To the One Who's Only Cold to Me - Chapter 116

“Come to think of it, the name of the young lady Cliff is marrying was?”

They were having a casual conversation about Cliff’s marriage. While looking over Cliff’s letter again, Marissa suddenly squinted, recalling someone. Her expression changed slightly, and Graham, whose head had been resting on her hair, also looked back at the letter. The name sounded familiar to him too, and he tilted his head.

“Renee? I think I’ve heard that name before”

“Graham, are you being stupid?”

“Huh?”

“Renee. Don’t you remember? Daphne. That’s her little sister’s name.”

Though she scolded him, Marissa actually felt relieved by her husband’s reaction. He used to be very sensitive about anything related to Daphne. But now, it seemed even those intense memories had faded a lot.

“Oh… Right, that was her name.”

As expected, Graham just looked indifferent and only glanced at Marissa to make sure she wasn’t upset. Marissa felt both relieved and a little guilty seeing that.

In truth, Marissa still felt guilty about the letter she had sent long ago, saying Daphne ran away while pregnant with another man’s child. Even if they were childhood friends, she hadn’t needed to send that letter. Did she really send it just because she was worried about Graham? And Daphne. She was also Marissa’s precious friend. If Daphne ever found out she had told Graham, would she feel betrayed?

With her heart feeling uneasy, Marissa stared at her husband’s face and then snuggled into his arms. Her pregnant belly made it a little uncomfortable, but hiding her face in his warm chest helped ease some of the guilt. Graham looked confused by her sudden behavior, but then gently smiled at her and hugged her tighter, closing his eyes.

“Renee is like a spring breeze. When her hair moves, my whole world sways with it. Ah! How lucky I am. Graham, I have everything in the world. Why? Because beside me is the most beautiful, the most modest, and the kindest woman in the Empire. She’s the most perfect woman in the world.”

Cliff continued to send letters after that. Graham laughed loudly, both shocked and amused by his friend’s flowery words.

“Marissa, come look at this.”

The Cliff in the letter felt like a stranger to Graham, even though they had spent the past few years like real brothers. Cliff had golden hair and gem-like blue eyes, and though he was handsome, his cold nature and harsh upbringing made him distant.

But to think that kind of man had this side to him. Except for their fights, Cliff always acted perfect and dignified. Seeing this new side made Graham feel strange, yet happy.

“This guy isn’t usually like this. He must’ve really found the one. He’s acting like a fool.”

“Graham! Watch your language. Don’t talk like that in front of the baby.”

Marissa, five months pregnant, gave Graham a look. He quickly tapped his lips and nodded.

“Oh right, our baby is listening. Got it. I’ll be careful.”

But the smile on his face stayed. Marissa shook her head in disbelief.

“Your friend’s the one getting married, but you look happier than him. Anyone would think you were bringing home a bride.”

“My bride? Don’t say that! And you know… Cliff is…”

Graham’s face darkened before he finished. Seeing the worry in his eyes, Marissa stayed quiet.

“Cliff may look strong, but he has many wounds. You know, about the late Marquis and his wife…”

“Yes, I know.”

“Not only did the old Marquis die that way, but I also heard the Marchioness in the Kingdom of Todome treated Cliff very badly. She locked him up too… He never told me everything, but I think a lot of it hurt him deeply. So Marissa, please be careful when you talk to Cliff. Try not to bring up parents or that kind of thing. Please.”

“I understand.”

Marissa had been with Graham for years after Daphne left. During that time, she naturally got to know Cliff and became close to him. So, compared to others, she understood Cliff’s personality and background better.

“Falling for someone so much that it changes your whole personality maybe it means he really loves her…”

That’s why Marissa couldn’t smile like Graham when she read Cliff’s letter. At first glance, it looked like a man happy to be in love. But when she looked closer, she saw troubling signs.

“If things go wrong, it could end badly. And calling her the most beautiful, most modest, and most perfect woman? That’s too much, even in love. Especially for someone like Cliff”

From what Marissa knew, Cliff deeply hated his mother, the former Marchioness, who had used him for political gain. This seemed to have shaped how he viewed women too.

“Lady Doldor, it would be my honor to dance with you.”

On the outside, Cliff was a cold but perfect gentleman. But Marissa had seen enough to know how negative, judgmental, and narrow his thinking was toward women when he was around Graham.

“Women are weak. I don’t mean physically. Maybe it’s because they don’t learn enough, but they’re too easily tempted. That’s why they can’t be trusted.”

“Cliff! You shouldn’t say that in front of Marissa.”

“Ah, Marissa. I’m sorry. That was rude. Of course, I wasn’t talking about you. I’ve never seen a woman more loyal to Graham than you.”

When Cliff looked at women, his eyes turned colder, his chin tilted slightly upward as if looking down. He usually hid it well, but around Graham, he would occasionally say such things. He also seemed obsessed with words like “loyalty” and “modesty,” which made Marissa wonder if he had seen his mother act improperly in the past.

After graduating from the academy, Cliff had a short time in society. He used his looks and sweet words to attract many women. But no matter who it was an unmarried lady, a noble’s only daughter, or someone from a modest family his relationships never lasted longer than a month.

Marissa remembered a party where she had seen Cliff break up with a woman.

“You should understand by now. It’s ugly for a woman to cling to a man’s sleeve like this.”

He was cold and firm to the woman who begged him not to leave. Some people might say he was trying not to hurt her more, but Marissa believed it wasn’t about kindness. It was as if he enjoyed hurting women.

Of course, this was his personal life, so Marissa never told anyone not even Graham what she thought. From a distance, Cliff’s actions didn’t seem strange. After all, there were always men in high society who enjoyed being around women.

The only difference was that Cliff was more charming and better at hiding his true nature, so women fell for him easily.

“Beside me is the most beautiful, most modest, and the kindest woman in the Empire. She’s the most perfect woman in the world.”

Marissa stared again at that line in Cliff’s letter. The words sounded like something from ancient mythology like the woman the gods made for the man who unified the continent and called himself the greatest king.

“And that woman, in the end”

Did that man live happily ever after with his perfect woman? Marissa thought of the tragic ending of the myth she read as a child, and her eyes grew dark.

“Marissa?”

“Marissa!”

“Huh?”

“What were you thinking about? You didn’t even hear me.”

Marissa came back to herself only when Graham hugged her tightly and called her name. She touched her belly and looked at him with a guilty smile.

“Sorry. What did you say?”

“It’s nothing big, but there was another letter. Cliff said he’d like some of the ladies you know to be bridesmaids. His bride doesn’t have any connections in the capital.”

“That’s not too hard. Okay, I’ll see what I can do.”

Cliff’s long writing on expensive, fine paper felt light, like it could be blown away in the wind. Graham’s handwriting was messy, but his reply was just as cheerful.

“Graham! It’s been a while. Countess, it’s good to see you too.”

“Cliff!”

“Nice to see you again, Marquis.”

“Ah, I was so excited I got out of the carriage alone. Hold on a moment. There’s someone I want to introduce.”

But when Cliff opened the carriage door to introduce his new bride…

“I’ve mentioned her in my letters, right? This is Renee Owen, the woman who will be my wife. Renee, this is my best friend, Count Graham Parden, and his wife, Countess Marissa Parden.”

Graham and Marissa’s faces turned pale at the sight of an all-too-familiar face.

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