Chloe in the book was preparing herself to leave Gerard slowly.
[“Baron Diaz? Where do they live?”
Chloe asked the leader of the Dark Guild. When she looked at the document that the guild leader had been compiling, she pointed to one of the family’s names.
“They live on the east coast.”
It wasn’t bad.
In order for Catherine to live well, she had to go to the eastern continent. If so, she thought settling in the eastern coastal area close to her sister would be better.
“May I know the reason they’re selling the title?”
“It seems that Baron Diaz’s father has plenty of gambling debt. The baron can’t afford to pay the debt, so is selling the family’s title to pay the debt instead.”
The guild leader explained in more detail.
“Is there any possibility that there would be a lineage issue later on?”
“No. The baron and his children have offered to write a memorandum renouncing succession, the baroness has no siblings either, so you don’t have to worry about such things.”
“Then, please keep an eye on Baron Diaz. Just in case, keep looking into other families on the condition that they can survive until next year.”
“Yes, ma’am. I’ll look for more families that meet the conditions you requested.”
The Dark Guild leader bowed to Chloe, whose face was covered elegantly.]
Chloe was looking for a title she could give to Abel and a place to live without Gerard by their side. Not just that, she also attempted to raise some additional funds by selling off some of her personal items.
“Chloe…”
And Gerard had to swallow his sobs as he watched.
He knew how much she was hurting inside, but he couldn’t hold onto her and tell her not to go even if he wanted to.
***
Rustle, rustle.
The page turned again.
[It was finally Owen’s coronation day. The rebel attack was inevitable, and Gerard was stabbed in the stomach again in the process of rescuing Leila.
“Cough!”
Chloe turned her head towards the scene. She never wanted her to watch such a scene twice in her life. Why did they have to repeat this painful past?
“Oh, Sir Blanchett, what should we do?!”
However, she naturally turned towards the direction of the scream.
She watched Gerard’s body lose its balance. The sight of his pale face reminded her of when she saw him the moment before returning to the past, and she couldn’t stay still.
“Gerard…!”
Chloe ran to him in an instant, just as she did in the past.
‘Don’t die! I won’t let you go if you leave me this time!’
Memories of the past made her move despite knowing the fact that he wouldn’t die. She hated him so much that she wanted him to die, but her mind was opposed to the idea.]
***
“I don’t know why the fever won’t go away.”
Chloe asked Gerard’s attending physician.
“Hmm. I’ve given him medicine for now, so hopefully it will lower his body’s temperature by tonight.”
The doctor explained to Chloe and signalled to the butler, who stood behind her.
“Please wipe his body with a wet towel so that the fever subsides.”
“Yes.”
Gerard let out a grunt. He kept calling his wife’s name even when he was suffering from a high fever.
“Chloe…”
Upon hearing his call, Chloe hurriedly interrupted the conversation between the doctor and the butler.
“I’ll do it. Do I just have to wipe his body with a wet towel?”
“You’re currently under the weather as well, my Lady. I’ll call the maids to do it.”
The butler expressed his concern. Even though Chloe wasn’t rained on as much as Gerard, she must have caught a cold as well.
“Are you feeling better now, Marchioness?”
The doctor asked.
“I had a slight fever, but I’m fine. I just cough occasionally.”
Chloe replied and gathered the shawl around her shoulders a bit tighter.
“Excuse me for a moment.”
Upon Chloe’s explanation, the doctor decided to check her temperature.
“Your fever has certainly gone down a lot. However, please do not push yourself too much. I’ll prescribe medicine that will reduce your coughing, make sure to take it.”
“I see. Thank you.”
For now, the doctor decided to stay in the Blanchett’s residence temporarily until Gerard’s fever went down. He requested to be called immediately if anything happened before he returned to the guest room.
Gerard’s fever, fortunately, started to go down by nightfall.
“Phew…”
Chloe, who remained by his side, sighed in relief. She had moved to another bedroom due to the butler’s concern that she might catch a fever as well, and she went back to their room in the late hour.
She wasn’t sure why she wanted to stay by his side, either it was because of guilt that he was sick because of her, or pity for him.
“Emily, you can rest and come back later.”
