Don’t Ask, It’ll Hurt If You Know - Chapter 64

He definitely said Chloe. He said Chloe…….

The last words she heard before waking up from the dream were more shocking than the fact that she had sucked Ian’s p***s and performed something akin to s*x.

Did I really do that with my own body, not Bianca’s?

Chloe tried to think about what she had looked like, but nothing came to mind. Because she had focused too much on the hideous p***s right in front of her eyes, she hadn’t noticed anything else.

And since it was Bianca’s dream, she naturally assumed it would be Bianca’s body.

“It can’t be. It must not be.”

Even if it was a dream, the thought that she had done such a thing with her own body was shameful beyond compare to anything she had experienced before. It felt like she wouldn’t be able to look Ian straight in the face for the rest of her life.

So Chloe begged and begged that it please not be the case. She prayed to all sorts of gods she didn’t usually believe in and even to ancestors whose faces she didn’t know, hoping it wasn’t true.

They say that if someone prays earnestly, their heart feels a little more at ease, and that turned out to be true. After praying earnestly enough to shed tears, the feeling of suffocation, like a clogged toilet, eased just a little.

“Ah, I have to go buy a strawberry cake.”

Recalling a fact she had momentarily forgotten while struggling with the nightmare, Chloe checked the time. 9:00 AM. Even if she went to the Royal Department Store as quickly as possible, it would be 10:00, so it was safe to say that buying the cake was out of the question.

“Let’s give up on today.”

At any other time, she would have tried to return somehow because her parents would be worried, but now everything felt bothersome. Since there was no other way to grant a wish besides the cake anyway, Chloe gave up and flopped onto the bed.

Drowsiness poured over her as she hadn’t slept properly due to the nightmare, but she couldn’t close her eyes because she was afraid she might have that kind of dream again.

A situation where she could do neither this nor that. While she was staring blankly at the ceiling like someone who had lost her mind, the sound of knock knock was heard.

Whoever it was, she didn’t want to meet anyone, so Chloe didn’t answer.

Knock knock, knock knock knock—

But the person on the other side didn’t give up and continued to knock. Naturally, the arrow of annoyance and anger she had been trying to suppress flew toward the person.

“If I pretend not to be here, shouldn’t you take the hint and disappear!?”

Chloe shouted as she flung the door open. At the shout that sounded like a lion’s roar, Emily, who had been gauging the mood, was startled and ran away, and the butler flinched and stepped back.

“The Master is looking for you, Lady.”

However, like a veteran, the butler soon regained his composure and stated the reason for knocking.

The Master would refer to Viscount Lloyd.

Chloe didn’t want to go, but she had no choice. Urged by the butler that she must go quickly since the Master was waiting, Chloe headed to the office where Viscount Lloyd was waiting, wearing a face like livestock being dragged to a slaughterhouse.

Before the stairs leading up to the third floor, the Viscountess was standing. Her complexion, paler than yesterday, showed evident signs of anxiety. Upon spotting her stepdaughter, she glared and approached with quick steps.

“Madam, the Master has asked for the Young Lady…….”

“I know, so be quiet.”

Annoyingly silencing the butler, the Viscountess grabbed her stepdaughter’s shoulders tightly as if to crush them.

“If you want to live comfortably from now on, you’d better watch your mouth, Bianca.”

If it were the real Bianca Lloyd, she would have been trembling and unable to look the Viscountess in the eye, but this was Chloe Elena.

“I don’t know who you think you’re talking to right now.”

Far from avoiding her gaze, she spoke with a twisted smile full of ridicule.

“You should be the one watching your mouth if you want to live the rest of your life comfortably. It would be so sad to become a commoner again after becoming a noblewoman with such difficulty.”

“Y-you…!”

The Viscountess raised her hand high as if she would strike her immediately, but in the end, she couldn’t hit her even once and lowered it again. Her trembling shoulders were pathetic. Leaving a short scoff, Chloe went up to the third floor.

Knock knock. As soon as she knocked, an answer came to enter. Viscount Lloyd was sitting at a desk where sunlight streamed in well, looking at documents.

“Did you call for me?”

