When You Turned Your Back On Me, We Became Strangers [EN]: Chapter 9

Turning Away, a Stranger (8) (9/111)

“…My Lady. What is the meaning of this?”

“Even so, how could you rudely open the door with all the maids watching?”

It was infuriating. The corners of her lips seemed determined not to droop, but Reilly swallowed another hollow laugh at her words and contradictory actions.

Anna hid behind the Duke as if wounded. Theo quickly draped his jacket over Anna’s shoulders, covering her partially exposed body.

“Are you not even choosing your locations now? It would be quite amusing for others to see. To know that the Duke of the Prinz family is acting like a dog in heat in his office.”

Theo’s face flushed at Reilly’s words. The scene he witnessed firsthand dragged Reilly into despair more than he had imagined.

They were the ones undressed, yet she felt as if she were stripped bare, her body trembling with humiliation and shame. She was utterly disgusted.

Reilly could no longer bear to watch them with her own eyes. She thrust the letter in her hand onto the table.

“This is…”

His eyebrows lifted slightly at the color and seal, which clearly indicated it was from the Heriond County.

“Of course, you wouldn’t have known about this either.”

A chillingly cold gaze and a sharp voice echoed in the room. The maid hurriedly closed the door and stepped back. It was the first time Theo had seen Reilly so angry.

“Are you suggesting that Anna stole the letter?”

“Then did you do it?”

“My Lady, even if you don’t like me, isn’t this too much?”

Reilly looked down at Anna, who was covering herself with a surprised expression. Trembling weakly, she collapsed to the floor.

“I’m going to the Heriond County right now. It wouldn’t look good for the Duchess to visit without sending a letter, but…”

“…I will bring them.”

“Are you going to go yourself in that state, with your pants not even properly fastened?”

Theo ran a hand over his face. He quickly straightened his clothes and looked at Anna, who was crying. Feeling Theo’s gaze, Anna looked up and grabbed him with a wronged expression.

“Hic… Hicc. Duke, I really don’t know anything about this.”

“Anna, you must be shocked, so you should rest first.”

Theo gently grabbed her shoulders, helped her up, and sat her on a chair. Reilly stared at Anna, who was sobbing in Theo’s arms, then turned and left the office.

“Ah, ah! My head… it hurts so much.”

Anna’s painful voice was heard through the slightly open door.

‘Her body was fine enough to engage in sexual activity, but suddenly it hurts?’

A self-deprecating smile naturally spread across Reilly’s face.

“Anna, get a grip! Anna!”

Theo’s urgent voice was heard. Reilly looked at the maids who didn’t know what to do and said,

“Do you also think that someone who was perfectly fine to share intimate moments collapsed because of the shock I gave her?”

“No, we don’t.”

“Go inside. I’m scared someone might hear.”

At Reilly’s words, the maids headed to the office. She headed to the maids’ quarters with an indifferent expression.

She brought the maids who had talked about the letter in the garden to her room. She drank tea in her room, gazing out the window, waiting for Leta.

Philia and Bottega stood beside her, unable to say anything, heads bowed.

“You seem to have a lot to say, did you eat honey or something?”

She put down her teacup and smiled at Anna, who was sitting across from her. She was smiling shamelessly as if nothing was wrong. The mouth that used to chatter mindlessly whenever she saw Reilly seemed tightly shut today.

“You seem to be feeling better. You came here in a hurry when you heard I had called the maids.”

“Indeed. I wonder why I brought the two of them here. You pretend to be so smart, but you can’t seem to figure out the obvious answer?”

Reilly glanced at the clock once and then looked at Anna, who was sitting across from her. Anna’s expression subtly distorted each time she checked the time.

“Why didn’t you just stay still when I said I would abandon you?”

“What did you say?”

“I pray that nothing happens to my sister.”

They were destined to end their relationship even without this. Anna had provoked Reilly, who had been patiently enduring. She should not have touched Leta.

Reilly said that, but she also prayed. She prayed that Leta would come to the Duke’s residence without any problems, with the bright smile she had seen at home.

Even though she had a premonition that it wouldn’t be the case from the letter, she prayed and prayed that the letter in the box was a lie.

‘This won’t do. If this goes on, I…’

Anna’s spine tingled as she met Reilly’s frozen eyes. Anxious, she chewed on her fingernails and looked at Bottega and Philia, who were standing next to her.

‘I shouldn’t have trusted maids after all!’

Seeing her eyes full of poison, Bottega and Philia hurriedly averted their gaze. They stealthily moved their feet behind Reilly, shifting their positions.

