Love Doesn’t Matter - Chapter 30 – Relieving The Tension

Exactly three days later, Emilia went to the Basilion House again. From the moment she got on the carriage until she reached the living room, there was only one thought in her head.

This is not the time to have pride. She must apologize to Hadius, unconditionally.

As she was sorting out what to say in her head, she heard a teacup rustling behind her back.

“Ah, I’m not drinking. I am fi…”
“Drink. It will relieve the tension a little.”

It was not a maid. It was Hadius. Her body turned around quickly.

“He…llo… Young Master.”
“How have you been?”

Hadius looked very lively. She, who tossed and turned all night because of Mitch, felt somehow angry in comparison. Wouldn’t it be great if she could answer him coldly?

“It’s popular to drink like this these days.”

Hadius started pouring milk into the tea. Even in the midst of a turmoil, the fragrant scent captivated her olfactory sense.

“Here.”

Looking at the teacup held out in front of her, Emilia quickly came to her senses.

“The thing is… I heard everything from Mr. Grozhang. What my brother Mitch did.”

He raised his hand as if telling her to stop. But Emilia poured out her words without stopping.

“I heard he lied in front of his friends. He called the Young Master an ‘unscrupulous monster’ and made up things that aren’t even true. He said that Mrs. Meyer swears at me whenever she can, and that the Young Master called me a ‘cheap and vulgar chick’ and made all sorts of threats…”

Her eyes could not face Hadius and slowly fell down.

“I heard assemblyman Hockney’s grandson passed it to his grandfather as it was, and in the end, it reached His Majesty the King’s ears.”

Hadius didn’t say anything. He handed her the teacup one more time, as if telling her to drink. Emilia continued speaking without even thinking of accepting it.

“I was wondering why my story was suddenly published in the newspaper… In the end, it was Mitch’s fault. No, it’s my fault. After all, it is my responsibility that my younger brother behaved like that.”
“No, it’s not your fault.”
“It is late, but I want to give you an apology. I was thinking of bringing Mitch along and have him ask for forgiveness in front of the Young Master, but… Even if he says those things… He is still young…”
“Again, I don’t blame you. Nor your brother.”
“But the Young Master’s Mother won’t think like that…”
“It would be better if you didn’t talk about that woman.”

Emilia’s body flinched at the sharp answer.

“A-Anyway, I scolded Mitch severely. The child also admitted his mistake and is reflecting on it. It won’t happen again.”
“…”
“I apologize once again. And thank you. For generously letting it go.”

The moment Emilia bowed down like a criminal, a cracking, sharp sound was heard. The sound of a teacup crashing against the windowsill.
When she looked up, Hadius had a strangely cold face.

“What on earth did Grozhang tell you?”

Her blue eyes were imbued with bewilderment. Why is he talking about Mr. Grozhang all of a sudden?

“Did he make you do it? Did he tell you to kneel in front of me and apologize?”
“N-No. It is nothing like that. Mr. Grozhang said the Meyer family don’t blame me nor Mitch for that. If you did, you would have published a rebuttal article on the very same day the comment was published. He also said you deeply sympathize with and feel responsible for all the suffering I have been through during the past 5 years.”
“What else did he say?”
“He said you wanted me to do my best to help silence the public opinion.”

Hadius, who had been growling as if he was going to grab Grozhang’s collar at any moment, gradually regained his composure.

“Yes, I want you to help. I don’t want you to feel guilty or apologize like that.”
“…”
“It is entirely the Meyer’s fault that our relationship is messed up. What I mean is, it is the Meyer family’s fault that Mitch Bern said those things in front of his friends.”

Emilia couldn’t help but be astonished. It was a completely different feeling than when she heard it through Grozhang’s mouth.

At that time, all she heard was the word “responsibility”. How anxious she was that Mitch could be expelled from school.

“For now, drink the tea.”

Emilia took the teacup in a state of confusion. The moment she took a sip, the warmth spread through her body and her anxious heart calmed down.

“I thought about it for a few days. And then I realized it. The compensation, the breakup agreement, and even the dress… Why the Young Master kept doing these strange things.”

Hadius nodded, as if telling her to continue.

“The Young Master will soon become Duke Meyer. You will become the real head of the family. So, you want to block the bad rumors surrounding me. That you left your fiancée and treated her rudely; there is nothing good about rumors like that going around. In the world the Young Master lives in, reputation is really important. Some people even risk their lives.”

Emilia suddenly felt she needed to reassure him more.

