Chloe looked out of the window, which was already bright. Morning came quickly after she stayed up all night to nurse her husband, who was suffering from fever.
“I didn’t mean to stay up all night.”
She sighed briefly and turned her gaze from the window to Gerard. Nonetheless, it was relieving to hear the sound of her husband’s breath as time passed.
Chloe pushed Gerard’s damp bangs to the back and touched his forehead. His fever had gone down a lot, so she thought it wouldn’t go up again after this.
She straightened her husband’s clothes and pulled the blanket all the way to his neck. Her touch was laced with tenderness that she couldn’t hide. After that, Chloe pulled away from Gerard and greeted Jane, the maid.
“I’ll go to bed now. Please hang on a little longer, Jane.”
She was intending to go to her room prepared by the butler and get some long deserved shuteye. She felt dizzy due to the lack of proper sleep.
“Sure thing, my Lady. That’s a great idea! Please go ahead and catch some sleep!”
Jane, who came to replace Emily because she had to rest, supported Chloe’s remark. It was because she had been recommending her Lady to take a rest for a while.
“All right, all right.”
Chloe grabbed her shawl off the back of a chair while complying to Jane’s urging words.
“Oh, and I’ll tell the butler that you and Emily can have a day off after the nursing’s over.”
“No, you don’t have to…”
“I think you need to take a rest for a day or two after this. Then, I’ll go now.”
Chloe hurried out of the room before Jane could refute.
“…Thank you! Have a peaceful rest.”
Jane’s words were heard before she closed the door completely. It was such a peaceful day.
Chloe looked out the window of the hallway as she found Jane’s words amusing. She could see birds chirping and the autumn sky. The sky was eerily blue.
She looked up at the sky. Her eyes were bleary from the lack of sleep, but she couldn’t look away.
-How can I tell you everything… my Lady?
She remembered what her husband said on the day of the hunting competition. Chloe felt a pit forming in her stomach.
‘When he wakes up… Will we get back to normal again?’
Perhaps. Chloe swallowed out of frustration.
She revealed everything in her mind, but her husband didn’t seem to have the same intention. She hated him.
She hated him, but she also felt sorry for him. She didn’t want to see him, but she knew it would be saddening if she really didn’t see him anymore. What the h*ll was this feeling?
She didn’t want to go to her room because of the lump in her throat.
Chloe turned impulsively and went down to the ground floor. She headed for the side door where she was greeted by the servants who had already started their day.
“Sigh…”
As soon as she opened the door, the cool air caressed her cheeks. She felt refreshed after inhaling the clean air greedily.
Chloe wrapped her shawl around her shoulders before starting towards the garden. She needed a moment to organize her thoughts.
After walking for a while, Chloe sat down at a table placed in the garden. Even though it rained several days ago, the chairs weren’t wet with rainwater, perhaps due to the diligent work of the servants in the mansion.
“…Pretty.”
The clouds drifted high through the sky. The white and fluffy-looking objects looked very beautiful.
Chloe gazed blankly at the sky and enjoyed the quiet atmosphere. As she looked at the sky, she felt a pleasantly overwhelming emotion within her.
She also imagined that her worries diminished bit by bit.
While Chloe was spending time on her own, the Blanchett mansion was in an uproar. Gerard turned the mansion upside down as soon as he woke up and looked for his wife.
***
“Chloe…”
Gerard finally woke up from the long dream he had. He woke up shouting her name, which he had been calling for so long in his dream.
“My Lord, are you awake?”
Jane, who was nursing him, asked in surprise. Her Lord, who had been sleeping soundly until a moment ago, released a groan and suddenly woke up.
“Wait, I’ll bring the butler!”
Jane decided to call for the butler instead of her Lady because she knew her Lady had just taken a rest. She left the room after asking her Lord’s pardon. However, Gerard couldn’t focus on what the maid said. He just searched, unable to wipe away the tears on his face.
“Where did you go… Chloe?”
An uncontrollable anxiety washed over Gerard when he checked the side of his bed. He couldn’t help but to chew on his lip. At that moment, Chloe’s back was pictured in front of him.
“No, you can’t go. I’m not going to let you go. Never.”
Gerard didn’t realize how childish his words sounded. Having just awakened from his dream, he wasn’t completely able to differentiate the dream and reality.
He rose from his position and left the room. He had to find Chloe.
