When You Turned Your Back On Me, We Became Strangers [EN]: Chapter 33

After a light meal, Railay sat in the garden with Ren, drinking tea and chatting. The morning sun and refreshing breeze made her feel wonderful.

“Railay, what happened when you went to Beron’s yesterday?”

“Did he say anything to you?”

Railay took a sip of her tea, savoring the aroma. Ren, looking dissatisfied, rested his chin on his hand and muttered.

“I told you to call me when you’re in danger… What are you trusting in to be so fearless? You haven’t been looking for me lately, and when I’m there to protect you…”

“There was no need to call.”

Even if it wasn’t Ren, someone else would have appeared. It seemed Beron hadn’t mentioned anything about Caber.

‘Ren and Caber must have been in contact with each other. But why didn’t they say a word to me?’

It was hard to know his intentions. There were more than one or two things Ren hadn’t told Railay, and if she started listing them, there might be no end.

Seeing Railay’s complicated expression, Ren said with a sulky look,

“So, you should have called me.”

What kind of logic was that? Railay couldn’t understand Ren’s words. No, no one would have understood.

“Why would I call Ren when there’s no need to?”

“That means your power was used. Do you think you, who hasn’t contracted with me, can control it properly?”

“…Then tell me. What exactly is this power?”

Ren kept his mouth shut. Railay put down her teacup and stared at Ren. Taking off the scarf around her neck, a clear pattern was revealed.

“…This pattern that the Imperial Family and my father were looking for so desperately, the contract with the sword, and everything else… Isn’t it time you told me now?”

“If you can handle it.”

“…”

“Are you confident you won’t run away even after hearing all that?”

Railay’s pupils trembled. Ren’s usually playful face looked serious for the first time. His languid eyes became quite sharp.

“You’ll find out everything anyway. Do you think I can run away? I have to accept it now.”

But, she wouldn’t be used. No matter what, she vowed not to live the same life as in the past.

“I warned you. It’s your fault for not listening.”

Ren’s Adam’s apple bobbed. It was the moment his lips were about to move with a deep sigh.

“Railay, you!”

It was an almost angry shout.

Anna appeared, stomping towards them with a plate of food in her hands.

As if expecting her reaction, Railay slowly rose from her seat.

“Ren, I’m warning you too now. Stay away from me if you can.”

Ren blinked at Railay’s words. Behind Anna, who was very angry, Theo was hurrying after her.

‘Looks like something happened.’

Ren, with an interesting expression that quickly changed, sat down and watched, drinking his tea. Well, since something happened at a time when it was awkward to talk, it wasn’t a bad situation for him.

‘I still don’t know how to explain it. And I haven’t finished talking with that guy either.’

He seemed to be thinking of Caber, but his memory of him didn’t seem complete. They were exchanging letters, but they hadn’t reached an agreement yet.

‘Something definitely happened, but he’s not saying anything, so he must have met Caber.’

If there’s one thing Railay doesn’t know, it’s that Ren is quick-witted. He’s just pretending not to know.

Ren leisurely drank his tea, watching Anna and Theo approach. Looking at Railay, it seemed she had also anticipated the situation.

“Are you crazy?!”

She rushed over and shouted at Railay. Railay tilted her head as if she didn’t understand.

“Anna, why are you so angry? Using such vulgar words… People might criticize the Prinz family if they knew.”

Anna, even more enraged by Railay’s words, trembled with the hand holding the plate. She tried to hold back her anger, but unable to control herself, she glared at Railay with a flushed face.

“Anna, you need to learn to control your anger. Such an undignified voice that can be heard outside… Theo’s standards must have lowered in my absence.”

Theo’s eyes narrowed at the words that she had no taste in men. He grabbed Anna’s hand and retorted.

“Stop it! What is this commotion? Railay, why are you with that man again…!”

“Let go of me, is that important now?!”

“It is important, because there’s another man by her side now!”

Theo looked at Ren and questioned Railay. Anna, as if fed up with Theo’s behavior of being wary of Ren in this situation, slapped his hand away.

“You stay out of this! Don’t interfere anymore, I can’t stand it. You ate it too!”

Anna shouted and huffed.

“Is there any proof that Railay did that? Why are you acting like this lately!”

Theo crumpled his face and ran a hand over it. He felt a strange taste in his mouth along with a foul smell when he had breakfast.

