When You Turned Your Back On Me, We Became Strangers [EN]: Chapter 35

“(34) If You Turn Away, You’re Just Another Person (35/111)”

“Why don’t you get rid of your filthy gaze?”

“W-What are you talking about!”

“I feel like you’re stripping me naked with your eyes.”

Ren pointed a finger at Theo’s eyes. His finger gently moved down, scanning Theo’s body.

“Your shoulders aren’t as broad as I thought, and your chest is decent, but it looks like you haven’t been working out much? Your stomach seems a bit big. Your butt is terrible, and you’re much shorter than me. It’s a complete disaster.”

“Are you insulting me right now? How dare you insult a Duke like me?”

“Dare?”

Ren clutched his stomach and started laughing at Theo’s words. Then, suddenly turning serious, he turned his back to Reilly and approached Theo step by step, raising the corners of his lips.

Tying his hair loosely, Ren stood in front of Theo and bent down slightly to straighten Theo’s collar.

“You shouldn’t use the word ‘dare’ in the future. Unless you want to regret it later.”

Theo roughly pushed Ren’s hand away and glared at Ren, who was taller than him.

“Do you think you could even talk to me like that in public?”

“What did you say…!”

“I’m telling you not to make a mistake. I’m giving you a chance.”

Ren straightened his collar with a flick of his hand and wore a deep smile. Theo saw Ren overlapping with the Crown Prince.

‘Ren is affiliated with the Imperial Family, so it’s not wrong to say that.’

Reilly nodded in agreement with Ren’s words. He was the sword guarding the Imperial Family, and an equal existence with whom she had a contract, so he was not someone to be trifled with.

Reilly slyly poked her head out from behind and approached Theo, patting him on the shoulder.

“Theo, don’t get too angry. But Ren’s words are all true, aren’t they? It seems you’ve become quite lazy.”

Reilly scanned Theo once and showed a troubled expression. Feeling ashamed at her words, Theo hurriedly tried to leave the detached palace.

Slightly faster than him, Reilly gently grabbed his arm, smiled, and stroked Theo’s face.

“Theo, I want to be by your side starting tomorrow… Could I take care of Anna? I’m bored being alone during the day.”

Theo’s Adam’s apple bobbed at Reilly’s voice, which was like a sweet temptation. He nodded and kissed the back of her hand, fixing his gaze on Ren.

‘He still can’t forget me. That guy is worthless except for his face.’

Theo’s shoulders straightened at Reilly’s words, and he smirked at Ren.

“Of course, Reilly, I would welcome you if you came.”

“Yay! Then I’ll see you tomorrow.”

Reilly pulled her hand away and smiled brightly at Theo.

As Theo left the detached palace with Caban, she immediately wiped her hand with a handkerchief.

“Ren, it feels like a bug is crawling on my hand.”

“Who told you to give him your hand?”

Ren, who was grumbling with a sulky expression, grabbed Reilly’s hand and washed it with magic. Ren washed her hand several times until she said it was enough.

* * *

Theo, who came out of the detached palace, threw the clothes in his hand on the floor. Caban, who was next to him, flinched and watched Theo’s mood.

“If you had brought it sooner, I wouldn’t have had to see such a sight!”

Theo was venting his boiling anger on Caban.

“I-I’m sorry.”

“And about the strange noises in the dormitory.”

Caban’s eyes widened. His chin trembled, and his hands were drenched in sweat. Clearly, he had met Anna and shared love when no one was around.

Caban was anxious about how Reilly knew and brought it up.

When Anna couldn’t have Theo’s child, she sought out Caban, who was relatively smart and handsome. He vividly remembered her cursing the Duke, calling him ‘a seedless eunuch trying to have a child.’

With the money she gave him, Caban regularly shared love with her. The result was successful. Caban had nothing to lose. She was beautiful, kind, and lovely.

It was a fatal flaw that he had to risk his life, but he thought that if they were careful, since she would also die if caught, they would be fine.

‘Could it be that she already knows it’s me and said that?’

If this fact was exposed, he would never leave the Duke’s residence alive. The moment he found out that the child in Anna’s belly was his, both he and Anna would be dead.

Furthermore, Caban had committed several things he shouldn’t have for her.

The main thing he did for Anna, who knew the Duke’s residence in detail, was embezzling assets. Of course, he also received money for it.

