When You Turned Your Back On Me, We Became Strangers [EN]: Chapter 34

“Hurry, Anna made such a mess.”

“Get, get a maid! They’ll do better.”

Anna said urgently to Theo. But there were no maids around.

“Since the maids aren’t around, Kaban can do it.”

Theo also nodded to Kaban. As he approached with heavy steps, Anna looked noticeably uneasy.

Kaban was none other than the head butler. Reiley, who had been watching him from afar, called him before leaving.

“Please take care of it. It’s quite a mess.”

Reiley smiled at Kaban. Her gaze shifted from Kaban to Anna’s stomach. Sensing something was wrong, Anna’s gaze moved to Reiley.

As she stared at Reiley looking at her stomach, Reiley looked up and met Anna’s eyes.

“Theo, I’ve been hearing strange noises lately.”

“What kind of noises are you talking about?”

“I couldn’t sleep at night, so I went for a walk…”

Kaban’s hands, which were clearing the table, trembled. Reiley glanced at his pale face and tilted her head.

“I think I heard a woman’s voice from the servants’ quarters over there.”

“That can’t be. Especially a woman’s voice?”

Theo shook his head firmly. At Reiley’s words, Anna’s eyes darted around anxiously.

Reiley put on a troubled face and said in a hushed voice.

“Right? I thought maybe a man and woman were having a secret rendezvous [a secret meeting]. I heard suggestive sounds. Sounds too embarrassing to say out loud.”

“Such disgraceful things are happening inside the estate.”

Theo exclaimed in dismay. His face turned red with anger, veins popping out on his neck, as if he was quite upset.

Reiley didn’t miss the opportunity and turned to Kaban.

“Ah, Kaban. Have you heard any strange noises?”

Clatter! Clang!

Kaban, who was clearing the table, was so startled that a plate that had been set aside fell to the floor and broke.

“Why are you so surprised? Anyone would think you were the one involved.”

“Wh, what do you m, mean?”

Sweat trickled down Kaban’s sideburns. Reiley approached him, wiped the sweat with her sleeve, and said.

“Oh? It’s a joke. You look surprised, so Kaban must have heard it too? It’s not necessarily wrong, but we should be careful since there are many eyes and ears around, don’t you think?”

Reiley smiled at Anna. Kaban’s Adam’s apple bobbed, and he quickly nodded in response.

“You are absolutely right! I will make sure to warn them.”

“That’s reassuring. Since the head butler says so, the estate’s future will be even brighter. Theo, you’ve trained your subordinates well.”

Reiley clapped with a satisfied expression. She then approached Ren, who was a mess, said he needed to wash up, and helped him up.

“Reiley, you’re not thinking of taking him to your annex [a building connected to a main building]…”

“That’s right, is there a problem?”

“What are you even saying! Do you know where you are?! Not only are you bringing in another man, but you’re saying you’ll be alone with him in the annex!”

Reiley, holding Ren’s arm, stared at Theo.

‘Seeing the three of us together is quite a funny scene.’

She briefly took in the sight of Anna and Kaban cleaning up the broken dishes, then tilted her head as if she didn’t understand.

“What’s the problem? You shouldn’t say such things to me. Surely, you’re not going to say that you can do it, but I can’t, are you?”

Theo’s face turned red. His veins stood out as if he was suppressing his anger, and his eyes were bloodshot. In a word, it was unsightly.

“Reiley!”

“Theo, I understood you. And I accepted it. I even embraced Anna, who is carrying your child.”

“That’s…!”

“You’ll understand, right?”

Hooking arms with Ren, she headed to the annex without looking back. Theo’s voice calling Reiley’s name was heard from behind, but Ren and Reiley went straight into the annex.

“Theo…”

Anna, watching Theo’s reaction, tried to grab his arm.

Theo slapped Anna’s hand away and looked down at her with a stern expression.

“Anna, be reasonable. If you cause another disturbance, you will be kicked out of the estate.”

“Don’t be ridiculous, what about your child?”

“I can just put the child under my care separately, can’t I? So don’t be mistaken. If it weren’t for the child, you would have already been kicked out of here.”

“Theo!”

Anna screamed at Theo’s words. Her whole body trembled with anger.

