-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Vine
Chapter: 33
Chapter Title: Don't Touch Me With Hands That Held Another Woman
-----------------------------------------------------------------
What? Why is Eric here? Rose froze on the spot, utterly unprepared for the situation.
"You're already here."
"Already…?" Rose's brows furrowed at Eric's voice.
"I knew you'd be waiting. You must be tired of pretending not to care, of pretending to be bored with me. Especially since I'm not as anxious as you expected."
What kind of nonsense was this now? Rose was no longer even flustered by Eric's continued dismissal of her actions as mere 'strategy.' Eric smirked, his lips curling as if he could see right through her.
"You never deviate from my expectations."
Eric stood arrogantly, looking down at Rose, then slowly walked towards her. With every step Eric took, Rose retreated one. She disliked being in an enclosed space with Eric. And now, this situation… it was quite dangerous, wasn't it? He was approaching her wearing nothing but a gown. A dry swallow caught in her throat at the sight of him, looking as if he might pounce at any moment. From all her past experiences, she knew well enough that Eric was not a man who would listen to reason or gentlemanly appeals.
'I can't even use my period as an excuse today…!'
Rose gnawed on her lower lip, glancing at Eric with uneasy eyes. Since they were here for a bath, claiming to be on her period wouldn't work.
"I want to bathe alone."
Rose looked up at Eric, her eyes wide. But Eric paid no attention to her words.
"Now that you're already here, I don't know what kind of pretense this is."
He let out a scoff, looking at Rose as if utterly dumbfounded.
"I didn't drag you here; you came yourself. You quietly accepted my offer, so why the sudden act now?"
Only then did Rose understand what Eric's words meant. It seemed that coming to this bathroom was a secret signal between Rose and Eric.
'I never read anything like this in the novel.'
Was it because she had only read the beginning? Rose didn't know all the intricate signals between the couple. If she had known what this bathroom meant to them, she would never have come here.
"I didn't accept your offer. I was just overwhelmed today… I simply wanted to relax my tired body."
Rose continued to speak calmly despite the unsettling situation.
"So, no. Please leave."
At her refusal, Eric's brow furrowed even deeper. He couldn't understand Rose. He couldn't grasp why she, who had always been so submissive, kept trying to avoid his touch.
"I don't know how long you intend to keep saying things you don't mean."
Eric didn't take Rose's words at face value and questioned her.
"Your rejections were fresh for a time or two, but not anymore. You'd do well to stop before I get even more tired of you."
He chattered at Rose as if issuing a warning. To not fully accept "no" as "no." What an idiot, Eric. No, why couldn't he understand when she said she didn't like something? Rose's face turned pale, realizing that nothing she said would get through to him. Eric strode forward, closing the distance between them. As she stumbled backward to avoid him,
"Oh, oh!"
She ended up falling into the bathtub. Although the water was shallow, only reaching her knees, she lost her balance and landed on her bottom, submerging her face in the process. Only the splashing sound echoed in the bathroom.
"Phew!"
Rose pulled her dripping wet hair out of the water and exhaled. Eric, far from helping her up, merely gazed at her, coveting her as she lay in the water. Rose, glistening with water, was undeniably alluring. The droplets tracing her fair skin were strangely provocative. When he had seen Rose drenched in rain, he had only felt displeasure, but seeing her up close, her appearance wasn't so bad. In fact, it stimulated Eric even more. Water droplets clung to the tips of her long eyelashes, falling with a soft 'plink' each time Rose blinked. She was so beautiful that he felt an immediate urge to kiss her eyes.
'Is it because it's been a while?'
Eric grabbed Rose's wrist as she lay in the bathtub. Then he pulled her upper body upright.
"I've been neglectful lately, so today, I'll make sure to assuage your grievances."
If they divorced, he wouldn't be able to hold Rose 'for a while.' So, he ought to love her deeply today. Eric had no doubt that Rose would cling to him even after their divorce. This was likely because the original Rose had clung to him relentlessly for three years. She had habitually told Eric that she couldn't live a single day without him. So, it was only natural for Eric to think this way. Eric was busy satisfying his own desires, completely disregarding Rose's feelings after the divorce. To him, Rose was merely his possession, so he had no reason to consider her heart. Eric approached Rose as if he were about to kiss her.
"I'll make you forget everything. Just surrender to your instincts. You… you love me, don't you?"
Rose blocked Eric's approaching mouth with one hand and spoke.
"Do you love me?"
