# 9
---
“I will make sure that His Highness does not take advantage of the situation to treat you. I can do this perfectly. Please, I must meet His Highness.”
It was a desperate plea, and it only made Eric's mood worse.
“He is the second prince to visit the country.”
"What?"
“He is not the third prince you were waiting for, my wife.”
Chloe couldn't understand what he meant.
“I wasn't waiting for William. It doesn't matter which prince it is.”
William. It is the first name of the third prince – the same one who was previously engaged to her.
Were they close enough to spontaneously call each other by their names? Eric frowned unconsciously, his anxious thoughts accumulating.
“However, you cannot meet him. No matter how close your relationship was, that is in the past. You are no longer friends.”
Eric got up and put out his cigarette on the tea table.
“You must stay in this room until His Highness leaves. After that, I will send someone to you.”
“Eric.”
“It's also better to eat your meals here.”
“Eric!”
Chloe got up too, then ran forward to block Eric's path.
“Please allow me just one interview. I have to meet Your Highness.”
She ed with all her might, which made Eric even more upset.
“Why?”
Speak in a provocative tone.
“Why do you have to meet the prince?”
“This...”
Chloe subconsciously looked away. She lowered her eyes and bit her lower lip.
What should she answer? Is she saying she wanted to meet the prince for her husband's sake? Or did she tell him that she wanted to meet the prince to pay off the debt her family owed?
No, she couldn't do that.
“I can't say why now, but I really have to meet—”
“Stop it.”
Eric clearly showed his upset expression as he interrupted Chloe in the middle of her speech.
“Daniel!”
He shouted at the door. Shortly after that, the door opened slightly.
“Yes, you called sir?”
Without looking at Chloe, he turned to Daniel.
But the only person who was in Chloe's eyes was Eric.
She was still ing him to let her meet the prince.
"Watch my wife. Don't let her leave this room."
“Eric!”
Was he going to put her under surveillance?! Chloe raised her voice at this ridiculous statement and grabbed Eric's arm.
“Why do you have to do this... Let's talk, please...”
“Chloe.”
Only then did Eric's eyes meet hers.
He pierced her with his gaze. He was so expressionless... it was as if he was looking at something that meant nothing to him at all - without feelings, without a heart.
“Just listen to me.”
His words were brief, but his tone was heavy.
He added as he passed by the frozen Chloe:
“Close the door.”
closing!
The door slammed shut.
.to open.
The handle was closed.
There was no time to protest.
Eric only said what he had to say and ignored Chloe's words.
As always...correct. It's always been that way. He stood his ground until the end, just as he never loved her.
Chloe staggered and barely managed to reach a nearby chair.
She shouldn't have raised her expectations. It was a uess illusion.
“Even if I talked to Eric...”
Nothing would have changed.
Because you will never love me to the bitter end.
Chloe buried her face in her hands.
The room was lonely. She didn't want to breathe this air, but she had no choice. She needed to breathe.
* * *
“The lady’s face was completely pale.”
Daniel muttered as he stared at the back of Eric's head, then muttered this as he walked half a step behind Eric.
“Why did you have to quarrel today? Only yesterday we talked about not quarreling with her, sir.”
"Shut up."
"No, but why did you have to do that? Why did you have to close the door when it's not something that would normally make you angry? The lady would be very upset."
Eric replied: Shut up.
“Huh, what a ruthless man.”
Daniel shook his head and beat his chest repeatedly.
"The lady did nothing wrong. I can't believe her husband is a man without blood and tears."
“If it weren't for that religion, I wouldn't have gotten married anyway — oh, wait.”
“Ah, ah.” Daniel covered his mouth. Then he slowly began to assess Eric's anger.
Eric's facial expression was already harsh, but now his face became even more distorted.
“Damn, that mouth!” He smacked his lips several times.
I apologize. I made a mistake in speaking.
“As long as you know.”
“Are you angry?”
Eric stopped suddenly.
Was he angry?
He looked at his thoughts.
Was he angry because he was told that he was a cruel, insensitive man who neither shed blood nor shed tears?
Was he angry because Chloe wouldn't have married him if it weren't for her family's debt?
