Wicked Husband

Sonio!"

Sonio smiled slightly when Eileen greeted him heartily. With his greying hair and moustache, Sonio gave off a sharp and stern appearance. But when he stood before Eileen, he felt like a pleasant spring breeze.

He used to work as a chamberlain in the Imperial Palace, and when Cesare became Grand Duke, they left the Imperial Palace together. It was thus natural that Eileen and Sonio knew each other very well.

"I'll take you inside."

Sonio said politely, leading Eileen inside.

"Would you like some tea in the parlour while you wait?"

"Yeah, maybe… Is His Excellency—"

Sonio's expression darkened slightly as she asked about Cesare. He responded in a courteous and friendly manner.

"I apologise. It will be difficult to see His Grace today."

"I see…"

From his expression, Eileen could tell there was absolutely no chance. Cesare must have already informed Sonio that he was unable to meet her today.

Eileen had their meeting in various ways before arriving at the Duke's villa. The thought of not meeting Cesare hadn't even crossed her mind.

'I take him too much for granted.'

Cesare's affection and interest have never been constant. It burns as brightly as the flame of a candle but could easily be extinguished with a single breath.

Cesare was not a fickle man, but one change of heart was all it took to cool things off.

'Are you no longer interested in me?'

The moment she thought about it, everything seemed to go bleak. Their relationship was truly one-sided, and Eileen was the weaker party. If Cesare had truly lost interest in marrying her, she would never be able to look at him again.

If I think about it, wasn't it like this during the war?'

Cesare refused to contact her, so all she could do was wait.

Her face darkened, so Sonio jumped in to comfort her.

"My lady, I brought a cake from the newly opened shop. You should try it with tea!"

He took Eileen's coat and sat her gracefully on the sofa in the living room. Once she had made herself comfortable, she put down the watch box that had become so cherished.

She thought it was very luxurious and beautiful when she bought it in the shop. Seeing it placed on the Grand Duke's sofa, she found it rather unsightly. It seemed that both she and the watch box had ended up in a place where they didn't belong.

While Eileen was sighing, Sonio quickly brought out tea and snacks. The tea set was much to Eileen's liking.

Milk tea was made soft and sweet from milk and sugar. There were cakes with whipped cream and various biscuits.

They were all Eileen's favourite desserts. Normally, she would have been happy to lift her fork. Today, she had to force herself to do it.

She took a bite from a corner of the cake, her mind drifting to Sonio's kindness. Unfortunately, she felt no flavour, as if her sense of taste had vanished. After that sole bite, she set the fork down.

"…"

She couldn't control her expression. She tried to smile, but her lips were stiff.

In fact, she was glad she didn't cry right away. Eileen bit her lip to suppress her sobbing.

Sonio watched. He placed a handkerchief on the table and left the salon silently. His consideration brought more tears to Eileen's eyes. With her nose twitching, Eileen clutched the handkerchief and tilted her head back.

The memory of that old pig who called her his bride flashed into her mind. It made her nauseous to even think that she would have to kiss him like she did Cesare.

She would eventually need to bear him a child… She stopped herself abruptly as she went green.

She would never be able to see Cesare again, that was what bothered her the most. Her heart was ready to be ripped in half. 

He was a foreigner, so he would leave the country. Naturally, he would take her with him. If she went abroad, she wouldn't even be able to hear from Cesare in the future.

In her homeland, she could at least inquire about Cesare from the papers, even occasionally bumping into him.

' And if I were to become the Grand Duchess…'

That would be much preferable, regardless of whether she remained his 'child' or not. Then a sudden thought struck her. Could it be that he had lost interest after hearing her complain a dozen times about their engagement?

She regretted her long tongue, but there was no use crying over spilled milk. She held back her tears and slowly collected herself. The familiar resignation cast its shadow over her face.

She smoothed out the crumpled handkerchief with her hands, folded it neatly, and put it back on the table.

'I'll leave his gift and return home.'

Having come this far, she was determined to go through with her gift. She had bought it for him to wear. It didn't matter if it looked unimpressive.

With any luck, seeing the gift might change his mind, even if only a little. Knowing Cesare, a man who was meticulous in his decision-making, it was highly unlikely. Still, Eileen harboured a small ray of hope.

She got up from the sofa and looked out of the window, thinking

'I will have Sonio deliver it if it comes to that'

The drawing room had large windows that overlooked the courtyard. Outside the window, she saw an orange tree. Eileen approached the window, fascinated by it.

She didn't know that there was also an orange tree in his house. Eileen naturally thought of her own back in the garden of her brick house.

The reason Cesare gave Eileen the orange tree was because she had been kidnapped in the past.

"There's no reason to wonder anymore, right?"

Eileen was kidnapped because she was overly curious about orange-flavored candy. In remembrance, Cesare planted an orange tree in her garden. Cesare, Eileen, and her mother were all happy to share the first orange that fell from the tree.

When Eileen gazed at the orange trees, memories of Cesare flooded her mind. Suddenly, she spotted a man strolling leisurely down the opposite corridor.

He flickered in and out of view, but Eileen recognised him instantly. With a surge of excitement, she hurried to unlatch the window and call out to him.

"…"

But all she managed to do was grasp the latch. She couldn't open the window and, therefore, couldn't call out to him.

Cesare had already informed his staff that he did not wish to see her. It would be childish of her to irritate him in this situation. Eileen feared that he would come to despise her even more.

As she hesitated by the window, he directed his gaze at her. Through the azure hue, his crimson eyes locked onto Eileen's.

He must have been on his way somewhere because he was dressed in a suit and coat. She couldn't even turn her head to avoid their gaze. Eileen cautiously bowed to him.

Cesare looked at Eileen in silence, and she smiled faintly. He walked across the courtyard, his lips twisting into a smile. As she watched him approach, Eileen stood still at the window, fidgeting with her hand.

Tuk-tuk. Cesare came right up to the window and lightly knocked on the glass. His leather gloves muffled the sound.

Eileen hesitated before undoing the latch and gently pushing open the window. As soon as there was a small opening, he grabbed the window with his large hand and swung it wide open.

The wind outside blew in, and the rustling of leaves tickled her ears like waves. Cesare's cool, heavy scent enveloped Eileen. She gazed up at him with wide eyes, carefully parting her lips.

"Your Excellency…"

"What troubles you, Eileen?"

Gazing down at her, Cesare questioned.

She anticipated tears the moment she heard his voice. Standing in front of Cesare made it difficult for her to restrain her emotions. She pressed her lips together firmly, then opened her mouth.

"I wanted to give you a gift… I know it's not much, but… I just wanted to congratulate you on your victory."

Eileen sighed as she held up the watch box, struggling to finish her sentence properly. She gripped it so tightly that a small handprint was left on the velvet. After giving it a gentle rub to erase the mark, she handed the box to Cesare.

Cesare immediately opened the box to inspect its contents. His hand paused briefly as he examined the watch. Whatever he saw rendered him silent for a moment.

What could be causing this reaction?

A low murmur could be heard just before Eileen nervously bit her lip.

"So, this is what it looked like."

His tone was subtle, as if he were already aware of the platinum watch.