When Chloe approached the desk and asked, the Viscount looked up. She felt it anew, but he didn’t resemble Bianca even a little bit. Could a biological father be so different? Amidst the deepening suspicion that he might not be her biological father, the Viscount asked.

“If you wanted to participate in the Rumonie, you could have just said so. What is the reason for sneaking out and disgracing the family?”

As expected, he had called her because of yesterday’s incident. Chloe straightened her back and said,

“Before I answer, I think I need to correct an error. I have never attended the Rumonie secretly. That woman, as well as others, knew that an invitation to the Rumonie had come for me and that I was going to attend.”

“That woman. Surely you aren’t referring to your mother?”

“Surely not. My mother has passed away, so how would she know I was attending the Rumonie? Ah, perhaps she is watching from the side of God.”

Unlike Chloe, who giggled, deep wrinkles formed on Viscount Lloyd’s forehead.

“Stop with the strange jokes, Bianca. Your personality has become very strange since I last saw you.”

Chloe, who stopped laughing as if it were a lie, shrugged her shoulders.

“Maybe. Living under that woman was quite an ordeal.”

“She is not ‘that woman,’ but your mother. You used to call her Mom just fine, so why are you suddenly acting like this? Your mother tries to treat you well for fear you might feel neglected, so why do you keep trying to go astray?”

“Pfft.”

At the b******t she couldn’t just let pass without laughing, Chloe held her stomach and laughed for a long time. Viscount Lloyd’s face turned red and blue as if he had suffered a severe insult.

“Bianca!”

Only after a shout like a lion’s roar fell did Chloe stop laughing and spoke, twisting her lips where a smile still remained.

“Since you won’t believe whatever I say anyway, let’s just say I’m going astray and end the conversation here.”

Although Bianca’s situation was pitiful, Chloe had absolutely no intention of interfering in her personal affairs. It wasn’t the business of family, friends, or close acquaintances, so why would she step in?

Granting the wishes written on the bucket list was just a means to return to her original body. Maybe mixed with about a teaspoon of sympathy.

So Chloe made up a moderate excuse, and seeing no sign of it working, decided to pull out. Considering what she had said yesterday as Chloe Elena, this seemed like an appropriate withdrawal. There was no need to engage in unnecessary fights any further.

She didn’t have the energy for it anyway, having exhausted herself with other matters.

So, just as she was about to end it here and return, a thunderous noise that seemed to tear her eardrums was heard.

“Ugh!”

Unlike Chloe, who covered both ears and sank to the floor, Viscount Lloyd was perfectly fine. Rather, he looked at her with a frown, as if he didn’t understand why she was acting like that.

“Just now…….”

“Help me.”

Just as she was about to ask if he hadn’t heard that tremendous sound, a familiar voice that sounded like it would crumble at any moment was heard. Bianca Lloyd. It was that woman’s voice.

“Help me. Please help me. Help…… me.”

The desperate plea for help cluttered her mind. Chloe realized instantly what Bianca wanted, but because of that, she didn’t want to grant it. Her intention to trap Chloe in her body and use her as she pleased was clearly visible. Being swayed by her any longer was out of the question.

“I said help me! Help me! Please help me!”

As if noticing Chloe’s thought to ignore the request, Bianca screamed. At the horrifying voice that sounded like fingernails scratching a chalkboard, Chloe scowled deeply and covered both ears again. But she couldn’t block the voice ringing inside her head. The voice asking for help repeated like a broken recording stone.

“Fine! I just have to help you, right!”

Eventually, Chloe raised the white flag and shouted back, and Bianca’s voice disappeared as if it were a lie. It was the first time silence had been so welcome. Chloe cursed Bianca inwardly as a damn woman and composed her scattered mind.

Since it’s come to this, I should do the things on the bucket list together.

With that mindset, she was contemplating how to combine them while looking at the carpet embroidered with luxurious patterns, when the Viscount’s voice was heard above her head.

“Who are you saying you will help?”

Chloe slowly stood up and faced the Viscount, who had approached and stood before her at some point. Not a shred of worry was visible in his crumpled eyes. His daughter had collapsed in pain, yet instead of worrying, he asked such a question.

“Is Bianca Lloyd really your biological daughter?”