Don’t Ask, It’ll Hurt If You Know - Chapter 51

Mars Elena, the third child of the Elena Count’s family. He was serving in the navy at a naval base in the Empire’s southwest.

“Why are you here? Didn’t you say you were aboard a ship?”

In February, Mars, who had boarded a ship, sent an apology letter not to Chloe, but to Jeremy, saying he was sorry he couldn’t attend the graduation ceremony.

Chloe found it absurd that he apologized to their youngest brother for her graduation ceremony, but on the other hand, she understood. That bastard was always like that. It was nothing new.

A ship voyage was at least three months once you boarded. She had heard that getting off before then was nearly impossible, so how was he here?

“I was aboard. But I disembarked a week ago.”

“Disembarked? How? Don’t tell me you jumped into the ocean because you didn’t want to be at sea for long?”

“Do you think I’m you, Sis?”

Mars clicked his tongue as if to tell her not to talk nonsense, approached his sister, and meticulously examined her face.

“They said you were in a coma for over ten days; it seems it’s true. You’ve lost too much weight.”

“Of course it’s true, why would I lie about something like that? Ugh, stop staring at me. It’s annoying.”

His persistent, scrutinizing gaze was burdensome, and she was embarrassed to show him her unsightly, thin appearance, so she recoiled and pushed him away.

“You’re still the same, Sis.”

Mars chuckled and sat on the sofa. She wished he would just leave quickly, but seeing him ask Dorothy to bring something cool, it seemed he had no intention of leaving anytime soon.

However, kicking him out felt wrong, because the fact that he had gotten off the ship midway bothered her. He hadn’t stated the reason, but it must be because of her. So, Chloe sighed discontentedly yet sat across from him without a word.

A moment later, Dorothy set cups down in front of them. Mars’s was a cool iced tea with ice cubes floating in it, but Chloe’s was a medicinal tea that smelled bitter. Its murky color was sickening just to look at. When Chloe pushed the teacup aside as a signal to remove it, Dorothy put it back in its place.

“The Doctor said it’s a medicinal tea good for your vitality and that you must drink all of it.”

As Dorothy stood by, wide-eyed, clearly intending to watch her finish it, Chloe pinched her nose and drank the medicinal tea. It tasted as awful as it smelled. When her face crumpled unbecomingly after barely finishing the tea, Mars clutched his stomach and burst into laughter.

“Pfft, you look utterly hideous. A passing ogre would mistake you for a comrade and try to put an arm around you.”

“Shut your mouth.”

Chloe snarled as if she would bite him any second, but Mars paid no attention and kept needling her.

“Well, who told you to fall off a horse? To fall off by yourself, not even after being attacked. Ugh, do you know how embarrassed I was when I heard that story?”

Chloe threw the teacup at her brother, who was carelessly running his wicked mouth.

But Mars wasn’t flustered in the least and lightly snatched it with one hand. Though it was a series of events that could be considered dangerous, no one in the room was surprised. They had done this frequently since they were children. The two, who were only a year apart, fought tooth and nail nearly every day.

“Hey, you, get out. Get out right now.”

Even after Dorothy left, the two continued to fight. When Chloe pointed at the door and shouted, Mars smirked.

“Are you sure I should leave? I think you’ll need my help.”

“What nonsense are you talking about? Why would I need your help?”

“Jeremy told me. He said that Sis desperately needs my help right now, and that I should definitely help you.”

At his added remark, Chloe recalled the conversation she had with Jeremy at the Temple last time.

“Regarding that matter, how about asking Brother Mars for help? Since he has many contacts at the constabulary and in that area, he should be able to find out who is interfering.”

Jeremy had said this when she mentioned needing to find out who was preventing them from finding the culprit who killed the maid of the Lloyd Viscount’s family.

It made sense, but since the person she had to ask was ‘Mars,’ Chloe was not thrilled. She also doubted whether someone stuck out on the vast ocean could even help.

So she hadn’t intended to ask, but Mars’s appearance in his pure white uniform looked quite reliable, and her resolve wavered. This was also because her desire to escape Bianca’s curse as quickly as possible had become even more desperate than before.

“What in the world is going on that Jeremy would say such a thing?”

Jeremy had gone to the trouble of setting the stage for her; it wouldn’t be polite to just kick it away.

