# 19
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That's why Eric didn't care much about things like birthdays. Even if someone wanted to celebrate it, he tended to content himf with offering formal congratulations.
The same goes for Khloe's birthday. Being with her on a day like this was nothing but an annoyance to him.
But this year was different. He had to celebrate her birthday.
Because he didn't want to divorce Chloe.
Why?
The answer was simple.
Divorce was not an option.
But why again?
'Do you love me?'
It's not about feelings like love. Eric didn't like her. No, in the first place, he did not know what love was.
What is love? Is it affection between parents and children? Then Eric wouldn't know.
Was it the shyness that men and women feel towards each other? So, Eric didn't know that either.
He didn't know what love was. Honestly, he didn't know what feelings were. Therefore, he could not determine what kind of feelings he had or where they were headed.
Perhaps the real reason for his refusal to divorce Chloe is his desire to prevent his marriage to the fourth princess. In fact, this explanation hadn't occurred to him until after Chloe had mentioned it, but it seemed like the only plausible explanation. If the fourth princess marries another man, then divorce from Chloe...
Eric's brow furrowed again.
No, he had no intention of divorcing.
Eric didn't want Chloe to leave. Not because of a trivial emotion like love, but because he could not give up what he had in his hands.
If there is any possibility of a divorce between them, Khloe will have to convince him first. That's what he thought.
After leaving his laboratory, he took out a pocket watch. It was now half past nine. He had plenty of time to get dressed and stop at a store, and then he would meet Chloe.
While he was thinking about this, he went on his way. But he met Daniel, whom he was looking for.
"His Excellency!"
As soon as Daniel saw Eric, he rejoiced and clasped his hands together.
"Oh my God, I'm finally here! Thank God. You have no idea how fast I ran to get here!"
Eric pulled out hastily.
“What's going on here?”
“Someone from the Jiren Guild has come!”
The Jiren Guild was the one that controlled the largest trading area in the Eastern Region, however, Erik had yet to make a deal with them because they were looking down on him.
But did someone from that place come here? Eric's eyes widened.
“They came here to buy the prosthetic leg I made! No, wait, this is not the time. Hurry up, change your clothes, and go out to meet them! Wash your hands first!”
Daniel pushed Eric back. Eric looked stunned for a moment, but he quickly rose to his feet, his expression truly resembling that of a successful businessman.
And so he completely forgot about Chloe.
* * *
“Hoo…”
The moon had risen high in the sky.
After meeting with the Jiren Guild representative, Eric loosened his tie and sat on the sofa as if burying himf there. When one of the buttons on his shirt was unbuttoned, a long scar appeared on his chest.
Eric tilted his head back. He was the only person in the room.
It was a success.
From now on, he would start trading with the Jiren Guild. This was a tremendous achievement.
He had only been able to reach customers in the West, but now that he could expand eastward, he would be able to make wealth from the entire continent.
He smiled as he thought of this bright future.
Today was a wonderful day to celebrate. He pulled out a bottle of Valentino that had been kept for 53 years.
At that moment.
-knock knock.
He heard a knock on the door. He said no one should enter, so who could it be? Eric buttoned his loose shirt again, then answered in a sharp voice.
“Excuse me, Your Excellency.”
It was Andrea, the bridesmaid he placed alongside his wife. Eric raised his head, and the joy that was previously on his face disappeared.
“What's wrong?”
Andrea hesitated, then spoke cautiously.
“The lady is not back yet, sir.”
"What?"
Eric stood up. Now that he thought about it, he had a date with Chloe… that he had forgotten about. He completely forgot about him.
“Fuck!”
Eric hurriedly took out his pocket watch to look at the time. It was approaching midnight.
He turned his gaze to the window.
It was snowing heavily.
* * *
Snow piled up in the city square. It was not piled up to the knee like it was at home, perhaps because the cleaners were here. But it was still high enough to freeze.
Eric looked around hurriedly. Everything was blurry because not a single lamp was lit in the square.
As his vision adjusted to the darkness, he could gradually see clearly. Flower basin. Empty seat. A towering clock tower – and in front of it…was Chloe.
“You foolish woman!”
Eric ran to Chloe's side, grabbing her shoulder tightly.
When he looked at her, she was as pale as death. Her blue lips were trembling, and her skin seemed to be cracking.
I've been here in this cold weather for twelve hours. Was that normal?
