CH 22

At the Loris Mansion.

Susan let out a long sigh as she watched Noah come down the stairs with a plate full of food.

“Noah, Romi didn’t eat again?”

“No, she didn’t. She told me to take it away because she had no appetite.”

“Haa, why is she doing that?”

Susan was worried about Romi, who had stopped eating and drinking for several days already.

So was Matthew. He said, “Susan, she didn’t even eat lunch today, but she had it sent down?”

“Yes. If she continues to eat nothing, she’ll get sick, but I don’t know what to do.”

Matthew stared at the stairs in concern and clicked his tongue. 

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“Matthew, go up and talk to her.”

“Okay, let’s go together and either appease or persuade her.”

Thinking they couldn’t let it go any longer, the couple went to Romi’s room. 

When they entered her room, Romi was in bed, covered in a blanket.

“Romi…Why are you lying there and not eating?”

Despite Susan’s words of concern, Romi let out her displeasure as she sobbed, the blanket still over her. “I’m going to lie down and just die like this.”

“Romi…!”

“Heuk. Mom and Dad, you only tell me you love me, but Callie’s really the one you care about.”

“What nonsense is that? How can we care for Callie more than you? Romi, you know very well that’s not true. So, please stop insisting that, get up and eat something. Hmm?”

Romi pulled back the blanket and sat up, as if Susan’s comment was unfair.

Her eyes were swollen from how much she cried, and her face, which had been buried under her blanket for days, was a mess.

“No! Then why did you marry Callie to Sir Brandon? When you decided to talk about marriage with the Cleart family, you should have considered me, not Callie. When you made Callie marry such a handsome and wealthy man, you proved that you cared for Callie more than me.”

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“Haa, that’s not true. You’ve got it wrong, Romi.” 

Romi first saw Brandon at the wedding. Before that, she had only known about him from rumors. 

She had been told he was an incorrigible, wild womanizer, so Romi had laughed at Callie for marrying such a man, but she changed her mind when she saw him on their wedding day.

She fell in love with his overwhelming visuals that made all the men around him seem insignificant and his friendly smile and voice when he exchanged greetings with her.

She said it was absurd to let Callie marry such a wonderful man and had been whining about it ever since she returned home after the wedding. She dismissed Callie’s marriage and insisted on putting her next to Brandon.

But the Loris couple had no intention of giving their daughter to such a playboy when they started the marriage talks with the Cleart family in the first place, so they volunteered Callie instead of Romi. 

But, it was distressing to see Romi mourn Brandon after seeing him.

If they had known Romi would like Brandon, they would have sent her instead of Callie. Even if the rumors were a bit concerning, he was a handsome son of a wealthy family and had good manners, so he seemed impeccable.

It seemed like a waste to the couple, so it was understandable that Romi was jealous.

However, no matter how much the couple explained to Romi that it was because they didn’t know, and it wasn’t on purpose, Romi didn’t care.

“I will be Brandon’s wife. He can just divorce Callie.”

“They’ve been married for a few days. What reason would you give to make him divorce her?”

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“Well, you can kill her. If she’s dead, there’s nothing he can do about it. Whatever you do, separate Brandon and Callie. If you don’t, I’ll eat nothing and die!” Romis shouted, then threw the blanket over herself again. 

Susan and Matthew were heartbroken watching Romi.

This time, Matthew stepped in and appeased his greedy daughter. “Romi, you don’t know this, but a man like Brandon has no interest in being a husband. Even if you get married, do you think his flirtatious disposition will go away? It’s obvious he will continue to meet women and have affairs. How can I give my precious daughter to such a man?”

“That’s what you think. Marrying me will definitely change Brandon. You didn’t see how kind he was when he greeted me that day. I’m sure Brandon likes me too. So, push Callie away and let him marry me. If Callie’s gone, I’m sure Brandon will be happy to marry me.”

Romi, who fell in love with Brandon at first sight, couldn’t get him out of her head. 