Chloe spoke to the maid who was assigned to stay in the room during the late hour. She noticed that the young maid’s eyes were drowsy.
“However…”
“Thanks to you, my husband’s fever has gone down a lot. I want to be alone with my husband for a while, so you can return for the night and take a rest.”
The maid shook her head in hesitation. However, Chloe was persistent in ushering the young lady to take a rest.
“Then… I’ll take a rest for a while and come back shortly, my Lady.”
“Yes, go ahead.”
After the maid left, Chloe headed to Gerard. Staring at him for a moment, she quickly tried to imitate the maid’s actions clumsily.
“Is this the right way to do it?”
Chloe tilted her head, picking up the wet towel from the basin beside her. Water dripped from the wet towel because it wasn’t wrung properly.
“Ugh…”
The water dripping from the wet towel splattered all across Gerard’s face. Gerard’s face, which had remained calm for a while, frowned again.
“…Is it like this?”
Chloe hurriedly took away the wet towel.
Grasping the rough idea of how to do it, she wrung the wet towel in the basin. It was more accurate to say that she got rid of the water completely rather than wringing it.
“If I knew this would happen, I should’ve watched her properly.”
Nevertheless, she managed to prevent the towel from dripping this time.
She wiped her husband’s neck, chest and stomach with the towel.
Despite the high fever, his body still felt warmer than it was supposed to. She was busy moving her hands to relieve his warm body.
Then, Chloe’s hand stopped when it touched a particular scar.
“…”
The stab wound that he got while saving Leila during the rebel attacks. The long scar hadn’t disappeared since then. Just like the past when he loved Leila.
That’s why she hated seeing that wound.
“I hate you so much.”
Chloe said while glaring at the wound.
She intentionally rubbed the scar firmly with the wet towel. However, that didn’t make the scar disappear miraculously.
She suddenly realized one thing.
This wound was the part of her husband. The trace of life that he had until today.
Perhaps, it was selfish to ask for the wound to be erased.
Despite knowing it was ridiculous, she still wanted it to disappear.
Then, Gerard murmured.
“Chloe… I’m sorry.”
He had been calling her name all day since yesterday. He even cried in his sleep while babbling that he was wrong and he loved her.
She was so anxious that he would say that in front of the doctor earlier. It was for the same reason that she offered to take care of her husband.
“I’m sorry…”
Gerard wept again while begging for forgiveness. His tears soaked the pillow under his head.
“How suspicious.”
Chloe muttered while reaching out to Gerard’s face. She wiped tears from Gerard’s eyes.
“You… You’re not asleep, are you? Are you speaking like this on purpose so that I would listen?”
“…”
However, all she could hear was Gerard’s faint breath.
Stupid Gerard Blanchett. Even after she left, he stood in place and let himself get rained on.
“Get up as soon as possible.”
The pitiful Gerard Blanchett, who had never fallen ill before, finally fell ill when she was upset at him.
“I’m still upset at you.”
***
He thought the repeated past must have been cut off. The book in his dream moved from one scene to another quickly.
Just like in the past, Gerard proposed to Chloe after his trip to the border. Chloe took his hand again, not Herace’s.
[Chloe became occupied after becoming the Marchioness of Blanchett. She paid off Baron Diaz’s debts and bought the title.
She collected additional funds from time to time and invested it. It came as an advantage to know the future in this aspect.
She only needed Abel to make it perfect.
“Ugh!”
Chloe, who was having breakfast, stopped her hand movement when she felt nauseous. Despite not being able to figure out what kind of smell pierced her nose, she no longer wanted to eat because her stomach was nauseous.
“What’s the matter, my Lady?”
Gerard, who was sitting across from her, noticed that Chloe had stopped eating.
“N-Nothing.”
Chloe said while pulling up the corners of her mouth. She internally calculated when Abel started to show himself in the past.
“It’s the right time.”
Even so, she couldn’t make a hasty assumption. She needed a clear diagnosis.
A few days later, Chloe visited the former Imperial doctor, who now worked giving examinations to commoners.
“You are pregnant.”
Chloe covered her mouth with her hand upon the doctor revealing the diagnosis.
It was finally time to leave Gerard Blanchett.]