Eric was so angry to see Chloe like this – she was like a living corpse.
What a stupid girl!
“If I hadn’t come, you would have known that I wouldn’t come in the end! Why are you still waiting at this hour?!”
Eric shouted, wiping snowflakes off Chloe's eyelashes.
He was angry.
He was so angry that he felt like it was going to drive him crazy.
He didn't know why he was so angry, but he was so angry that he wanted to scream.
What a foolish, ridiculous, uess woman! Why was she even making him angry on a day like this?!
“…You were going to come.”
Then Chloe slowly opened her lips.
“Because you said you would come.”
Eric stopped breathing.
He stared at Chloe in a daze, forgetting how to breathe.
“And I did.”
Chloe smiled. She was so happy to have Eric here. This was a completely new feeling.
This made Eric even more angry.
He didn't know why.
* * *
"Damn you!"
Eric was running towards the locomotive through the heavy falling snow. Chloe was in his arms, and she fell to the ground.
Chloe's body was burning like a ball of fire. Even though she was wearing a thick fur coat, he could still feel how hot she was!
Foolish woman. Stupid woman. An incredibly kind-hearted woman!
He cursed Chloe endlessly, but he knew it deep down. That she had reached this state was because of him alone.
He could have postponed the meeting.
He could have kept his promise
No, he actually forgot about it...
He knew it was all his fault, but he didn't want to admit it – he didn't want to accept that it was all due to his fragile understanding of what a 'promise' was.
If he had admitted it, he would have felt like he had lost. He didn't know who or what he was losing to, but he didn't want to feel any hopeless defeat.
And so he blamed Chloe.
If she had used her mind even a little, she would have had the common sense to return to the palace…
Why was Chloe so stupid?
Eric frowned as he hugged Chloe tightly while she was breathing hard.
"Burn more fuel! Go full speed!"
Eric shouted as he reached the spot where the locomotive was parked.
The cart driver did not know what had happened, but he quickly complied with the order. The silence that had fallen over the place was interrupted by the sound of the carriage engine and the sounds of frantic horses.
It wasn't long until they returned home.
"Your Excellency? Where have you been… ma'am?"
Daniel ran downstairs as soon as he saw, from the window, the locomotive arriving, and found himf in front of this surprising scene.
“Don't you see? Go and call the doctor immediately! Call the best doctor in the capital!”
“Ah, yes!”
Daniel hurried out of the palace doors. Eric entered and immediately ran up the stairs two at a time, shaking some snow off Chloe's clothes.
Oh, my God! Andrea covered her mouth, surprised to see them.
“Get warm water and medicine to lower her temperature. No, not that. First, get dry towels and clothes to change into.”
“I will prepare it immediately.”
Andrea immediately brought dry towels and a nightgown, then hurriedly changed Chloe's clothes.
Eric crossed his arms and let out a soft sigh. The tension was evident on his face. the curse! Why didn't the doctor come? Eric looked out the window and bit his lip.
Then he turned his head and looked at Chloe. He knew he shouldn't look at her changing her clothes, so he was about to quickly turn his back, but… He looked at Chloe again in surprise.
He saw how she looked like a dead body.
He saw how she was so thin that she looked like she had no flesh.
He realized how normal it would be for him to think that maybe she wasn't breathing anymore.
...Why did she look like that?
“Aren't you eating?”
Eric spoke unconsciously.
"Sorry?"
Andrea answered.
“My wife… doesn’t she eat?”
Eric looked at Chloe, who was now wearing a snow-white nightgown.
“Ah…no, sir. The lady rarely eats. She only drinks black tea occasionally.”
“Hoo…”
Eric sighed deeply and touched his forehead. Then he walked to the window and opened it. Next, he took a cigar out of his inside pocket and lit a small fire.
The feeling of suffocation was matched by the cigar smoke in his chest. But no matter how much he inhaled and exhaled the smoke, it did not go away, and that was what frustrated him.
"Your Excellency! The doctor is here!"
After smoking two cigars, Daniel screamed as he pulled a bald man towards him. Eric stubbed out the cigar on the window frame and blew out smoke.
“Why were you so late?!”
He was upset and frustrated, but Chloe's checkup had to come first. He looked at the doctor.
“She was outside all day while it was snowing. Her body was ice cold. Her temperature was high.”
“Oh my God…please let me check it first.”