Chapter 11 (Part 3)

Together, they returned home. 

Skoll ran like the wind. Now she realized that their ride was so light that she hadn’t even heard the sound of his approach earlier. After bringing them back home, Skoll quietly entered the stable, as if he had never shown any irritation earlier. 

Nathaniel, on the other hand, walked into the house with her in his arms, as if nothing had happened. 

But upon returning, they found the house in chaos. 

The sofa was half pushed aside, items were scattered everywhere, and the floor was covered in dirt marks. It looked as if Skoll had come inside and rampaged. As she stood bewildered by the mess, Nathaniel placed her on the bed. 

“What on earth is…?” 

“Why didn’t you listen to me?” 

She had just started to speak when Nathaniel interrupted. His tone was icy, something she had never heard from him before. Startled, she looked at him with wide eyes. 

Unlike usual, he wasn’t kneeling to meet her eye level; instead, he stood and looked down at her. It was the first time he had looked at her this way, and she felt a bit scared. But she wasn’t completely without words, so she quickly defended herself. 

“I went out to seek help because you wouldn’t wake up…” 

“I told you never to go out alone.” 

But it seemed that wasn’t enough to convince him, as Nathaniel’s cold demeanor didn’t soften at all. Feeling dejected, she lowered her head. She had only wanted to help him. She hadn’t expected things to turn out this way. 

Then, suddenly, he reached out and snatched something from her hand. 

“So, you were going to drink this.” 

She flinched and looked up again. She saw his expression. He was looking at the glass bottle with a bitter smile, seeming both incredulous and annoyed. 

“…Give it back.” 

“Do you know what this is? Did you even know what you were agreeing to?” 

He asked with a voice filled with anger. His voice was like ice, and it felt like he was a different person, making her heart tremble. But she managed to hold herself together by clenching her body tightly. 

“…I know. They said it would save you.” 

“Ha.” 

Suddenly, he turned away from her and walked somewhere briskly. Alarmed, she called “Nathaniel!” but he acted as if he couldn’t hear her. Before she could stop him, he threw the bottle into the fireplace. 

A sharp sound of glass breaking was heard. 

She rushed over to check inside, but he wrapped his arm around her shoulders, preventing her from going near the fire. She saw the remnants of the glass bottle being consumed by the flames. She was shocked. 

“What are you doing!” 

“You! What do you think you’re doing!” 

They raised their voices at each other. 

Furious, she immediately tried to confront him. But he held onto her shoulders firmly, refusing to let go. Upset, she clenched her fists and pounded on his chest, demanding answers.

“What do you mean! I have to save you! They said you were sick because of me! They said you could die because of me! And now you’re telling me to do nothing? Why don’t you tell me anything? Why do you keep saying everything is fine and then collapse! And now you’re angry at me?”

Tears fell like beads. Normally, she would have been embarrassed by such a display and would have hidden in his arms, but right now, she was too upset with him. She loved him, and that made her even more upset. The potion he had thrown away might have been the last way to restore his peace. Why did he destroy it without her consent? It seemed as if he wouldn’t even give her a chance to help him.

“I hate you! Do you know how scared I was? You wouldn’t wake up, and they said it was because of me! That I’m draining your life away! That you might die because of me! They said that was the solution… Why did you throw it away without asking me? What am I supposed to do now?” 

Then he shouted back as if in response, gently holding her hands. 

“Why should you sacrifice yourself for me?” 

“…What?” 

“Why are you trying to do that? Please, don’t do anything unnecessary! I told you. I’m satisfied just having you by my side! So please…” 

“Unnecessary…?” 

Her whole body trembled. She was trying to save him. She was upset that he didn’t understand her feelings. The more she loved him, the more it hurt. He always understood her heart better than anyone, always considered her feelings. She was upset that he was now saying she was wrong. 

Furious, she shook off his hands. 

She glared at him, ready to lash out, but then shut her mouth tightly. She ran out of the house and headed toward the back entrance. 

