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chapter 79
After returning from the theater to the duke’s residence, Yuan hurriedly ascended the stairs and headed toward the lobby. His feelings toward Serret were still tangled and unsettled.
He worried because she was supposedly unwell, but then a thought of Jack Clarke made his heart grow cold.
Although he had felt relieved seeing Jack Clarke removed from Serret’s side, the thought that he would now have to witness Serret’s suffering already exhausted him.
Brushing his hair back irritably, Yuan entered the lobby, where the butler approached him quickly.
“Welcome back, Your Grace. His Highness the Archduke has arrived.”
“The Archduke?”
“He is in the parlor with Madam.”
At the butler’s words, Yuan turned toward the parlor with a displeased expression.
Of all times. He did not bother to hide the annoyance that appeared on his face as he strode toward the parlor.
When Yuan arrived and opened the door, Serret’s laughter floated out.
Her voice showed no sign of pain. Despite claiming she was ill, her voice sounded surprisingly normal.
Frowning, Yuan slightly opened the parlor door. Through the gap, he saw Serret and Regan chatting with smiles on their faces.
“We promised to be friends, Serret,” Regan said, uttering her name.
Warmth drained from Yuan’s face instantly. He radiated a chilling aura that seemed to freeze the air around him.
Hearing his wife’s name come from another man, Yuan’s grip on the doorknob tightened.
Then, Regan’s voice rang in his ears:
“If there’s a next life, I’ll make sure I recognize Serret first. I’ll be by her side.”
Whether it was delusion, a dream, or a memory from the past, Regan’s words pierced Yuan’s heart painfully.
Those words spread like poison, paralyzing his mind. Anxiety, unease, and rage left Yuan unable to think clearly.
Throwing the door open, Yuan confronted the two, and the sight of Serret and Regan staring at him in the same way made him lose all reason.
“Your Grace.”
“You’re here?”
Serret and Regan greeted him in turn.
Their friendly words did not register for Yuan. He saw nothing and thought of nothing.
All he felt was an overwhelming disgust at seeing Serret with Regan.
Yuan approached Serret and grabbed her wrist. He forcibly lifted her up, staring intently at her.
“Your Grace?”
Serret’s eyes wavered, sensing that Yuan’s demeanor was different from usual. For some reason, he looked extremely angry.
Regan also sensed the unusual expression on Yuan’s face. Seeing him on the verge of exploding in anger, Regan asked, puzzled,
“What’s wrong?”
Yuan’s gaze alternated between Serret and Regan. His boiling rage would not subside. He still hated the idea of the two being in the same space.
In an instant, Yuan lifted Serret into his arms.
“Yuan!”
Serret called out, startled. She was considerably flustered at being suddenly carried.
Yuan looked down at her. His ash-gray eyes, filled with cold, shone sharply.
Serret froze at his icy gaze, the look so cold it felt suffocating.
Yuan carried her out of the parlor. Regaining her senses, Serret struggled in his arms.
“Put me down! Your Grace!”
She tried to free herself, but Yuan did not budge.
Regan, dumbfounded by Yuan’s actions, hurried out of the parlor to block his path.
“Yuan, what are you doing?”
“Move.”
Yuan’s voice was chilling as he commanded Regan to step aside.
Regan watched Serret struggling in Yuan’s arms, anxious. Though he wanted to pull her away, he felt he had no right.
“Move.”
“Yuan, you’re going to hurt Serret!”
“My wife’s name!”
When Regan said Serret’s name again, Yuan’s voice rose.
He could not bear another man calling Serret’s name.
Having dealt with Jack Clarke, it was now Regan. Why was his wife so easily accessible to other men? Yet she never gave her place to her husband.
“…”
“Don’t say it carelessly.”
Yuan warned Regan and strode toward the stairs with Serret.
Serret still struggled in his arms.
“Yuan, what’s wrong with you! Put me down!”
But no matter how much she struggled, Yuan would not let her go.
The butler and servants looked on in shock at the two.
“Your Grace, this is dangerous.”
The butler hurriedly tried to stop Yuan, but he did not hear.
Ignoring their astonished faces, Yuan ascended the stairs. Regan followed and grabbed his shoulder.
Yuan almost lost his hold on Serret in the sudden movement. In regaining his balance, Serret’s arm hit the railing hard.
“Ah.”
She groaned from the pain. Yuan’s expression flickered with concern briefly, but it was quickly replaced by uncontrollable anger.
Looking down at Serret, Yuan met her resentful gaze.
“What are you doing?”
Her voice trembled.
Yuan averted his eyes, but he did not release her, continuing up the stairs.
“Yuan, stop it!”
Regan shouted, following him.
“Don’t follow me.”
Yuan’s fierce tone forced Regan to stop. Yuan was Serret’s husband; he could no longer intervene.
Serret pleaded repeatedly, but Yuan brought her straight to the bedroom. He set her down, his eyes full of anger.
Serret, equally angry, met his gaze.
“Don’t treat me carelessly. Even if you are my husband, you have no right!”
“Am I really your husband?”
“What?”
“You don’t even think of me as your husband, Serret Prechtuster.”
Damn it. Yuan cursed under his breath, turning his back to her. He ran his hands through his hair, overwhelmed by the anger boiling in his chest.
“Do you even consider me your wife? Am I really your wife?”
“Yes! Then who are you to say that?”
Hearing Serret’s voice from behind, Yuan turned and shouted,
“Don’t yell at me!”
Serret’s piercing blue eyes glimmered coldly. She could not understand why Yuan was behaving this way.
Realizing how violent this situation was for her, Yuan turned away again.
He tried to calm his rage with his hands in his pockets, but Serret’s voice continued behind him.
“If you consider me your wife, respect me! Don’t act like this!”
“Respect? How much more should I respect you?”
Yuan’s hardened expression met Serret’s. He had respected her, waiting without laying a hand on her, never showing jealousy even when her eyes met another man.
He had dealt with Jack Clarke, a man he would never associate with in his life, all for her sake, even breaking the law to remove him.
How else was he supposed to respect her now? Should he just let another man call her name affectionately?
“How much more should I endure you?”
In a few steps, Yuan reached Serret. His sharp gaze fixed on her as he grabbed her shoulders.
“Ah.”
Serret groaned in pain. Her left shoulder, injured when hitting the railing, hurt when Yuan held her.
Seeing her in pain, Yuan slightly released his grip, noticing her red, swollen arm and shoulder.
Startled by the pain he caused, he stepped back. He had hurt Serret, and the realization disgusted him.
“Do you understand what you’ve done to me now?”
Serret’s blue eyes pierced Yuan’s contorted, devastated face.
“Ha.”
He exhaled sharply and turned toward the door.
He could no longer stay in the same room. His anger had not subsided, and he might hurt her again.
“Where are you going? We’re not done talking!”
Serret grabbed his arm, but Yuan, surprised, shook her off. She fell to the floor.
Thud.
Yuan looked back, alarmed, and hurried to help her up.
But Serret pushed his hand away and rose on her own, looking into his wavering eyes.
“Do you know you’re the worst right now?”
“…I know.”
He knew better than anyone. He knew he was terrible. He knew how pathetic he was. He knew he would have to live with this feeling next to her.
“…Let’s get a divorce.”
Yuan said, gazing into her blue eyes. Even in this moment, they were maddeningly beautiful.
