The Obsessive Male Lead Wants To Become My Husband - Chapter 33

“Now, he will never touch Miss Ophelia with those dirty hands again.”

My whole body stiffened, and I could not move properly. Inside the box was a ring with the design of Baron Sabe’s brooch.

…Stained with blood.

And, what was included with the bloody ring…

“Cassius.”

I was trying my best to speak, though my tongue did not move properly.

“Why…”

Cassius replied in a puzzled tone.

“Evelyn, I just did what you wanted.”

I was at a loss for words.

Of course, I wanted Baron Sabe to get what he deserved. But, at best, I only thought to the extent to which Baron Sabe was expelled from the social world and driven back to his countryside, never to get close to Ophelia again.

Not physically amputating his hand like this…

‘This… that is too much.’

I touched my forehead.

‘I was wrong for thinking that Cassius Brudenell would act with common sense.’

It was a misjudgment, but I could not stand still. To prevent something like this from happening again in the future, I had to make it clear to Cassius.

This is not what I wanted.

Whatever crime he commits, it does not matter to me, but never do this because of me.

With that thought, I stared straight up at Cassius.

“…It was, but this is not what I wanted.”

“Can you tell me why?”
​​
Hearing that, he opened his eyes and looked at me. His eyes as if he truly did not understand what I was trying to say made me suffocate.

“Didn’t you also hate Baron Sabe? So, why…”

“What he did was disgusting. And, of course, I hated it.”

I tried to explain it as calmly as possible.

“If it had not been for the Lord, I would have inflicted a greater humiliation on the spot. Even so, this was… too much.”

Cassius then opened his mouth as if to say something, but I was faster.

“This is a crime. The only reason why the Lord is able to survive even after doing this is because you are the heir to the Duke’s family.”

“What does that mean?”

He did not seem angry or disappointed. It was just a conversation he was genuinely curious about.

At that moment, all desire to persuade him vanished. It would have been better if he had been very angry. Because it meant there was something he might feel guilty about. However, my conversation with him ran parallel all the way.

I do not understand him.

He does not understand me.

So, there would be no progress between the two of us.

After a moment of silence, I barely figured out an answer.

“Yes, I do not think it is a problem from the Lord’s point of view. Though this is…” I said, barely pointing to the box with trembling hands.

“Please take it back.”

“…All right.”

Eventually, Cassius nodded his head, closed the lid of the box and put it into his arms again.

He paused for a moment before leaving the room. It was to kiss my forehead

“Good night, Evelyn.”

It was a bright and cheerful greeting as if he had not noticed the fact that I had become terrified by the bloody smell that arose from him.

* * * 

‘What should I do…’

Having stayed up all night the night before, I took a deep breath. My resolve to get away from Cassius’ grasp as quickly as possible grew stronger, though I could not think of any sharp moves. All attempts to make him hate me have all been unsuccessful.

‘Yes, it was too arrogant to think that I had read the book and knew Cassius well.’

Even if I entered the world of the book, I do not know all the characters in detail.

Especially if they are crazy like Cassius…

‘Does anyone really know Cassius well? …Ah!’

I let out a small moan.

It was because I thought of someone who knew more about Cassius’ female taste than anyone else in the world.

It was the Duchess.

‘….’

Just as my mother worked tirelessly to get me married, so did the Duchess of Brudenell work fairly hard to get Cassius married.

The reason why she welcomed me was because he fell in love with the Count maiden, who had a wealthy status. So, even though she did not know the image of women that Cassius liked, she seemed to know well enough about the image of women he hated.

I hurriedly started grooming myself.

The sooner the ‘Operation that makes Cassius fall in love with me’ started, the better it seemed.

* * * 

Several hours later.

I got tea with the Duchess as planned.

“So, you wanted to meet me?”

The Duchess was not even offended at all. Rather, she even seemed happy.

I swallowed dry saliva.

It has only been a few days since we talked openly about keeping our distance, though I am coming here on my own feet. Even if I were a Duchess, I would find it ridiculous. Still, either way, I had to get information from the Duchess.
​​
“Yes.”

I nodded and continued, “I have a question for you.”

