Chapter 53
“When I was ten. That’s when my parents and younger siblings died. It wasn’t because of war or plague. They literally starved to death. As you know, there was a great famine around that time.”
Whether it was because of my name or for some other reason, I could feel that, despite the suddenness of the story, he was now focused entirely on me.
“My little sister, who was two years younger, and the youngest, who had just been born. They all died back then. I was the only one who survived by some miracle. The hunter who took me to the next village said I had a disgustingly tenacious will to live. After that, I just clung to life as desperately as I could.”
It must have been the first time he’d heard this story from me.
“I’ve done everything from begging to stealing. I sold everything I could, except my own body. I was planning to save that for last, since I needed to get a good price for it. If someone was a little kind, I’d cling to them, and if they kicked me away, I’d just run off. That’s how I lived up until I came to the ducal household. And then I met you, Claude… To be honest, I can’t say I wasn’t hoping my luck would turn for the better.”
Claude was a quiet listener. His face, listening silently, was so calm that I couldn’t read any emotion from it.
“If it were the old me, I would’ve just brazened it out, whether the previous Duke threatened me or you got married. My life has always been hanging by a thread, and I was the kind of person who cared more about the bread and bed right in front of me.”
Was he disappointed? Did hearing about my gutter life make him lose all affection for me?
Even so, I couldn’t help it. At this moment, I wanted to confess everything to him without hiding anything. I felt like that was the only way I could truly show him my heart.
“But, you know… I couldn’t do it. I don’t want to die, but seeing you marry another woman would be even worse than death. And more than anything, I can’t bear the thought of watching you die. So I ran away, just to avoid seeing all of it. I survived all this time living like a stray cat, after all.”
After I’d said all that, I paused for a breath. Claude was still staring at me with an unreadable expression.
“So what I want to say is… I’m sorry. You must resent me, but I hope you can forgive me. I came back of my own free will, didn’t I? Maybe it looks laughable to you, but for me, it was a huge decision, both to leave, and to return. So… even if it’s just for old times’ sake, please show me mercy just this once. I want to be by your side. You don’t have to treat me as kindly as you did before I left. I’d be happy just to be able to see you from afar.”
After finishing my story, which was practically begging, I waited for Claude’s judgment. Of course, I didn’t forget to bow my head like a pitiful flower.
Because in this world, you never know what could happen. I hoped, just a little, that I could win his sympathy.
“That’s a bit difficult, Ayla.”
But the man I loved was not someone I could take lightly.
I already knew he wasn’t someone who believed other people’s words easily. Still, I’d thought he would at least listen to mine, so honestly, I was flustered. I thought this heartfelt speech would work, at least!
“Judging by the way you’re talking, it seems you still haven’t come to your senses. I don’t feel like your words about loving me are sincere. Why should I trust you enough to let you roam free? I think it’d be better to just lock you up in my bedroom after all.”
Ah, this… looks like it’s going to be a more persistent fight than I thought.
Well, at least the location he wants to lock me up has been upgraded from the dungeon to the bedroom, so there’s still hope.
If that’s really what he wants, I suppose I can’t refuse, but is there any need for both of us to deliberately choose such a difficult path?
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