Chapter 98
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 98
Vanessa crouched down, massaging her ankle. Though she appeared perfectly calm, she was mentally counting the seconds. One minute. Thirty.
The moment her silent countdown ended, a dark shadow fell over her. A man in a low-brimmed hat stood before her.
“Are you alright?”
When their eyes met, the man seemed flustered, tugging the brim of his hat down. Vanessa nodded and got to her feet, her movement flowing naturally into a glance at her wristwatch.
“…Yes. It’s fine now. Thank you.”
At her reply, the man bowed and quickly vanished into the crowd. Vanessa watched his retreating figure for a moment before stepping into the elevator.
Ever since she had declared she would stay by the Duke's side, the surveillance had clearly loosened. She was now allowed to go down to the first-floor coffee shop without a maid in tow, and only a driver accompanied her, whether she went to a department store or a hospital.
The Duke acted as if his trust in her had grown, and Vanessa played her part, fostering that belief by behaving as if she would remain by his side forever. At least, on the surface.
'How ridiculous.'
A self-deprecating laugh escaped her. It was a farce, a performance where neither actor was truly fooled, yet the show went on. Moreover, her sense of déjà vu only grew stronger by the day.
What were the odds that the same person who’d picked up her umbrella a few days ago would also be in the hospital corridor yesterday, and sipping coffee at the next table today? The chances of bumping into someone from the hotel lobby at a bookstore? The chances that someone would always appear, right on cue, to help her out of some minor predicament?
'One thing is certain.'
None of it was a coincidence. As that dark thought settled in her mind, the elevator doors slid open to the hotel's top floor.
“Vanessa.”
She sensed the man waiting for her and lifted her head. It was time to step onto the stage once again.
* * *
“Do you remember? That garden.”
‘That garden.’ At her words, Theodore was instantly transported back to the hot sun and lush greenery. He remembered the fresh summer roses and peonies, the poplar trees, and their secret garden shrouded in the thick fog of dawn. It was a memory so vivid that it startled even him.
Vanessa was sitting on the drawing room carpet, her cheek pressed against a couch cushion as she gazed up at him as he stood before the mirror. She’d lost interest in the chess set she’d been fiddling with, and the piece she held slipped loosely from her fingers.
“I used to wish you would visit every vacation.”
“……”
“I thought I'd be so happy if we could spend every summer together.”
His gaze darkened as he looked down at her. That was his dream now, too. To shut themselves away in that cozy, cluttered warehouse, drinking lukewarm beer and lemonade as the ice melted, sharing the newspaper, drawing, and endlessly devouring each other’s sticky, heated bodies...
For now, it was a dream that felt far out of reach.
“Where will we be in five years?”
Late afternoon sun spilled over Vanessa’s hair and shoulders as she murmured. Her fragile frame, rising and falling with each shallow breath, looked exceptionally weary today. He crossed the room in long strides and sat on the edge of the couch she was leaning against, looking down at her.
“I think I know at least one thing.”
“What is it?”
“That wherever I am, you’ll be there with me.”
Her grey eyes, staring up at him, wavered.
“Sometimes… I really hate you.”
“Sometimes?”
At his amused question, Vanessa bit her lip, her voice growing firmer.
“No. Ever since I came to Linden, I think I've always hated you.”
“But you liked me when I was just a poor naval officer. In that garden.”
She flinched from his outstretched hand as he went to caress her cheek, a split-second reaction of turmoil—or perhaps repulsion—that she couldn't suppress. Watching her quietly, Theodore's eyes darkened.
“Back then, I… I didn't know you.”
“Liar.”
She hesitated, her words dying on her lips. He caught her by the chin, tilting her face up to meet his gaze.
“I know you still love me, Vanessa Siren Somerset.”
He captured her gaze, refusing to let it stray for even a moment. He pressed his thumb to her lips as if demanding an answer, waiting until her cheeks flushed a delicious pink, her pulse quickened, and her pupils dilated beneath his stare. The physical evidence of love was so direct, so clear. And yet...
“You were the one who chose to stay by my side.”
But even after drawing out the reaction he wanted, his anxiety refused to fade. Sometimes, even as he lay with her, he felt a profound thirst. He would meet her gaze, feel her breath, seek the physical reassurance of her body with his hands, and still feel an unshakable emptiness. This, despite their relationship progressing more smoothly than ever, gradually finding a semblance of stability.
His promise to give her everything she asked for had been sincere. If she demanded physical fidelity, it was hardly a difficult task. Just as her beginning and end were his, so too would his belong entirely to her.
Theodore slowly tucked a stray strand of her hair behind her ear. Vanessa's lips, trembling as if she were about to cry, finally parted to give him the answer he wanted.
“Yes…”
Unable to meet his eyes, Vanessa’s gaze fell, briefly brushing over the engagement ring on his left hand. It was a split second he would have missed had he not been staring so intently at her face.
“……”
Theodore faced her, swallowing the unfamiliar emotion that surged through him. Looking at her pale face, his throat suddenly went dry.
“Her anxiety has worsened.”
He knew it even without the maid’s worried reports. Vanessa had grown noticeably gaunt.
“She can barely swallow food now. She only ate a little of the cake you bought her last time, My Lord. If the water has even a slight smell, she spits it right back out.”
“……”
“It's almost as if she's afraid of being poisoned.”
Ever since hearing of her uncle's disappearance, Vanessa had been in a state so precarious it was painful to watch. And more often than not, she spoke of the garden where they had first met, just as she had today.
“Right. I heard you bought a townhouse.”
Interpreting his silence in her own way, Vanessa laughed weakly.
“Even if I didn't want to know, the papers are making quite a fuss. They’re saying you're obsessed with a mistress right before your wedding.”
He stared at her, momentarily speechless. Mistress. While the title was fitting, hearing it fall so casually from her lips, seeing it on her innocent face, felt utterly foreign. He heard the faint, distinct sound of a boundary he’d thought was clear begin to warp.
“What's wrong? Are you tired?”
When he frowned, Vanessa asked with concern. Theodore slowly swallowed the unfamiliar emotion surging up from deep within him.
He’d expected it to take time for her to look at him and smile the way she used to. He wanted her back as soon as possible, but he had no intention of rushing or pressuring her. Such things couldn't be forced. Besides, time was the one thing they had in abundance.
“…No.”
“Anyway, my point is, I want to visit Gloucester Castle for a few days. One last time, before I officially become your mistress and move into that notorious townhouse.”
“Do so.”
At his ready permission, Vanessa's eyes widened. It might have seemed an impulsive approval, but he had been weighing the Linden townhouse against the South as a place for her to stay from the very beginning.
“Can I really?”
“Yes. Why don't you stay in the South for the time being?”
With ominous international power struggles and the heavy threat of impending war, the capital was a dangerous place for her to remain. Yet, he couldn't keep her living in a hotel forever, either. Besides, as a naval officer, he would soon be deployed to the front.
“I secured the rights to Gloucester Castle and its grounds long ago, Vanessa. If we begin renovations now, you should be able to move in by next spring. Until then, you can stay at the estate on the Rear Coast.”
“……”
“Hire workers, decorate it however you like. You can personally choose everyone, from your attending maids to the chef.”
“…I just… I only need a garden.”
“Take the morning train tomorrow. I'll head down as soon as I wrap things up here. We'll spend the weekend there together.”
“……”
“In that garden you loved.”