He called the head maid and asked, and after hearing that she had prepared it as usual, he put down his spoon. Anna’s face turned white the moment she smelled it, and she jumped up from her seat, grabbing the head maid and asking.

『Did Railay, that woman, come by when you were preparing breakfast?』

『Yes? Ah… She was here for a while. She watched us prepare the meal, but there was nothing unusual…』

Before the head maid could finish speaking, Anna picked up the food on her plate and came outside.

The moment she saw Railay sitting in the garden with a man, drinking tea, she shouted and approached.

“What did you put in here?! There’s no way it would taste like this otherwise!”

“Anna, I don’t know what you’re talking about. Theo told me to take good care of you, and I just helped the maids for a little while.”

“Tell me honestly! You’re acting right now. If you don’t remember, then this…!”

Anna almost blurted out what happened in the past without realizing it. Her hands trembled with anger.

‘She definitely knows. There’s no way she would have put in the same medicine I put in the food!’

The infertility drug she had secretly put in Railay’s food. It smelled exactly the same. But one strange thing was that Theo had smelled it too.

‘It’s strange, something’s wrong…!’

But Anna couldn’t say that. The man she had traded with before had disappeared, so she couldn’t get the medicine anymore. That meant there was no proof that Railay had done it.

“Anna, why are you doing this to me? I said I understood you taking my place and being by Theo’s side. But why…”

When she lowered her eyes slightly, her eyelashes fluttered thinly. She wrapped her arms around herself and dropped a tear.

“Railay… No. I never thought you did it. It must be because the food is spoiled.”

Theo, flustered, tried to comfort Railay and approached her. Anna, unable to contain her anger, finally shouted and lifted the plate.

“Ugh! Don’t lie! You’ll know if you eat it!”

The food on the plate flew towards Railay.

Thanks to Railay quickly tilting her body to the side, the food mixed in the plate was poured directly onto Ren.

“…”

Ren froze with the teacup in his hand.

Thud- Thud.

The food stuck to Ren’s hair and face fell off.

“What is this behavior? How vulgar, Anna.”

Railay hurriedly took out a handkerchief and wiped Ren’s face. Ren seemed to have frozen in place, his eyes closed and not moving at all.

His fists seemed to be trembling, and an aura began to emanate from his surroundings.

“…I’ll kill them. I’ll kill them and end this funny play.”

Thud.

Railay covered Ren’s mouth with her hand and awkwardly raised the corners of her lips. She pretended to wipe the food off and whispered in his ear as she got closer.

“Bear with it. I told you to stay away from me, didn’t I?”

“…Wouldn’t it be over if I killed them?”

“Is that really revenge? No, I want to see them fall into despair. Ren, people die someday.”

She patted Ren’s shoulder and handed him the handkerchief. Ren moved his lips at Railay’s words, but they didn’t open in the end.

“Theo, I’m really disappointed in you. Do you really think I put something in the food?”

“…No, no. Madam.”

Theo stuttered, flustered by Railay’s gaze. Nevertheless, his gaze was still directed at Ren.

‘Why does he keep sticking with that guy?’

It had been bothering him since he saw them together in the store. Nevertheless, he couldn’t do anything because he couldn’t find out anything about his location or information.

‘Damn it, it was like just throwing money at the guild.’

But he was with Railay again as if nothing had happened. There were more than one or two strange things.

Just worrying about that man was making his head hurt, and Anna was not only stirring up the house after Railay came, but also tiring him out.

‘Tsk, if only there were no children.’

Theo ran a hand roughly over his face and sighed.

But Anna couldn’t calm her anger and raged.

“Ha! Madam? Did you just call that woman madam? Your madam is me! Did you forget? It’s on the documents too! Not that woman, but me!”

Theo narrowed his brows at Anna’s words. His eyes contained the same emotions he had when he looked at Railay before.

“Ha… Anna, please keep your dignity. What a disgraceful mess.”

“You… How can you do this to me? Don’t you think about the child in my belly?!”

Anna screamed, clutching her stomach as if shocked. Tears welled up in her eyes.

‘I can’t watch this anymore. Ren needs to wash up quickly too.’

Railay, who had been watching them quietly, raised her hand and called someone.

“Caban, can you come here and clean this up?”

At Railay’s gesture, a man paused and looked at Theo and Anna. At the name Caban, Anna’s head turned sharply.

The hand that had been holding her stomach seemed to tighten.