A New Life After Divorce - Chapter 112

The restaurant felt eerily silent after Etricia disappeared.

Edmund sat in front of the empty chair, running his fingers roughly through his hair before letting out a deep sigh. “She’s really angry,” he muttered under his breath.

He had a guess why. The way he spoke to her, almost scolding the person who had saved his life. But Etricia was perceptive—she must have known that his harsh words were directed at himself rather than her.

‘Or is there another reason?’

He rubbed his forehead with a troubled expression. Right now, he felt just as lost as when Etricia had shown jealousy before.

At that moment, Lilian, pouting, spoke while cutting her food.

“I think I know why Lady Etricia is angry.”

Edmund’s eyelids twitched at her words. He slowly lifted his head to look at Lilian, his eyes questioning how she could know something he didn’t. Then, the twin brothers standing nearby nodded in agreement.

“I know too.”

“Me too.”

Even Mary, who was standing next to them, hesitated before raising her hand.

“I’m sorry, but… I know as well.”

Edmund felt out of place. Last time, no one had understood. But this time, it seemed like he was the only one left in the dark. The others whispered among themselves while giving him meaningful glances.

“Lady Etricia was so worried. She didn’t even show it, but I could tell she was heartbroken.”

“I saw her secretly wiping away tears.”

“Really, Rail? When she returned from the temple, she was drenched in sweat. It was pitiful.”

“Just thinking about it makes me want to cry…”

Lilian, Rail, Tale, and Mary all sighed deeply, shaking their heads.

Edmund replayed the events from two days ago in his mind. Then, as if something suddenly clicked, his face twisted into a grimace. He cursed under his breath.

He abruptly stood up and headed toward the restaurant door but stopped mid-step. What if approaching her now only made her angrier?

“Ha.”

Edmund let out a short laugh and rubbed the corner of his lips.

Had he ever been like this before? He had never cared about reading people’s emotions. Now, he looked like a nervous dog afraid of losing his master’s affection. What he didn’t realize was that this was the start of an unintended training.

“Damn it. What should I do…?”

His muttered curse made the servants flinch.

The twins and Mary exchanged glances, silently agreeing to stay out of it. Only Lilian, with half-lidded eyes, glared at Edmund while shoving food into her mouth. She probably thought she was being intimidating, but she looked more like a goldfish gulping down fish food.

A moment later, after swallowing her bite, Lilian sighed and set down her utensils.

To her, her younger brother had never been good at emotional exchanges. He could see through people’s motives and true intentions with sharp insight, but he had no clue why his own lover was upset.

She had been dumbfounded when she found out the previous argument had been over some princess from the Western Kingdom. If it were her, she would have fixed the issue immediately.

She never imagined a day would come when she had to lecture her exceptionally intelligent little brother.

‘Well, at least he seems to have figured out why she’s mad…’

Lilian wiped her mouth with a napkin and said,

“Edmund, just go and be honest with her. Lady Etricia is kind—she’ll forgive you.”

Edmund, knowing Lilian’s past behavior, looked at her doubtfully. Then he sighed deeply, running his hand through his hair. He had no choice but to take his sister’s advice this time.

“Thank you.”

He left the restaurant with heavy steps. But soon, as if in a rush, his pace quickened. He was almost running when he caught his reflection in a hallway mirror and stopped.

Thanks to the treatment he received earlier in the morning, his shirt was slightly wrinkled.

Etricia liked his appearance. Maybe if he looked even better, she would forgive him faster? Normally, he would have dismissed the thought as ridiculous, but now, it felt oddly reasonable.

“I should change first.”

With that, he turned and headed to his room.

After finishing her dinner, Etricia called for her maid, took a long bath in rose-scented water, and dismissed the servants early. She was drying her slightly damp hair when—

Knock, knock.

A soft knock came at the door. Only a few people would visit her at this hour—Lilian, Rail, or a maid. Thinking it was one of them, she opened the door without checking first.

And froze.

Edmund stood there, backlit by the dim hallway lantern. He was wearing a crisp white shirt and sleek trousers that fell neatly to his ankles. His tall, broad frame filled the doorway, creating an imposing presence. If not for the way his golden eyes gazed at her so intensely, she might have assumed he had come to argue.

“How long have you been standing there?”

“For a little while.”

It didn’t seem like just a little while. Had he waited for her bath to finish? Now that she thought about it, a maid had left earlier looking startled, muttering about seeing a ghost before hurrying away.

Then, Edmund suddenly furrowed his brows and took a step back, as if reacting to a scent. Feeling annoyed, Etricia stepped forward, closing the distance. He let out a strained groan and shut his eyes.

He rubbed his face in frustration, then met her gaze directly.

“Etricia, I know why you’re angry.”

“Oh? And what is it?”

“I’m sorry for breaking my promise at the Buell estate.”

Finally, he remembered. The sharp sting in her heart began to soften.

“And I’d like to apologize in advance.”

She blinked. Apologize in advance?

“I’m going to do it again.”

“What…?”

“If you use your power, I’ll be angry. If someone tries to use you, I’ll…”

He hesitated for a moment before continuing.

“I’ll want to kill them. And if you’re ever in danger, I won’t hesitate to throw myself in front of you again.”

Etricia let out a disbelieving laugh. Was this an apology or a declaration of war?

“So you’re saying, if I’m ever in danger again, you’ll throw yourself in again?”

“I’ll do my best not to. By making sure you’re never in danger in the first place.”

