Raising my Fiancè with Money - Chapter 41

My Heart

TL: Jasmine
At Karhan’s words, Lilia stiffened in an instant. Then she got up from her seat and shouted.

“Can’t believe you are hopeless!! Then everyone in the world would be garbage!”

Karhan shrugged his shoulders without realizing it.

“Where else can I meet a good man like you?”

Although she hadn’t known him for a long time, Lilia knew Karhan’s good-naturedness. Even when he was misunderstood, he steadfastly helped others. He was such a good person that it was frustrating to watch.

“…… The only person who says I am good is Lilia.”

“No. My eyes are pretty accurate.”

Lilia, who had said that much, added,

“Except for Richard Tersian.”

Back then, she was head over heels for him. Richard pretended to love her and threw her bait, and she picked it up and ate it without realizing it. Suddenly feeling bad, Lilia shook her head and said,

“Anyway, you’re a really nice person to me, so don’t say that.”

“You’re undermining my eyes.”

Karhan’s face, who had been silently listening, became softer.

Good person.

The word penetrated deep into his heart.

Karhan wanted to be a good person, but he felt he had failed. Even Tession would say that he was not good, but foolish.

Negative words that had been frozen for a long time slowly melted away. The moment Lilia acknowledged it, he seemed to have become a really good person.

“Do you know how crazy I was when I was a kid?”

Lilia began to talk, saying it was a secret to others.

“I was reading a book, and there was a scene where twenty ships were launched. As soon as I read it, wanted to copy it.”

So, Lilia took all her toy boats and tried to float them in her back garden pond. Toys made of gold or silver sank, and the rest floated like lotus leaves. Later, her parents saw it and told her,

– From now on, we’ll let the real ship float.

Recalling that time, Lilia spoke her words.

“I left them alone for a while, and then it rained so much that it eventually all sank.”

She was so young that she had no idea that she was accidentally creating misadventures. In addition to that, Lilia told him one story after another. Making the kitchen covered with flour after making a fuss about cooking. Doodling on her father’s beloved masterpiece…..

“It was a disaster when I started walking, huh?”

The corners of Karhan’s eyes, who had been listening quietly, loosened. His eyes slowly lowered and turned to Lilia. He looked at Lilia without knowing what expression he was making.

“Anyway……I think the Duchess misunderstood.”

At Lilia’s words, Karhan came to his senses.

“You’re a family, but there are a lot of things you all don’t know about each other.”

Lilia, who thought Karhan was being alienated by his family, said cautiously. Karhan, in particular, must have been out on the battlefield for a long time and had little time to spend with his family. In addition, after beating the eldest son and becoming the successor, he might have become more uncomfortable.

“If there’s anything I can do for you, just tell me.”

It’s a family thing, so it’s difficult to actively intervene, but Lilia said she would help if she could. Karhan glanced at Lilia like that. After a while he opened his mouth.

“…….I don’t know why you’re helping me.”

From their first meeting until now, Lilia has always helped Karhan. Lilia was the first person to help out like this with no cost. Not knowing what kind of answer he would get, Karhan was a little nervous. And Lilia replied with an uncaring tone,

“It’s only natural since we are on the same boat.”

When Lilia mentioned their contract relationship, his heart pounded. A numb sensation ran down to his fingers. Karhan unknowingly clenched his fist. It was a natural answer, but what did he want…. (To hear)

Karhan imagined what would happen if Lilia suddenly found out that he was abandoned by his family and that he was an empty shell successor.

Will Lilia still treat me well?

He wondered if he should be honest now. Karhan raised his head to face Lilia. Clear purple eyes looked back at him.

He became unable to say anything. He didn’t want to see those eyes tinged with disappointment. Karhan already knew how sweet Lilia’s warmth was. The sense of loss he had felt when he didn’t know warmth compared to losing it after knowing how it felt was as different as heaven and earth.

He was only holding onto Lilia’s hem. If Lilia shook it, he had no choice but to fall off. Then he would no longer be able to stand back up.

Karhan rolled his eyes. Contrary to what Lilia said, he wasn’t a good person. (T/N: because he can’t confess about his family issues)

“Karhan, what’s wrong?”

As Lilia worried that his expression looked serious, Karhan slowly lifted his eyelids. Ignoring the numb feeling in his chest, he relaxed his expression

“I was thinking about something else for a while.”

Karhan stood up and said.

“I’ll show you around the room.”

The space where Lilia and Karhan were now was a drawing room connected to the hallway. There were three more doors around the drawing room.

“That room is a bedroom and the other side is used as an office.”

In fact, it was common for successors to have their offices completely separate. Heinley also had a separate bedroom and office.

“How about the rest of the room?”

“It’s storage.”

