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Chapter 9
“No. It’s not that. It’s just……”
I’m afraid you’ll find out that I can’t hear from one ear.
And I’m afraid that once you know, you’ll eventually turn away from me.
The words she could not say lingered at the tip of her tongue. Elaine bit her lip softly.
A wife who was not only illegitimate, but also deaf in one ear.
If Kaiden learned all of this, he would have no choice but to choose divorce. Just like her marriage with Enzo, she would eventually be abandoned again.
There had once been a time when Elaine believed Kaiden would love everything about her. Even though her father stopped her and forced her to hide it, there had been moments when she wanted to be honest with him.
Maybe she should have told him back then.
Regret filled her heart, but the past could no longer be changed.
“Or do you not want to become closer to me?”
Disappointment appeared on Kaiden’s face. Elaine’s eyes trembled.
Even after learning she was illegitimate, Kaiden had opened his heart to her again. He forgave her without mentioning divorce.
But if she ran away at this very moment, would she ever get another chance to grow close to him again?
She did not know. She could not be certain.
As confusion filled her mind, the sound of clicking heels broke through the silence. The footsteps stopped nearby.
“Kaiden, why are you still standing here?”
Calling him Kaiden sounded far too warm and familiar for a business associate.
Feeling strangely uncomfortable, Elaine looked toward the woman who approached them.
Short red hair. Brown eyes. Sharp eyes and a beauty mark above her lips.
It was a face she had seen somewhere before.
Without even looking at Elaine, the woman continued speaking to Kaiden.
“Everyone is complaining that they’re hungry. Hurry and come sit down.”
The woman smiled with her eyes and grabbed Kaiden’s arm. Wearing a polite smile, he gently removed her hand.
“I’ll be there shortly, so please go ahead and sit.”
“It doesn’t look like something that’ll end quickly.”
“Cernia.”
“You know, you’re even scarier when you smile like that. Fine, I’ll go back, so stop being upset.”
Elaine tightly gripped the hem of her dress. Her mouth felt dry, as though she had bitten into sand.
The sight of the two smiling at each other felt disturbingly natural.
The smooth smile on Kaiden’s lips disappeared the moment he looked back at Elaine.
It was only a small change, yet it felt as though her heart sank heavily.
Kaiden quietly stared down at her before letting out a short sigh.
“I suppose I should go before I’m any later. If you truly wish to return to your room, Elaine, then it can’t be helped. I won’t force you anymore.”
After saying that, Kaiden turned away.
The broad back she had seen countless times blurred before her eyes.
Perhaps from now on, she would only be able to watch his back as he walked away.
Suddenly, anxiety rose sharply inside her chest.
Elaine tightly shut her eyes before opening them again.
That was when she saw Cernia turning back with a smile from behind him.
Before she could even think, her body moved first.
Elaine quickly stepped forward and grabbed the sleeve of Kaiden’s clothes.
“……I want to know your colleagues. Please introduce me to them.”
The words slipped out impulsively.
“Kaiden, I never imagined you’d marry before me.”
“How could I leave such a beautiful wife alone?”
Kaiden smiled gently as he held Elaine’s hand.
Elaine stared at him with wide eyes before shyly smiling back.
Kaiden had returned.
The cold and indifferent man from before was nowhere to be seen.
Whenever she became anxious, he smiled at her reassuringly. Sometimes he held her hand. Even while speaking with his colleagues, he still met her eyes from time to time.
The nervous pounding in her chest slowly turned into excitement.
Because she liked that feeling, Elaine found herself looking at Kaiden often.
“Does the food suit your taste?”
“It’s delicious. Eating together with many people isn’t so bad.”
Elaine answered carefully.
The room was noisy, so she could not hear Kaiden perfectly, but she could still understand some of his words.
She deliberately sat on his right side and focused carefully whenever his lips moved.
It was tiring because she remained tense the entire time, yet somehow even that felt pleasant now.
Even in crowded places, she could stay calm.
Like everyone else.
Normally.
That fact gave Elaine great confidence and hope.
“Kaiden, are you free next Wednesday evening?”
A soft voice faintly reached her ears.
Though Elaine could not fully hear the words, she immediately recognized the owner of the voice.
Cernia Taylor.
So it had not been her imagination after all.
Before she met Kaiden, Elaine had occasionally encountered Cernia at social gatherings.
