âIâm your husband.â
Edgar said, pressing down his anger. It sounded like a fierce beast growling, so Rubica started to feel really afraid. It wasnât like she could say their relationship had been made because of a deal.
âFor now, yes.â
However, that reply wasnât the right answer either. His eyes turned bloodshot.
âIs it that Arman? Where is that bastard?â
âArman? Why are you talking about him now?â
âAre you defending him?â
Edgar glared at Rubica, and his fierce eyes were almost melting her off.
âHe isnât a good man.â
âHow do you know that? Have you ever met him?â
Rubicaâs voice shook. How could Edgar be so sure Arman was not a good man? Maybe he knew him.
âI donât have to meet him to know that.â
Sadly, what Edgar said wasnât what she had expected. Her slight hope vanished, and she got a little angry. He had been saying all this nonsense while scolding her, and she hated him for that. She rather missed the boredom she felt just a while ago.
âArman is a good man. You donât know how kind and nice he is. Donât you speak ill of him in front of me.â
The anger that had been bubbling inside Edgar like lava eventually exploded.
âHeâs kind and nice? Rubica, youâre being fooled. Any man with responsibility and conscience would not let the woman whoâs pregnant with his own baby marry another man.â
Rubica could now see why he was doing this. It was crazy, but he hadnât read her letter. The servant, who took care of the messenger birds, had been sure the congratulation letters would arrive early in the morning and her letter would arrive only shortly after as soon as the sun came up, so she hadnât worried about that, but something must have gone wrong in the middle.
âStop liking him! He doesnât deserve your love.â
Edgar criticized Arman as if he had been Rubicaâs father or brother. In a way, Rubica couldnât understand that. She hadnât had any kind of physical intercourse with Edgar, and he had heard the news of her pregnancy. In most cases, when a husband thought his wife had become pregnant with a baby that wasnât his, he didnât leave that alone. When the husband was merciful, the wife was kicked out, but mostly the wife was either sued or requested to commit suicide. However, even if Edgar was mad at Arman, he wasnât blaming her.
âEdgar, I think itâs all a huge misunderstanding.â
âMisunderstanding? What kind of?â
âI never got to tell Arman I love him. And...â
Rubica was going to continue, but she had to stop there. Edgar looked so shocked as if he had just been struck by lightning.
â... what?â
He asked back, holding her shoulders. He looked at her belly that hadnât swollen at all. Rubica soon realized she only worsened Edgarâs misunderstanding. He was just imagining the worst thing he could think of.
âEd...â
âItâs my baby.â
Edgar firmly cut her off with his blue eyes burning. Rubica had never seen him unable to control himself like that. He usually sat on the sofa elegantly and made fun of what she did. She was usually the one who got mad and pouted when they were together, and Edgar had never lost his reasons.
Even during meals, Rubica glanced at him from time to time, but he just elegantly used his knife. It was as if he was the incarnation of coldness, reasons, and elegance, but now he was so mad that he couldnât hear a word Rubica was saying.
âWhat are you talking about?â
âYou are Duchess Claymore. The duchessâ baby should be the dukeâs baby.â
What was he talking about? It was the most foolish thing Rubica had ever heard.
âIt is an extremely rational and logical deduction.â
Edgar added as if he could see what Rubica was thinking. It rather sounded like black comedy, but his voice was trembling with anxiety.
âI have a duty to keep you safe. No, itâs my right. Your baby is my child. If heâs a boy, he will become Claymoreâs heir, and if sheâs a girl, she will be my daughter.â
âNo, Edgar.â
Rubica urgently stopped him, and she had to announce the truth quickly to stop him.
âSo, donât even think about taking responsibility and leaving. I will track you down to the end of this continent. Iâm the one who should take responsibility, not you. So, donât tell me you already have a plan, or I shouldnât worry. Itâs all my responsibility and my duty!â
Edgar sounded as if he was declaring war against Rubica. What he was saying was that he couldnât bear to see Rubica leave the mansion while pregnant and suffer, so he was going to take care of everything himself.n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om
In a way, that was sweet, but Rubica rather felt chilled as Edgarâs eyes were glistening dangerously.
âAnd, as for the man who did, did...â
Edgar moaned at the rising anger. That was the moment, so Rubica quickly opened her mouth to tell him it was all a misunderstanding.
â... did this to you, I will capture that man who knows neither honor nor responsibility and make him live in pain for the rest of his life.â
Edgar was now smiling dangerously, and cold sweat started running down Rubicaâs back. She missed her moment to speak.
âIf heâs a commoner, I will sentence him to the cruelest punishment I can give.â
Edgar stopped there, thinking that describing that punishment to the pregnant Rubica wasnât the right thing to do.
âAnd donât worry, even if he is a noble, I will get your revenge. There are many ways. Poison or assassination, but I would rather let him live in pain. I will not let the man who did this to you live in peace. I will make him regret it forever and ever.â
He turned. He was probably about to call someone, but Rubica grabbed his arm in surprise. She had to stop him before this got bigger.
âEdgar, youâre...â
âCarl!â
His loud voice went through the door and reached Elise who was waiting outside.
âYes, Your Grace!â
âGet Carl!â
This couldnât be good. Both Elise and Ann were going to be so afraid, so Rubica had to solve this before it was too late.
âEdgar, please. Itâs all a misunderstanding.â
âMisunderstanding? What kind of? Donât even think about calling a criminal committing a crime as a misunderstanding. You are way too generous. Donât defend him.â
However, Edgar was just too mad and wouldnât even listen to her.
âIâm not pregnant.â
âYou think you can get past this moment with that lie and run away? The baby is mine. You are pregnant with my child, and you canât disappear to take care of it alone.â
This was serious. He was really mad and outraged. He wouldnât listen even though Rubica was telling the truth. Now his super intelligence was being rather harmful. He thought Rubica was up to some kind of scheme even he couldnât look through, but she simply wanted to scream that she wasnât that smart.
âRubica, donât worry. I will raise the baby as if it were mine.â
Now he was thinking about something different with his eyes full of hope. Clearly, he wasnât in the right state of mind.
âWhat the, you are going to raise a baby that isnât yours? What are you? Are you, are you a fool or something?â
Rubica was being dragged into it without noticing it. The moment she realized she had spoken to admit she was pregnant, Edgar smiled brightly. He had been always cold, but now he was smiling brightly like the sunlight.
Bum-
Rubica was shocked to hear her heart suddenly beat so hard. She stared at him, lost in words.
â... Arman.â
He was smiling just like Arman had smiled to her by the river, in the time that was a distant past and a distant future.
âWhat am I? Your husband, of course.â
Rubica felt dizzy. Calling him foolish would be an understatement. He was acting like he was out of his mind. How did she even feel that he was similar to Arman? He and Arman were completely different. If Arman had been like the warm spring sunshine, Edgar was like the bright sunlight of the hot summertime. Rubica was about to melt under that intense light.
Then, someone knocked on the door, and the butler had arrived. Edgar brightened up and turned to the door.
âIs it you, Carl?â
âYes, Your Grace. May I come in?â
Rubica had no time. She dragged his arm to stop him. The gesture clearly meant she had something to say, but Edgar didnât respond to it. It was all a misunderstanding. Rubica knew her saying she wasnât pregnant had angered Edgar even more. He was outraged and was not going to listen to her at all, but she had to stop him from giving orders to his knights.
âIs it the only way?â
It was the way she least wanted to use, but it was the only way to calm him down now.
âCarl, come in...â
Rubica closed her eyes, stood on her tiptoes, and covered Edgarâs lips with hers.