If You Leave Without a Word - Chapter 188

‧₊˚ ☁️⋅♡𓂃 ࣪ ִֶָ☾.

The anxious feeling quickly turned into anger. If Karon wasn’t going to step aside, Cain was ready to use force as his eyes flashed with resolve.

“I don’t want to hurt my wife’s people, but it’d be better for you to step aside now.”

“I, too, would rather not respond with force to someone who is the Emperor’s vassal.”

Karon stood firm. He was truly a loyal retainer to Kristin. However, there was no time to admire his spirit. Cain’s hand went to his waist.

“Stop it.”

A firm voice stopped both men in their tracks. Cain felt encouraged at the sound of Agatha’s voice finally directed at him.

Even though it wasn’t a positive response, he appreciated that she was responding at all—she didn’t know how much it meant to him that she acknowledged him, even in this cold way.

“Marquis Vernat.”

But at the next words she spoke, Cain had to release the tension in the hand that had been gripping his sword.

“Call me Duke Kristin. I don’t require formal titles, but I expect the proper address.”

She didn’t want to be called by his name or as his wife. The cold distance she kept between them made Cain’s chest tighten. He exhaled shakily, trying to hold himself together.

“I’m not sure what you wish to say, but this is not the place for it.”

As she spoke, Agatha quickly glanced around. At least, it seemed unnecessary to have a personal conversation here, at Count Schuck’s house. Cain agreed with that point.

After speaking, Agatha turned to leave, and Cain silently followed her along with the others.

⚜ ⚜ ⚜

Agatha looked noticeably healthier than in his last memory of her. The sharpness in her cheeks had softened with the right amount of fullness, making her appear more lovely. The melancholy and sorrow that always seemed to cloud her face were gone.

Contrary to his concerns, it seemed she had spent her time in peace.

Cain felt relief, but at the same time, his heart ached. While he was grateful she hadn’t suffered as he had, it also meant that her loss wasn’t as deep as his own, which brought both comfort and despair.

“Agatha…”

He whispered her name quietly. His throat tightened, and he couldn’t continue speaking. As he gathered himself, Agatha walked over and sat down in the spot she had chosen.

They had come to a quiet island that could only be reached by boat from the port.

So, she had been hiding here. Cain finally understood why he hadn’t found any trace of her during his previous visit to Pahel.

Schuck’s takeover had stripped the Borgia family of everything, even their name, and now this was the only remaining property. Cain didn’t expect this place to be where she had gone.

A middle-aged woman, who had been loyally serving Agatha, poured tea into Agatha’s cup and then offered Cain a cup as well.

It was Charlotte, Agatha’s nanny, whom she had been searching for so long.

“The reason I brought you here, Marquis, is because there seems to be no place for you to stay in Pahel at the moment.”

Her cold tone was unfamiliar. The voice, one that he had never heard from her before, stabbed at Cain’s heart like a sharp knife.

There was so much he had wanted to say when he finally saw her again… But now, faced with the long-missed face, he found that words wouldn’t come. His mind was tangled, clouded, and perhaps it was because her cold attitude was making him lose all the hope he had been holding onto.

Charlotte set down the teapot and unfastened the strap around Agatha’s shoulder, helping her out of her heavy cloak. The large, body-covering mantle seemed to be quite heavy, as Agatha let out a deep sigh as soon as it was removed.

As the cloak fell away, Cain’s eyes froze on Agatha’s dress. He had assumed she had gained some weight, perhaps out of comfort, as her body had been so thin before. But that wasn’t it.

When his gaze landed on the round belly that couldn’t be hidden even by the voluminous folds of the dress, Cain forgot how to breathe.

There’s a huge difference between imagining something and facing it head-on. The thought that Agatha might be pregnant with his child was now a harsh reality. Cain couldn’t bring himself to say any of the words he had prepared in his mind.

Noticing where his gaze was, Agatha raised a hand and gently touched her belly. The way she touched it was so calming that something—whether it was tears or guilt—rose inside him like a tide.

Feeling his nose tingle, Cain slowly parted his lips.

“I’m glad… that you’re alright. Agatha.”

His breath hitched at the end of the sentence. He was afraid that showing any emotion might make it seem like he was trying to earn sympathy. Cain found himself caught between heaven and hell as he gazed at her hand, too afraid to meet her eyes.

“There’s no need for you to worry about my well-being, Marquis.”

Her response was still as cold as ever. The harshness of her rejection, which had stung like shards of glass in his heart the first time he heard it, now seemed almost funny to him as he grew accustomed to it after just a few times.

Even if she pushed him away and responded coldly, she was still here in front of him. Not a dream or illusion, but the real Agatha was breathing, speaking right in front of him.

Perhaps, just this reality itself was enough to move Cain. The way his nose kept stinging was perhaps because he was simply grateful to be in the same space as her, sharing the same breath…