If You Leave Without a Word - Chapter 187

‧₊˚ ☁️⋅♡𓂃 ࣪ ִֶָ☾.

It was a face he hadn’t been able to forget for even a moment in the past six months.

Was it his vague hope and belief that once he saw her again, he could fix everything that had gone wrong that was causing the problem?

When Agatha first saw Cain, she looked startled for a moment, but quickly hid her face behind an indifferent mask.

There were no common pleasantries exchanged. She walked past him with a calm attitude, but she passed him with cold steps.

Their expressions were so different that it almost made Cain question whether it was even right for them to be in the same room.

One side was looking at the other with a gaze filled with longing, affection, and embarrassment, emotions tangled together. But the other side had no interest in the other.

“Greetings, Duke Kristin.”

“I was told that you would release my people only if you saw me in person.”

Agatha walked right past Cain, clearly showing the purpose of her visit. To meet the arrogant request of Count Schuck in order to bring her people back. There was no sign of any other purpose or interest.

Cain had imagined thousands of scenarios in which he would encounter her again. But none of his fantasies had prepared him for this cold indifference.

She was shocked by the unexpected meeting, but that was all it was. There was no joy, no relief from the worry, no sadness from the longing—it was as if there were no emotions at all from her.

He realized that during the months they had been apart, it had only been his heart aching, not hers.

The thought that simply seeing her safe would be enough to feel complete had been a complete illusion. Nothing was okay. The moment Agatha’s gaze left him, his heart felt shattered into pieces.

She looked at him as if she didn’t care. Even if it was a mask of calm, unlike him, who couldn’t hide his expression, Agatha clearly didn’t find any meaning in their unexpected encounter.

There was not even the smallest trace of lingering attachment and it made Cain’s anxiety surge.

Had it already been too late? Had the opportunity to seek her forgiveness and change her heart passed him by? Or had such an opportunity never even existed in the first place?

He couldn’t read any emotion in Agatha’s back as she spoke to the Count. He hadn’t expected any warm greetings, but her indifference was more than he could bear. Now, all that was left for him was disappointment and frustration.

A vein popped from Cain’s forehead as he clenched his teeth. He was unable to reveal the devastation he felt.

“I will never forget your arrogant behavior.”

“You’re mistaken. I simply requested that Your Grace come by, but you ignored my plea.”

“Why should I meet with you? It seems you hold Kristin’s name in contempt. Do you think Kristin’s name is one that can be summoned at will by a mere Count, who comes and goes as he pleases?”

Agatha didn’t need to say much to get her people back. Even as she responded to the Count’s arrogant summons, she left a clear warning.

“That’s not it. Your Grace, I merely…”

“I’ll take my people and leave. I hope we never meet again.”

Without waiting for a reply, she turned to leave, her gaze fixed forward. To her, it was as if Cain had never existed here at all.

It was only after Agatha left the parlor that Cain came to his senses. He couldn’t let her walk away like this.

The revenge against Count Schuck and his mother’s justice had slipped to a lower priority in his mind, but Cain didn’t realize it. His pace quickened as he followed her.

She had already nearly left the mansion with her guards by the time he’d snapped out of it.

“Agatha!”

How long had it been since he last called her name? The fact that he was calling to her, not to the empty air, made his whole body ache with longing.

“Agatha, wait…!”

He called out again and again, but she didn’t look back. Following Cain, Lehman and the knights rushed out of the mansion as well.

“Agatha, wait a moment!”

Cain’s words were cut off as the knights protecting Agatha stepped in his way.

“Move.”

“We can’t do that.”

Cain pushed through the knights, and then Karon appeared. Like with Rubens, there was a flicker of recognition in Karon’s eyes, but it quickly shifted into the cold demeanor of a knight.

“If you have something to say to the Duke, speak to me. I will pass it along.”

“Step aside. This isn’t something for Sir to handle.”

“I told you, I cannot step aside.”

The two men faced off. Neither one of them was willing to back down easily. The knights surrounding them began to tense up and kept a wary eye on each other.

“Why are you doing this now?”

Karon muttered in a tone just loud enough for Cain to hear. He was criticizing Cain for trying to stop her now, after everything that had happened, when he had pushed her away before.

“There’s something I must say to my wife. You don’t have the right to stop me. Step aside.”

“My duty is to protect the Duke. If it’s something she doesn’t want, then stopping it is my job as well.”

Even though his heart was already with Agatha and was trying to reach her, his body couldn’t follow.