Chloe in the book was preparing herself to leave Gerard slowly.
[“Baron Diaz? Where do they live?”
Chloe asked the leader of the Dark Guild. When she looked at the document that the guild leader had been compiling, she pointed to one of the family’s names.
“They live on the east coast.”
It wasn’t bad.
In order for Catherine to live well, she had to go to the eastern continent. If so, she thought settling in the eastern coastal area close to her sister would be better.
“May I know the reason they’re selling the title?”
“It seems that Baron Diaz’s father has plenty of gambling debt. The baron can’t afford to pay the debt, so is selling the family’s title to pay the debt instead.”
The guild leader explained in more detail.
“Is there any possibility that there would be a lineage issue later on?”
“No. The baron and his children have offered to write a memorandum renouncing succession, the baroness has no siblings either, so you don’t have to worry about such things.”
“Then, please keep an eye on Baron Diaz. Just in case, keep looking into other families on the condition that they can survive until next year.”
“Yes, ma’am. I’ll look for more families that meet the conditions you requested.”
The Dark Guild leader bowed to Chloe, whose face was covered elegantly.]
Chloe was looking for a title she could give to Abel and a place to live without Gerard by their side. Not just that, she also attempted to raise some additional funds by selling off some of her personal items.
“Chloe…”
And Gerard had to swallow his sobs as he watched.
He knew how much she was hurting inside, but he couldn’t hold onto her and tell her not to go even if he wanted to.
***
Rustle, rustle.
The page turned again.
[It was finally Owen’s coronation day. The rebel attack was inevitable, and Gerard was stabbed in the stomach again in the process of rescuing Leila.
“Cough!”
Chloe turned her head towards the scene. She never wanted her to watch such a scene twice in her life. Why did they have to repeat this painful past?
“Oh, Sir Blanchett, what should we do?!”
However, she naturally turned towards the direction of the scream.
She watched Gerard’s body lose its balance. The sight of his pale face reminded her of when she saw him the moment before returning to the past, and she couldn’t stay still.
“Gerard…!”
Chloe ran to him in an instant, just as she did in the past.
‘Don’t die! I won’t let you go if you leave me this time!’
Memories of the past made her move despite knowing the fact that he wouldn’t die. She hated him so much that she wanted him to die, but her mind was opposed to the idea.]
***
“I don’t know why the fever won’t go away.”
Chloe asked Gerard’s attending physician.
“Hmm. I’ve given him medicine for now, so hopefully it will lower his body’s temperature by tonight.”
The doctor explained to Chloe and signalled to the butler, who stood behind her.
“Please wipe his body with a wet towel so that the fever subsides.”
“Yes.”
Gerard let out a grunt. He kept calling his wife’s name even when he was suffering from a high fever.
“Chloe…”
Upon hearing his call, Chloe hurriedly interrupted the conversation between the doctor and the butler.
“I’ll do it. Do I just have to wipe his body with a wet towel?”
“You’re currently under the weather as well, my Lady. I’ll call the maids to do it.”
The butler expressed his concern. Even though Chloe wasn’t rained on as much as Gerard, she must have caught a cold as well.
“Are you feeling better now, Marchioness?”
The doctor asked.
“I had a slight fever, but I’m fine. I just cough occasionally.”
Chloe replied and gathered the shawl around her shoulders a bit tighter.
“Excuse me for a moment.”
Upon Chloe’s explanation, the doctor decided to check her temperature.
“Your fever has certainly gone down a lot. However, please do not push yourself too much. I’ll prescribe medicine that will reduce your coughing, make sure to take it.”
“I see. Thank you.”
For now, the doctor decided to stay in the Blanchett’s residence temporarily until Gerard’s fever went down. He requested to be called immediately if anything happened before he returned to the guest room.
Gerard’s fever, fortunately, started to go down by nightfall.
“Phew…”
Chloe, who remained by his side, sighed in relief. She had moved to another bedroom due to the butler’s concern that she might catch a fever as well, and she went back to their room in the late hour.
She wasn’t sure why she wanted to stay by his side, either it was because of guilt that he was sick because of her, or pity for him.
“Emily, you can rest and come back later.”
