Chapter 149

Erich was left speechless by the insulting suspicion.

Out of concern for Iona, he had only intended to probe her soon-to-be husband a bit. Yet, here he was, being treated like a shameless scoundrel trying to seduce someone else's partner.

It felt like he should be the one angry, not the other way around.

With his face reddening, Erich demanded, "What absurd misunderstanding is this?"

Leroy, standing by the door, looked at him with a weary expression.

Since Leroy didn’t offer much of a rebuttal, Erich could have pressed the matter further, but something held him back.

Maybe it was the fear that engaging in a serious argument with Leroy would expose his own weaknesses—weaknesses even Erich himself didn’t fully understand yet.

As Erich caught his breath, Leroy finally spoke.

"It seems you're curious about where Dame Iona is going. Let me answer that for you."

“...”

"She’s coming with me to my estate. While she might visit the capital occasionally, finding time to meet her former colleagues will be difficult during her short stays. Do you now understand why your questions were bothersome?"

Erich swallowed slowly.

The thought of Iona leaving the capital and moving to the Duke’s estate, making it difficult to see her again, was hard to accept.

But Leroy showed no intention of sparing Erich's feelings. He continued in a firm tone.

“You have no reason to be interested in our married life. Soon, it will be as if you never knew her at all.”

Having said his piece, Leroy left the office.

Left alone in the room, Erich staggered backward.

He steadied himself by gripping the back of a nearby sofa, replaying Leroy’s words in his mind.

‘This can’t be true.’

He tried to reassure himself, but it felt meaningless.

There was no reason for Leroy to fabricate such a story, especially when it would be easily discovered as a lie.

‘Could it be... that I’ll really never see her again?’

Even so, it didn’t feel real.

Why would a woman who had lived her entire life in the capital, leaving behind her home and everyone she knew, follow her husband to a distant province?

Erich had been shocked when he learned Iona was leaving the Knights, but this news was far more devastating.

That day, Erich was in a daze.

He got hit in the side with a wooden sword during practice, leaving a large bruise, and he got lost on his way home, wandering in circles on a path he had walked his entire life.

When he finally managed to get home and lay down on his bed, sleep eluded him. 

His body was tired, but he couldn’t close his eyes.

As he spent the night wide awake, one thought consumed him.

Something was wrong.

This situation was inexplicable unless something was terribly amiss.

Iona must have been deceived by that two-faced man.

That was the only reason she would be spouting nonsense about love and falling into such a foolish dream.

The truth was, her partner only wanted to use her for his schemes involving the Crown Prince.

‘...How can I tell her?’

Would she even believe him?

Iona seemed completely taken with her fiancé.

It would be stranger if she wasn’t, given how persistently a man of such beauty had publicly proposed to her.

People often lose their judgment when they’re blinded by love, so it wasn’t entirely her fault. 

The true culprit clouding her vision was someone else.

Erich thought to himself.

It might be difficult to make Iona see the reason right now, but at the very least, he could try to prevent her from making an even bigger mistake.

If he could stay by her side and be her eyes, perhaps one day she would see things clearly...

If Erich had been acting out of a personal grudge or dislike for her, he wouldn't be struggling with these thoughts.

He looked at Iona, who sat across from him, with a pained expression.

Unlike him, who was overwhelmed with frustration, she still wore a calm and composed look. 

It was as if she was inviting him to voice his complaints freely.

“It’s not that I dislike you, Dame. I’m just... worried about you...”

As Erich stammered out his excuse, Iona nodded quietly.

“Yes, I do believe your intentions are good.”

“Even so...”

“It’s a bit much to lump everything that’s happened into one big complaint, don’t you think?”

Of course, she didn’t forget to point out the facts sharply.

It was as if she were teaching a naive child right from wrong, and it annoyed Erich once again.

“You’ll regret this.”

“You’re quite confident.”

“You’ll definitely regret rejecting my help.”

Despite his warning, Iona remained unshaken.

In fact, she seemed to think the argument had settled down, as she resumed signing the documents she had paused from earlier.

Erich watched her, flipping through the papers, with eyes full of mixed emotions.

The realization that no words he said could sway her left him feeling helpless.

His lips, which had been still, twitched suddenly.

Unable to resist the impulse, he asked, “Can’t you stay?”

“What?”

“I mean, stay here, continue to...”

Just then, his reason returned.

Realizing what he was about to say, Erich raised his hand to cover his mouth.

He had nearly blurted out a ridiculous request for her to stay.

He couldn’t believe his subconscious had driven him to say such a thing.

Setting aside how pathetic it sounded, he couldn’t even understand why he had tried to say it.

He was only concerned for her well-being and intended to follow her out of worry.

While he could regret her refusal, there was no reason to feel disappointed about not being able to be with her...

"That won't work."

Iona's voice cut through his train of thought.

Erich lifted his eyes, which had been staring blankly at the floor.

She added nonchalantly, "I’m already married."

"What did you say?"

Erich shot up from his seat before she could finish her sentence.

The chair toppled over with a clatter, but he couldn't care less about such trivial matters.

Gripping the desk with both hands, he demanded, "What did you just say?!"

Iona's eyes widened at his unexpected, over-the-top reaction.

But Erich was certain he was even more shocked than she was.

To his knowledge, neither he nor the other knights had been invited to Iona’s wedding.

How had they managed to hastily conduct the ceremony without anyone knowing?

Licking his dry lips, Erich asked, "Wh-why so suddenly...?"

"There were circumstances."

"Even if there were circumstances! Who rushes through a wedding like this?!"

Even as he expressed his frustration, Erich couldn't quite understand why he was so furious.

Iona and Leroy’s marriage had been a certainty for some time.

They were merely following through on their plans, and whether their union happened sooner or later was none of his concern.

So why was he so angry?

What was it about her marrying another man that filled him with resentment?

Why did the surge of emotions not just stay in his chest but threaten to spill out and make his eyes water pathetically?

Leroy's words suddenly echoed in Erich’s mind.

‘Do I need to be courteous to a man who dares to covet my fiancée?’

In that moment, Erich understood.

The signs he hadn't even recognized in himself had been obvious to Leroy.

That's why Leroy had issued his warning, trying to curb Erich’s interference.

Erich’s ears, hands, and the nape of his neck flushed red with embarrassment.

He finally began to understand why he had found Iona's presence so unsettling yet couldn't look away.

Recognizing his feelings should have been a relief, but Erich couldn't bring himself to feel joy.

Realizing his true emotions only after hearing about her marriage meant his love was discovered and crushed in the same instant.

--- End Of The Chapter ----

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