Eric thought carefully. But it didn't last long.
"no."
He wasn't angry. Because everything Daniel said was true.
“I think you're right.”
In a life where he had no way of knowing whether he would live or die, feelings were like a luxury to him.
So Eric didn't know what to feel.
Honestly, he didn't know any other feeling other than anger. Daniel's first observations were correct.
Eric's marriage to Chloe...
Daniel wasn't wrong about that either.
If it were not for the Duke's debts, Chloe would not have married Eric.
Chloe Rolfe, a purebred noble, would not have looked in Eric's direction, being a commoner.
When he first saw her at the academy, she took Eric's breath away.
No man could not fall in love with her. With her silver hair shining in the sun, her blue eyes that seemed to carry the blue of the ocean itf, her skin as smooth as porcelain, and her elegance.
So Eric constantly tried to stand out in front of her. But what words did he hear from her?
Isn't he a commoner?
Ordinary person.
This is correct. He was a common man.
She was the daughter of the only duke in the country.
There was a line between him and Chloe – a line that could never be crossed.
No matter how much he tried to excel, he could never elevate himf from being a commoner... However, he was able to become a noble thanks to money.
Eric suddenly smiled wryly.
Was there something that money couldn't buy?
"Let's go. Today's deal should go through very smoothly."
Move forward again.
* * *
“It's been a long time, Marquis.”
The second prince, Harris, greeted Eric with a hug as if he were greeting a close friend.
It had been eight years since Eric had become a noble, so he was familiar with proper etiquette. He bowed and greeted the prince politely.
"Why are you being so formal? It doesn't matter. You don't look comfortable anyway, just talk casually."
The prince's words were full of thorns.
It was as if he was saying that no matter how much Eric acted like a noble, at heart he was still an ordinary person.
Harris provoked Eric relentlessly.
“Thank you for allowing me to be comfortable, Your Highness.”
However, Eric answered easily without his facial expression changing, as if he had not heard Harris' previous words. The prince's eyes narrowed.
“He's like a child.”
Eric glanced at Harris and clicked his tongue inside him. Harris was like that originally anyway.
The king, his father, approved of Eric. However, Harris pretended not to know this fact.
He always boasted of his pure lineage, expressing his pride as a member of the royal family without any reservations in his words.
In short, Harris was a foolish and arrogant man.
Eric was determined to crush Harris' nose one day, but now was not the time. He bowed before the prince and waited for the right time.
Right now, Harris was a member of the royal family, while Eric was just an ordinary person.
Eric smiled innocently at the prince, but Harris looked away, still in a bad mood.
“Hmm. It's interesting no matter how many times I see it.”
Harris turned and lifted a prosthetic leg that was sitting on Eric's desk.
“I don't understand the principles behind it.”
The leg-like piece of metal was filled with small gears. Harris wanted to know how these parts moved, but he was not interested enough to study them seriously. Harris was a merchant, not an inventor.
"This prosthetic leg of yours is ling very well in the West, with sales of around £40 million. Of course, that was three months ago – it should be much higher now."
“The West is a war zone. Of course it will be a big ler.”
Without responding, Harris looked up from the prosthetic leg and turned to Eric. Then he wiped his arrogant face.
Ordinary person.
Harris frowned slightly, but that disappeared from his features in an instant.
Anyway, Erik Aslan was an amazing and talented man, and he really revitalized the kingdom. The Second Prince was determined to have this man on his side.
“The Marquis’s place is truly amazing.”
Harris smiled brightly and approached Eric.
“It is a blessing from God to have a talent like you here in our country.”
“I am also grateful to be a citizen of a country that appreciates my talents.”
Eric responded with a casual smile. The smile seemed sincere, so Harris' face brightened noticeably.
Eric saw this and pointed to the prosthetic leg on the desk.
“If we export to the East, we will make more money.”
“True. The market there is bigger.”
“The Bedouin war is still ongoing. We can expect profits more than double our total.”
"I agree."
In their spontaneous conversation that flowed like a river, Eric laughed a low laugh that the prince did not hear. Then he opened the bottle of whiskey he had prepared on the desk.