“My Lord…”
The butler, who came in with Jane, called his Lord in a bewildered voice. He doubted whether the man in front of him was Gerard Blanchett.
His disheveled hair, loosely-tied top, and bare feet. It was completely unlike the Marquis of Blanchett.
On top of that, Gerard didn’t look at the old butler despite how many times the old man called him. He only concentrated on opening all the doors in front of him. It was strange.
“Are you all right? What happened?”
He expressed his worry more indirectly because he felt it would be rude to be any more direct.
‘I heard that sometimes severe fever can cause fatal damage to the brain.’
It was time for the old butler to assume the worst. Gerard called Chloe’s name out loud.
“Chloe!”
Only then did the old butler realize who his Lord was looking for and opened his eyes wide.
“My Lord, the Lady is resting in the room beside yours…”
Gerard ran out before the old butler finished his words. The butler, who was watching his Lord’s back, narrowed his eyes.
He thought his Lord might need a doctor. He instructed Jane, who was beside him, to call the doctor before following his Lord again.
Gulp.
Gerard called her name while opening the door of the room which the butler had indicated earlier.
“Chloe.”
However, Chloe was not in this room either.
“Chloe Blanchett!”
He searched the whole room, but couldn’t find his wife. Gerard felt like he would go crazy at any moment.
The vivid fear and misery he felt in his dream strangled his throat.
“Find… the Lady, my Chloe right now!”
He wasn’t crying, was he? The old butler was quite shocked by his master with tears in his eyes. Something must have happened.
“All the employees should stop what they were doing and find the Lady, go and inform the maids.”
The old butler told the maid, who was cleaning the hallway on the second floor.
“Are you looking for the Lady?”
“Yes.”
“I… I saw the Lady heading towards the garden earlier.”
Intimidated by the serious atmosphere, the maid continued hesitantly.
“Garden?”
However, Gerard stormed out of the room again before the old butler could ask properly.
“My Lord! If you go out in that attire, you’ll catch a cold!”
The old butler tried to dissuade him, but Gerard didn’t hear him.
“Huff…”
He wondered what happened to his Lord. The old butler scratched his head.
He suddenly did something he didn’t do even when he was a child. The old man hoped his Lord wasn’t sick.
“Chloe!”
Gerard ran recklessly along the path in the garden while calling her name desperately many times.
“Chloe!”
“…Honey?”
A faint voice finally answered him. His wife’s voice made him burst into tears.
“Chloe…”
He found the source of the voice and could see Chloe sitting at the table. It was his beautiful wife.
“You’re awake? Are you alright?”
Her blue eyes were laced with worry as they widened in surprise.
Her blue eyes weren’t turning away from him, but staring straight at him. Gerard’s heart soar at the realization.
“Chloe…”
It was the Chloe that Gerard knew.
Not Chloe Roem who ran away from him.
She was not Claudia Diaz, who had made up her mind about him.
The woman, who stared at him nervously, was his Chloe Blanchett.
“What happened to you?”
Chloe was about to get up from her seat upon the sight of her husband.
“My Lady, I…”
Gerard moved faster, kneeling near Chloe’s feet.
“My Lady, I made a mistake. I was really wrong…”
Gerard Blanchett, the current Marquis, begged his wife on his knees, unable to control the streams of tears falling on his face.
The experience of being driven to the edge of sorrow had already made him insane. He just clung into his wife without knowing what he said while constantly asking for forgiveness.
“I mean… Don’t abandon me, please? Chloe, please…”
He took Chloe’s hand and rubbed his cheek against the back of her hand. Such a gesture felt like a child or a puppy longing for love.
“Please forgive me. I will do whatever you want, please?”
“Honey…”
“I’ll make sure to cut off my relationship with the Grand Duchess of Anata, I won’t judge and decide anything on my own, nor hide whatever is in my mind.”
Gerard said while putting his face in Chloe’s lap.
“A lot…”
“…”
Chloe wondered upon seeing her husband’s unexpected words and actions. Nevertheless, her eyes were wet, feeling the sincerity that washed over her.
“I love you so much, Chloe.”
His damp eyes glistened in the sunshine. Chloe stiffened at the sight of his beautiful eyes.
“Really…”
She felt like saying something, but she couldn’t. There were only tears flowing.
‘Despicable Gerard Blanchett.’
His beloved green eyes were shining more than ever.
