To the One Who's Only Cold to Me - Chapter 121

His twisted view of women continued even after he left his mother and returned to the Empire. In Cliff’s eyes, the noblewomen of the capital were elegant on the outside but full of lies and hypocrisy. Just like his mother. That’s why, even as he socialized with women and slept with them, he looked down on them sometimes even saw them as beasts.

“Renee is the perfect woman.”

To him, Renee was salvation. Only after meeting her did Cliff realize such a woman could exist. A pure country girl, so different from the fake noble ladies. A woman untouched by filth. Renee looked like a fairy, close to Cliff’s ideal type, but even more than that, her personality matched the woman he believed could never exist his perfect woman.

“Wh-what? A kiss? That’s for after marriage”

So innocent, as if she knew nothing about men.

“Don’t worry about me. If it’s what you want, Cliff, I’ll follow.”

So gentle and obedient in the way she spoke and acted.

“How do I look? I picked a few flowers to wear because I wanted to look pretty for you, Cliff.”

Simple and rustic to the point of being mocked in the capital, yet still beautiful. Cliff loved Renee. He fell in love at first sight and felt a thrill when he saw her. But to find out it was all a lie. Just an act from a deceitful woman. His ideal turned out to be no different from his mother.

Cliff clenched his fists and trembled. Memories of his childhood at the summer house in the Kingdom of Todome flashed before his eyes. The sight of his mother and a man through the crack in the door. His late father. His younger self, locked up like an animal in a room where no one came no matter how much he screamed All of it wrapped around him like a storm.

“Cliff”

“P-please forgive me. Hic…”

Daphne reached out and grabbed his arm, begging. She had her reasons too.

“I’ve done well all this time.”

She hadn’t lived easily by his side. A life among high-ranking nobles built on lies. She had worked endlessly to enjoy that life with him.

“I’ve never embarrassed you. You know that.”

She had endured great pain to learn noble manners and survive among ladies even Marissa had struggled with. To avoid the smallest slip, she learned every rule, watched every move.

All for Cliff. She shed her old self and became a different person to become ‘Renee,’ the woman he loved. Modest, obedient, devoted, and beautiful. She tried everything to become his perfect woman.

“I never wanted to disappoint you. I always tried to be the wife you described.”

But Cliff’s face only twisted more at her words. To him, her explanation was as good as a confession. The wife he had loved was a lie.

“At least for the sake of our children. Please, think of Ian and Sophia”

Panicked by Cliff’s reaction, Daphne brought up their children her last hope. Even now, he had come all the way to the annex because he was worried about them. So if she reminded him of the children, she was sure he would soften. That he would forgive her.

But she was wrong. As soon as Daphne mentioned the children, Cliff’s expression went cold. His voice dropped.

“Filthy woman.”

Shocked, Daphne let go of his arm. Filthy woman? Cliff had always called her angel, my beloved wife. To hear such words now was unthinkable. Cliff had always been kind so even now, Daphne was stunned.

“You dare use the children in front of me?”

To Cliff, it was natural to be angry. When he saw Daphne using the children like a shield, he saw his mother’s face even more clearly. The trauma flared, and Cliff glared at her in disgust before turning away.

“Cliff!”

If he left now, it would really be the end. Desperate, Daphne lunged to stop him. But Cliff roughly pushed her off, just like he had done a week ago and left the house without looking back.

Late that night, the bar, which only allowed noble guests, was noisy and crowded. Most men clinked their glasses and shouted, drunk enough to not care if they spilled on their expensive clothes.

Cliff sat alone in a corner, quietly drinking. Many bottles were already on the table, but he didn’t care and emptied another one.

“Well, well, isn’t this our Marquis?”

Just as Cliff put down another glass, someone sat beside him. Cliff turned his flushed face slightly toward the man, then looked away indifferently. It might’ve seemed rude, but the man only smiled and sat down. He called for a drink and spoke again.

“Was that place I told you about helpful?”

Cliff’s hand paused for a moment, then he poured another drink and muttered,

“Yeah. They did a good job.”

“Glad to hear it. That place is famous. Expensive, but they never fail.”

Cliff had learned about his wife’s past during a recent trip. A week ago, he had come to this bar and met the man, who introduced him to a certain information guild. Though part of the underworld, the guild was large and efficient. As soon as Cliff paid, they brought him the truth.

“It’s true. Her real name is Daphne Duso. Renee was the name of her late younger sister. She did get married around sixteen, and she was pregnant but the baby didn’t survive.”

Before that, Cliff had still half-believed in her. He wanted to believe the merchant had made a mistake. But when the guild told him the truth and he confronted her, she turned pale and begged for forgiveness.

“The problem was that they did too good a job. Damn them.”

Bang.

Cliff slammed his fist on the table. The reminder of the merchant’s words reignited his rage. Some bottles broke, and everyone stared but Cliff didn’t care. He buried his face in his hands.

“You must be really upset.”

“Talk to me. Maybe I can help.”

The man put a hand on Cliff’s shoulder and spoke softly. But Cliff quickly pushed it off.

“Get lost.”

Tap.

“Whoa. Got it. My bad. Everyone has their own troubles. Sorry.”

“Still… I can’t leave after seeing you like this. Hmm…”

Even after being pushed away, the man didn’t leave. Cliff, now sick of his voice, clenched his fists in warning.

“Mind your own business and get lost—”

But then, a strange scent tickled his nose. Faint, but oddly relaxing. He instinctively turned toward the source.

“Feel a little better?”

The scent came from a small pouch in the man’s hand. As he squeezed it, the scent grew stronger. Cliff swallowed, drawn in.

“How about it? Want to come with me? There’s a place I know where all your worries will vanish.”

The man shook the pouch with a smile. Before long, Cliff got into a carriage with him and disappeared into a dark alley.

The carriage took them away from the busy streets to a quiet residential area. After winding through narrow paths, it stopped in front of a plain house.

The man knocked confidently and led Cliff inside. The house had many doors. With each one they passed, the scent from the pouch grew stronger. Finally, they arrived at a room more decadent than any Cliff had ever seen.

Half-naked women wearing only glittering jewelry. Strange, dangerous-looking smoke rising around the room. Drunk people swaying, barely holding their glasses Cliff saw it all through his hazy vision. At the man’s signal, several women approached Cliff.

‘Women really can’t be trusted. They’re all the same. All filthy, pitiful, shallow creatures.’

Cliff cursed them inwardly, seeing these women the same as his wife. Yet he let them touch him. No, he welcomed their touch.

“Handsome gentleman, how about a glass of magic wine? Hmm?”

A woman hugged him and offered a fragrant, purple drink. Cliff stared at her lemon-colored hair so much like his wife’s then drank it all in one go.

‘Nice.’

Soon, he felt light, like floating on a cloud. Compared to just smelling the scent, this was much stronger. Just like the man said, his worries vanished instantly.

He had no idea how much time had passed when a stranger appeared in front of him. The man politely bowed and sat down across from Cliff, watching him silently.

“What?”

Cliff slurred.

The man squinted slightly, then slowly spoke.

“Sir. It seems our girls didn’t provide service equal to what you paid. So I came to fix that.”

At the sound of his voice, Cliff realized the man was from the information guild. When the man noticed Cliff recognized him, he smiled even more.

“This is more information regarding the request you gave us. Would you like to hear it?”

Support