Rose gazed at Eric with cold, detached eyes. She wasn't asking because she didn't know. She could tell by his gaze alone that Eric didn't love her. That he merely treated her as his possession. Eric subtly pushed away Rose's hand from his mouth and narrowed his eyes. A wave of weariness washed over him. What a foolish woman, always wanting confirmation of his love. But if he said 'I don't love you' now, he might not be able to hold her. She hadn't shown any submissive behavior these past few days. For the first time in three years, Eric directly uttered the words, "I love you."
"I want to hold you because I love you."
Eric gently stroked Rose's face. Despite his soft voice, his gaze remained cold. It wasn't the look of a man who loved a woman. It was merely that of a beast consumed by lust.
"How amusing."
Rose let out a scoff, as if mocking Eric. Her cold voice echoed throughout the bathroom. Rose firmly gripped Eric's hand that was stroking her face. A thick, cloying perfume scent wafted from Eric's hand. To carry the scent of another woman and then casually lie, saying 'I love you'... ! All of this must be a lie, simply to take her body. It wasn't even amusing. A sudden wave of nausea swept over her. The person Eric had been entangled with was likely Doana. He was touching her with the same hands that had caressed Doana, and he was trying to kiss her with the same lips that had whispered endearments to Doana. It was repulsive and filthy. Eric's blatant deception was exactly like someone from her past life.
'Lee Dohyeon… you must have come to me so casually every time too.'
After rolling around in bed all day with Gyeoru. And then with that filthy body, you tirelessly whispered words of love to me…! Rose found it hard to escape the trauma of her past. The betrayal was as great as her trust had been, and the situation now was exactly the same! Rose's eyes, brimming with indignation, were filled with sorrow. She swept her wet hair back and brushed past Eric. Then, without even drying herself, she tried to leave the bathroom.
"You, what are you doing?"
Was he angry that she was leaving him behind? Eric strode forward and grabbed Rose's wrist. He had expected Rose to be moved. He had uttered the words "I love you" for the first time, but instead of shedding tears of emotion, she glared at him as if he were an insect. Rose stared at Eric, who had forcibly turned her around by grabbing her, with emotionless eyes.
"Answer me. I asked what you're doing."
"Eric, if you're going to cheat, why don't you at least not get caught?" Rose's voice, devoid of laughter, cut through the air as she stared at Eric. At Rose's words, Eric flinched, then arrogantly replied.
"…Hmph. Are you having another bout of suspicion? We'll talk about that later. For now, calm down and come into my arms. We have marital duties to uphold."
What "bout of suspicion"? He'd been caught red-handed right in front of her, and he still had the nerve to be so shameless. He treated Rose as if she were suffering from delusions of infidelity, sighing as if he were utterly fed up. Rose remained even colder in response to Eric's brazen attitude.
"You just held another woman. Don't even think about holding me with those filthy hands."
"…What?"
How… how did she know that? Eric involuntarily flinched at Rose's words. It was true that he had held Doana before coming here.
"Honestly, that's not proper etiquette for a married couple, is it? Don't you think it would be better to uphold your duties before demanding marital obligations?"
Rose added, facing the speechless Eric.
"…Why are you cheating, anyway?"
A surge of emotion rose within her. This situation kept overlapping with the past… she couldn't control the overwhelming feelings. Rose dropped her head weakly. Then, clenching her hands into fists, she spoke with difficulty.
"Am I, as a woman, so lacking?"
A tremor was audible in her thin voice.
"All I ever needed… was you. I didn't ask for anything more than that!"
The suppressed emotions exploded, erupting as she screamed at Eric. Her eyes, fixed on him, were a tangled mess of devastation and despair. Though she was shouting at him, Rose was actually projecting someone else onto Eric. Lee Dohyeon's image flickered faintly before Rose's eyes. That maddeningly resentful person had tormented Rose to exhaustion.
"If only I had you… I would have been happier than anyone else in the world…."
Rose's voice trailed off as she weakly turned her back. Her slumped shoulders looked incredibly forlorn. Eric didn't stop Rose as she walked away from him. No, it would be more accurate to say he couldn't stop her. Because tears were endlessly streaming from Rose's eyes. He could do nothing at the sight of her weeping so desperately. He was unusually weak to Rose's tears. When she cried, Eric's mind would go blank. He had never learned how to comfort a crying woman. He had never had the desire or the need to.
'Like a fool… why are these tears flowing?'