What kind of twisted logic was that? I gave a dumbfounded laugh.

But then, Edmund’s expression suddenly turned serious—completely unlike before.

“Etricia, I want you to promise me one thing too. That you won’t use your power again.”

“Even if you’re in danger?”

“Yes, even if I’m in danger.”

He said it like the thought of it alone was unbearable, his eyes tightening. His reaction left my heart heavy, but at the same time, it made me angry.

If he wanted me to respect his choice to protect me, then he needed to respect my choice too.

“So, I should just stand by and watch you die?”

“……”

“What did you say back then? ‘I’m just glad you weren’t hurt’? Do you even know how scared I was when you were injured? What I felt in that moment? I almost lost you because of my mistake!”

As I let out everything I’d been holding in, my emotions came flooding out like a dam had broken. I had never raised my voice like this since meeting him. My voice trembled as I shouted, and Edmund stared at me, eyes wide with surprise.

“And another thing—what was that? That there couldn’t possibly be a madman in this world who’d want to live by sacrificing the one he loves? That line pissed me off the most. I’m throwing it right back at you!”

I stormed into the room, grabbed the ring case on the nightstand, and practically shoved it at him. He caught it clumsily, staring down at it in shock.

“I was going to give you this ring that day. But even that failed. Do you have any idea how upset I was?”

And now he wanted me to do nothing if something like that happened again? When he would risk his whole body to save me?

I’d never been this raw or honest before. I couldn’t say these things to anyone else—but with him, I could. As if he were the one person who could take all of me.

Plop. A tear—sharp and cold like the remnants of a storm—fell. I glared at him and wiped it away with the back of my hand.

“…Etricia.”

By now, Edmund had returned to his usual calm self. Only, his golden eyes were trembling softly as he looked at me with wonder, and a faint smile tugged at his lips.

“To me, that sounded a lot like a love confession.”

He looked delighted while I felt like dying from embarrassment. My face flushed, and I forced a crooked smile, veins rising in my neck.

“Oh my, what else could it be?”

And then I immediately dropped the expression and said flatly:

“Of course I’m angry because I love—mmph!”

Suddenly, he pulled me into his arms, and our lips met. My eyes flew wide open.

Edmund held my waist with one arm and braced himself against the doorframe with the other, kissing me deeply. His jawline, sharp as a cliff, filled my vision. His silver eyelashes fanned out like a brushstroke, and not a blemish touched his skin.

When our eyes met—his narrowed yellow ones—it felt like a purring cat brushing against me. I heard a low hum pass from his lips into mine.

“Ah…”

Before I knew it, my lips parted and my eyes fluttered closed. He slipped in between my lips, his scent making my head spin. The intensity of the kiss sent pleasure tingling through my whole body. I felt as if I were standing on air.

This man said last time it was his first. He did. He definitely did… But when he pulled away briefly, that thought vanished the moment he nibbled softly on my lower lip again.

He kissed me deeper, running his fingers leisurely down the nape of my neck until they caught on the collar of my gown. When he tugged suddenly as if to pull it off, I startled and stepped away.

Haa. Haa. We were both panting, lips still barely apart, eyes locked with heated tension. It felt like we might collapse into each other at any moment.

Then something hard pressed against my stomach—and I recoiled in shock. Edmund let out a quiet groan and covered his mouth with a hand.

Horrified, I glanced downward, then quickly back up. He, too, seemed to realize what was happening, because his neck flushed red. Damn. He cursed under his breath and avoided my eyes. Even the tips of his ears, contrasting his silver hair, were glowing red.

“…Please ignore that.”

His words said one thing, but the smoldering look in his sidelong gaze nearly melted me.

Our reconciliation had ended with a confession, and what followed… was far spicier than I’d expected.

Face blazing, I covered my cheeks with both hands and turned to flee.

“…I’ll just head in for the night.”

I reached for the door—but suddenly,

Clack. He caught my wrist.

“Are you really going to just leave me like this?”

I let out a shaky breath, caught between nervousness and a strange thrill. Slowly, I turned back, my eyes trailing from his chin up to his eyes. His brows were furrowed in desire, and his gaze burned as if he were parched.

“I don’t want to go.”

“……”

“Etricia.”

He called my name, urging a response. I barely managed to part my lips.

“Someone might see…”

“This is the annex. The maids have been dismissed. No one will come until morning—”

That’s not what I meant, you dating rookie.

I grabbed him by the collar and pulled him into the room.

“Just get in already.”

Reading the message in my eyes, he blinked, then gave a crooked grin.

But then a sudden thought hit me—this was his first time. Was this really okay…?

“Are you going to be alright?”

I wasn’t expecting rose petals on the bed or some romantic candlelight scene, but I still asked, just in case.

“Alright with what?”

“You… it’s your first—mmph.”

Before I could finish, he kissed me deeply again, making my head tilt back. Moments later, he bit my lip softly and whispered:

“I’m good at everything we do with our bodies.”

His voice was sticky, sultry, and deep enough to melt my eardrums. I flinched.

Then, slowly stroking my back, he whispered again:

“You should be the one worrying. Not me.”

When our eyes met again, his gaze reminded me of a wild predator in the dead of night. A chill ran down my spine.

Wait a second… his eyes… they look a little crazy…

His pupils were cloudy, blurring into the golden irises without border. I instinctively took a step back.

Whatever happened next, it definitely would’ve looked indecent to anyone watching—but thankfully, the slowly closing door hid everything from view.

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