When You Turned Your Back On Me, We Became Strangers [EN]: Chapter 12

Turning Away, a Stranger (11)

For days, Railey remained in her room, lost in sorrow, simply gazing out the window as if waiting for something.

Confined to her room, the only space in the Duke’s residence where she could be alone, she lived like a ghost. With the door securely locked, Ren’s barrier protected her.

Knock, knock, knock.

As always, Theo knocked on the door again today.

“Madam, are you really going to continue like this?”

Just hearing Theo’s voice made her heart pound. Her whole body trembled, and resentment boiled within her.

Railey spat out the words as if chewing them.

“…Leave me alone.”

“Ha.”

At her words, Theo sighed and stood in front of the unyielding door, staring at it.

‘It’s going to be difficult if this continues,’ he thought.

He, too, had been waiting for the child. But as the sorrow, which he thought would last only two days, dragged on, his patience was wearing thin.

“How long are you going to stay locked in your room? I, too, am saddened by what happened to the child.”

“…What?”

At Theo’s words, a surge of hot emotion welled up in her throat. Railey’s eyes were bloodshot, and her body, having barely eaten, showed protruding bones.

She could feel the mana within her body twisting and moving erratically.

“Railey, calm down.”

Ren covered Railey’s eyes with his hand and whispered in her ear. A blue light seeped into her green eyes, creating a mysterious color.

“Your body isn’t right now. Your mana is fluctuating.”

Ren tried to calm Railey quickly. Thanks to her already unstable mana, her body was not in good condition, making it dangerous.

He didn’t tell her, but for the time being, it would probably be difficult for her to conceive another child. Unless she made a contract [likely a magical contract for power or stability], her mana would continue to be unstable.

‘I want to kill him right now, before my eyes,’ Railey thought, consumed by rage.

She felt like twisting his neck right away.

But she couldn’t. If he died that easily, it would make the loss of the child in her womb seem too futile.

As no sound was heard from inside the room, Theo’s sigh could be heard.

“…I understand your feelings. However, isn’t it said that it’s best for everyone to quickly forget what has passed? And… Let’s talk about this when you come out.”

Theo strangely couldn’t open the door and enter. His hand, which was about to grab the doorknob, hesitated and stopped each time.

‘Well, she’ll open the door and come out tomorrow,’ he thought with false hope.

There was something Railey needed to know. Immediately after she fell from the stairs, he had called a doctor. The doctor said she had miscarried and that her body was not in good condition, making it difficult for her to have children in the future.

He said that her pulse was blocked for an unknown reason, making it almost impossible. This was because he didn’t know about Railey’s mana.

‘I can’t help it, well, I have Anna…’

Again, Theo couldn’t enter the room where Railey was. He glanced back as he turned around, but an unknown energy kept pushing him away.

* * *

Railey spent her days blankly, only eating the food brought by the maids. Even then, she only barely moistened her lips.

“I want to get out of here quickly.”

Tears no longer flowed. As if dried up, she didn’t even feel sadness from some point on.

With only empty eyes left, she seemed to have no hope in life. She lived each day like someone who couldn’t die but was still alive.

“It’s not too late now.”

Ren habitually tapped the table. His expression was displeased. His dissatisfied eyes were directed at Railey, who had empty eyes.

“Just do that for me.”

“Just say it. It’s simple.”

“…Ren.”

“Kill him. Just say this one word.”

Ren got up from his seat nervously and washed his face. Fortunately, he could protect Railey with his own strength, but he couldn’t save her child.

He was tired of Railey being hurt in this absurd situation. The Duke, that crazy bastard, still hadn’t come to his senses and made Railey shed tears.

‘Not knowing whose bad side he’s on,’ Ren thought, seething.

If Theo knew who was watching Railey, including himself, he wouldn’t dare to treat Railey carelessly.

“How about killing everyone in the Duke’s residence?”

Until now, he had managed to stabilize Railey’s mana with his own strength, but he couldn’t do it anymore. He wondered if Railey would be a little more comfortable if he got rid of everyone in the Duke’s residence and lived elsewhere.

“…It’s not okay to die this easily.”

Railey shook her head. She wanted them to be dragged down into despair as much as she was. They had to feel how everything collapses, how painful it is to lose something precious.

In a few days, a newspaper with the Duke’s scandal would arrive. The divorce request was also expected to be answered as soon as the Imperial Family reviewed it.

“What about what I asked for?”

“Here.”

Ren handed over an envelope. Railey, receiving the envelope, took out the contents and examined them carefully. It contained the Duke’s family’s assets, as well as detailed information.

“I’ve finished processing everything as you said. I’ll ask again, should I really not kill him?”

Railey nodded. Ren slumped down and crossed his arms, frowning.

“He’s not even worthy of being treated like a human being. So, wouldn’t it be okay to kill him?”

“Ren.”

“Ah- I know. I’ll shut up now.”

