Chapter 19 (2/2)

“If I didn’t come, then you should have known that I wouldn’t in the end! Why are you still waiting until this hour?!”

Eric shouted while wiping the snowflakes over Chloe’s eyelashes.

He was angry.

He was so angry he felt like it was driving him crazy.

He didn’t know why he was so mad, but he was so livid that he just wanted to scream.

This foolish, absurd, useless woman! Why was she making him angry even on a day like this?!

“…You’d come.”

And then, Chloe’s lips slowly opened.

“Because you said you’d come.”

Eric stopped breathing.

He stared down at Chloe in a daze, forgetting how to breathe.

“And you did.”

Chloe smiled. She was so happy that Eric was here. This was such a new feeling.

And this only made Eric even more angry.

He did not know why.

“God damn it!”

Eric was running towards the locomotive through the raging snow. In his arms was Chloe, who had collapsed.

Chloe’s body was scorching like a ball of fire. Even though she was wearing a thick fur coat, he could still feel how excessively warm she was!

Foolish woman. Stupid woman. F*cking hopelessly kind woman!

He cursed Chloe endlessly, but he knew it himself. The fact that she had gotten this way was all because of him.

He could have delayed the meeting.

He could have kept his promise

No, he forgot about it in the first place…

He knew it was all his fault, but he didn’t want to admit it—he didn’t want to accept that the root of all this was because of his flimsy understanding of what a ‘promise’ was.

If he admitted it, then it felt like he had lost. He didn’t know who or what he was losing against, but he didn’t want to feel any hopeless defeat.

And so he blamed Chloe.

If she had used her head even a smidge, then she should have had the sense to return to the mansion…

Why was Chloe so stupid?

Eric grimaced, embracing Chloe roughly as she breathed faintly.

“Burn more fuel! Run at the fastest speed!”

Eric shouted as he arrived at where the locomotive was parked.

The coachman didn’t know what happened, but he soon followed the order. The silence drawn by the snowfall was interrupted by the frantic sound of the engine and the horses.

It didn’t take long until they returned home.

“Your Excellency? Where have you… Madam?”

Daniel ran down as soon as he saw, from out the window, the locomotive arriving, only to see this surprising sight.

“Don’t you have eyes? Go and call the doctor right this instant! The best one in the capital!”

“Ah, y-yes!”

Daniel hurried out the mansion’s doors. Eric entered and immediately ran up the stairs two steps at a time, which shook off some snow from Chloe’s clothes.

Oh my goodness! Andrea covered her mouth, surprised to see them.

“Bring warm water and medicine for her fever. No—no, not that. First, bring dry towels and clothes for her to change into.”

“I’ll prepare them right away.”

Andrea immediately brought dry towels and a nightgown, then she hurriedly changed Chloe’s clothes.

Eric crossed his arms and let out a low sigh. Nervousness was spreading on his face. F*ck. Why wasn’t the doctor coming? Eric looked out the window and chewed his lips.

Then, he turned his head and looked towards Chloe. He knew that he shouldn’t look at her while she was changing, so he was about to turn away again in a hurry, but… He looked back at Chloe in surprise.

He saw how she looked like a corpse.

He saw how she was so thin that it was like she had no flesh.

He saw how natural it would be to think that she might not even be breathing anymore.

…Why did she look like that?

“Does she not eat?”

Eric spoke out unconsciously.

“Pardon?”

Andrea replied.

“My wife… Does she not eat?”

Eric looked towards Chloe, who was now wearing a nightgown that was as white as snow.

“Ah… No, sir. The Madam rarely eats. She only drinks black tea once in a while.”

“Huu…”

Eric sighed heavily and touched his forehead. Then, he walked to the window and opened it. Then, he took out a cigar from his inner pocket and lit a small fire.

The stifling feeling he had was met with cigar smoke in his chest. But no matter how much he took in the smoke and exhaled, it wouldn’t go away—and this frustrated him.

“Your Excellency! The doctor is here!”

By the time he had already smoked two cigars, Daniel shouted as he half-dragged a balding man towards him. Eric put out the cigar against the window frame and blew out the smoke.

“Why are you so late?!”

He was annoyed, frustrated—but Chloe’s examination must come first. He looked at the doctor.

“She was out while it was snowing all day long. Her body was cold as ice. Her fever’s high.”

“Goodness… Please allow me to examine her first.”