In Eric's appearance, she kept seeing Lee Dohyeon, her first love. She had thought Dohyeon was different from others. She had believed that her love was special. She had never once doubted that she would spend her entire life with him. But that man had betrayed her. With her decade-long friend. She had thought the pain of betrayal had dulled, but a part of her chest still ached. Rose was still unable to escape their shadow. That night, Rose had another nightmare. The terrible, cruel nightmare of that day.
*** The next morning. Rose sat blankly, skipping her meal.
'My head feels a bit dizzy.'
Was it because she hadn't slept, or because she'd skipped breakfast? Sitting at her desk with a vacant gaze, she soon tapped her cheeks, 'tap-tap.'
"Snap out of it. I have a lot to do."
She wrote 'Serviart' largely on a piece of parchment and tapped her pen.
'Rose hadn't had a particularly good relationship with her parents even before her marriage.'
She tried to recall the original story, but she couldn't remember much about the Count and Countess Serviart.
"Haa…"
A sigh escaped her naturally. After the divorce, she wanted to stay with the Serviart family until she could secure a proper residence. She was, after all, afraid of living alone as a woman. One might wonder why she worried about staying at her parents' house, but Rose had cut ties with them. So, she couldn't help but feel awkward. Yet, there was simply too little information about them. Grand Duke Arteum had said they were worried about Rose, but since she hadn't confirmed it herself, she couldn't feel at ease.
'When I meet the Grand Duke, I'll have to ask him for details.'
As she was lost in thought, Doana burst through the door. Then, she scanned Rose with a suspicious gaze.
'Did something really happen between Rose and the Count yesterday?'
Eric, leaving her alone to go bathe, flickered before Doana's eyes. The Head Maid had said this to Doana:
'A mistress can never truly replace the legal wife.'
At those words, Doana, overwhelmed with anger, revealed her pregnancy. To show off that the person she should be impressing was herself, not someone like Rose.
'You didn't know yet, did you? I'm carrying the Count's child. So you'd better choose your side wisely now.'
'Doana, if a child is born between the Count and his wife, what do you think will happen to your child?'
The Head Maid, who would normally only give sharp glances, was in a highly emotional state due to Gwen being fired. She hinted that there was something going on between Rose and Eric, openly looking down on Doana. Doana then swept her arrogant gaze over the coughing Rose.
'So, I need to get rid of Rose before they have a child.'
Doana slowly walked over and settled herself on Rose's table.
"Rose, I have some wonderful news I simply must tell you."
If Eric wouldn't do it, she would drive Rose out herself. She picked up a pastry from the table. Then, without permission, she took a bite out of Rose's treat. Rose, feeling drained, didn't want to deal with Doana. She simply watched her with dull eyes, regardless of whether she ate her tea or not.
"What kind of tea is this?"
Doana tapped the teacup in front of her.
"Green tea. Drink it if you want." Rose answered without looking at Doana.
"Green tea? I can't drink that anymore."
She usually drank it just fine, so what new scheme had brought her here? Rose slowly raised her head and looked at Doana.
"Rooibos tea. I'll only be drinking that from now on."
Doana called Rose's maid as if she were her own servant and insisted on being brought rooibos tea.
"Are you very busy? I have something important to tell you."
Her unusually confident demeanor gave Rose an uneasy feeling. Rose put down the pen she was holding, sending a silent gaze that said, 'Go ahead and say what you need to say.'
"Come sit here. You're too far away; I can barely see your face."
'Should I just kick her out?'
Her body felt heavy, and dealing with Doana was incredibly bothersome. Rose slowly walked over, intending to drive Doana away, and perched herself on a chair. Doana smiled contentedly as Rose sat opposite her. Then, she slowly lifted her teacup. Before Rose could even take a sip of her tea, Doana's voice echoed in her ear.
"I'm pregnant."
"Pregnant?"
Rose's eyes, which had been daintily holding her teacup, widened like a rabbit's. Startled by Doana's unexpected words, she almost dropped the cup. Hmm, no, that's not right. This time, she had somewhat expected it. Was it because she flinched? The hot tea in the cup sloshed and spilled. Rose quickly pulled her hand away and checked the back of it. Fortunately, no tea had spilled on her hand, unlike in her previous life when it had swollen bright red. It was a familiar situation. She had had this conversation with Doana before. No, it would be more accurate to say 'Gyeoru.' Rose rubbed the back of her pale hand and looked at Doana, a relaxed smile on her face, unlike the day she had wept miserably.
