158 - The Evil Husband (15th Anniversary Edition) Chapter 158
158
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Aileen was the only person besides the Emperor who called the Grand Duke by his name without formality.
Aileen was aware of this fact, so at first, she couldn't easily bring herself to say Cesare's name. Even now that she had grown accustomed to it, she tried to be careful outside the Grand Duke's Residence, but the title 'Cesare-nim' had become so ingrained in her that it often slipped out unintentionally.
Until now, she had only been among people who took it naturally when she said his name, but seeing Alessia so startled made her realize it anew. That this was the normal reaction.
Alessia belatedly erased the surprised look from her face. Returning to her usual expressionless state, she briefly said, "I'm sorry," and apologized again.
"I don't know much about him."
Alessia began working as a bodyguard when Malena left the Tavern on Fiore Street and began appearing at noble banquets in earnest.
However, her connection with Malena went back further than that. The two were originally childhood friends who had been close since they were little girls.
Through Malena, Alessia indirectly watched Cesare. She had actually seen him a few times as well. The fear she felt every time she encountered his emotionless crimson eyes was etched into Alessia like a scar.
"He has no distinction between good and evil. In fact, I think he's closer to being an evil person."
"I… know that."
Alessia intently watched Aileen, who bit her lip slightly. She was extremely fragile. It was hard to believe that she was the Grand Duchess who had enjoyed all sorts of luxuries, yet had walked out on her own accord, knowing that she would incur the Grand Duke's wrath.
Alessia felt like she understood why her friend and master, Malena, was so worried about Aileen. The naive and innocent Grand Duchess truly loved the Grand Duke with all her heart. Malena was concerned about the tragedy of a pure heart being trampled by an evil person.
"Aileen-nim, you haven't directly experienced his evil deeds, have you?"
"……."
"The owner of the Tavern that he had shut down was found dead on Fiore Street. With clear signs of torture and assault."
Alessia considered explaining how gruesome it was, but then stopped. Aileen's face was already pale, to the point of being ghastly.
"When I went to pick up Malena, who had gone to report to Grand Duke Erzeht, I once saw him cutting the tendons of people's arms and legs, abandoning them in the forest, and releasing hunting dogs to hunt them."
The moment she heard Alessia's words, Aileen immediately thought of a place. A deep, dark forest, a small wooden house with hunting guns of all kinds hanging on the wall.
"I don't know if they were innocent or guilty. But even if they had committed a serious crime, wasn't it unnecessarily cruel?"
Alessia sighed in front of Aileen, who had completely frozen. She had no intention of scaring her this much. She just wanted to tell her the truth.
"Malena and I have been following His Excellency's orders, prepared to be eaten by hunting dogs at any time. Because we don't know when his mind will change."
Although they had only met recently, the Grand Duchess was a truly lovely person. Enough to understand why Malena cherished her so much.
Alessia also wanted to protect her purity. That's why she conveyed Malena's advice with sincerity.
"So, Aileen-nim, if you ever want to leave, now is your last chance."
"...I can't do that."
But Aileen didn't say she would run away. Even with a face that had turned white with fear, she stubbornly insisted.
"Even if… I die, there's something I have to do."
Alessia frowned slightly. She couldn't understand. Why would she be so blindly devoted to the Grand Duke? She even suspected that she had been brainwashed. As Alessia silently examined her face, Aileen muttered something truly incomprehensible.
"Because Cesare-nim is going through bad things because of me……."
It was unbelievable. She didn't know what was going on, but Grand Duke Erzeht was going through bad things? Was he the kind of man who would sacrifice himself for others?
However, Alessia didn't bother to tell Aileen what she was thinking. This was enough for today.
She would learn more about what kind of person Grand Duke Erzeht was while staying here.
Alessia glanced at the passage that Aileen had been prevented from going to, then shifted her gaze again.
It was rare for all the knights to gather in The Capital. It wasn't easy to gather because they all had their own work to do. In particular, the adjutant, Senon, was in charge of administrative processing, so he was always the busiest when he returned to The Capital.
It was rare for all the knights to gather twice in such a short period of time. That meant the matter was serious. The knights, who had gathered urgently when Aileen was caught up in the collapse of the Pantheon, had gathered again because of Aileen.
"……."
The knights, who usually chattered among themselves, couldn't open their mouths now. They stood at attention, their lips tightly shut, their gazes lowered.
Cesare, their master, stood in front of the knights. Cesare, dressed in a suit instead of a uniform, was looking out the window. His gaze was fixed on the orange tree in the courtyard. The lush green leaves were fresh and vibrant.
Cesare, staring at the orange tree with an expressionless face, finally opened his lips.
"I heard you met her for the last time."
"That's right."
Rohan answered on behalf of the others. Cesare slowly turned his gaze. His gaze, which had been on the orange tree, reached the knights.
Senon flinched. Michele didn't move, but that was because she was frozen with fear. Her uniform was already soaked with cold sweat. Diego also swallowed hard.
Even Rohan, who didn't usually show his emotions, couldn't hide his tension. Cesare didn't raise his voice to the knights. He simply asked quietly.
"Why did Aileen leave?"
He really didn't understand the situation. Rohan didn't know how to explain it, but he also knew that he couldn't just keep his mouth shut.
"Aileen-nim… wanted to return Cesare-nim to his original self. She asked us for help, but we suggested that it would be better to follow Cesare-nim's wishes……."
Rohan involuntarily stopped speaking at the crimson gaze that felt like he was being pressed down by a blade. Cesare struck a match. He lit a cigarette and gestured lightly as he exhaled smoke. It was a signal to continue speaking.
"Perhaps Aileen-nim thought that she wouldn't be able to achieve what she wanted if she stayed at the Grand Duke's Residence… so she left."
Cesare smoked for a while. During that short time, the knights waited for Cesare to speak, extremely tense.
Cesare rarely smoked a cigarette completely, even when he did smoke. Unlike his usual habit of only smoking about half of it and throwing it away, he continued to smoke for a long time now. Just as only the sound of the cigarette burning could be heard, Cesare suddenly opened his mouth.
"Wasn't being by my side what that child wanted?"
Rohan exclaimed in surprise.
"Absolutely not. Aileen-nim……!"
"Yes, it must be for my sake."
"……."
"There's no need to explain, Rohan."
Cesare said slowly as he stubbed out his cigarette.
"I'll have her tell me directly."