Ren raised both hands and sighed. Ren thought to himself.

‘I need to clean up the trash around me.’

If they insisted on continuing their lives, he would kill them with his own hands without Railey knowing.

In fact, Ren had done one thing that Railey hadn’t ordered.

‘Tsk, I don’t like it, but. If I tell her later, it’ll be a bigger mess for sure,’ he worried.

If he couldn’t use his own hands, he wanted to kill them by borrowing someone else’s hands.

Perhaps someone who would be more angry about this situation than he was.

Ren briefly imagined it in his head and smiled satisfactorily.

“Railey, I definitely didn’t do anything?”

“What are you talking about all of a sudden?”

“No. Let’s get this straight.”

Ren shrugged as if it was nothing. Railey started moving her stopped hands again because he kept urging her to prepare [for leaving the Duke’s residence].

“Railey, but you… No, never mind.”

Ren closed his mouth when he was about to bring up Kaver. As soon as he heard the news that she had miscarried, Kaver had rushed over.

“Don’t forget that there is someone who only thinks of you and can do anything for you.”

“Did… Kaver come to see me?”

Railey turned her gaze and stared at Ren. Just as their eyes were about to become entangled, Railey’s gaze stopped at Ren’s hand.

“But what is that?”

“Ah, this… I was going to hide it because I didn’t know if you would accept it.”

Ren slyly handed Railey a box. When she opened the box, there were adorable baby shoes, as if they were knitted by hand.

“I couldn’t throw them away.”

Railey took out the shoes with trembling hands. When she saw the note with the words of congratulations and Kaver’s name written on it, she collapsed again.

“Sob…”

Everything that Kaver had done may have been behind it all. He had hated and pushed him away, but Kaver had been watching over her secretly.

Even so, Railey couldn’t reach out her hand.

Because she didn’t want to go back to the place she had run away from on her own.

“Don’t cry.”

Ren put his arms around Railey’s shoulders and stroked her back.

‘I should have just thrown it away,’ he thought, regretting his actions.

Ren regretted what he had just done and closed his eyes tightly. Nevertheless, he couldn’t ignore Kaver’s efforts. He had given her medicine that could calm Railey’s mana again today.

‘I might get hit if she finds out about this,’ Ren thought with a grimace.

Ren swallowed a bitter smile as he lamented inwardly.

* * *

Someone entered Railey’s room while she was asleep. Ren, who was guarding Railey, raised his head and stared at the uninvited guest.

“…How is she?”

Kaver approached Railey and examined her. Her face looked haggard, as if she couldn’t sleep properly. He raised his hand and gently placed it on her forehead, and black mana flickered.

Then Railey fell asleep with a much more comfortable expression.

“Well, it seems to be helpful in times like this.”

“…I think I should kill him anyway.”

Ren shook his head and crossed his arms. He looked at the sleeping Railey with a displeased expression.

“Railey doesn’t want it. More than that, what about the arrangements [for Railey’s departure]?”

“I heard that a letter will be sent to the mansion soon.”

“It’s a little late than I thought.”

Kaver sat next to Railey and brushed her sweaty hair back. Her soft breathing could be heard faintly. He noticed that the barrier was firmly set up at the door.

“Ah, that. Because that beast-like bastard couldn’t come to his senses.”

“Don’t tell me, he was trying to do something to Railey-”

“Something similar. But it’s not just one person.”

Including Theo, Anna, and the maids who were instigated by her, didn’t leave Railey alone. In the end, Ren used magic. If they tried to open Railey’s door, they would be repelled.

‘Railey…….’ Kaver thought, his heart aching.

He heard that she had miscarried the child and rushed to the Duke’s residence in shock. Seeing Railey’s crying appearance, Kaver lost his mind and tried to reveal himself as if he would cut off Theo’s neck right away.

『Your Highness, you can’t. Please.』

『…Let go.』

『Even if I die, I really can’t this time.』

Even in the face of Kaver’s murderous aura, Haban [Kaver’s attendant] did not let go of Kaver until the end. As a result, he had to receive treatment for a week, but he still thought it was a good thing that he had stopped him.

“Take good care of her by her side, you’re the only one I can trust.”

“I’ll protect her as I always have, even if you don’t worry about it.”

Ren retorted to Kaver’s words and got up from his seat. He opened the window and gestured with his chin.

“So, you go back and do what you have to do.”

“…I’ll come again when I finish my work, so take good care of her.”

“We might not be here then.”

Ren said indifferently.

Kaver distorted his face at Ren’s words. But he couldn’t stay here. He could feel the presence of the knights waiting for him in the distance.

“Contact me.”

With reluctant steps, he left the Duke’s residence. Ren, who was staring at the window Kaver had left through, sighed.

“I’ll never let you know. Because the way for Railey to be happy is to be forgotten by everyone.”

Ren locked the window and approached Railey. Sitting next to her, he stayed up all night without sleeping.