# 39
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Chloe wondered if she should comfort him, but quickly gave up, feeling helpless. He needs a competent assistant like Daniel by his side, not her.
Which made her even more angry towards her mother at the same time, as it was clear that she was desperate to get her husband’s money without any consideration for his difficult situation.
Should she stop him now?
Chloe covered her face and thought.
No no. My mother spoke to her husband yesterday. Because the Duchess is an educated woman, she will not rush her husband within a day. At the very least, she'll wait a few days before talking about it again.
This means that her mother will be here for a few more days...
Chloe frowned.
She couldn't leave her room. This was because her cheek was very swollen, and she did not want to see her mother. This was something her husband should never see, she didn't want to show any weakness in front of Eric.
It was not just aristocratic pride. She always wanted to be the perfect woman for Eric. It is true that she could not become that perfect woman because of her family problems, but she wanted to be flawless, regardless of that.
This is how Chloe herf sought to prove the legitimacy of their marriage.
She had the right to take this position because he was always looking for rational relationships.
Therefore, she hoped that Eric would never find out that her relationship with her mother was bad, and that, moreover, she was being beaten and slapped by her mother.
She stared in the mirror and saw her puffy cheek. It seemed to her that it would take a day or two for it to cool down, as there were no other wounds such as nail scratches. Even then, she couldn't leave the room...
You won't leave. Chloe was determined to do it again.
She decides to send Eric a message when Andrea returns, telling him she won't be having breakfast. Chloe then flipped to the next page of the newspaper in the meantime, skipping the unimportant content.
Chloe leafed through the newspaper briefly, reading quickly.
Suddenly, her gaze stopped at a certain angle. It was because her name was mentioned.
[Chloe Aslan, Suicide Buzz?!]
Her hands were shaking as they held the newspaper. Chloe read the article quickly.
In brief, the contents were as follows:
The Aslan couple were on board a hot air balloon. She took the opportunity when the Marquis was not there and threatened suicide. This scene was captured by a reporter who was on board the same air balloon at the right moment.
The journalist examined Chloe very carefully, but fortunately she did not die, and since she ate dinner without any problem, it seemed that her threat of suicide was just a passing event. It can be concluded from this that Chloe Aslan was experiencing severe emotional changes, and the article concluded by speculating that they were symptoms of depression.
Chloe exhaled sadly.
She didn't know there was a reporter on board the balloon. No, she did not climb onto its roof while contemplating suicide in the first place. She went up to him simply because she loved him, and she was very happy then!
Thinking about this, she bit down hard on her lower lip.
It's always been this way.
Yes, that was one of the reasons she left the capital… because she felt like she was being scrutinized wherever she was – her every move was being noticed by everyone, and her behavior was being distorted and recorded in print.
As a result, even those who had never met her before gained a distorted understanding of her actions.
Chloe remembered that this was exactly why she had become fed up with everything and left the capital. Five years later, it came back, and yet they keep repeating the same thing!
“…Ah, what do we do now?”
Chloe buried her face in her hands, her shoulders shaking.
She loved the capital, because people here did not reject or hate her as in the north. However, there were many who were outwardly smiling, but hiding their intentions and watching them cloy.
So, where should I go?
Where should I go, where I can lie down and be at peace?
“A place like this...”
...It seemed like it didn't exist at all. She could only access such a world upon death, it seemed. She would have preferred to die early.
Death came too late.
"strange."
Eric remembered that Chloe hadn't left her room for the past few days, and muttered.
“...I can't see Chloe at all these days.”
"Actually, I asked Andrea, and she said there was no problem. She just said she looked very tired."
"Is this correct?"
However, her mother was here, and yet she did not show her face for three whole days. Isn't there a problem with that?
Moreover, the Duchess wasn't looking for Chloe either. She seemed to not care about her daughter's whereabouts, and was content to mingle with the other noble society ladies of the capital.
If so, that's a big problem. It was quite clear that the reason for their disagreement was money, which means that she obviously did not want her mother to take Eric's money, and she was strongly against it.
In fact, Eric was okay with that.
The amount he was paying Duke Rolfe from his pocket was insignificant to him, like a drop in the ocean. However, Chloe believed that he was poor, and that he was making money out of nothing.
He had to admit that he hated that idea very much, even though there was no sign of this misunderstanding going away because she was a proud and stubborn woman and she didn't have, and couldn't accept, the idea that her judgment might actually be wrong.
Whatever the case, Eric decided he had to step in and mediate the situation if this was why Chloe and the Duchess were getting into an argument.
This was naturally the husband's role. In addition, he had to fulfill his promise to fulfill the role of husband to the fullest.
“Is the Duchess still here?”
“She's enjoying her time with tea, taking it easy.”
Daniel spoke in a sarcastic tone, but Eric ignored him.
“Then take her to the living room... No, no. I'll go.”
In fact, Eric was not at all eager to face the Duchess.
The reason was not that the Duchess talked about money in every meeting between them, but rather that it stemmed from her contemptuous attitude towards him. Whether it was intentional or not—and perhaps it was—she always looked down on him.
She said phrases like “proverbs” and “of all people” with complete ease. “The likes of the Marquis, of all people.” She's said this before too.
Of course Eric wasn't bothered at all because he had heard this from many people other than the Duchess, however the fact that she was Chloe's mother made it very unpleasant for him.
He felt like Chloe was belittling him herf whenever he heard the Duchess looking down on him.
It was a kind of inferiority complex, a repressed anger that he had been suffering from for a long time. That's why he directed his anger at Chloe, because she was an easier target, and he would never take his anger out on the Duchess.
However, Eric hadn't thought that much about how he expressed his feelings.
He vaguely assumed he was angry because Chloe was always in his way.
"Oh my God. What brings you here, Marquis?"
The Duchess, who was slowly sipping tea, greeted Eric.
Eric laughed lightly, waiting for an answer.
At the same time, he glanced at the table and saw a cup of tea that he had never seen before. Royal Amberwood tea cup. The price of one cup was equivalent to a full month's salary for an ordinary person.
When he saw that, he laughed even more softly.
She bought a cup of tea first thing when she got here. This clearly revealed the Duchess's arrogance and insolence.
“Nothing important, although I wanted to talk to you, ma’am, after a long time.”
"truly?"
The Duchess raised her eyebrows at those words.
You should have sent a maid to inform me before you came. It's inappropriate for you to barge in like that. However, because I am a very understanding person, you know, I can forgive your rudeness with a smile. Okay, please have a seat. Have some tea. Today's tea is rosemary tea. It is very useful for calming the mind and body.
Eric hesitated for a moment when he heard the underlying tone of contempt again, but he quickly smiled as usual and sat down as the Duchess had requested. As usual, he completely ignored the Duchess's rudeness.
I'll send Daniel and I'll call you next time and beyond. To excuse me, I thought you would overlook it because we live in the same house and have been a family for a long time. I expected you to have that tolerance, ma'am.
"naturally!"
replied the Duchess.
I am a very generous person. Yes, no doubt about it. I'm not saying I was offended by your actions. I'm just giving advice, because I'm afraid you'll act the same way around people other than me.
“I will take your valuable advice.”
Eric leaned forward after answering. Now, after the quick greetings were over, it was time for him to reveal the real reason why he had come to look for the Duchess.