77 - The Evil Husband (15th Anniversary Edition) Chapter 77
77
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Having finished speaking, Aileen bit the inside of her cheek for a moment. She had recklessly speculated about Cesare's intentions and blurted things out. She belatedly worried if she had been too presumptuous.
Unable to look at his face, she lowered her gaze. With a nervous feeling, she tried to subtly release the hand she was holding while watching his reaction. But before their joined hands could separate, Cesare gripped hers tightly again.
It was a somewhat rough grip. Aileen flinched in surprise, and he quickly loosened his hold. It was much gentler, but he still didn't let go of her hand.
They were holding hands for a while. Plop, plop, moist droplets touched her cheek. Before long, the surroundings were filled with raindrops. It seemed like another cloudy day, and it started to rain again.
Fortunately, it wasn't a heavy downpour like yesterday. Gentle raindrops fell between the leaves. Cesare and Aileen gradually got wet.
However, neither of them suggested going inside the mansion. They simply stood under the orange tree.
How long had they been standing there? Cesare let out a low sigh and released Aileen's hand. Instead, he took out a handkerchief and handed it to Aileen, then took off his uniform. He placed it over Aileen's head.
Completely covered by the large jacket, Aileen looked up at him. Cesare wiped his wet face with the back of his hand and said,
"Go inside first."
But Aileen shook her head.
"I want to be by your side, Cesare."
He gestured to the handprint on her neck and asked back.
"Even after being treated like this?"
"Yes."
When Aileen showed no sign of backing down, Cesare swallowed a hollow laugh. Soon, he said soothingly.
"It's because of the cigarette."
He told her to go inside first because of the smell, and he adjusted the uniform jacket over her head a little more. Aileen held onto his uniform and handkerchief tightly and asked.
"It's okay. Can't I stay by your side?"
"……."
"I want to see you smoking."
Aileen had enjoyed observing plants since she was young. She had observed in detail and recorded meticulously, but in fact, there was something else that Aileen was more interested in than plants.
It was Cesare.
Since meeting him, Cesare was the most interesting subject in Aileen's world. Every time Aileen met Cesare, she recorded every new fact she learned about him in her diary without fail.
She wanted to know more about the Cesare she didn't know. She wanted to delve a little deeper into the unfamiliarity she felt when she saw Cesare smoking today.
There was an even bigger and more desperate feeling than wanting to observe the new Cesare.
'I don't want to leave Cesare alone.'
Yesterday and today, Cesare had been precarious. Like someone pointing a blade at himself. The thought of wanting to protect a man who seemed to have nothing to fear in the world was ridiculous, so she couldn't bring herself to say it out loud, but she wanted to be by his side now more than ever.
'He keeps saying strange things…….'
She knew he wasn't someone who would be swayed by dreams, which made her even more worried. It didn't matter that Cesare had killed her in his dream. She had already resolved to give her life for him in reality, so what did it matter if she died a few times in a dream?
She wanted to tell Cesare what she was thinking, but she was afraid of being scolded, so she couldn't bring herself to say it. She just stood there quietly, waiting for Cesare's answer.
When Aileen didn't think about going inside the mansion and just looked up at him, Cesare frowned. He pulled Aileen closer to the inside so she wouldn't get wet in the rain and muttered as he took out a new cigarette from his pocket and lit it.
"I was wrong."
With a hiss, a red light settled on the end of the cigarette. He said with the cigarette between his fingers.
"I should have taught you how to be wary of me."
Cesare narrowed his eyes slightly and looked at Aileen. Aileen retorted inwardly that even if he had taught her, it wouldn't have worked. Of course, she didn't say this out loud either.
Soon, he smoked in silence. Aileen stood quietly by his side. The sound of raindrops pattering on the leaves continued.
Wet black hair stuck to his white skin. The man, who lowered his eyes and smoked with an indifferent face, occasionally turned his head to the side and exhaled smoke.
Each time, Aileen wrinkled her nose next to him. It was a harsh smell, but it seemed okay because it was Cesare. When Ornella smoked, it was just unpleasant.
While observing Cesare smoking under the orange tree on a rainy night as if possessed, she unknowingly asked.
"Can I try smoking too?"
Cesare, who was smoking, chuckled in disbelief.
"Why, do you want to copy everything I do?"
"It's not that……."
She thought he would refuse outright, but surprisingly, he didn't say no. Instead, Cesare put the cigarette he was smoking in Aileen's mouth.
Aileen, who had the cigarette in her mouth before she knew it, blinked. Since he didn't give her any special instructions, she didn't know anything and just inhaled. Then she burst into a loud cough.
Tears welled up as she inhaled the acrid smoke all at once. As she coughed with a flushed face, he put out the cigarette in the ashtray. He took the handkerchief he had given to Aileen and wiped her constantly coughing mouth, saying.
"You have to experience it to not even dare to do it next time."
It was a mischievous remark, but Aileen seemed to know why Cesare had done this. It was probably his intention to warn her that not everything he gave her was good.
Cesare was openly revealing his intentions without trying to hide them. Enough for even the oblivious Aileen to notice.
Aileen looked up at Cesare with teary eyes. Cesare stared down at Aileen like that.
The gaze lingered. Suddenly, Aileen thought. She was completely surrounded by Cesare right now. His clothes, the cigarette smoke he was smoking, and the wound he left on her neck……. Everything was enveloping Aileen.
Wearing a large, generous coat that blocked the raindrops, Aileen moved her lips slightly.
"Cesare."
She whispered in a cracked voice, receiving his crimson eyes.
"I may not be trustworthy, but I'll do my best. So……."
A faint pain arose in her neck. Aileen swallowed to push away the pain. She endured the pain and continued to speak.
"If there's anything I can do to help, please let me know."
How wonderful would it be if she could take away his suffering? With a desperate wish, she looked at Cesare imploringly.
His crimson eyes had a clear color even in the darkness. His eyes, which contained a light so foreign that it didn't feel like a human's, seemed to pierce her heart like a spear. Aileen unknowingly stopped breathing and waited for his answer.
At some point, Cesare smiled faintly. He pulled on the clothes she was wearing. Thud, his uniform fell to the rain-soaked ground. Without caring about the uniform that was stained with muddy water, he cupped Aileen's cheeks with both hands.
Then he lowered his head and kissed Aileen quietly. Surrounded by the sound of rain, the kiss continued under the orange tree. Aileen closed her eyes and shared a kiss with him.
After kissing quietly for a while, Cesare slowly took his lips away. He licked his wet lips and stared at Aileen with a blank gaze.
The man soaked in the rain had a dangerously seductive atmosphere. For some reason, she felt that his crimson eyes were clearer than before.
"If you need to be wary."
His eyes curved slightly. Cesare lowered his voice and whispered to Aileen.
"I'll have to do something worse."
