It Doesn’t Matter If You’re Broken - Chapter 19

Huge thanks to rhea for the kofi! (2/2)

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The Princess decided to let Elise go at this point.

 

“It seems I have been too harsh in reproaching a lady with limited experience. It is not because I have any ill intentions, so please do not keep it in your heart.”

 

“Yes, yes, of course. Thank you for your generosity, Your Highness the Princess.”

 

Elise lowered her head. The Princess brought her body close to Cardale as if showing off and said good words.

 

“Then, I hope the two of you will have a good time.”

 

She then turned back without hesitation.

 

“Shall we go, Lord Cardale? If we go through the passage over there, we can see rare beasts.”

 

“Okay.”

 

A short answer came back. The Princess discreetly wrapped her arm around the hand she had placed on her arm. Then she admired internally.

 

‘How can his arms be so strong?’

 

It seemed to be stronger than the last time they met. She had never seen a man with a more robust physique than Cardale.

 

Well, the only thing Cardale Vassenberg had was his body.

 

He had overwhelming strength that even elite palace knights could not match, a beautiful face that put even renowned opera performers to shame, a distinguished lineage, and abundant wealth in his possession. There was nothing lacking.

 

Even his consistently cold attitude looked handsome.

 

Even now, his expressionless and cool demeanour, his tense jaw that seemed to be holding something back, everything was appealing.

 

‘How would a man like this behave in bed?’

 

Just imagining it was thrilling. Truly, the more Theresia thought about it, the more she wanted to have him.

 

‘Now that I’ve cleared the obstacles, I just need to work slowly again.’

 

Theresia, who had regained her composure, grinned.

 

However, there was one fact that she was crucially missing.

 

That Cardale Vassenberg’s cold gaze lingered on the woman in front of him the entire time.

 

* * *

 

Elise stared blankly at the backs of the Princess and the Duke as they walked away.

 

At that time, Raymond spoke to Elise.

 

“Are you okay?”

 

Elise looked back at Raymond, startled, and he was looking at her with worried eyes. Elise quickly bowed her head to express her gratitude.

 

“Thank you for your help.”

 

“It’s nothing. I was just concerned that the lady’s feelings were hurt. Just a moment ago, Your Highness was overdoing it.”

 

Elise shook her head.

 

“There was a mistake at the banquet. I accidentally broke a glass, and some wine splashed onto the hem of the Princess’s dress…”

 

“But it was a mistake that could have been overlooked.”

 

“…”

 

“I still have the same opinion that Her Highness was severely overboard.”

 

Elise couldn’t answer and hesitated, then looked at Raymond with an expression that she didn’t know how to react.

 

He seemed truly a kind and nice person.

 

If it weren’t for Raymond, she would have gone through something similar to the banquet in the Imperial Palace.

 

She would have had to endure a time tantamount to torture, fully handling the stares and ridicule of countless people.

 

It was Raymond who prevented that from happening.

 

Moreover, he was still on her side, taking care of her with great consideration.

 

While Elise was having such thoughts, Raymond quickly added a response to her silence.

 

“I didn’t mean to burden you, my lady. I just didn’t want you to blame yourself too much…”

 

Elise replied with a light smile.

 

“I am really fine. Thanks to you, Little Marquis.”

 

Raymond’s ears reddened at her plain reply without embellishment.

 

“I’m glad it was of help. I was worried if I might have made a mistake…”

 

As Raymond was rambling, he stopped and rubbed his face with one hand, sighing.

 

“I thought this was a cliché, but now that I’ve been through it, I have no choice but to say it.”

 

Elise’s eyes widened.

 

“If it’s not too impolite of me to ask…”

 

Raymond stood straight, looking straight into Elise’s eyes with a tender and affectionate gaze that revealed his feelings.

 

“May I send a letter to the Count’s residence?”

 

Ah… Elise’s lips parted slightly, and a soft exclamation escaped.

 

With such direct affection shown, it was impossible not to recognise the feelings.

 

“I…”

 

As Elise hesitated and slightly avoided eye contact, Gerhard stood behind Raymond, seemingly having arrived without being noticed.

 

He signalled with a nod behind Raymond that he had heard the whole story.

 

It meant accepting the proposal.

 

However, for some reason, Elise couldn’t readily accept it. There was an unexplainable feeling of resistance.