It was also the first time that a bedroom and a storage room were shared. It seemed that Karhan was not being treated properly at the Duke’s residence

‘If you had lived in our house, we would have given you an entire floor altogether.’

As she thought about that, Lilia found something she was familiar with. It was the item that she had recommended at the music box store directly that day.

“Isn’t this the gift I suggested?”

“That is……”

Karhan looked around with an awkward face.

“Actually, I bought it because I wanted to have one for a long time……But it doesn’t match my appearance.”

Karhan confessed the truth. The man who had been standing around in front of the music box store before came to mind.

Lilia said, thinking it was cute for some reason,

“If there’s anything you want next time, just tell me.”

Simply speaking, she could fill the room with music boxes. Lilia looked around the room again. She didn’t see many expensive things either, perhaps he was on the frugal side.

A paper box containing books, bouquets, and desserts….. Lilia, who looked around his room carefully, realized. This place was full of the things she had given him as a gift. It was nothing special, but seeing everything neatly stored made her feel weird.

I’m tired of thinking about Richard, I’ll throw him away soon.’

Lilia shook her head. She was subconsciously comparing Richard and Karhan. She’s not even in a real relationship.

After looking around her, a tightly closed wardrobe caught her eye.

“Did you hide all your clothes?”

“I didn’t feel like going through my clothes for some reason……

Karhan quickly added an excuse. Still, he opened the closet saying that he had put his old clothes inside. The bright clothes were the first thing she saw. There were also dark colored clothes hanging all over.

The old clothes were towards the end. The designs were popular almost a decade ago.

“It’s been a long time since I’ve seen this design.”

Lilia was so happy that she pulled out a pair of clothes without realizing it. It was a banquet dress that was popular in the past. Lilia paused for a moment as she looked at his clothes.

One of the neatly packed buttons was missing. It looked familiar, so it was time to take a closer look.

At the sound of a knock, Lilia and Karhan turned their heads at the same time.

“Miss.”

It was Malek’s voice. It must have been late, so he had come to pick her up. Lilia said as she hung up his clothes again,

“I think I have to go now.”

“I will see you off.”

Lilia and Karhan came out into the hallway. France Malek, and Tession were in the hallway. Lilia was happy and greeted Tession.

“I thought I wasn’t going to see you today.”

“I thought I had to say hello, so I rushed out of work.”

Tession replied with a smile. Lilia and Karhan walked down the hallway side by side, followed by the other three.

The long hallway seemed unusually short. Suddenly, Lilia arrived at the front door. It was now night time, so it was a bit cold, causing her shoulders to tremble, and Karhan took off his coat.

“It’s okay. I’m going to ride the wagon now.”

“Still, it can get cold while you go……”

She was a little worried about refusing his sincerity, but Karhan whispered

“Please return it next time.”

Lilia blinked her eyes quietly, he asked,

“……. Can’t we make an excuse to meet again?”

In an instant, all the thoughts in her head were erased. Her quiet heart started beating a little faster

‘Did he learn from love books?’

He was really a quick learner.

“Yes. I’ll bring it to you next time.

“It looks like it’s going to fall down, so I’ll button it up.”

Then his long fingers slid the buttons shut. Lilia looked down at the jacket. There was quite a difference in size, and she seemed to be buried in his coat. In particular, the sleeves were so long that her fingers were not visible. Karhan, who took a step away, was silent for a moment.

“It’s really big when you are wearing it.”

Lilia laughed softly. She felt as if she stole her father’s clothes.

As the wind blew, the cool scent of his clothes tickled the tip of her nose. It was as if she was being hugged by him. Lilia got into her carriage and Tession and Karhan told her their farewells.

“Thank you for coming today.”

Lilia looked at the servants as they stood at a distance and beckoned to him. As Karhan stepped forward, Lilia reached out her hand.

“Good night. Karhan.”

She gently embraced Karhan with her arms and whispered. Her arm slowly fell away from the stiffened Karhan.

The sound of the door closing was heard. Until then, Karhan did not move. Soon the wagon departed and gradually moved away from sight.

“Mr. Karhan, you should get going now……”

Tession spoke gently, but he paused. Karhan’s expression was strange. They had been together for a long time, but it was the first time he had seen him like this.

“Mr. Karhan?”

The sound of his heart beating deafened his ears. As if drowning in water, the sound around him faded away, This happened last time too. It was a rainy day, when he shared an umbrella with Lilia.

Karhan muttered while chasing the carriage that had already disappeared from sight.

“My heart…… It hurts……”

Hik, Teshion took a deep breath.

“Is there a heart problem? Your face is a little red too……”

Tession shouted with a very serious face,

“I’m calling the doctor right now!”

Is it……? Karhan tilted his head slowly, then grabbed Tession’s hand and dragged him inside.