# 13
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Even before Eric finished his sentence, Chloe's face visibly lit up. She smiled brightly and clasped her hands together as if she were a child getting candy.
“It's been a long time!”
Before her marriage, she used to attend dinner parties often. But after her marriage, when she moved to the North, she did not attend any dance in those five years.
One reason was its distance from the capital, but in reality she was reluctant to come alone. She also did not want to talk to anyone about her married life.
This marriage was for the purpose of ling her for money. It was a marriage without love...
No, that's not the case. Chloe loves her husband.
No matter how much she repeated this, there was no way anyone would believe her. So, Chloe naturally decided to quit social life.
Although it was her own choice, it was true that she sometimes missed going to proms.
But still...what did he mean by the royal banquet? Chloe almost jumped in anticipation.
But this joy did not last long. A dark look quickly crossed her features as she looked at Eric.
“But, my dear...”
She opened her lips carefully, trying to sense the emotions that would appear on Eric's face.
“The dress – it will be expensive.”
"my wife."
Eric's black eyes were burning with anger. His eyebrows furrowed, and he loosened the tie of the fancy suit he had deliberately worn today.
“I wonder why you keep making me angry.”
"…Yes."
“I'm always curious about this.”
Chloe rubbed her fingers together and dropped her head.
You made a mistake.
I did something wrong.
She didn't know what it was, but she was wrong anyway.
She had her head bowed, unable to look into his eyes.
“I'll see you at the entrance in two hours.”
So she didn't even see what kind of expression was on her husband's face.
* * *
This was her first time outing with Eric.
Over five years.
Chloe couldn't hide her excitement.
cough!
But her body did not respond to her thoughts. Her heart was aching and her lungs were straining. once again.
She felt like she might cough up blood. She took a handful of the medicine and swallowed it in one go, then took a deep breath immediately afterward.
No, please no.
Don't show how sick you are to him.
If she was caught sick like this, he would get angry again.
“Huh...”
Chloe leaned back in the chair she was sitting on, breathing hard. Then I slowly looked out the window.
She saw a train moving despite the snow storm. I shouted. The moving train released thick black smoke. Chloe stared at him absently.
How helpless was it to think that humans would only be able to get off when the train reached its destination? There, people can only get off after enduring each other's company.
Wasn't life exactly the same?
Life was like riding a train, and not being able to leave until it reached the end... with railway lines stretching for decades.
But its railway line will soon end. After two years at most. Then, the railway line will be cut, and the train will collapse.
Before that, she wanted to do something that made her feel alive. But she didn't know what it was.
Whatever it is, anything...
“Ma’am, it’s time to go.”
Hearing the other woman's voice, Chloe slowly got up. She straightened the slightly wrinkled dress, then walked out the door with calm steps.
But before she left the room, she turned and looked out the window again. Even the black train smoke had already disappeared.
Will you be able to survive alongside Eric?
She wished she had even a glimmer of hope that he would continue to treat her with the same warmth he had treated her with yesterday.
But Chloe knew that well.
This hope was like a mirage that would disappear the moment you tried to hold on to it.
Chloe smiled softly to herf and shook her head.
* * *
Today, Eric was wearing a long black coat with a tailored dress shirt, his hair pulled back.
His narrow eyes were cold, but captivating. However, fatigue was still evident under his gaze.
It made his atmosphere even more intimidating.
Chloe took a step closer to Eric. Then she extended her hand to him.
The goal was to fix his crooked tie.
Eric hesitated, but accepted her touch.
“You look very handsome today.”
Chloe smiled, but Eric remained silent. He just looked at Chloe with a silent look.
He remained silent as they boarded the locomotive, even as they were already approaching the city square.
There was no embarrassment or hesitation from either of them because they didn't know what to say. On the contrary, the silence between them continued to grow because neither of them intended to fill the locomotive with conversation.
Chloe felt frustrated by the silence. She wasn't very talkative either, but she had never been so silent before.
So she quietly opened her lips to speak to Eric.
“Where are we going today?”
answered Eric, who was looking out the window.
“We'll go to Mrs. Leisen's shop.”
"Sorry?"
