3.4

“Oh, to be precise, I should say you were the cause of their misfortune.”

“Clara! Ha! They were business partners who died in an accident—how is that my fault?”

The Earl smirked, his lips curling upward.

He could still vividly recall the late Baron couple’s happy and harmonious demeanor, which had always grated on his nerves.

Though he had despised them from the start, there was no denying their exceptional business acumen.

Most importantly, they never hoarded their wealth but sought to share it with their close friends, including the Earl’s family.

Unfortunately, the Barons had failed to recognize how petty and unscrupulous the Earl could be when faced with adversity.

‘The weather is bad, and it’s dark. Let’s wait until morning to check on the business.’

Though the Baron couple had tried to reason with him, the Earl had been too blinded by rage.  

‘Do you know how much money I’ve invested in that business? And now it’s all gone?’  

Though the news wasn’t confirmed, rumors of ships carrying treasures being swept away by storms had driven the Earl to madness.  

‘Go and bring me my money. Or at least proof that my investment is safe!’  

The Earl’s outburst had left the Baron and Baroness bitterly smiling. Even the Countess had tried to intervene, but her efforts had been met with violence.  

In the end, the Baroness had firmly stood her ground.  

‘Very well. We’ll go, Earl. But please, stop mistreating my friend.’  

Her resolute demeanor had silenced the Earl, leaving him to laugh bitterly.  

‘We’ll return soon. In the meantime, have some tea and calm down, Earl.’  

That had been the last they saw of the Baron and Baroness, who had driven off into the storm. Two days later, news arrived that their carriage had slipped and fallen off a cliff.  

Even as a child, Clara had sensed the cold, dark atmosphere that enveloped the house.  

The Countess had collapsed and remained bedridden for days, while the Earl had locked himself away in his study.  

And young Clara had instinctively known.  

She would never again be able to visit the Barony as she once had.  

“Still, the Barony is doing better now, so perhaps it was for the best.”  

“What do you mean, ‘for the best’, Earl?”  

A low, chilling voice interrupted, startling the Earl. Turning around, he saw Young Master Aiden and Lucius Baron standing there, each holding a bouquet of flowers.  

“Baron Lucius? Why are you here?”  

The Earl stammered in confusion. While Aiden’s visit had been arranged, there was no reason for the Baron to be there.  

“Do you think I came here to see you, Earl? Of course, I came to see Belle.”  

Without waiting for a response, Lucius strode toward Clara. Her heart, which had been calm, began to race wildly as he approached.  

Handing her a bouquet of white lilies, he shrugged slightly, as if embarrassed.  

“Take it. You like lilies, don’t you?”  

“Thank you.”

Clara blushed as she carefully accepted the bouquet. She never imagined she would receive flowers from him, especially since such gifts were usually exchanged between lovers.  

She gently stroked the vibrant, fresh flowers with her fingers. For some reason, her heart fluttered. It had been like this the entire time she was at home. Despite all the time she had spent longing for him, Lucius occupied her thoughts more in this brief moment than ever before.  

Just as Clara was about to say something, Aiden, who was standing nearby, extended a bouquet.  

“I also brought flowers.”  

Young Master Aiden, who had been watching the two of them in a daze, seemed to decide he couldn’t let this continue. He squeezed himself into the situation and thrust a bouquet of yellow roses into her arms.  

It almost seemed as though he was forcing her to take it, as if he assumed she wouldn’t accept it otherwise.  

“Ah…”  

What kind of day was this?  

Clara felt a little bewildered. It was the first time she had received so many flowers. She fiddled with the yellow roses for a moment before setting them down on the sofa. Then, she picked up the lilies and stood up.  

Aiden’s expression twisted noticeably. It was understandable—she cradled the lilies Lucius had given her while setting aside the roses he had brought.  

“Clara, sit down!”  

The Earl, sensing that the situation was taking a strange turn, urgently shouted.  