‘What should I do? Should I tell the Duke the truth?’

No, that would be the worst thing to do.

Caban was sweating profusely from anxiety. Theo looked towards the dormitory and said to Caban.

“Find those two and bring them to me.”

“Y-Yes?”

“Didn’t you hear me? Find the culprits of that noise right now!”

“Yes! I understand!”

Caban, startled, left an answer saying he understood. Caban’s face was pale.

‘I have to tell Anna right away.’

Caban looked at Theo, who was heading towards the Duke’s residence with his pupils shaking.

“Anna!”

Theo called Anna in a voice loud enough to be heard from inside. But Anna did not come out at his call.

Theo suppressed his anger and headed to the Duke’s residence where Anna would be.

‘To think I was humiliated, if Anna hadn’t made such a fuss! I should tell them to inspect the food right away.’

It was time to determine if the poison Anna was talking about was real.

The anger he suffered from others bounced towards the wrong place.

He gritted his teeth, saying he wouldn’t let Anna, who caused this mess today, get away with it.

* * *

A few days later, the results of the food Theo had requested came out.

Everyone sat around the table, and Theo unfolded the letter. Anna’s excited appearance, in contrast to Reilly’s calm expression, aroused the curiosity of the people watching.

“Tell me quickly! Is it poison? Or is it medicine! What did this woman put in the food?!”

Anna got up from her seat and urged Theo.

Theo silently threw the letter towards Anna. It was a sign to read it herself.

[No poison or medicine was detected in the food. It seems that only herbs good for pregnancy were mixed in, creating a foul smell.]

“That can’t be! It can’t be! It was definitely the same taste and smell as the poison back then!”

Anna covered her mouth, surprised by what she had said herself. Reilly rested her chin on her hand and tilted her head to the side.

“Anna seems to know a lot about poison. What kind of poison are you talking about ‘back then’?”

Everyone’s suspicious gaze turned to Anna. Anna tried to hide her trembling hands in her dress skirt and smiled.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about. Poison? I must have been reading too many novels these days. I often read novels that are sold a lot because I’m bored.”

Reilly clapped her hands and gathered attention.

“Ah! I know that too. Are you talking about ‘The Government’s Temptation Towards the Duke’?”

She gently placed her head on her clasped hands and raised the corners of her lips. Anna nodded in confusion at her appearance.

Theo cleared his throat at the title of the book and got up from his seat.

“Anna, you should cultivate your mind instead of reading such useless books.”

Theo scolded Anna, telling her to focus on prenatal care. Her etiquette had not changed at all from the beginning until now.

She was married, but she was not a person suitable for the Duchess. It was his fault that he had hastily brought her in as the mistress.

He had found her because of the property division trial, but if he had lost his memory of this place, he wouldn’t have had to marry Anna.

‘I have to abandon Anna as soon as she gives birth.’

Anyway, her child would be registered in his family register, so it had nothing to do with her.

“Anna, your tea is getting cold. Drink it.”

Reilly smiled gently at Anna and lifted her teacup.

“Since the Duke said it was okay for me to take care of Anna, I’ll be on my way.”

She smiled at the maids and told them they could leave, and everyone looked at Anna’s mood.

“Ah! You don’t trust this tea I gave you either, so should I take a sip and give it to you?”

Reilly smiled at Anna and held up her teacup.

“It’s okay, I don’t want to drink such tea. Why don’t you get rid of it?”

“That’s a shame, it’s a precious tea. Well, I guess you wouldn’t know what’s precious since you were born into a lower noble family.”

Reilly shook her head with a pitiful expression. At her provocation, Anna jumped up from her seat and pointed her finger at Reilly.

“Ha! This is your true nature! You pretended to understand and be elegant in front of Theo, but in front of me, you trample on me with all sorts of words!”

She was saying it as it was. If she still didn’t like it, she should have tried to change it.

However, Anna seemed to only covet the position and power of the Duchess, but she didn’t seem to think about the corresponding efforts.

Anyway, she would only be a laughing stock if she went out into society, so she had no choice but to stay at home. Their world was quite cold than she thought.

‘Even I, a princess, went through that humiliation, so can you, who was a mistress, really endure it?’

Reilly guaranteed it.

The reason Theo was hiding her from the outside was not only to protect the prestige of the Prinz family but also to protect his own face.

That human was someone who would do that.