Chapter 59
Meeting Kallion’s gaze head-on, Lloyd slowly continued forward.
Kallion had been breathing heavily as though he might snap at him at any moment, but belatedly noticed something was wrong with Juliana.
He had thought she was simply sleeping comfortably in another man’s arms, but her face was flushed bright red, and she was struggling to breathe in short, shallow breaths.
“Why is she like this?”
Kallion’s face twisted harshly as though Lloyd himself had somehow put her in this condition.
Looking at Kallion, Lloyd retorted coldly.
“I’d like to ask you the same thing. You didn’t know your wife was this sick?”
Kallion’s brow furrowed at Lloyd’s words.
At the expression that seemed to ask what he meant, Lloyd drove the point home.
“Judging by her condition, she must have been showing symptoms even before the banquet.”
Kallion’s expression hardened at Lloyd’s pointed remark.
Then, frowning in displeasure, Kallion shot back.
“And you knew Juliana was unwell, yet you still dragged her around outside until she ended up like this?”
At Kallion’s sarcasm, Lloyd ground his teeth.
“At least I seem better than you, who took care of another woman while your sick wife was right there.”
The two men’s gazes collided in midair.
Just then, Juliana’s eyelids slowly moved in Lloyd’s arms.
Noticing her movement, Lloyd looked down at Juliana worriedly.
“You’re awake?”
Juliana barely opened her eyes through her daze. When she realized she was in Lloyd’s arms, she weakly struggled.
Then she spotted Kallion and her expression hardened.
“Put me down, Lloyd.”
At her dry voice, Lloyd didn’t insist and obediently lowered her to the ground.
The moment Juliana’s feet touched the ground, she staggered.
While Kallion flinched unconsciously, Lloyd moved first and caught Juliana by the arm.
“Are you alright?”
“Thank you.”
“I’ll help you to the estate.”
At Lloyd’s worried words, Juliana forced herself to shake her head.
“Thank you for today.”
With that, Juliana began walking with difficulty. Seeing her force herself to act as though she were fine despite her deathly pale complexion, Lloyd bit his lip.
Watching the two of them, Kallion frowned at the inexplicable displeasure rising inside him.
“Why didn’t you say you were sick?”
Kallion asked stiffly as Juliana staggered past him.
Juliana seemed too exhausted even to turn toward him. She sighed before replying.
“If I had told you, what would have changed?”
At her cold words, Kallion was left speechless.
When she tried to move again and staggered, Kallion’s hand instinctively reached toward her.
But she recoiled and took a step back as though a bug had nearly touched her.
“Don’t touch me, Kallion.”
At the contempt in her voice, Kallion had no choice but to withdraw his outstretched hand.
His expression stiffened strangely.
Did she hate him so much that even while sick, she would recoil and push his hand away?
Without even noticing his expression, Juliana pressed a hand to her feverish forehead and continued walking.
“I’m tired, so I’ll go inside first.”
Leaving only those words behind, she unsteadily entered the estate while the two men could only watch in silence.
It was Kallion who broke the heavy silence.
“I’m grateful that you brought my wife back to the estate.”
With that, Kallion stared sharply at Lloyd.
“But I’d prefer you refrain from excessive interference. Like it or not, she’s the lady of Baldomer and my wife.”
At Kallion’s words, Lloyd scoffed.
“And yet you didn’t even know your wife was this sick?”
Kallion frowned at Lloyd’s mockery.
Then he sighed and pressed a hand to his forehead as though displeased by the situation.
“She’s the sort of person who never lets anything show. I simply did not know.”
At Kallion’s words, Lloyd let out a hollow laugh.
“It’s not that she didn’t show it. She couldn’t.”
Kallion’s shoulders instantly stiffened.
Staring at him, Lloyd spoke through clenched teeth.
“She married into an enemy house. She’s surrounded by people who dislike her, and even her own bed must feel like a bed of thorns. Could your wife possibly let anyone see that she was sick in a place like that?”
Kallion was momentarily unable to speak because every word was undeniably true.
“She probably endured it with everything she had because she didn’t want to give anyone a reason to find fault with her, especially in a place where she doesn’t have a single person on her side. And the only person she should have been able to rely on was her husband.”
After speaking that far, Lloyd ground his teeth in frustration.
Then he stared straight at Kallion and continued.
“Judging by what I’ve seen, I doubt you’ve taken care of your wife at all. If anything, you seem to have treated her worse than a stranger.”
He was right.
After all, the person who had been the wariest of her and disliked her the most in the entire estate was Kallion.
“If my interference bothers you, then you should make sure I no longer have any reason to interfere.”
At Lloyd’s pointed remark, Kallion froze with a blank expression.
Looking at Kallion, Lloyd lowered his cold blue eyes and spoke quietly.
“Otherwise, I’ll step in every time I see an opening. This… yes, let’s call it a declaration.”
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