Chapter 81
Still kneeling, he carefully took her hand.
Lloyd looked down at the slender back of her hand, which seemed as though it might break if he squeezed too hard, then carefully pressed his lips to it.
The gesture made him look almost like a vassal begging forgiveness from his master, or a knight swearing resolve and loyalty.
Juliana’s expression stiffened slightly at the gesture.
When Juliana tried to pull her hand away, Lloyd held on and looked up at her with lonely eyes.
“Because you’re far too good for Baldomer.”
Because I wanted you to come looking for me.
So abandon Baldomer and come to me.
Look for me when things become difficult, Juliana.
If you reach out to me first, I can do anything.
Even if it means throwing myself into hell.
“……”
Caught by Lloyd’s gaze, Juliana could only stare back at him in silence for a long while.
From inside the darkened estate, Kallion was staring intently at the two of them.
* * *
Even with all the chaos surrounding the mine, I steadfastly finished organizing the budget documents and went to Kallion’s office.
When I knocked and entered, Layla was nowhere to be seen, and Kallion was sitting alone at his desk.
I approached him and set the documents down without a word.
Just as I turned to leave the room, his voice stopped me in my tracks.
“Do you want everyone to know that badly that you’re having an affair with that bastard?”
At the abrupt remark, I frowned and turned toward him.
At some point, Kallion had put down the pen he was holding and was staring straight through me.
“Why, you should have just kissed him while you were at it.”
I had heard from Kate that House Schultz was the culprit behind the leak of Baldomer’s information.
I hadn’t expected an apology from him.
But even so, to have the first words out of his mouth upon seeing me be an accusation like that…
“Is that all you have to say to me?”
At the iciness in my voice, as though even the affection that had never existed had completely vanished, his expression stiffened.
He pressed a hand to his forehead and sighed.
“Fine, I apologize for misunderstanding you before. But you were acting in a way that made it impossible not to misunderstand…”
“Because you had reason to misunderstand?”
A hollow laugh escaped me.
“Because I might have that kind of relationship with Lloyd?”
He didn’t particularly deny it.
He still misunderstood Lloyd as my lover.
Trying to explain Lloyd to him felt pathetic, and I had no desire to do so.
But regardless of my relationship with Lloyd, I couldn’t understand Kallion’s behavior.
He himself kept Layla by his side and even shared a secret room with her, yet I couldn’t understand why he was so determined to seize on every fault of mine.
“Even if Lloyd and I were lovers who had slept together, you have no right to say something like that to me.”
At my sharp answer, Kallion’s brow furrowed fiercely.
“I’m the master of this estate and, at least formally, your husband. I have more than enough right.”
He was the one who had told me I could take a lover.
So I couldn’t understand why he was looking at me like that now.
“You were the one who told me to take a lover.”
“Right, I did. But even after everything that happened, are you saying you’re still going to keep seeing that bastard?”
“That’s none of your concern.”
“You still won’t say you’ll stop seeing him. I suppose sleeping with that bastard is very different from the bed you have to grit your teeth and share with me?”
Kallion’s words had crossed the line.
A chill spread through my chest.
“Haah…”
Having lost all will to argue, I let out a deflated sigh.
He was still glaring at me as though he wanted to devour me.
After meeting his gaze for a long while, I slowly began undoing the ties of my dress.
His brow furrowed at my sudden action.
“What are you doing?”
Even at his question, I didn’t stop.
The bodice was relatively easy to remove, so after undoing all the ties, I pulled the top of my dress off without hesitation.
My skin, fair enough to look pale, and the swell of my b*****s wrapped in undergarments were exposed to the air.
Kallion froze at my abrupt action.
Looking directly at him, I spoke each word coldly and clearly.
“You seem to be misunderstanding something. This kind of act means nothing to me, Kallion.”
Seeing him frozen in confusion brought a strange sense of satisfaction.
“Even if I sleep with you and roll around in bed with you for days on end, it won’t mean anything to me.”
Kallion’s expression twisted instantly.
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