For My Birthday, I Was Gifted Five Husbands - Chapter 91

Cough, cough.

On a late night with the moon hanging over the sea. On the sandy beach, Eugenie struggled to spit out what had gotten stuck in her throat. It had likely been digested long ago, but Alfred stopped her from trying to bring the candy back up.

“Eugenie, don’t!”

No matter how smart Eugenie was, she didn’t know exactly what she had seen.

She didn’t realize that the candy she had enjoyed eating was meant to silence her, nor did she understand the consequences of telling Theodora exactly what she had witnessed.

Alfred desperately called out to Eugenie, who couldn’t return to the Norton family’s vacation home.

“Eugenie, don’t cry. It’s not your fault.”

He regretted encouraging Eugenie in the first place even though he had a bad feeling. Being older, being her ‘older brother,’ he should have sensed the ominous signs first.

“Huh? Just listen to me, Eugenie. You’re always right about everything else, but not about this. It’s not your fault…”

“But, Brother…”

It was the first time Eugenie had called him Brother.

With her big book in hand, her smart face, sometimes using words even Alfred didn’t know, was now a mess of tears.

“If I hadn’t said anything, Mom and Dad wouldn’t have fought.”

“Eugenie.”

“If I hadn’t told Mom about Dad kissing another woman…”

“It’s not your fault.”

Alfred hugged Eugenie and tried to reassure her.

What she said was the truth. The bad ones were the others.

“I’ll protect you.”

The worst part, though, it was he who had incited her and was now pretending to be the kind older brother.

‘I have to protect you.’

The Marquisate had compensated the Viscount’s family for the ‘unpleasant incident,’ and Theodora wasn’t someone to take her anger out on young Alfred.

What was supposed to be a short-lived connection turned out to endure.

‘I have to protect Eugenie as her brother.’

The decision remained unchanged even when he secretly visited the academy to surprise her, hoping to see her receive an award.

And so, when Tristan, whose rotten tendencies were apparent since childhood, started brandishing a gun, Alfred moved before he even thought. If Theodora Norton hadn’t saved him, he would have bled to death.

Theodora had warned him.

“Remember, Alfred. If this ‘contract’ goes wrong… you’ll die instantly, just like you were bleeding earlier.”

“I’m fine, Mrs. Norton.”

He was the first subject of Mrs. Norton’s test. That meant there were many uncertainties involved. And even after the ‘contract’ was activated, if anything went wrong, he could return to Tristan’s gunshot wound, and die.

‘But still, I have to protect her.’

He couldn’t force Eugenie. He vividly remembered what had happened the last time he had incited her…

And now, how lucky was he to be her ‘husband’ now.

How fortunate he was to finally stay by her side and protect her.

How thrilling it is not to just be the ‘brother’ he used to be, but someone who truly belongs with her now.

Maybe, from the very beginning, he didn’t want to be just that. Perhaps that’s why, on the day they first met, his lips were secretly pouting.

* * *

The royal hunting event was suspended shortly after it began.

However, no one dared to criticize the early end of the event. After all, the event’s guest of honor—the Crown Prince, who had just come of age—was found unconscious in the middle of the forest.

There was no need to explain in detail the screams of Empress Silvea or the chaos among those around them.

How could the palace remain composed when the Empire’s only heir couldn’t regain consciousness for an entire day?

The citizens of the Empire, who had no idea about Tristan’s true nature, were only hoping for the Crown Prince to recover quickly.

Even in the honeymoon home of the so-called ‘femme fatale,’ prayers for health were being offered—but not for the damn Crown Prince.

“Ugh… ha, ugh.”

In the bedroom, the woman with chestnut-colored hair had been unconscious for days.

After collapsing in the forest, Eugenie was transferred to the mansion, where she remained in a comatose state. Sometimes, she would groan in feverish delirium, sweating and writhing in pain.

Even when doctors were called, none could offer any answers for her condition.