Back then, Cernia had looked like someone who would never enter the business world.
Yet within only a few years, she had become the director of the Cherna Museum in the center of the capital.
For some reason, the thought left Elaine feeling strange.
Kaiden and Cernia appeared extremely close.
“I don’t have plans for the evening.”
“That’s wonderful. My parents said they wanted to see you again after so long. Let’s at least have tea together that day. Kaiden, I’ll prepare all your favorite foods.”
Elaine quietly clenched the hem of her dress.
Even if she could not understand every word, she could tell that Cernia kept calling Kaiden by his name.
After hesitating briefly, Elaine carefully spoke.
“You must have known Miss Cernia for a long time.”
“Of course. We’ve known each other since childhood. We practically grew up together in the Count’s estate. Didn’t Kaiden ever mention it to you?”
Cernia interrupted before Kaiden could answer.
Elaine quickly turned toward her and focused on reading her lips.
Thankfully, she was not too late to understand.
“……I see. I didn’t know the two of you were so close.”
Elaine glanced quietly toward Kaiden.
He was speaking with an attendant who had approached his side.
Thinking about it now, Kaiden had rarely spoken to her about the people around him or about his business.
Still, today comforted her a little.
At least he had introduced her to his colleagues.
“Elaine, just a moment.”
Kaiden stood from his seat and gestured toward the terrace.
“I’ll return shortly.”
After that brief greeting, Kaiden headed toward the terrace with the attendant.
Not long after, Cernia also stood and followed him.
Elaine stared silently at Cernia’s back.
That was when a man seated across from her suddenly spoke.
“Mrs. Hegwins! It’s already been four months since the marriage. Is there any good news yet?”
The room suddenly became quiet after his question.
Everything happened before Elaine could even read his lips.
She quietly steadied her breathing.
At the same time, she did not forget to maintain a calm smile.
“I’m sorry. I was distracted for a moment and didn’t hear you. Could you repeat that?”
She no longer needed to be afraid.
As long as she did not panic, she could appear normal.
Why did Kaiden bring that woman here?
Throughout the entire meal, Cernia could not take her eyes off Kaiden and Elaine.
The two truly looked like a loving married couple.
He had said the marriage no longer had value.
So everything should have been nothing more than an act.
And yet, she could not stop feeling irritated.
Cernia stopped before the terrace.
Kaiden had entered there with the attendant.
At the very least, she wanted to know what that man was thinking.
“It seems she lost hearing in her right ear three years ago.”
Just as Cernia reached for the terrace door, she froze.
Unexpected words drifted through the slightly opened door along with the wind.
Who had lost their hearing?
“They say the reason for the divorce with the Fredman family was because of her hearing.”
The mention of the Fredman family divorce made it easy to guess who they were talking about.
Cernia quickly covered her mouth.
“Once we followed the method you suggested, Lord Kaiden, she eventually confessed everything. Mrs. Devitt asked if she could return to Lady Elaine’s side now. What should we do?”
“……Leave her as she is. Isn’t it better for her to peacefully enjoy the rest of her life somewhere quiet?”
A laugh escaped Cernia before she could stop herself.
The man standing on the terrace turned his gaze toward her.
But she could not stop smiling.
“It’s nice to meet you, Miss Cernia Taylor. May I join this conversation for a moment as well?”
Smooth speech like flowing water. Elegant smiles. Noble status and excellent business knowledge.
Elaine was a woman who attracted the attention of every man around her.
Cernia admired her, yet envied her at the same time.
Whenever Elaine was present, Cernia always felt like nothing more than a shadow.
At some point, men began speaking only about Elaine.
Even when Elaine was absent, it remained the same.
That jealousy eventually pushed Cernia toward a new path.
She even delayed her engagement with Kaiden while learning business from her father.
And during that time, Elaine stole away the man she loved.
“I’m in a relationship with Miss Elaine Whitfield.”
Kaiden had completely broken off their engagement.
But now Elaine was not only illegitimate, she was also deaf in one ear.
Elaine’s misfortune filled Cernia with overwhelming joy.
A calculating man like Kaiden would never keep a flawed woman by his side forever.
Barely suppressing her laughter, Cernia fully opened the terrace door.
“May I join you as well?”
It was the happiest and most thrilling day she had experienced in a very long time.