Chloe's eyes widened in surprise. Madame Leisen's shop was a place that could not be entered even if you tried to book an appointment a year in advance. Moreover, the clothes in that store were so expensive that one dress was equivalent to the cost of a nobleman's living for an entire month.
She looked at Eric, her eyes trembling.
“That place is...”
“I know it's a place you used to frequent when you were still single.”
But Eric spoke up. He was still indifferent, but his view of her was… a little different. This made Chloe hope for the best.
“What a nice person you are!”
Chloe smiled brightly. She whispered in a low voice, her hands clasped together.
“I'm happy.”
I felt hopeful again.
* * *
Due to the accumulation of snow, the vehicle was unable to move well.
And so they sat there for a long time. Chloe was feeling unwell from motion sickness, but by comparison, Eric was fine. Whenever Chloe needed to cough, she would bend over and cough very quietly so he wouldn't smell her.
She didn't want Eric to know. Didn't he get angry with her just because she had a fever? If he was angry about such an ordinary illness, what would happen if he knew that she was terminally ill?
I might get fired before I can even pay my debt to you.
Chloe stifled a cough and endured the pain.
At this moment, the locomotive's engines were turned off, and the horse neighed as it stopped. They have arrived.
Once the car stopped, Eric got up.
As soon as the knight opened the door, he walked out.
It was as if he hated being in the same place with Chloe.
She stared at his back as he walked away, a helpless smile tugging at the corners of her lips.
He had always been like this, but why did it hurt her more today? Maybe... maybe she wanted him to notice how sick she really was.
She wanted him to notice her, to comfort her...it was greed, this feeling inside her.
Chloe clenched her fists and suppressed these thoughts.
"my wife."
When Eric called her, Chloe broke from her train of thought.
I assumed he would leave as soon as he got off the carriage, but he stood in front of the door and waited for Chloe to get off as well. Even with heavy snowfall!
“Be careful.”
Connect with Chloe. He looked like he was trying to be polite.
What happened to her husband? Why did you feel he was particularly nice today?
Chloe took Eric's hand and swallowed hard.
“You must be in a good mood.”
Eric raised an eyebrow instead of answering.
“You're still nice to me.”
Eric opened his lips, then closed them again. He stared at Chloe, but quickly turned away, his face flushing.
They did not exchange any more words. He just tilted the umbrella towards Chloe so that the snow wouldn't reach it.
Chloe glanced at Eric's wet left shoulder, then clasped her hands together again as she lowered her gaze. It was still snowing heavily, but she felt strangely warm. A smile appeared on her lips.
* * *
Mrs. Leisen's shop was empty.
As she reminisced, no matter what reservation she made, there were always other customers. But this time it was strange.
Maybe it was because of the snow. Chloe watched the staff stand at tense attention.
“Welcome, Marquis Aslan, Marquise Aslan.”
Mrs. Leisen received them. Chloe couldn't hide her excitement, it had been a long time since she'd met her.
“Long time no see, ma’am.”
Mrs. Leisen smiled and nodded.
“It's been a long time, Marchioness.”
Mrs. Leisen counted on her fingers, then spoke.
“It's been five years.”
Noticing a hint of reproach in the other woman's tone, Chloe smiled awkwardly and looked around to shift the conversation to another topic.
“Is there something that catches your eye?”
Mrs. Leisen asked this question, noticing that Chloe's blue eyes were fixed on a pink dress.
When Chloe realized what she was looking at, she quickly looked away. She knew very well that the main dress on display was very expensive.
She gradually turned her gaze to one of the deserted corners of the store. Mrs. Leisen frowned slightly.
“These dresses are not appropriate for this season.”
Lizan spoke in a reproachful tone. Why are you looking there? Chloe is still Chloe Rolfe, the only daughter of a duchess in the kingdom.
She married the Marquis Aslan. Of course, Leisen knew that there was a difference in the nobility, but the Marquis had huge wealth! He is a very competent person!
But she would only choose this type of dress? truly? If she had been the previous Chloe, she wouldn't have even glanced in that direction.
Mrs. Leisen's expectations began to decline.
Chloe guessed what Mrs. Leisen had in mind, and her face immediately reddened. She felt shame overwhelm her.
But wasn't this inevitable? There were only expensive things in this place. She didn't want to be indebted to her husband more.