Don’T Get Caught By Your Husband! [EN]: Chapter 59

#59. Making Eye Contact

2024.04.28.

Wolf spoke cautiously, watching Escalio, who was muttering curses under his breath.

“Lord, what on earth is wrong? Did you two have a disagreement…?”

“Shut up and do as you’re told.”

“It seems the Lady is deeply upset…”

Wolf recalled Belladona’s face from moments before.

Her shoulders were slumped, and her eyes were filled with sorrow…

He couldn’t understand what Belladona had done to fall out of Escalio’s favor.

The Lady, who had merely been kidnapped by shameless, ungrateful people and barely survived a life-threatening situation…

“Upset, you say.”

Escalio murmured quietly.

“Did she eat well at dinner?”

“Lord! I truly don’t understand. You completely ignore the Lady, yet you keep asking me about her…!”

“Just answer the question. Why isn’t the wound on her face healing? Is she using the medicine properly? Those trashy bastards, I should execute them immediately.”

“Her skin is quite delicate, so it needs more time to heal. Lord! Instead of asking me, you should visit her directly…!”

At Wolf’s words, Escalio spat out in a low, irritated voice.

“Shut up and go bring the divorce papers.”

He felt that he needed to write up divorce papers to clear his head.

“Yes? Divorce papers…?”

Wolf, utterly surprised, widened his eyes.

Escalio leaned back in his chair, stretching his legs out in front of him.

Even after taking a long nap, he still felt tired and drained.

* * *

Belladona woke up early the next morning and quickly cleared her throat, trying to make a sound.

“…”

Still, no sound came out.

‘Ugh! How many days has it been! Is my voice really gone forever?’

Belladona tore at her hair in frustration.

After a moment of anguish, she thought of Escalio from the day before.

The way he had cornered her against the wall, yet looked more hurt than anyone when he turned away…

‘Let’s try one more time.’

She couldn’t stay still like this.

Belladona had no intention of returning to Astanya, so she needed to quickly clear up her husband’s misunderstanding and stay by his side.

“Oh, Lady? Where are you going? It’s quite cold outside!”

Cindy, who happened to be entering the room, asked as she saw Belladona haphazardly throwing on any clothes she could find.

“Are you going out? You can’t go out dressed like that!”

With a firm look, she stopped Belladona and walked to the closet, taking out the rabbit-eared earmuffs she had worn when she went to the festival with him.

‘Ah, I hate those…!’ Belladona shook her head violently upon seeing the strange-looking earmuffs.

“But it’s very windy! What could be better for keeping warm?”

Cindy retorted with a puzzled expression.

Belladona reached into the closet, grabbed a thick coat hanging nearby, and forced herself into it.

‘This should be enough, right?’

Cindy still looked displeased but nodded.

Belladona went down the stairs, passed through the lobby, and stepped outside the building, immediately regretting her choice.

The weather was far too cold.

A different level of cold compared to Astanya’s winter… Her ears were freezing!

She slightly missed the rabbit-eared earmuffs Cindy had offered, but upon further thought, she knew she would look too ridiculous wearing them.

Instead, she tightly fastened her coat and slowly began to walk.

‘I wonder where he is today…’

She had checked Escalio’s room and office while passing through the hallways, but he was nowhere to be seen.

‘It’s a problem when the castle is too big…’

As she slowly walked along the castle walls, Belladona stepped onto a patch of ice without thinking and instantly slipped.

‘Ugh, I can’t fall!’

Instinctively flailing her arms, she grabbed onto a protruding part of the castle wall and barely managed to regain her balance.

‘That, that was close…’

Her heart was pounding from the sudden incident.

‘Did anyone see me?’ Belladona furtively looked around before shifting her gaze to the stables in the distance.

“…”

Looking at it, she was reminded of the time, months ago, when she had ridden horses with Escalio and seen the ocean for the first time, and when they had gone into the forest behind and looked at the wide, frozen lake.

‘I have so many memories, now that I think about it…’

Lost in thought for a moment, Belladona moved and stood up.

If she couldn’t find Escalio right now, she wanted to at least see the horse she had ridden with him.

“Neigh!”

As she approached the stables, the pungent smell of livestock stung her nose.

Sheltering from the wind, she entered inside, where she saw horses standing among the piles of straw, shaking their heads and neighing.

Finding the horses, Belladona quickly ran towards them.

The horses shook their heads up and down as they looked at her.

‘Oh, are they cold? Or are they hungry?’

Wondering what the horses wanted, she slowly looked at them.

‘I used to… In my previous life, I was paid to take care of horses once.’

With familiar hands, Belladona patted the necks of the horses that offered their faces to her and stroked their manes.