“Is that so?”

The Duchess gracefully sip her tea.

“Young Lady, who has nothing she cannot do, even comes to see me and asks for water, isn’t it a very important issue?”

“That is—”

I swallowed my saliva.

“I want to know what Lord Cassius hates.”
​​
“…Pardon?”

At that, the Duchess seemed genuinely surprised. She stared at me with her round eyes and put down her teacup.

I hurriedly added my words.

“Well, I could accidentally do something that Sir Cassius hates. Right now, Sir likes me, though just in case…”

“…Pfft—”

A laugh escaped the Duchess’ mouth.

“Do you really think so?”

“Yes.”

I nodded.
​
“It is said that a man’s heart is like a reed. In order to capture the heart of the Lord, shouldn’t I do my best, too?”

“Hmm…”

The Duchess looked at me with a piercing gaze.

My goosebumps rose because of her eyes, which seemed to resemble Karthus.
​​
“Young Lady did not seem to like my son very much.”
​​
I chose my words carefully.

The Duchess was never a fool. If I tried to deceive her hastily, I would get caught immediately. Of course, the Duchess already knew that I did not love Cassius. However, shouldn’t it be necessary to tell her that I am trying to get away from him?

“…Honestly, I cannot say that I love the Lord.”

“It looks like that.”

“But it is true that the Duke and Duchess. were so nice to me that my heart moved.”

“Is that so?”

“It was quite fun to play with money.”

The Duchess’ face brightened up, showing that I had chosen the words correctly.
​​
“Young Lady is definitely talented with money. You like it, too, right?”

“Of course.”

I nodded my head resoundingly.

“So, I don’t want to do anything that goes against the heart of the Lord as respectfully as possible.”

“Against the will of Cassius…”
​​
The Duchess pondered for a moment before continuing.
​​
“In a word, you are asking me the type of woman he hates because you want to keep him in love with you.”

She was straight to the point.

“No, that is right.”

“If that is the case… There is nothing I cannot tell you.”

The Duchess’s eyes converged on the air. She looked like she was thinking hard about something.

“At first, he did not pay much attention to women. Of course, he never had a man either, so you can rest assured.”

I did not know whether to laugh or cry.

If Cassius’ sexual orientation had been toward a man, Ophelia and I would have been much happier.

“But, I do have a few memories of women whom he hated.”

Hearing that, I pricked my ears.

This was the most important part.

“He cannot stand a fool. Whether it was a man or a woman, a subordinate or a future wife… Everything that was foolish around him was slashed with a single knife.”

I got goosebumps.

It was because the words that he would strike with a single knife did not feel like a mere metaphor.

“In addition… He hated liars. Especially, when he sees blatant lies or bluffs to hide their weakness, he gets furious because those people do not even know their own place.”

I frowned.

I can understand why he hated it. Being in a place where he is right now, there would be quite a few of those types of people around him.

The problem was, I had to be that kind of person.

The Duchess, who could not understand me, added her words with her smile.

“Of course, you don’t have to worry at all since the You Lady I have seen so far is not stupid at all. Rather, on the contrary, I do not know.”

I think it would have been much more comfortable if it had not been for Cassius’ taste because I was not an idiot…

Still, I could not say that, so I smiled and nodded.
​​
“Thank you, Madam. It made me a lot more relaxed.”

“Yes.”

The Duchess beckoned her maid to bring her more tea and refreshments.

“Young Lady came to see me after a long time, but it is a waste to let you go like this. Let’s talk more. Is there anything else you want to know about Cassius?”

Even though I muttered that I did not want to take away more time from the busy, the Duchess seldom let me go.

“It is a pity to send the Young Lady back like this. It is all right if it is not about Cassius, so let’s talk a little longer before you leave.”

* * * 

Having barely escaped the Duchess and returned to my room, I calmly organized my thoughts.

The human type that Cassius disliked was simple.

A foolish liar.

‘…That is not something I cannot do.’

I took a deep breath.

The sooner I do it, the better.

‘I have to go find him right now.’

I hurried to foot in search of Cassius without being aware of the consequences of my foolish plans…