I Thought It Was An Arranged Marriage - Chapter 27

And what did he think when he saw her intense hostility towards Kallen? He merely been relieved that she seemed to have no lingering feelings for him. Even though he knew she often had nightmares. Even though he knew she called out Kallen’s name in her sleep.

‘You fool. You should have thought about why she was having nightmares if she had no lingering feelings, instead of being blinded by jealousy.’

What was he protecting? He trembled at his own complacency and helplessness. But even now, he didn’t have the courage to confess the truth to her. It was shameful and embarrassing, but he couldn’t give up the smile she gave him.

If she accepted him knowing everything, he wouldn’t mind. He would kneel before her and offer his soul. But that would never happen.

She clearly didn’t remember him. If she did, she wouldn’t look at him with such affectionate eyes. She wouldn’t allow him to hold her like this.

So, shamelessly, Lucas closed his eyes and ears again. Knowing he was deceiving her, he selfishly clung to his hard-won happiness.

People don’t change. Even though he resolved to live for her, he was still so selfish and cowardly. He felt like crying but held it back.

He didn’t deserve to cry. The selfish and cowardly Lucas decided to seek her revenge instead of shedding tears. The morally upright Rosaline would never lay a hand on the young marquis couple first. Even if she remembered what they had done to her, she would suffer because the current them were innocent and they hadn’t harmed her.

But he was different. For her sake, he could dispose of innocent people without hesitation. And if they were already guilty, what reason was there to hesitate? Their end didn’t need to be grand. A fitting end was prepared for trash like them.

Kallen only noticed something was wrong after things had progressed significantly. As an only child without any significant threats, he had always been indifferent to internal family matters. His bad habit of not feeding the caught fish stemmed from that.

With legitimacy and ability, he thought he would soon become the Marquis and have everything. So he didn’t need to care about internal matters. If he had even a bit of a sense of crisis, he would have noticed the strange atmosphere from the start, but he was just deeply engrossed in his new lover.

One day, he suddenly thought. When was the last time he saw his wife? The thought came to him when Maria told him she was pregnant. Her belly must be quite swollen by now; how was she doing?

“No matter how heavy her body is, how could she not show her face to her husband?”

Fuming, he asked about Amelia’s well-being and learned that she had gone down to the Addis estate for recuperation nearly a month ago.

‘Why didn’t I know that my wife went to the estate?’

Feeling a chilling premonition, he realized everything was already irreversibly done.

Just one week later, Kallen was ousted from noble society. His lover, who appeared out of nowhere, fainted in front of his mansion upon learning he was the young marquis of Addis. Her brother, who had brought her, caused a commotion and was arrested by the security forces.

The situation had become too noisy to handle quietly, so Kallen was put under house arrest for bringing in a lover resembling the Grand Duchess and spreading malicious rumors, thereby defaming many people’s reputations. Moreover, when it was revealed that his lover was a commoner of unknown origin and pregnant, he became a laughingstock in society.

“You fool. I can’t tolerate you any longer. You are no longer the young marquis.”

“Father! How can you do this to me!”

“If you cared about the family, you wouldn’t have behaved so recklessly! You are not fit to be the head. Don’t make me want to deny that you’re my son and go live quietly in the estate.”

The successor position became temporarily vacant, but it didn’t matter. His daughter-in-law was carrying his grandchild. That child would inherit the title of the young marquis and be raised directly by the Marquis couple. This time, they would ensure he was raised properly without spoiling him.

Kallen’s commoner lover also quietly disappeared. Although Amelia, who had suffered much, might face a tragic situation after a difficult childbirth, it was a matter for a few months later.

* * *

Kallen lost his title and was exiled to the estate. Rosaline, who was reading the report blankly, shed a tear without realizing it.

The maids attending her and the aide reporting were bewildered, but Rosaline just kept reading the report over and over again.

‘Ah, it’s really over now.’

The first emotion she felt upon fully understanding the content was relief. She would never see him again. Kallen Addis was no longer part of her life.

Rosaline had decided not to engage with him, deeming him unworthy of her attention. With her status and power, they couldn’t harm her, so she thought there would be no issues as long as she remained composed.

But was that really the case? Had she not just been running away instead of not engaging? After all, many people, including Lucas, had noticed her dislike for them.

Still, she thought it was okay. They were so shameless and indifferent, so why should she be the only one to care, hate, and fear? It was frustrating and unfair, but there was nothing she could do. Just seeing his face made her body tremble, her heart race, and she broke into a cold sweat, turning pale—these were physiological reactions she couldn’t control.

So she sharpened her resolve and expressed her anger. She had to do that to hide her fear.

‘Yes, I was scared.’

She knew in her head that they couldn’t touch her anymore, but her body didn’t follow, and she was scared. Even standing beside the strongest man in the world, having psychological issues was inevitable.

But now, she was truly okay. There was no place for them in her life anymore. Rosaline had no reason to go to the Addis estate.

“Rosie!”

In her tear-filled vision, she saw a man panting. Lucas, disheveled from running, was catching his breath as he approached her. The strongest man in the world and the one she wanted to see the most right now. Rosaline jumped up and ran to him. She naturally threw herself into his arms and cried her heart out. The sound of his heartbeat in her ears gently comforted her.

Lucas didn’t ask anything. He just quietly stayed by her side, comforting her. She gratefully accepted his consideration, as she had no proper answer if he asked why she was crying.

It was late morning, so the couple spent the day in their bedroom, eating lunch in bed, lounging around, and then eating dinner in bed again. There was a lot to do, but it seemed okay to spend a day like this. She felt like doing so, and Lucas was more than willing to cooperate.

“Hey, Luke.”

“Yes, please.”

“There wasn’t anything urgent today, right?”

“Of course not.”

Although there was an upcoming trade contract renewal discussion with the Marquis of Bennet, it wasn’t that important. The Marquis might be a bit anxious, but it was trivial compared to Rosaline’s tears.

Lucas lightly kissed her flushed cheek and hugged her. He wanted to ask if she felt better now but held back, afraid she might feel embarrassed. Lucas, who had never cared about or catered to anyone’s feelings, found it delightful to do so for Rosaline.