‘There should be food somewhere here…’

She looked around and found a well-organized manger [feeding trough] in the corner of the stables.

Uncaring that her hands were getting dirty, Belladona scooped up an armful of feed and placed it in the troughs in front of the horses.

‘Eat a lot, you guys! The harsh cold is even harder on animals.’

Belladona stroked the horses one by one as they eagerly chewed on the feed. ‘Where did the stable keeper go, leaving them like this…’

At that moment, Belladona noticed a water trough that was frozen solid.

Perhaps because of the cold, the water in the horses’ drinking trough had completely frozen into ice.

‘Oh, they won’t be able to drink water like this…’

After a moment of thought, Belladona picked up a shovel hanging on one side of the wall.

‘I’ll have to break it!’ With a determined look, she raised the shovel high above her head and struck down hard.

Clang!

Despite putting in all her strength, the ice she struck didn’t even crack.

Belladona awkwardly looked around.

‘So many embarrassing things are happening today. I hope no one saw me…?”

“…?”

‘Kyaaaak!!’

Finding someone standing right behind her, watching her, Belladona screamed internally.

She was truly grateful that her voice wasn’t working at this moment.

Otherwise, a loud scream that would have echoed throughout the castle might have erupted.

So startled that she flinched, she lost her footing and fell, landing on her butt.

“What are you doing?”

Escalio, who was wearing training clothes and watching her, took a step forward and asked.

He raised one eyebrow, wearing a puzzled expression.

Belladona still sat on the floor, looking up at him.

‘Why are you here…?”

“Get up.”

Escalio frowned and held out his hand.

He didn’t like the sight of Belladona sitting haphazardly on the cold floor.

‘T, thank you…’ Belladona grabbed his outstretched hand and stood up.

A desire to hold onto the hand she had grasped for the first time in a long time arose, but he quickly let go and turned away.

‘Too bad…’

“You were trying to break the ice with that little strength? The ice probably didn’t even feel a tickle.”

Escalio walked towards the entrance of the stables, returned with a bucket of steaming water, and asked.

He seemed to be planning to melt the ice by pouring hot water on it.

‘Ah, Escalio also noticed that the water in the trough was frozen, so he brought that…’

“Move.”

Escalio indifferently passed by her and poured hot water on the trough.

The ice that came into contact with the hot water quickly melted and turned into liquid.

Belladona fidgeted with her fingers, standing awkwardly and watching what he was doing.

Soon, Escalio, having poured hot water on all the ice in the troughs to melt it, turned completely to face Belladona.

“Why do you look like this…”

He mumbled, scanning Belladona up and down.

Her hands and coat were all dirty, wondering what she had been doing alone before he arrived.

Reading Escalio’s displeased gaze, Belladona quickly looked down at herself.

Her new coat was covered in dirt and straw, probably from when she was moving the feed earlier.

Thanks to falling a moment ago, there was an unsightly stain on the back of her skirt as well.

‘Ah…’

Instantly embarrassed, she quickly took off her coat.

At that, Escalio hurriedly approached and grabbed the collar of her coat with one hand to stop her.

“It’s okay, why are you taking off your clothes? Just keep it on…”

But Belladona’s stubbornness was not to be underestimated. She twisted her body to take off the dirty clothes.

Panicked, Escalio put more strength into the hand holding the coat.

“I said don’t take it off…!”

“Let go! I’m going to take it off…!”

For a moment, the two struggled, pulling back and forth as if in a tug-of-war.

Escalio, who was barely using any strength because he was afraid she would get hurt, sighed and raised his other hand as well.

At that moment, Belladona, taking advantage of the opening, spun around and slipped on the ice on the stable floor.

‘Ah, no!’

Crash…!

The bucket she had inadvertently kicked with her foot as she fell made a loud noise and rolled across the floor.

Losing her balance and falling, Belladona slowly opened her eyes.

‘Oh…’

His golden eyes filled her entire vision.

“…”

‘Wait, did I… Did I crush you again…?”

Belladona slowly lowered her head and looked at Escalio, who was pinned beneath her.

‘I’m sorry…’

“Bella.”

Then, Escalio, looking at her lying quietly on top of him, whispered.

Hearing his subdued voice, she was reminded of when they had shared their first kiss.

They were this close back then too…

Belladona looked up at Escalio with trembling eyes.

Was he thinking the same thing as her right now? She could see an unknown emotion gradually filling his golden eyes.

Her gaze naturally turned to Escalio’s lips.

Her mouth felt dry.

“Bella.”

Escalio opened his mouth once more and called her name.

Belladona quietly looked into the eyes that were staring intently at her.

After making eye contact with him for a moment, Belladona slowly closed her eyes.

She wanted him to come closer and kiss her soon.