Reilly, who had been gazing out the window, suddenly jumped up from her seat.

‘Please…’

She ran out of the mansion and approached the carriage, waiting with a trembling heart for the door to open. Soon, the door opened, and Theo came out and extended his hand. Reilly collapsed as she saw Leta getting out, holding his hand.

“…Leta.”

“Sister, it’s been a while.”

Her heart sank at the sight of Leta’s lifeless appearance and bloodless face. Reilly forced the corners of her lips, which wouldn’t smile, to lift, trying to look okay. She hung her head.

“Sister, how can you lower your face like that when I’ve come to see you.”

“…I’m sorry, your sister is sorry.”

Theo couldn’t easily approach Reilly. It was also his fault that things had turned out this way. He couldn’t be sure that Anna hadn’t done such a thing. Anna knew about Leta’s marriage, which he didn’t.

Leta approached Reilly, who couldn’t lift her head, and patted her on the back. She felt like crying too, seeing Reilly looking as troubled as she was.

“My Lady, it would be better to go inside and talk first. I’ll tell the maids, so please talk comfortably.”

Theo stepped aside so that Leta and Reilly could talk. There were things he needed to confirm, and he knew that she wouldn’t listen to anything he said right now.

Reilly only nodded at Theo’s words and didn’t say anything else. Supported by Leta, she entered the room and locked the door.

“Leta, what on earth happened…?”

“Why does your face look so bad, Sister?”

“I know. I guess it’s because I’ve had a lot on my mind lately.”

As she gently stroked her stomach, Leta’s gaze turned downwards. Leta’s eyes widened and she smiled brightly at Reilly’s slightly bulging belly.

“Wow, I’m going to have a niece or nephew!”

Reilly’s heart ached even more at Leta’s attempt to pretend to be okay. Reilly grabbed Leta’s gaunt hand and led her to the table, her eyes widening.

“…You, don’t tell me.”

“Ah, no. I just bumped into something.”

“Don’t lie! Is the Count hitting you?”

“No, I’m telling you.”

Reilly grabbed Leta’s arm and rolled up her sleeve. Leta’s arm was full of bruises and wounds. An unbearable anger surged at the clear signs that he had been obsessively finding and hitting only the hidden areas.

“I’m sorry, your sister is sorry. I shouldn’t have left you there like that.”

“Sister, this isn’t because of you. Don’t blame yourself because of me.”

Leta shook her head and pulled down her rolled-up sleeve. She joked that she was doing better these days.

“Leta, don’t go back. Stay here.”

“You know I can’t do that.”

“Father…!”

So you know. You knew and still sent her.

She resented herself for even mentioning the word father, even though she had said it herself. Leta seemed detached. It was clear that he had sent her off knowing what kind of person that bastard was. Reilly inhaled at the stinging pain in her heart.

“Leta, it’s okay, let’s stay here with your sister. You don’t have to go back there.”

“…Father won’t stay still. Sister, never get caught.”

“You, you knew…?”

Leta nodded. Leta knew that the mark had appeared on Reilly’s body. How could she know when she had never said or shown it even once?

“Why… even knowing!”

“Because I understand your feelings. I would have hated it too if I were you. I told you, I don’t resent you, Sister.”

“But because of me, you…”

“I’m okay. But if they find out that you’ve hidden the mark, they might really try to kill you.”

Reilly’s eyes welled up with tears at Leta’s words. Foolishly, she knew everything…

“And more than anything, it was so hard for you. In a place you couldn’t even call home. I thought it was enough to see you being loved by the Duke.”

No, no. Leta, I…

She couldn’t bring herself to say it. She didn’t have the courage to say that her life, which she had gained through your sacrifice, was unhappy and no different from before.

‘It’s a relief. That you didn’t see Anna. That you don’t know my situation.’

Reilly and Leta hid each other’s pain and wore masks, pretending to be okay. Even though the face they saw after a long time was haggard, they didn’t bring up the story anymore.

“Leta, do you really have to go back?”

“It would be okay if you could stay longer.”

“No… You saw it. If the Duke hadn’t come today, I wouldn’t have been able to come out. It’s enough that I saw your face like this.”

“Leta, I…”

“It’s okay. Sister, I’m really okay.”

Leta patted Reilly’s hand. Perhaps it was because she was reassured by her warm and gentle voice, but her anxiously trembling heart was now calm.

Reilly stared blankly as the carriage carrying Leta left the Duke’s residence.

* * *

The day after Leta left, Reilly received a letter saying that she had died.