It didn’t even happen before the wedding. Callie and Brandon already had a high-society wedding–and a flamboyant one at that–so how could they tie Romi and Brandon together now?

Matthew clicked his tongue at Romi’s request and let out a long sigh.

But there was nothing Susan wouldn’t do for her daughter.

Seeing Romi crying and insisting on becoming Brandon’s wife, Susan, who wanted to meet her daughter’s demands, quickly grabbed Matthew’s arm and came out of Romi’s room.

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Then, after making sure no one was around, she whispered, “It’s not like there’s no way, Matthew.”

“How? We’ve already had a wedding, so how can we do it?”

“As Romi said, there’s a way to separate them.”

“If Sir Brandon or Callie says they won’t divorce, then there’s no way, is there?”

“If that doesn’t work, there are surer ways to make Brandon alone again.”

“What do you mean?”

Susan smiled meaningfully at Matthew’s question. 

“If Callie dies, then Brandon can get married again.”

“If Callie dies…?”

In Irze, the most closed-off country in the Troyu Empire, there were cases where brothers or sisters remarried if their siblings died to maintain marriage between nobles.

Susan smiled and nodded at the thought that if Romi wanted to finally marry Brandon, that was the way.

***

While Brandon looked around the garden because of the problem of replacing a dead tree with another one, Olivia approached him.

“Brandon.”

Brandon, who was being briefed by Billy, turned at the sudden voice. He asked, “Didn’t you say you’d go for a walk by the lake?”

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“But you said you wouldn’t go with me. I hate going alone, you know?”

Brandon frowned sharply at Olivia’s whining as she acted as if it were natural for them to be together. 

“Billy, call the gardener and have it replaced.”

“Yes.” 

Brandon didn’t want to talk with a woman other than his wife in front of his staff, so he dismissed Billy. 

Olivia came closer, stood next to him, and said, “Are you done with your business? So, can you spend some time with me now? The new products arrived today at the store by the lake. The owner said he would also bring me a brooch I like, so let’s go together, Brandon.”

Olivia tried to link her arms with Brandon’s to urge him to go, but Brandon withdrew his arm, annoyed. 

“Since you met and said hello to Callie, why don’t you go back?”

“Brandon, aren’t you happy to see me? How long has it been since we saw each other? Do you know how happy I was to know you’re in Vihiru?”

“Right now, Callie and I are on our honeymoon because we want to spend a quiet time, just the two of us. I don’t want to have other guests here. Doesn’t Olivia know too? I hate being bothered.”

“Am I bothering you?” Olivia’s hand by her thigh trembled at his cold response. “We…We’re friends, Brandon.”

She wanted to use a word other than ‘friend,’ but she didn’t because she knew it would upset Brandon. 

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“Yes, friend. That’s why I listened to you insist on coming here when you came to me yesterday without contacting me. But courtesy to friends ends there.”

“Brandon, I lo…” Olivia was about to tell him how she felt, but Brandon cut her off.

“It’s enough that I’m the topic of gossip. I don’t want to make a mockery of my wife. If I come on my honeymoon and go shopping with you, what will people say when they see us? Do you want them to think we have a special friendship? Or do you want them to think I’m still playing with Lady Gonette because I can’t get rid of my womanizing ways?”

“That’s not true. You’re not the type to care about what others say.”

“Oh, of course. I don’t care about that. But my wife doesn’t think that’s the case. So this is the end of your visit to say hello to your friend’s wife.”

Brandon then turned around, leaving Olivia behind.

As she watched Brandon leave, Olivia looked up and saw Callie standing by the window, watching over them.

After seeing that, she couldn’t let Brandon go like that.

Olivia let out a short scream to catch him.

“Ah!” 

At her sudden scream, Brandon turned around. 

Olivia then shouted hastily, covering her eyes with her hands, “Brandon, something got in my eye. I can’t open it. Come and have a look.”

T/N: So many annoying ladies buzzing about. Lord, give me patience  Also, I owe you guys a bonus chapter! Will post that sometime this week. Sorry I’ve been swamped with work recently so I haven’t had time to translate