Chapter 337
* * *
Nina chose a life of confinement for herself.
Because of the incident that day, everyone seemed to understand her seclusion.
Letters asking after her well-being flew into the villa from here and there almost every day.
âIt feels pointless to do this after the fact, butâŚâ
Even so, she felt she had to do it.
âHuuâŚâ
Even sighing did nothing to ease the tightness in her chest.
Ash, who had begun the investigation, avoided talking to her.
Whenever she tried to speak to him, he would say he was tired and that they should talk later, then close his eyes and pull her into his armsâŚ
The problem was that he didnât sleep after that.
For the past few days, he had tossed and turned, sunk in countless thoughts, and only managed to fall asleep around dawn.
He must already be tired from working all day, so she tried to leave so he could at least sleep comfortably.
âWhere are you going?â
âT-To let you sleep comfortablyâŚâ
âDonât do anything unnecessary, and lie down.â
Then he made her lie back down.
So the next day, when she prepared a place to sleep in another room, he slung her over his shoulder and returned to the bedroom.
âAnd yet whenever I try to talk, he closes his eyes, so reallyâŚâ
In any case, if he had not done that, she would have thought she had regressed again.
That was how cold and heavy Ashâs expression had been for the past few days, as if a thin layer of ice had formed over it.
But that wasnât because he was angry at her.
âThat excuse you gave earlier comes down to this in the end. That Iâm not reliable.â
âHe was hurt, wasnât heâŚ?â
The bitter light that had risen in his gray eyes, and the self-mockery lingering at his lips.
His face had resembled the one he had worn that day, when he apologized for hurting her, so there was no way she could fail to understand his heart.
He had said it as though the fault lay with himself for not being reliable, but that wasnât true.
Just look at his diligence in insisting they sleep together even after a fight.
Although her heart had felt heavy for days, she had not felt anxious.
Even while he was sorting out his own emotions, he was being considerate so that she would have nothing to feel anxious about.
âYou still havenât made up today?â
âYes, well, thatâs right.â
âHonestly, even if you had ten mouths, youâd have nothing to say, Madam. With such a commotion breaking out at the Imperial Palace.â
âI knowâŚâ
At Marshaâs sharp scolding, Nina clicked her tongue.
What should she say to make up with her husband?
If she had only gone around to indoor events as Catherine suggested, she would have become someone taking credit for doing easy work.
But if she had been absent from the events for health reasons, as her husband suggested, people like Rebecca would have branded her as someone pretending to be ill.
âEven if I explain thatâs why I did it, itâll only be like fanning the flames, wonât it?â
The result had not strayed greatly from what she had originally expected, butâŚ
The original plan had been to promote the Imperial Familyâs benevolence through His Majesty the Emperorâs announcement of a new policy.
His Majesty the Emperor and Marquis Belmore would be greatly satisfied, and this would soon lead to her position in high society expanding.
After all, a trap whose intent had been seen through could become an opportunity to catch the enemy off guard and profit instead.
But somehow, it had even led to the unprecedented situation of Rebecca being confined.
âThis wonât do. Today, no matter what it takes, Iâll have to have a proper talk with my husband.â
âOf course, you should.â
She couldnât attend the palace banquet that would be held soon while feeling this stifled.
Even if the situation had brought her more benefit than originally planned, talking only about the results wouldnât resolve the conflict.
What should she do?
*
Her worries continued late into the night.
The name of the child Nina had saved from the slums was Lara.
She had thought Lara was seven years old, but it turned out she was nine.
It was something she had learned while looking after her for several days, but Lara seemed to have vaguely known about her grandmotherâs death.
While staying at the villa, she sometimes missed her grandmother and wore an anxious expression, but even so, she was a child of the slums.
And Nina knew very well that in the slums, death was as ordinary as it was near casinos.
The place where she had met her death in her previous life had been the slums.
