Chapter 198

Misunderstandings, Lies, and Truths (4)

At the smile, Edmond kicked his tongue.

‘Was he trying to talk to me from the beginning?’

If Daniel had spoken to Edmond directly, he would have been rejected, saying he had no intention of talking to Edmond. But when he talks to Ezet, Edmond gets in between.

That’s what Daniel was after.

‘Caught in this simple trap.’

Edmond momentarily narrowed his forehead, gave a shallow sigh, and looked back at Ezet.

“Milady, come for a walk with your Majesty the Empress. I’m going to talk to this kid… no, Count Spencer.”

“Edmond.”

He accepted the conversation with Daniel, but Edmond could never be comfortable. She was worried that Edmond would not hold back his anger and hit him or throw him down by the collar if he was not seen.

Ezet has yet to see Edmond wielding violence. Morality, in words, is an inveterate villain, but at least Edmond was a man of courtesy when dealing with others.

He was also respectful to the ladies who bullied Ezet, and when he extorted large donations, he did not threaten them openly but trap them in multiple ways so that they could not refuse to answer.

So if Edmond were talking to another man, Ezet would have stepped down without worrying too much, but Daniel is different.

When Daniel was found in the grand theater, Edmond tried to kick him without hesitation. Since then, he has shown signs of blatant displeasure whenever he encounters him. But will the two of them be able to communicate properly while she is not watching?

“Edmond, don’t bully Daniel.”

“…I know.”

Not to mention bullying; he never even talked to him in the first place.

Edmond was a little upset but quietly agreed because it wasn’t that he didn’t know what Ezet was worried about.

“Be back, Milady. There’s nothing to worry about.”

“Don’t worry, Duchess of Saxony. It won’t be long.”

Edmond and Daniel comforted Ezet at the same time. It was the Empress who called Ezet, who looked at the two alternately with eyes that still could not get rid of anxiety.

“Let’s go, Duchess of Jaxen. I think the two men have something to say.”

“Your Majesty…”

“Ego.”

When the empress folded her fan and reached out to Ezet, who could not refuse, she gave a light eye to the two men and held the Empress’s hand.

***

Daniel opened his mouth only after the Empress and Ezet were completely invisible across the hall.

“You’re so anxious; don’t you feel sorry for her?”

It was a question that was no different than unexpected, but it was so unexpected that Edmond was stunned.

“Get off my wife’s business. Aren’t you too interested in someone else’s wife?”

“It is not the gentleman’s duty to witness injustice and acquiesce.”

“What about injustice…”

“Do not trouble Duchess of Jaxen anymore.”

Was it the story of not wanting to hold on for a long time and that he would be beaten and stretched out and finished soon? Edmond suppressed his hunger to get rid of the dastardly nobleman in front of him. He’s an ugly man, but now he’s the grandson of Marquis Spencer, whom she cares about.

Edmond folded his arms and turned away.

“I don’t understand why you’re saying that.”

“The Duchess of Jaxen has never left the castle since her wedding three years ago?”

Edmond, who didn’t expect Daniel to suddenly bring up the Jaxen marriage terms, turned his gaze back at him. Daniel’s turquoise eyes were watching Edmond.

“I’ve heard about the announcement of the Saxony bride recruitment.”

They can’t meet people, they can’t meet relatives, and they can’t stop by their parents except for serious and important events.

“Not long ago, attending the funeral of her late grandmother was the first outing of the Duchess of Jaxen, and her only sister went on a trip around the world shortly thereafter.”

The former was true, but the latter was Ezet’s lie. As the two unrelated stories were mixed, a strange conclusion came out.

Daniel’s eyes grew sharp.

“Didn’t you set it all up?”

“What?”

“The Duchess of Jaxen, who has lost her family to attach to, has no choice but to rely on you. No matter how difficult you are, the Duchess will not be able to refuse and will have to follow.”

“That’s ridiculous. Is it the Spencer family tradition to frame people by making assumptions at will?”

“Are you saying it’s not true that you block the Duchess from going out or interacting with others?”

“……”

That is true, but the premise is wrong.

It was one thing that Edmond was obsessed with and forced Ezet to keep the Jaxen Duchy wealth and power away from his wife’s house.

It was Erit who accepted the terms and signed the contract in the first place, not Ezet.

“It’s unpleasant to judge what it seems like without knowing what’s going on.”

“Just because there’s a situation doesn’t mean anything is acceptable. You can’t hide your obvious mistakes.”

“This is clearly wrong?”

“Do you know Stockholm syndrome?” {TN- Stockholm syndrome was in English.}

Stockholm syndrome. A psychological disorder in which hostages are influenced and sympathized with the criminal. It is a kind of defense mechanism with self-justification to escape from the anxiety of being unable to reject an opponent who threatens him.

It’s also found in wives who are beaten by their husbands or abused children. When Daniel studied abroad, he went to volunteer work and saw many people suffering from mental illness.

“When I first encountered her at the Grand Theater, she was frightened and hid behind the cupboard when she saw me apologizing for coming to the wrong place.”

“Isn’t that because you jumped in all of a sudden?”

“It’s often the case that people mistake their seats in a big theater. Don’t you know that a normal person can’t overreact just because they run into someone they don’t know?”

Ezet had an obscene red rope all over her body on that day, and Daniel, who had no idea that she had avoided it because she was shy to be seen by another man, judged that Ezet was scared of strangers because she was petrified and unstable.