# 42
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At the last sentence, Jimmy exploded again.
"What crazy nonsense! How can you say we can't see it!"
“Right, where is my daughter now? I have to see her and talk to her!”
Jimmy laughed sarcastically.
“She is Dana Hartwin! If she tries to escape, she will ultimately belong to our family!”
“Ah… you still don’t realize anything.”
He looked at him with eyes filled with pity.
“Miss Dana is no longer affiliated with the Hartwins.”
“What…what do you mean…?”
For Jimmy, Dana was an eternal slave to Pete Hartwin.
A creature created to serve a lifetime, to remain obedient, and an instrument with which to satisfy his petty vanity.
“I got married.”
The Viscountess collapsed to the ground. As for Jimmy, he did not even pay attention to his mother's fall.
His face was covered with paleness.
If Viscount Hamburn knew...!
He saw his despicable future before him, rolling to the lowest bottom.
“Wait… wait! You… you said you were a lawyer, right? Please… help me…”
The tone of his voice changed in the blink of an eye. His features softened, and he bowed his body humbly, heading towards Karl.
"Let me see her just once. Dana...she must have misunderstood. We...we loved her so much!"
His voice was filled with wails and despair. Then he prostrated himf, and grabbed Karl's leg, clinging to it.
“This is unreasonable! How can a girl get married without her parents’ permission? What is this frivolity?”
He had to meet Dana immediately.
As soon as he saw her, he would immediately bind her and drag her to Viscount Hamburn.
The news of her marriage to another man must be buried forever. This is a matter related to his own life.
“Jimmy Hartwin.”
Karl's voice rose above his head, dry as frost.
“My client said something to me. She asked me to tell you if she tried to go too far.”
Short silence. Then Karl spoke.
“Disappear, you wretch.”
“Aaaah!”
Jimmy screamed as if a nail was stuck in his chest.
How dare this bastard despise him? he? he…?!
His mind faded under the weight of anger. Dana's image appeared above Carl's features.
Jimmy lunged at him, screaming.
“Ahh!”
But the hand that was about to slap him was caught and twisted forcefully. The pain that seared his wrist sent him reeling.
Then the knight threw him to the ground. His emaciated body hit the ground with a hollow thud, and he rolled.
The envelope of documents rested next to him.
“My client is demanding compensation for physical violence, labor exploitation, and psychological damage. If you do not comply... the legal path will be followed.”
In other words.
The entire Hartwin household makes its way toward the prison.
“You will meet her on the day of the trial. Until then...”
He gave a brief salute, then disappeared with the two knights.
The noise that filled the main hall died down, and silence descended.
All that was left was Jamie, groaning as he clutched his wrist, and the unconscious Viscountess.
***
“What's lunch today?”
“Potato soup, salad topped with grilled mushrooms, then...”
It looks delicious.
Dana smiled slightly as she looked at Edwin. As soon as he returned from work, he was preparing dinner for her.
Edwin, who seemed to be able to do whatever Dana asked, was strict about some things.
Especially when you're trying to help him cook or clean; He couldn't stand it.
He wanted her to just relax and enjoy the peace.
One day, Dana grumbled.
'This way I'll be spoiled.'
Edwin received that sentence with obvious joy.
'Pamper yourf as much as you want. Use my hand, and ask for whatever you want.'
His soft fingers extended and caressed her hair.
‘It is enough for you to lean on the familiarity I am giving you.’
Dana looked into his eyes, and she understood.
His words were directed to little Dana, who had never found anyone to lean on.
That sad meaning melted in her heart, dissolving her old loneliness.
Since then, she has been at ease.
Because she did not know the meaning of rest at all, she left her body relaxed beyond time.
She sits aimlessly, staring into nothingness, moving her feet lightly, or drifting behind floating threads of light.
Putting her anxiety aside into a relaxing day...it was a really strange feeling.
Edwin forbade her from cooking, but he did not prevent her from looking at him while he cooked.
Rather, he brought her a comfortable chair to sit in the kitchen.
Her own seat.
I watched him roll up his shirt sleeves and cook skillfully.
“Edwin is a great cook, really amazing.”
Dana had no talent in the kitchen.
Even the Viscount's servants were preventing her from approaching.
“I'm good at everything.”
A sarcastic line crossed his lips. The truth is that he was a failure at first.
But to live with Dana alone, he caught the chef countless times and learned from him.
He wanted a house devoid of servants and cooks... a house that included no one but them.
He wanted to always remain perfect in her eyes, so he worked tirelessly.
Dana stared at his broad back.
Her loving gaze flowed from his back to his shoulders, then to his strong arms and all the way to his fingertips.
She loved this quiet peace.
And that warmth that reaches her from him even when his back is turned.
All of it… Edwin gave it to her.
The awareness in her chest dissipated, replaced by the pounding of her heart.
A light tickle ran through her body.
Her feelings escaped from her lips.
“I love you, Edwin.”
Her words came out suddenly, touching his eardrums, wrapping around him. A warm fog swirled in his head, as if he were floating in water.
He turned around slowly.
His eyes were wandering, as if in a dream, when they fell on her.
Perhaps he felt the weight of her confession more than she intended. Dana was confused, trying to shift the atmosphere.
“Excuse me... It seems I said it without realizing it, because... I love you so much.”
She said her words lightly, but they landed heavy. It was almost a second confession.
“Dana...why do you keep going...”
Edwin's gaze deepened.
His red eyes, like trembling wine, had something dark in them.
A burning gaze touches her from afar.
Since we lived together, I often see her with a new face that she didn't know.
With this face, she was radiating a charged atmosphere that she did not know how to deal with.
Their gazes met in silence.
It was Edwin who finally looked away. He closed his eyes tightly and let out a short exhale.
Then he tried to calm the emotional wave that swept over him.
“When you do this... I don't know what to do.”
“You will never know... how much one word from you shakes me.”
This was not just talk.
Edwin immediately realized that her confession would fill his day countless times. It will surprise him as he works, capture his heart, and shake him.
Her bright eyes, her warm voice, they will all be imprinted on his mind.
He knew very well what a sensitive stage this was for her. He did not want to burden her with his own desires.
After a long wait, he was finally able to arrange a gentle smile.
“Do you want to go read a book?”
He suggested in an affectionate tone, eyes nervous.
Dana stood up, clearly embarrassed.
Until she left the kitchen, she could feel his hot gaze following her back.
She closed the door, and the feeling almost penetrated her.
Her face turned red as if it were on fire.
She waved her hand on her cheek as she headed toward the library.
Then she collapsed with her body on the comfortable chair.
“There's no need to be shy...we're a couple.”
She mumbled, then suddenly jumped to her feet.
"No, that's not true! What did we even do? Why should I be ashamed?"
And it's all because of Edwin.
His red eyes are extremely seductive to the point of exaggeration.
How did his beautiful eyes, which were known for being so kind and smiling, turn to this extent...?
She shook her head forcefully, dismissing his image. She headed towards the shelves.
There must be a book that extinguishes these feelings.
“Why are they all romance novels...?”
For some reason no one knows, Edwin filled most of the shelves with romance novels.
Most of them are love stories with princes too!
I left those shiny covers and looked in the corner of the shelf. There a familiar book caught her attention.
The simple brown cover...it cannot be confused with anything else.
“It's Shane's poetry collection!”
He was her favorite poet.