Chapter 77
Sickly? Husband's Contractual Wife
Chapter 77
âI didnât mean to do this.â
Embarrassed by the scenery unfolding in front of me, I rolled my eyes from side to side.
âYou donât see it there, too?â
At first, I was walking around the garden by myself. So, I scoured the bushes, behind pruned trees, and even to the rose bushes. While I was wandering around like that, the gardeners and servants started looking at me with curious eyes one by one.
Then, one of them came and asked.
ã How can I help you? ã
He called people to say that I was looking for a black cat, and it soon became a large-scale search operation.
After I took the authority from Greta, who was managing the housekeeping, the servants became more kind to me.
It didnât seem like I was simply taking over Gretaâs job.
First of all, they were friendly to me. It may have been that they had a sense of self-consciousness, although unlike the past, they smiled at me, were kind, and spoke kindly. Even if this was a temporary phenomenon, it was meaningful enough to me.
Good, very good
It was very important to be liked by the people I met all the time. Thanks to them, I received all this help in finding Noir.
As I was in the midst of excitement, I heard a familiar voice behind me.
âWhatâs going on?â
Seeing Amoideâs sudden appearance, the employees all bowed their heads in greeting.
âA, Amoide. How did you get here?â
âI was taking a walk, and itâs noisy.â
He answered in a blunt voice.
âA walk? Whyâ¦â
Before I even asked if he did it himself, the answer came back.
âAre you afraid that I wonât be able to walk without you?â
That was it.
Of course, though, thatâs right.
âThere is nothing to say in such a hateful way.â
âWhy?â
He seemed to sense some impurity in the way I gazed at him. Amoide stared back at me with sharp eyes.
âNo, I thought it would be nice to have long legs. I think it will be very comfortable even for a walk.â
So, I quickly came up with an excuse.
âYes, itâs different from someone with short legs.â
â¦Oh, really.
I was about to say something again, but suddenly I felt many pairs of eyes on me.
ââ¦.â
When I turned around, the gardener, servant, and even Rona quickly turned their heads in turn. They looked like they had turned their gaze away while trying to watch as much as they could.
âHmm, hmm.â
I straightened my posture again in embarrassment.
As a signal, the employees began to rummage through the bushes more diligently. They continued what they were doing as if they hadnât heard our conversation.
âThereâs nothing secret about a coupleâs fights and to show them fighting.â
It was good to do it.
âCome this way.â
I grabbed his arm. Contrary to what I thought he would do, he meekly was dragged along by me.
âWhere are you going?â
When I reached the shaded area of ââthe building, I spat out.
âAh.â
I let go of the hem of the clothes that I had pulled.
âMe and you, have a face, but we canât fight over there.â
âWeâre not going here to fight.â
At that, I glance up at him. Now that I heard it again, it was true. I didnât bring him all the way here just to fight.
âYou have a lot in your mind.â
The sound of him speaking slowly made me feel a little bubbly.
âArenât you curious about what Iâm thinking?â
âIâm not curious, but tell me.â
âIf Iâm tall enough, I think Iâd like to grab you by the neck.â
ââ¦.â
He was silent for a moment.
âYou want to know what Iâm thinking, donât you?â
âNone of my business.â
I clicked my tongue and lowered my shoulders. In order to recall the most disgusting expression, I have ever made in my life.
âBut, I asked what you were looking for.â
âIf you know, will you find it for me?â
Unexpectedly, I snapped at him. Realizing that, I shut my mouth and shut my eyes tightly.
ââ¦I didnât mean to do this.â
Watching Amoide stare at me without saying a word gave me a strange sense of guilt. Even though we were sticking thorns against each other, it felt like there was no winner. It was good to put aside unnecessary consumption of emotions.
Thinking that, I cleared my throat to speak in a tone that was as soft as possible.
âWell, Iâm looking for Noir.â
âThat black cat?â
âYes.â
âIsnât it always running around?â
âThatâ¦â
I bit my lip for a moment, then said, âI wondered if it would be bad for your health, so I moved and raised it in the Moonlight Pavilion.â
âIs that so?â
âItâs gone. I went to give some foodâ¦â
My voice got smaller and smaller, and I continued my words.
ââ¦Iâm sorry I couldnât watch it properly. I wonât let it wander around.â
âI never told you to kick it out.â
âThatâs true⦠but just in case, if it causes any problems to your health.â
âAre you so worried about that? Then, you should have kicked it out.â
âI canât.â
âWhy?â
âBecause I said I would take responsibility. I am responsible for Noir, andââ
I glanced up at him and finished my remarks.
âI will take responsibility for your health.â
At the curiously thrown words, Amoide narrowed his eyes and looked at me. You must be thinking, obviously.
âDonât be sick.â
This was sincere.
Please. Please donât get sick. No matter how hateful a person was, if you had strength, it was most welcome.
âIt used to go around the dukeâs mansion in the first place. It must be somewhere.â
He gazed down at me with deep eyes and continued. The eyes emitting light as refreshing as a lake were directed at me.
âIf it runs away, it wonât be in the dukeâs mansion. Snakes were all slaughtered last time, so there are no other natural enemies.â
âBut then, if it gets chased by a mouseâ¦!â
âWhat?â
He wrinkled his eyebrows as if suspicious of his ears.
âWhat is the cat chased byâ¦?â
âMouse.â
I uttered with a lot of worries.
âNoir is afraid of mice. When I first discovered it, it was because it was avoiding a mouse when it entered the chimneyâ¦â
âI hear all sorts of strange things. Well, why are you raising a cat? A cat that canât even catch a mouse.â
Hearing that, I quickly turned my head to look at him.
âWhatâs the matter?â
He looked at me with slightly perplexed eyes.
âCats may be afraid of mice. And, it might not be able to catch some mouse.â
The voice came out trembling. I felt like I was about to cry. Noir wasnât born to catch mice, so why does it have to?
âWhatâ¦?â
Amoide seemed somewhat perplexed by my reaction.
âWhy are you killing a cat to kill?â
Without realizing it, I stared at him and started screaming.
âThe cat! Thereâs no law that says you have to catch a mouse! Youâre the kind of person that only uses that to judge whether a cat is useful or not.â
ââ¦What?â
He seemed a bit shocked. No, very much.
âCats are happy just by themselves. What if they canât catch any mouse?â I continued to speak, and Amoideâs expression grew more and more serious.
Amoide looked stunned as if he had been slapped in the back of the head with a weighty ball of iron.
âItâs the same with people. Having a wife, and you have to pass it on to the next generation a child, itâs not like that.â
ââ¦.â
âIt sounds like there is no blood or tears.â
After quaking for a while, I started to regain consciousness.
â¦Did I talk harshly?
Instinctively, a danger signal sounded in my head. This is dangerous⦠Itâs dangerous, so letâs run away first.
With that thought, I slowly pulled my butt back and backed away. Looking at me moving away from him in an instant, Amoide spoke in a low voice.
âCome here.â
ââ¦.â
I pretended not to hear and turned my head.
âCome, now.â
I should not go. The way he spoke up was bloody in itself.
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