“But I would have done my best even without something like a breakup agreement. Believe it or not, I was starting to have some kind of affection towards the Young Master.”

Hadius made an unknown face with his hands in his pockets.

“The five-year engagement period wasn’t fun at all but… Lately, I’ve been forgetting the past little by little. I am also sincerely grateful to you for being kind to Charlotte. I think that is kind of like a friendship.”
“Friendship? Why do you feel something like that from me?”

Well, now that he mentions it, what kind of friendship do they have before breaking up the engagement?

Emilia’s face turned red.

“I just want to say that I don’t think badly of you anymore.”
“Then answer me. Why did you, who have been feeling such an ‘affection’ towards me, run away in anger that day?”

Her face was about to turn red again. How should she say it… Emilia chose half the truth.

“… Because of the dress.”
“Is that something to be upset about? It was a gift.”
“It didn’t feel like a gift at all. You forced me to hate it. Favors that the other person does not want are only self-righteousness.”

Actually, there was another reason.
The moment she saw him in a tailcoat that day, she couldn’t help but admit it.
Hadius still makes her heart flutter.

She was angry at herself for feeling that way even before the breakup.

The excitement she felt for the wrong person was like that of a child who knew nothing. Not a 19-year-old girl who is about to become an adult.
She shouldn’t be shaken up by him giving her gifts, worrying about her crying, and dancing together on the beach.

“The Young Master has disregarded me. You didn’t respect me. You decided everything without asking me.”

Emilia waited for Hadius to say, ‘That’s right, I’m a selfish guy.’, and so on, like he did before. But he didn’t say anything. Only the darkened eyes and silence lasted for a long time.

“… I was probably seven years old.”

Emilia was taken aback by the sudden words. But then she looked at him with a serious face.

“I often played ‘guess’ with Elliot, my only friend and assistant. It is a game of matching the names and characteristics of objects.”
“I know, I used to play with Mitch when I was young.”
“That day we played a color match and Elliot came up with this problem. ‘What color is the moon?’”

Perhaps it is because of the assumption that his childhood was not very happy.
Hadius’ eyes and tone were very calm, but Emilia felt her heart flutter.

“I replied that it was a dim white. Because the moonlight shining on the river was always like that. But Elliot insisted it was wrong. The moon is pale yellow. Come to think of it, that is also true. So, I said, ‘you’re right and I’m right, so it’s a draw.’. Elliot nodded. Seven-year-olds have come to understand the diversity of perspectives. But do you know what happened the next day?”

Something tragic must have happened.
Her heart pounded with anxiety.

“I was hit with a stick by my tutor. The person that is my Mother instructed him the whole time. She said, ‘It doesn’t matter if he bleeds, so whip him until he comes to his senses.’. The stick broke, and again, and again. When I gave up counting how many, he finally put them down.”

She has heard that the children of some prestigious families receive a very rigorous education.

But, to that extent… How could they do that to a child as young as seven years old?

On one hand, she couldn’t believe it.

Caitlyn Meyer is the embodiment of an elegant and dignified lady. Even when she came to the forest that day, she did not raise her voice or act viciously. Wasn’t it Emilia who suddenly got angry and threatened her?

Even so… She couldn’t believe she had such a vicious side. And towards her son, of all people…

“My mother told me to defeat Elliot somehow. She said I would get beaten again the next day if he didn’t acknowledge it and apologize. If the moon is both white and yellow, what I said about being white should be the correct answer. I must do it if I want to lead the Meyer family.”

Emilia tried to remain calm somehow. Hadius probably did not tell his childhood stories to arouse compassion.

“I grew up learning that self-righteousness is a virtue. It doesn’t mean I’m disregarding you.”

She felt suffocated for some reason.
She should have been pleased seeing Hadius admitting his wrongdoings, but strangely, she wasn’t.

She wanted to say something comforting, but her mouth wouldn’t open. A deep silence sank heavily.

“That’s it for the confessions, shall we go out now?”
“… What?”
“Didn’t you come here to help?”
“Ah… T-That’s right…”

She answered quickly, but she was confused at the same time.
She was going to ask Hadius for forgiveness and go home right away. She didn’t intend to go out together at all.

But Hadius took the teacup from her hand so naturally, saying, “If you’re done, let’s go.”
Puzzled, Emilia hurriedly put on her gloves and took her hat.

The mansion door opened, and a bright light poured in.

Hadius went outside, in big strides. Emilia followed suit.