***
Chloe looked out of the window, which was already bright. Morning came quickly after she stayed up all night to nurse her husband, who was suffering from fever.
“I didn’t mean to stay up all night.”
She sighed briefly and turned her gaze from the window to Gerard. Nonetheless, it was relieving to hear the sound of her husband’s breath as time passed.
Chloe pushed Gerard’s damp bangs to the back and touched his forehead. His fever had gone down a lot, so she thought it wouldn’t go up again after this.
She straightened her husband’s clothes and pulled the blanket all the way to his neck. Her touch was laced with tenderness that she couldn’t hide. After that, Chloe pulled away from Gerard and greeted Jane, the maid.
“I’ll go to bed now. Please hang on a little longer, Jane.”
She was intending to go to her room prepared by the butler and get some long deserved shuteye. She felt dizzy due to the lack of proper sleep.
“Sure thing, my Lady. That’s a great idea! Please go ahead and catch some sleep!”
Jane, who came to replace Emily because she had to rest, supported Chloe’s remark. It was because she had been recommending her Lady to take a rest for a while.
“All right, all right.”
Chloe grabbed her shawl off the back of a chair while complying to Jane’s urging words.
“Oh, and I’ll tell the butler that you and Emily can have a day off after the nursing’s over.”
“No, you don’t have to…”
“I think you need to take a rest for a day or two after this. Then, I’ll go now.”
Chloe hurried out of the room before Jane could refute.
“…Thank you! Have a peaceful rest.”
Jane’s words were heard before she closed the door completely. It was such a peaceful day.
Chloe looked out the window of the hallway as she found Jane’s words amusing. She could see birds chirping and the autumn sky. The sky was eerily blue.
She looked up at the sky. Her eyes were bleary from the lack of sleep, but she couldn’t look away.
-How can I tell you everything… my Lady?
She remembered what her husband said on the day of the hunting competition. Chloe felt a pit forming in her stomach.
‘When he wakes up… Will we get back to normal again?’
Perhaps. Chloe swallowed out of frustration.
She revealed everything in her mind, but her husband didn’t seem to have the same intention. She hated him.
She hated him, but she also felt sorry for him. She didn’t want to see him, but she knew it would be saddening if she really didn’t see him anymore. What the h*ll was this feeling?
She didn’t want to go to her room because of the lump in her throat.
Chloe turned impulsively and went down to the ground floor. She headed for the side door where she was greeted by the servants who had already started their day.
“Sigh…”
As soon as she opened the door, the cool air caressed her cheeks. She felt refreshed after inhaling the clean air greedily.
Chloe wrapped her shawl around her shoulders before starting towards the garden. She needed a moment to organize her thoughts.
After walking for a while, Chloe sat down at a table placed in the garden. Even though it rained several days ago, the chairs weren’t wet with rainwater, perhaps due to the diligent work of the servants in the mansion.
“…Pretty.”
The clouds drifted high through the sky. The white and fluffy-looking objects looked very beautiful.
Chloe gazed blankly at the sky and enjoyed the quiet atmosphere. As she looked at the sky, she felt a pleasantly overwhelming emotion within her.
She also imagined that her worries diminished bit by bit.
While Chloe was spending time on her own, the Blanchett mansion was in an uproar. Gerard turned the mansion upside down as soon as he woke up and looked for his wife.
***
“Chloe…”
Gerard finally woke up from the long dream he had. He woke up shouting her name, which he had been calling for so long in his dream.
“My Lord, are you awake?”
Jane, who was nursing him, asked in surprise. Her Lord, who had been sleeping soundly until a moment ago, released a groan and suddenly woke up.
“Wait, I’ll bring the butler!”
Jane decided to call for the butler instead of her Lady because she knew her Lady had just taken a rest. She left the room after asking her Lord’s pardon. However, Gerard couldn’t focus on what the maid said. He just searched, unable to wipe away the tears on his face.
“Where did you go… Chloe?”
An uncontrollable anxiety washed over Gerard when he checked the side of his bed. He couldn’t help but to chew on his lip. At that moment, Chloe’s back was pictured in front of him.
“No, you can’t go. I’m not going to let you go. Never.”
Gerard didn’t realize how childish his words sounded. Having just awakened from his dream, he wasn’t completely able to differentiate the dream and reality.
He rose from his position and left the room. He had to find Chloe.
