pull away before pressing his lips to hers again.  

Despite herself, she found his kisses intoxicating. She knew she should push him away, but in that moment, she wanted to stay.  

Perhaps it was because of the late hour. Her mind grew hazy.  

Finally, Cardin pulled back, his ragged breath brushing against her lips.  

“Do you still hate me?”  

His deep, dark eyes held her in their gaze. It was only then that she came back to her senses.  

Taking a step back, she heard the sound of a door opening. It came from the direction of the house.  

Kelle hurried over as soon as she saw Cardin.  

“Your Grace! Why haven’t you returned to the house yet? Please, go inside quickly!”  

She then gave Brienne a cheerful look before heading toward the storeroom.  

For a moment, the surroundings fell silent. Kelle had gone back inside, and the outside was utterly quiet and dark.  

Cardin’s gaze remained fixed on her.  

“Let’s go.”  

He took the first step. Brienne, still standing in place, called out to him.  

“Cardin.”

Cardin looked at her and she asked,  

“Why are you here?”  

“I told you earlier. I wanted to see you.”  

“But still, so suddenly….”  

At that moment, a raindrop fell on her nose. Cardin grabbed her hand and said,  

“It’s raining. Let’s talk inside.”  

With no choice, Brienne followed Cardin into the house. As if familiar with the place, he led her to her room. Just before they entered, she stopped him.  

“Wait a moment.”  

She quickly blocked his way, and he looked at her curiously.  

“I need to tidy up the room.”  

After all, Cardin was a guest. And today, of all days, she hadn’t cleaned the room properly. Clothes, including undergarments, were scattered everywhere.  

Cardin smiled and reached for the doorknob behind her.  

“No need to clean up.”  

Then, he opened the door, and his face stiffened slightly. Brienne hurriedly ran into the room and grabbed the undergarments lying on the floor.  

Cardin closed the door and seemed at a loss for words.  

“Are you always like this…?”  

“I was just busy today. Usually, I keep it clean.”  

It wasn’t much of an excuse, but she said it anyway. Even as she spoke, her face turned red with embarrassment.  

“That’s odd. Back when you lived in the cabin, you never left things messy like this.”  

Her heart sank for a moment. Back then, her life had some semblance of order, and she wasn’t as overwhelmed. Even though her future was burdened with debt, she had steadily earned money through herbs and had plans for the future.  

But now, she had no plans for the future. She was merely surviving each day, trying to forget Cardin one day at a time.  

At that moment, Cardin took the undergarments from her hands. She looked at him in shock, but he smiled as he gently touched the yellow-starred fabric.  

“It’s been a while since I’ve seen these.”  

Her face turned as red as a ripe pepper. She couldn’t even think of snatching the undergarments back from his hands—she was too flustered.  

Cardin lifted his head, his face full of amusement.  

“You wore these the first time we… you know.”  

“……”  

“Do you remember?”  

She couldn’t find the words to respond. It felt as though her mouth was frozen shut.  

Cardin chuckled softly, picked up the rest of the undergarments from the floor, and sat on the bed. Only then did Brienne quickly snatch the garments from beside him and stash them in a drawer.  

She couldn’t bring herself to sit next to him and stood awkwardly nearby.  

“Brienne.”  

“……”  

“Aren’t you going to sit?”  

She stared at the floor and replied,  

“I thought we were done to some extent.”  

“What do you mean?”  

Finally, she raised her head.  

“I’m talking about the divorce.”  

Cardin’s face immediately hardened. His expression turned cold in an instant.  

“Don’t bring that up.”  

“Cardin.”  

“I don’t want to think about it anymore.”  

“Why not?”  

“How many times do I have to tell you? Soon, you won’t even need to worry about the family laws. Even if you’re not pregnant….”  

“The reason I didn’t want to marry you was because of pregnancy. Even if you’re okay with it, situations like this will always come up.”  

“……”  

“Look at yourself. You’ve been pouring your energy into things you don’t even need to do.”  

“Brienne.”  

His voice was low and resonant. A wave of sadness welled up in her chest, but she held it back and said,  

“I genuinely want you to be happy. Don’t waste any more of your energy on me….”  

She couldn’t finish her sentence. Cardin stepped forward and pulled her into a tight embrace. His firm chest pressed against her, and his breath warmed her shoulder.  

“Can you really watch me marry someone else?”  

She couldn’t answer. Perhaps her silence conveyed her true feelings to him because his voice turned rough.  

“Don’t pretend to be selfless when you can’t even bear the thought.”  

Tears began to fall. She had tried to hold them back, but she couldn’t anymore. Cardin already knew her heart.  

“Then what should I do?”  

Her voice trembled as she spoke. She truly wanted to ask him—what was she supposed to do?  

“Come with me.”  

Her heart sank. Was he asking her to dive back into that dark abyss? She couldn’t do it, so she refused.  

“I can’t do that.”  

As she tried to pull away, Cardin held her even closer.  

“I told you earlier, didn’t I? I’m changing the family laws. Things will be different now.”  

She remembered Cardin saying everything would be fine. While she hadn’t fully believed him then, she found his words hard to trust even now.  

Different? Could changes in family laws really alter how society viewed me or how people in the social circles treated me? 

And deep down, she still carried guilt for not being able to continue his family line.  

Even if Cardin said it was okay, she felt as though she was suffocating under the weight of her own conscience.  

That guilt, tied to her infertility, would only disappear if she overcame it herself. Infertility was both her weakness and the flaw that hindered her life. No matter how much others tried to help, she couldn’t easily overcome it, especially when it came to someone she loved.  

When she didn’t respond, Cardin let out a faint sigh and lifted her into his arms. Startled, she looked at him, but he gently laid her down on the bed.  

The bed was small, so when he lay down beside her, it felt cramped. Before she could move, he wrapped an arm around her waist and whispered,  

“Come with me. Please?”  

His soft voice was so sweet it made her ears tingle. It reminded her of the time they had spent together in the cabin.