 

She had a strange feeling that she was deceiving him.

 

In fact, despite hiding her identity and past from everyone until now, strangely, only now…

 

However, as Gerhard’s face hardened and his eyebrows furrowed menacingly, she finally found herself answering.

 

“Yes… I’m fine.”

 

Raymond’s face brightened.

 

* * *

 

Norman, the butler who greeted the lord of Vassenberg, bowed deeply.

 

“Your Excellency, have you returned home?”

 

Without glancing at him, Cardale just nodded and headed straight to the study.

 

The lord was never particularly kind, but he seemed even colder today, so Norman asked Michael.

 

“Sir Walter, what happened?”

 

However, all Michael did today was accompany his lord to the exhibition hall, and after that, all he did was stand guard outside with the knights of the Princess, so knowing nothing was the same as Norman.

 

“He didn’t say anything special.”

 

“By the way, Master’s mood is colder than usual.”

 

“Meeting Her Highness, the Princess must have been uncomfortable.”

 

“I think so too…”

 

Since the Emperor’s letter arrived, Cardale had not been pleased with it, so there was no way he was in a good mood.

 

However, Norman, based on his long experience and intuition, felt there might be more to it than just that.

 

“I’ll just go in. It seems like His Excellency is waiting for me.”

 

“Yes, please, Sir Walter.”

 

The butler looked at Michael’s back for a moment as he walked away.

 

He couldn’t figure out what this unknown, premonition of missing something important was.

 

* * *

 

Opening the door to the office, Cardale stepped inside and roughly pulled the cravat to loosen it.

 

The cloth that was precisely tied around the centre of his neck came loose and unravelled in an instant.

 

But the tightness in his throat did not subside, and he continued to scratch his nerves coyly.

 

For what reason?

 

There were many reasons to find out.

 

He had been feeling unpleasant since the time he had to cater to the Emperor’s demands. The Princess, who constantly clung to his arm, was no exception.

 

‘Maybe it’s because she was particularly clinging to me today.’

 

The feeling of a snake coiling around him lingered uncomfortably.

 

Cardale took off the coat the Princess had clung to and threw it onto the back of the sofa.

 

Still, his low mood did not improve easily. It was strange.

 

It was because the Princess was nothing more than a bothersome and annoying person, and she shouldn’t have had such an influence on him.

 

Just like how humans wouldn’t pay attention to annoying flies or mosquitoes.

 

If so, this twisted feeling wasn’t the Emperor’s fault, much less the Princess’s.

 

“D*mn it.”

 

Cardale spat out a low curse in unexplained displeasure and brushed his hair.

 

As he momentarily covered his face with his hand, he caught sight of the stuffed deer head mounted on the wall.

 

It was a reindeer. Male reindeer, to be precise.

 

A beast with shiny fur and magnificent antlers was staring at him.

 

It was a decoration he saw every day when he went in and out of the office. He liked the well-balanced horns on both sides, so he hunted it himself.

 

He had never seen a more well-crafted deer taxidermy with such perfect quality.

 

However, what was only a still life strangely bothered him at this moment.

 

Cardale’s eyes narrowed. The hair of the reindeer, which retained its original appearance, was slightly dark brown.

 

A dark brown colour.

 

A person with a momentary resemblance in hair colour came to mind.

 

A man who had obtained the position of a Little Marquis due to his elder brother’s sudden accident and death.

 

People talked about his good fortune, but Cardale paid little attention. He wasn’t even curious. Had it not been for today, he wouldn’t have cared at all.

 

Yes, if it hadn’t been for the woman who stood by Raymond Hartmann’s side.

 

Elise Schuvan. A woman with silver hair tied up in a ponytail, showing off the white nape of her neck and dressed in a light dress.

 

Even if it wasn’t so, her white face became as white as a blank sheet because of the sudden appearance of the Princess. In the meantime, she seemed even thinner than a few days ago, perhaps because she had starved herself.

 

However, her teary, watery blue eyes still seemed like they could burst into tears at any moment, evoking a strange impression.

 

Perhaps Gerhard Schuvan was determined to find another partner to give his daughter away for a good price.

 

If he didn’t like the idea, he would swiftly withdraw and move on to the next opportunity like an opportunist. It wasn’t unexpected.

 

‘So, the one you chose is Raymond Hartmann.’

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