Chapter 23 (1/2)
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Chapter 23
The answer came immediately.
“Hey, friend! It’s me! Theo!”
It was Count Theo Jassen.
What did he mean by ‘friend’?
Chloe was surprised by the fact that her husband and Count Jassen were friends, and was once again surprised that it was a nobleman who boldly jumped in front of their locomotive.
Come to think of it, Count Jassen was the son of a duke. And he was also the topic of some unsavory rumors, that he would often show his face at parties where drugs and women flowed freely…
Chloe coughed in vain, recalling what she saw at the headline of a gossip tabloid paper that the maids in the north frequently read.
“Can’t you open your door? As you can see, my ride broke down. I think you’re also going to the duke’s estate. Let’s go together.”
Count Jassen, who approached the window of the halted locomotive, shook the door and waved. Eric frowned.
“I’ll ignore you and just leave.”
“Eyy, seriously! Don’t do that! It’s been a while since I saw you. Why are you being so cold, huh? Ohhh, and your wife is here, too! Nice to meet you. I’m Theo Jassen.”
He greeted Chloe in a casual way, so Chloe smiled and greeted back.
“It’s nice to meet you, Count.”
“Gosh, such a title is burdensome. Please call me comfortably. You can call me by my name.”
“Ah…”
She sighed without realizing it.
This kind of familiarity was something she wasn’t used to. Of course, this was because she had been trapped in the northern estate for a long time.
“Thank you for your consideration, Count.”
So she answered neatly. Theo’s eyes briefly turned to Eric, and it felt like their eyes met.
Ahem! Theo spat out a dry cough and talked to Eric again.
“What, are you not going to open the door for me? If you leave me like this, I might freeze to death here.”
“You shouldn’t say that. There won’t be anyone who’d be sad if you freeze to death here.”
“Are you still going to talk like that?”
Theo shook his shoulders and shuddered, then he turned to Chloe.
“Madam, listen to me. No, this guy was going to invest in my factory. That’s what he told me. But at that time, the Gozir Kingdom also proposed an investment. Which one should I choose? Of course, it’s the kingdom. If you ask anyone who’s passing by the street who they’d choose, it’ll be the same answer! So I asked for his understanding. Why is he still so upset?”
“Who says I’m upset!”
Eric shouted. Annoyed, he ruffled his styled hair and muttered a curse word under his breath. Sh*t. He kicked the door of the carriage.
“Get in. I’ll take you there on the condition that you shut your mouth.”
“Then you’ll need something to cover my mouth.”
“Do you want to freeze to death?”
“I got it, I got it. Your temper’s really something else.”
Theo climbed into the carriage with an amiable smile on his lips. He patted off the snow on his shoulders and wiped his hands with a handkerchief. Then, he offered to shake hands with Chloe.
“Hello again. I’m Theo.”
Chloe glanced at the hand that was being offered to her and soon took only the fingertips.
“I’m Chloe Aslan.”
Theo tried very hard not to let the corners of his lips shoot up. He talked to Chloe, rambling again.
“The Madam is as beautiful as I heard. There’s a reason why this guy hid his wife so meticulously that you couldn’t be seen.”
“Theo Jassen.”
“Ah, you know. Whenever he talks about you, Madam—”
“Count!”
Eventually, Eric shouted and butted into the conversation—which couldn’t be called a conversation anyway—and ended it. With his elbow on the vehicle’s window and his forehead in his hand, Eric said quietly.
“Shut up.”
It was such a threatening tone that anyone could hear his malice.
But Theo wasn’t discouraged. He whispered to Chloe while peeking at her husband.
“It must be hard living together, hahaha!”
An awkward smile could be seen on Chloe. At this, she was sure that this ride would be uncomfortable all the way until their destination.
They arrived at the Duke of Antre’s estate.
Theo got off first, and then Eric. Now it was Chloe’s turn, but she hesitated for a moment. This was because there was a bit of a distance between the vehicle and the carpet. If she alighted like this, there would be mud on her shoes. Chloe agonized over what to do.
“Why aren’t you getting off?”
Eric asked her. Then, he noticed what Chloe was worrying about. He looked down at the floor and saw the three handspans’ distance from the carpet.
“I can’t believe a mistake was made like this in such a basic thing.”
He glanced at the coach driver who was soothing the horses, but he soon sighed as if it couldn’t be helped. Then, he came close to Chloe.
“Please embrace me.”
“…Yes?”
Chloe, who didn’t understand what Eric was saying, widened her eyes. Eric spoke with somewhat of a nervous expression.
“I can’t kneel down in front of you and give you my knee to step on, can I? So please hold onto me.”
The moment Eric’s arm wrapped around Chloe’s waist, the only thing she could say was, ‘Uhh.’ Then, he picked her up and put her down on the carpet.
It happened in an instant. And so, Chloe was stunned. However, Eric didn’t seem to be alright.
“I’ll go with the Count. So Wife, you should greet the others, too.”