“Skoll! Help me!” 

She ran into the corner of the stable, crying uncontrollably. She crouched in a corner of the haystack, burying her head in her knees. 

Skoll seemed momentarily confused by the unexpected intruder but remained surprisingly calm. When Nathaniel came after her to the stable, Skoll blocked his entry with an annoyed snort, almost as if understanding her feelings. 

“Move, Skoll! Cordelia! Come out here.” 

“Don’t order me around!” 

She snapped at him in informal speech, still unable to lift her head. She curled up even more. She didn’t want to see his face right now.

“Skoll, move aside. Why are you doing this too? Cordel… Hah…” 

Still, having someone to mediate was a relief. The smart horse did just that. After shaking his head, Skoll completely drove Nathaniel away and then approached her, sitting quietly by her side with his legs folded. Gruff yet gentle. She patted the horse while sniffling and started to mumble complaints. 

“Your master is mean. He doesn’t understand my feelings at all… Right? He’s bad, isn’t he? And he just gets mad at me…” 

She must have fallen asleep leaning against the horse. 

When she came to her senses again, it was late in the evening, and she found herself quietly held in Nathaniel’s arms. He was climbing the garden steps, and she stopped herself from struggling, worried he might fall backward because of her. At the same time, the warmth of his body made her feel a surge of affection. 

His actions still upset her, but love was stronger than that. 

“I hate you.” 

Despite her words, she wrapped her arms around his neck and clung to him. She heard a sigh above her head. He hugged her even tighter. 

The house, which had been a mess earlier, was now clean again. He carried her to the bathroom. Standing her beside the steaming bathtub, he suddenly started taking off his clothes. 

“Let’s wash together.”

“No.” 

“You smell like Skoll. You were in the stable just now.” 

“I don’t care.” 

She stubbornly refused, deliberately avoiding looking at his sculpted upper body by focusing on her toes. 

“Just wash up. Then let’s talk.” 

“No. You wash by yourself.” 

Perhaps the problem was that they often turned to physical intimacy whenever there was something upsetting or troubling. She had always done so, and she thought he was trying to resolve things in the same way this time. That’s why she was angry and frustrated. She thought he was going to use that method. 

She answered shortly and turned to leave the bathroom. 

This wasn’t something that could be solved like this. His life was at stake, and it shouldn’t be resolved in such a trivial way. 

“Cordelia.” 

But then he hugged her from behind. He wrapped his strong arms around her waist and buried his head between her neck and shoulder. 

“I’m sorry for getting angry. Please, let’s talk…” 

His voice was plaintive. Whether intentional or not, he even gave a light cough. Her heart sank with worry. Alarmed, she immediately grabbed his arm and asked, “Where does it hurt?” After a moment of silence, he replied. 

“If you wash with me… I’ll tell you.” 

Even now, he was coaxing her. But unlike his playful words, his arms didn’t feel as strong as usual. In the end, her heart softened, and she agreed. 

Soon, both of them were in the bathtub. But she wasn’t in his arms as usual. She deliberately sat on the opposite side of where he leaned. 

“Come here. Why are you over there?” 

He protested immediately. But her anger hadn’t fully subsided. She was still frustrated. Instead of answering, she turned her head away with a “Hmph.” He opened his mouth slightly in shock. It was true; she had never ignored him to this extent since they got married. 

“…Do you really hate me now?” 

His question came, sounding dejected. Baffled, she turned back to him with furrowed brows, ready to shout, “Do you really think that’s true?” But just then, with a splash, he moved toward her. As soon as she turned her head, he kissed her. It was a light kiss. 

“Don’t hate me. Love me.” 

He spoke as if pleading, then embraced her. 

“I know how much you love me now. That’s why you said those things earlier, right?” 

“Earlier?” 

“Yes. What you said to Stella. You said you love me and we will never be erased from each other.”

So, her name was Stella.