But Theo ignored her and stared at the annex where Reiley and Ren had disappeared. Eventually, unable to bear it, he quickly called Kaban.

“Kaban, go to the estate right now and bring me a set of clothes.”

“Yes?”

“Didn’t you hear me? Find clothes that I haven’t worn and bring them to the annex.”

“Ah, I understand.”

Kaban glanced at Anna and wrapped the broken dishes in the tablecloth before heading to the estate.

Seeing Kaban enter the estate, Theo left Anna and turned towards the annex. Left alone, Anna shed tears endlessly.

Approaching the annex, Theo began to knock on the door.

Knock knock knock.

It was more of a pounding than a knock. When there was no answer, Theo knocked on the door even harder.

“Reiley, answer me!”

“…”

“What on earth are you doing inside! This is my house…!”

Bang-!

Before Theo could finish speaking, the door to the annex opened.

“What is it?”

It was Ren, looking at Theo while drying his hair with a towel. His upper body was naked. Theo’s eyes widened, and he tried to push Ren aside and enter.

“Trying to go in? That’s going to be difficult.”

“What were you doing with Reiley? Don’t you know she’s my wife! How dare you in my house!”

“Hey, I don’t know what you’re talking about. You see what you want to see.”

Ren, who hadn’t moved an inch, looked down at Theo, who was pushing him, and slightly stepped aside.

Thump.

A shadow fell over Theo, who stumbled and fell to the floor.

“You’ve been quite unsightly from the start, you know.”

Reiley held a man’s shirt that Ren could wear.

Dressed in a neat dress.

Theo’s face turned red, then purple. He got up from the floor and brushed himself off as if nothing had happened, but his face was filled with dismay.

“Um… Your Excellency.”

Just in time, Kaban, who had brought the clothes, called Theo hesitantly. He snatched the clothes from Kaban and handed them to Ren, who was taking off his clothes.

“Ahem, aren’t you ashamed? It’s unsightly, so put on these clothes.”

Ren continued to dry his hair and stared blankly at the clothes being held out to him. Smirk- The corners of his lips turned up, and he turned his back to Theo and approached Reiley.

Seeing him receive the shirt held by Reiley and button it up, Theo’s hands clenched. It was a clear act of ignoring him.

“Unsightly, huh? I don’t have a body that deserves to hear such words. You have no eye for beauty, ah! So that’s why you left Reiley for another woman?”

He fastened the cuffs and tilted his head slightly towards Theo. The firm muscles nestled between the unbuttoned shirt rippled.

It was a perfect body, flawless like a sculpture. Perhaps that was what irritated Theo, as his eyebrows twitched and he bit his lip.

“…I don’t think there’s any need to tell you about the estate’s circumstances.”

“I’m not particularly curious either. My interest is all in Reiley.”

Ren smiled, his eyes crinkling, and approached Reiley, handing her a bow tie. With an innocent expression, he leaned slightly to match Reiley’s gaze.

“Haven’t you gotten the hang of doing it yourself yet?”

“I guess not, I always forget.”

He replied nonchalantly and entrusted himself to Reiley. Reiley straightened Ren’s tie and smiled.

“Reiley, are you even aware that I’m here?”

“Of course, you’ve been standing there watching since a while ago.”

“But you haven’t given me a single glance! What have you been doing with that man since earlier?!”

Theo became agitated and tried to approach Reiley. Reiley, who was tying the tie, turned her head slightly, glanced at Theo once, and said.

“Wait, I’m doing something else right now. Why are you whining like a child?”

“Reiley!”

“Theo, keep up appearances. Aren’t you ashamed in front of a guest?”

Reiley frowned and looked at Theo with a pathetic expression. Theo chuckled at her gaze.

‘Appearances… Does she think I even have such a thing?’

He was angry at Reiley’s words, but her changed attitude somehow made him even more anxious.

The woman he thought was his was not within his grasp. Her silver hair shimmering near her waist and her green eyes seemed especially beautiful today.

‘Yes, her face alone was worth looking at. No, no one can catch up to her.’

Theo scrutinized Reiley with his eyes, one by one. Her slender waist, which he hadn’t noticed before, her plump breasts, and her overall slender figure caught his eye.

At that moment, Ren turned around and shielded Reiley as soon as he finished tying the tie. Theo’s eyebrows lifted.