“My Lord…”
The butler, who came in with Jane, called his Lord in a bewildered voice. He doubted whether the man in front of him was Gerard Blanchett.
His disheveled hair, loosely-tied top, and bare feet. It was completely unlike the Marquis of Blanchett.
On top of that, Gerard didn’t look at the old butler despite how many times the old man called him. He only concentrated on opening all the doors in front of him. It was strange.
“Are you all right? What happened?”
He expressed his worry more indirectly because he felt it would be rude to be any more direct.
‘I heard that sometimes severe fever can cause fatal damage to the brain.’
It was time for the old butler to assume the worst. Gerard called Chloe’s name out loud.
“Chloe!”
Only then did the old butler realize who his Lord was looking for and opened his eyes wide.
“My Lord, the Lady is resting in the room beside yours…”
Gerard ran out before the old butler finished his words. The butler, who was watching his Lord’s back, narrowed his eyes.
He thought his Lord might need a doctor. He instructed Jane, who was beside him, to call the doctor before following his Lord again.
Gulp.
Gerard called her name while opening the door of the room which the butler had indicated earlier.
“Chloe.”
However, Chloe was not in this room either.
“Chloe Blanchett!”
He searched the whole room, but couldn’t find his wife. Gerard felt like he would go crazy at any moment.
The vivid fear and misery he felt in his dream strangled his throat.
“Find… the Lady, my Chloe right now!”
He wasn’t crying, was he? The old butler was quite shocked by his master with tears in his eyes. Something must have happened.
“All the employees should stop what they were doing and find the Lady, go and inform the maids.”
The old butler told the maid, who was cleaning the hallway on the second floor.
“Are you looking for the Lady?”
“Yes.”
“I… I saw the Lady heading towards the garden earlier.”
Intimidated by the serious atmosphere, the maid continued hesitantly.
“Garden?”
However, Gerard stormed out of the room again before the old butler could ask properly.
“My Lord! If you go out in that attire, you’ll catch a cold!”
The old butler tried to dissuade him, but Gerard didn’t hear him.
“Huff…”
He wondered what happened to his Lord. The old butler scratched his head.
He suddenly did something he didn’t do even when he was a child. The old man hoped his Lord wasn’t sick.
“Chloe!”
Gerard ran recklessly along the path in the garden while calling her name desperately many times.
“Chloe!”
“…Honey?”
A faint voice finally answered him. His wife’s voice made him burst into tears.
“Chloe…”
He found the source of the voice and could see Chloe sitting at the table. It was his beautiful wife.
“You’re awake? Are you alright?”
Her blue eyes were laced with worry as they widened in surprise.
Her blue eyes weren’t turning away from him, but staring straight at him. Gerard’s heart soar at the realization.
“Chloe…”
It was the Chloe that Gerard knew.
Not Chloe Roem who ran away from him.
She was not Claudia Diaz, who had made up her mind about him.
The woman, who stared at him nervously, was his Chloe Blanchett.
“What happened to you?”
Chloe was about to get up from her seat upon the sight of her husband.
“My Lady, I…”
Gerard moved faster, kneeling near Chloe’s feet.
“My Lady, I made a mistake. I was really wrong…”
Gerard Blanchett, the current Marquis, begged his wife on his knees, unable to control the streams of tears falling on his face.
The experience of being driven to the edge of sorrow had already made him insane. He just clung into his wife without knowing what he said while constantly asking for forgiveness.
“I mean… Don’t abandon me, please? Chloe, please…”
He took Chloe’s hand and rubbed his cheek against the back of her hand. Such a gesture felt like a child or a puppy longing for love.
“Please forgive me. I will do whatever you want, please?”
“Honey…”
“I’ll make sure to cut off my relationship with the Grand Duchess of Anata, I won’t judge and decide anything on my own, nor hide whatever is in my mind.”
Gerard said while putting his face in Chloe’s lap.
“A lot…”
“…”
Chloe wondered upon seeing her husband’s unexpected words and actions. Nevertheless, her eyes were wet, feeling the sincerity that washed over her.
“I love you so much, Chloe.”
His damp eyes glistened in the sunshine. Chloe stiffened at the sight of his beautiful eyes.
“Really…”
She felt like saying something, but she couldn’t. There were only tears flowing.
‘Despicable Gerard Blanchett.’
His beloved green eyes were shining more than ever.
***