Chloe spoke to the maid who was assigned to stay in the room during the late hour. She noticed that the young maid’s eyes were drowsy.
“However…”
“Thanks to you, my husband’s fever has gone down a lot. I want to be alone with my husband for a while, so you can return for the night and take a rest.”
The maid shook her head in hesitation. However, Chloe was persistent in ushering the young lady to take a rest.
“Then… I’ll take a rest for a while and come back shortly, my Lady.”
“Yes, go ahead.”
After the maid left, Chloe headed to Gerard. Staring at him for a moment, she quickly tried to imitate the maid’s actions clumsily.
“Is this the right way to do it?”
Chloe tilted her head, picking up the wet towel from the basin beside her. Water dripped from the wet towel because it wasn’t wrung properly.
“Ugh…”
The water dripping from the wet towel splattered all across Gerard’s face. Gerard’s face, which had remained calm for a while, frowned again.
“…Is it like this?”
Chloe hurriedly took away the wet towel.
Grasping the rough idea of how to do it, she wrung the wet towel in the basin. It was more accurate to say that she got rid of the water completely rather than wringing it.
“If I knew this would happen, I should’ve watched her properly.”
Nevertheless, she managed to prevent the towel from dripping this time.
She wiped her husband’s neck, chest and stomach with the towel.
Despite the high fever, his body still felt warmer than it was supposed to. She was busy moving her hands to relieve his warm body.
Then, Chloe’s hand stopped when it touched a particular scar.
“…”
The stab wound that he got while saving Leila during the rebel attacks. The long scar hadn’t disappeared since then. Just like the past when he loved Leila.
That’s why she hated seeing that wound.
“I hate you so much.”
Chloe said while glaring at the wound.
She intentionally rubbed the scar firmly with the wet towel. However, that didn’t make the scar disappear miraculously.
She suddenly realized one thing.
This wound was the part of her husband. The trace of life that he had until today.
Perhaps, it was selfish to ask for the wound to be erased.
Despite knowing it was ridiculous, she still wanted it to disappear.
Then, Gerard murmured.
“Chloe… I’m sorry.”
He had been calling her name all day since yesterday. He even cried in his sleep while babbling that he was wrong and he loved her.
She was so anxious that he would say that in front of the doctor earlier. It was for the same reason that she offered to take care of her husband.
“I’m sorry…”
Gerard wept again while begging for forgiveness. His tears soaked the pillow under his head.
“How suspicious.”
Chloe muttered while reaching out to Gerard’s face. She wiped tears from Gerard’s eyes.
“You… You’re not asleep, are you? Are you speaking like this on purpose so that I would listen?”
“…”
However, all she could hear was Gerard’s faint breath.
Stupid Gerard Blanchett. Even after she left, he stood in place and let himself get rained on.
“Get up as soon as possible.”
The pitiful Gerard Blanchett, who had never fallen ill before, finally fell ill when she was upset at him.
“I’m still upset at you.”
***
He thought the repeated past must have been cut off. The book in his dream moved from one scene to another quickly.
Just like in the past, Gerard proposed to Chloe after his trip to the border. Chloe took his hand again, not Herace’s.
[Chloe became occupied after becoming the Marchioness of Blanchett. She paid off Baron Diaz’s debts and bought the title.
She collected additional funds from time to time and invested it. It came as an advantage to know the future in this aspect.
She only needed Abel to make it perfect.
“Ugh!”
Chloe, who was having breakfast, stopped her hand movement when she felt nauseous. Despite not being able to figure out what kind of smell pierced her nose, she no longer wanted to eat because her stomach was nauseous.
“What’s the matter, my Lady?”
Gerard, who was sitting across from her, noticed that Chloe had stopped eating.
“N-Nothing.”
Chloe said while pulling up the corners of her mouth. She internally calculated when Abel started to show himself in the past.
“It’s the right time.”
Even so, she couldn’t make a hasty assumption. She needed a clear diagnosis.
A few days later, Chloe visited the former Imperial doctor, who now worked giving examinations to commoners.
“You are pregnant.”
Chloe covered her mouth with her hand upon the doctor revealing the diagnosis.
It was finally time to leave Gerard Blanchett.]