Ever since Aiden had finally made up his mind and announced he would visit the estate, the Earl had been filled with anticipation.  

He had thought, ‘At last, the wedding will happen.’  

But now, Lucius had appeared and was interfering, and the Earl couldn’t understand why. Regardless of the circumstances, his priority was to quickly get rid of the Baron.  

“For now, Baron, you should leave. Clara, you stay here and talk with Young Master Aiden.”  

That was how he intended to settle things.  

If only Lucius hadn’t grabbed Clara’s hand and hidden her behind him, the Earl’s plan might have worked.  

“I didn’t come here just to leave.”  

“Baron Lucius, what do you think you’re doing?”  

“Ruining someone else’s marriage plans.”  

Lucius smiled, his eyes curving into crescents. The shamelessness of his words left the Earl momentarily speechless.  

Aiden already looked defeated.  

“Still, I… I thought long and hard about this and finally made up my mind…”  

Struggling to process the chaos, Aiden managed to stammer out a few words. Both that day and now, his heart had been troubled by the ever-irritating presence of Lucius.  

But he had come here today to honor his promise, despite everything.  

“I’m helping you out, Young Master.”  

“What do you mean, helping me?”  

“I’m stopping you from making a proposal you don’t even want to make.”

“….”  

Aiden’s eyes widened slightly at those words, but he didn’t immediately agree. He simply pursed his lips.  

“Sure, maybe you could propose and live happily. You could even console yourself, thinking, ‘At least I kept my promise.’ But you’d wonder, many times in your life, whether this woman still loves me. Whether her body’s here with you, but her heart is elsewhere. You’d think things like that.”  

Lucius spoke smoothly, whether the Young Master was listening or not, whether he agreed or not.  

Aiden, who had no idea Lucius was capable of speaking so eloquently, found himself almost nodding along with his words.  

“I’ve thought about it a lot myself. If I send Clara to you like this, won’t I regret it?”  

Lucius’s face looked lighter, as though a burden had been lifted.  

“Well, that’s just my opinion. The Earl and you may think differently, Young Master. Take some time to consider it. I need to have a word with the lady.”

Before anyone could stop him, Lucius grabbed Clara’s hand and fled upstairs. In the process, the sofa was pushed back, causing the yellow roses to scatter across the floor.  

The drawing room was now awash with yellow, but Aiden simply stared blankly after Lucius.  

The Earl, snapping out of his shock, shouted, “Baron! Stop right there!” and chased after him.  

Left alone in the drawing room, Aiden could only listen to the murmurs of passing servants.  

“Ah, my proposal failed.”  

That was the first thing he muttered. Running his hand through his carefully styled hair, he glanced around. The scattered yellow roses caught his eye.  

For some reason, the roses on the floor reminded him of himself.  

He crouched down and began picking them up, one by one.  

“I went through so much trouble for these…”  

He had woken up early that morning, carefully selected the best flowers, and had them wrapped beautifully. Yet all that effort…  

The Earl’s servants rushed over to help him, but Aiden politely declined, choosing to pick up the flowers on his own.  

He felt that accepting their help would only make him feel more pathetic.  

‘What did they say yellow roses symbolize? Friendship, affection, something like that?’  

What a fool.  

He had been wrong from the start. Friendship and affection?  

A bitter smile crossed Aiden’s face as he stood up.  

He felt uncertain about what to say when he returned home, but strangely, he also felt a sense of relief.  

“Still, at least I have a reason for failing.”  

His father, who already disapproved of this relationship, would surely be furious when he heard about the rejection.  

But since Baron Lucius was involved, his father might begrudgingly accept it.  

He would realize that the rumors were true and that Clara and Lucius’s relationship wasn’t just a fleeting connection.  

‘Lucius will have a lot of debts to repay, but that’s none of my business.’  

With one last glance at the spot where they had disappeared, Aiden turned and left.  

He would never return to this place again.