If You Leave Without a Word - Chapter 96

‧₊˚ ☁️⋅♡𓂃 ࣪ ִֶָ☾.

As she was forcibly led out, Stella continued to hurl insults at Agatha. She yelled that John wouldn’t be under that man’s thumb forever and that she would soon exact revenge on that proud Marquis and Agatha.

These baseless threats echoed until she was finally pushed out of the temple.

“Madam, are you alright?”

Liana quickly checked Agatha’s expression. Though Agatha tried to appear unaffected, her longtime companion Liana could see her distress.

“We need to return and report this to the Marquis immediately. I’ll instruct the knights to increase security…”

“No, that won’t be necessary.”

The headache that had been nagging at her eyes now spread to the back of her neck.

Overwhelmed by extreme fatigue, Agatha swayed, prompting the priest delivering the eulogy to hurriedly wrap up his speech.

The memorial service ended in disarray due to the sudden disruption. Some nobles gossiped that this disaster was all because of the Marquis’s absence.

As Agatha left under the protection of the knights, Stella’s parting words about the futility of a man’s affection echoed in her mind.

It was ironic because Agatha had never believed there was any affection from Cain towards her in the first place. How could something nonexistent change? Despite trying to rationalize it, she couldn’t shake a lingering pain in her heart.

Yes, it was just an illusion.

⚜ ⚜ ⚜

Hiding in the annex under the guise of being busy, Cain remained out of sight even as Agatha and her entourage returned from the memorial.

However, Agatha had resolved to confront him today. She wasn’t going to allow him to hide and evade all responsibility.

Even if he had lost interest in their precarious marriage contract and let his feelings drift away, there were still certain obligations to uphold as long as the contract was in place.

Cain had stated that protecting Kristin was the reason for their marriage contract. Therefore, he should have shown his face at the memorial service. Even if he couldn’t stand the idea of entering with his pretend wife, he should have attended alone even if he had to use the pretense of work.

“The Marquis is resting.”

“Step aside.”

“I’ll say it again, the Marquis is resting…”

“I said, step aside.”

Patrizio stood at the entrance of the annex, blocking Agatha with an air of disdain. His expression was filled with contempt as he looked down at her, as if he were a gatekeeper.

“You cannot enter. The Marquis has given strict orders that no one is to disturb him.”

“Move.”

“How many times must I say it? You cannot…”

“Does my command sound like a request to you?”

Patrizio had clearly underestimated her, expecting her to back down with a sorrowful expression as usual. But Agatha’s firm and intimidating tone took him by surprise, making him scratch the back of his head in confusion.

“Since when do you have the authority to command me?”

“That’s not… I didn’t mean…”

“It seems you dislike taking orders from the Marchioness. If you prefer, I can arrange for you to leave this household immediately and live freely.”

“…I apologize, Madam. I misspoke.”

Patrizio had made a grave error in judgment.

The only reason he and other servants from the Grand Duke’s household could act so brazenly in the Marquis’s estate was because Agatha allowed it.

She was not as naive or foolish as they believed.

No matter how much they leveraged the influence of the Marquis and the Grand Duchess, they were merely employees who could be dismissed at the Madam of the house’s command. Agatha had tolerated their behavior to avoid unnecessary conflict, but she was no longer willing to overlook their insolence, especially after the recent events.

Normally, she would have sighed and retreated, but this time she stood her ground, asserting her authority. Patrizio, caught between the stern orders of the Marquis and Agatha’s unexpected defiance, found himself at a loss.

After a moment of hesitation, he sighed deeply and reluctantly added.

“The Marquis is in the main house. He mentioned he had work to attend to in his study.”

“The Marquis isn’t even in the annex, yet you stand here blocking my way and lying to me about not being able to enter?”

“Th-that’s not it.”

“Then what is it?”

“The Marquis ordered us to keep his whereabouts confidential. And he also commanded that no one be allowed into the annex…”

So he didn’t want her to know where he was or what he was doing. Even though they were in the same estate, he was trying to avoid her as much as possible.

Agatha was momentarily speechless. She was stunned by Cain’s indirect yet clear message of wanting to avoid her.

Why was he going to such lengths to avoid her? Was this how all men blinded by love acted?

Lost between confusion and displeasure, Agatha found herself momentarily at a loss for words. Patrizio took this moment to bow his head apologetically.