“Ah, well, it’s about a friend of mine…….”

Chloe told him everything, starting from the fact that the maid of the Lloyd Viscount’s family had been found hanged, up to the part about someone pressuring the constabulary to quickly close the case.

“This is clearly a murder case, and the fact that they’re trying to close it as a suicide means that person is definitely the culprit. So, I need you to find out who that guy is.”

“It certainly is suspicious. Alright. I’ll look into it for you.”

It was the first time his unsuitably serious face had felt so reliable, so Chloe stared at Mars, feeling slightly dazed. Waves of emotion rippled in her shaking, deep blue eyes.

“But to think you have a friend, Sis. Truly, one must live long to see all things.”

But the emotion was brief. At his added remark, Chloe raised one eyebrow and glared at him.

“What is that supposed to mean?”

“What do you mean ‘what’? Exactly what you’re thinking.”

“How do you know what I was thinking?”

“Well. What’s certain is that it doesn’t seem like a good thought.”

His reliable face now looked obnoxious and irritating, so Chloe picked up the cushion neatly placed on the sofa and threw it with all her might.

“You’re still as aggressive as ever, Sis.”

Mars, who turned his body and easily dodged the cushion, taunted her.

“How can someone who is going to be the Duchess of MacMilden be this aggressive? I’m a little worried about the future of the House of MacMilden”

“What nonsense are you talking about? Why would I become the Duchess of MacMilden?”

When Chloe frowned and asked, as if to tell him not to talk utter rubbish, Mars tilted his head.

“No? Mother said you’re going to marry the Young Duke MacMilden soon.”

“What?”

What kind of utterly ridiculous thing was this?

Chloe was dumbfounded, yet on the other hand, she understood why her mother had that misunderstanding. It must be because Ian MacMilden was visiting her every day.

“I’m making this absolutely clear now: Ian and I are just friends. I will never marry that guy, so I hope you don’t misunderstand.”

“The person who misunderstood isn’t me, it’s Mother. Father seems to be secretly anticipating it too.”

“Please tell them it’s not true on my behalf.”

“I don’t think Mother would listen just because I said it.”

Mars picked up the cushion that was rolling on the floor, placed it beside him, and shrugged his shoulders.

“Why don’t you ask the Young Duke MacMilden instead? If the Young Duke firmly says he will absolutely not marry you, maybe Mother will give up?”

It was clearly the right thing to say, yet it bothered Chloe strangely, and she winced. As she felt a stabbing pain in her solar plexus, as if being poked with a sharp needle, her expression gradually crumpled.

At his sister’s unusual appearance, Mars was considerably flustered and approached her.

“What’s wrong? Are you hurt? Should I call the Doctor?”

Chloe, who was now too bothered to even accept his concern, waved her hand dismissively.

“It’s fine. I’ll be alright after resting a bit, so you should leave now.”

Instinctively sensing that her time was up, Chloe sent Mars away. Perhaps because he saw his sister in pain, he left the bedroom without a word, unlike before.

Do I really not need to call Dr. Bertrand?

Chloe had said she was fine, but Mars was bothered by his sister’s face, which had turned pale in an instant. Even though they bickered like people who couldn’t stand each other, they were family, bound by blood.

Thinking it would be better to call the Doctor after all, he hurried down the central staircase, but a man he had never seen before was coming up from below. Seeing the man’s handsome features—so striking that the word ‘good-looking’ automatically came to mind—Mars immediately recognized who he was.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Young Duke MacMilden. I am Mars Elena.”

It was Ian MacMilden himself. Since Mars had enlisted in the navy immediately after graduating from the Academy, this was the first time he had actually seen him.

As Mars smiled warmly and held out his hand, a warmth appeared on Ian’s handsome but otherwise cold face. Ian took the hand he offered with a faint smile.

“It seems you’ve come to visit my sister, but could you wait a moment? I was on my way to call the Doctor because her condition suddenly seemed to worsen.”

At the mention of Chloe’s condition worsening, Ian’s expression stiffened again. His golden eyes, looking up toward her bedroom, wavered. The emotion clearly visible in them was concern.

Mars’s eyes narrowed slightly upon noticing this. An intriguing thought began to cloud his mind: perhaps his sister and this man felt differently about each other.