My Contract Husband is Going Crazy Because of My Iron Wall - Chapter 51.2
Chapter 51.2
“You stay out of this.”
Camilla snapped at Reinhardt, who was looking serious. Then she grabbed my hand.
“Irovel. Thank you.”
Her eyes, which had lost their fierce expression in an instant, softened remarkably. I was a little taken aback, as I had never expected to hear such words from the always-cold Camilla.
“It was my fault to begin with, so it’s only natural that I should clean up the mess. You don’t have to thank me.”
“Don’t be silly. It’s not your fault, it’s His Majesty’s fault.”
“But it was something I got involved in.”
“If you hadn’t been involved, wouldn’t you also get involved to save Reinhardt?”
Camilla’s sharp eyes gleamed as she asked, and I immediately answered.
“Yes, I would have saved him no matter what.”
It wasn’t just because Reinhardt had to be alive to avoid marrying the emperor, but because I simply didn’t want him to die. He had tried to protect me from the moment we first met. The biggest reason he agreed to the contract was probably not because he wanted to profit from my paintings, but because he couldn’t ignore my pleas to save me.
I liked his kind heart that saved me, and his consideration that showed through his bluntness. I wanted him to live happily somewhere else, not by my side.
So, there was no reason not to save him.
“Reinhardt would have felt the same way.”
Camilla said with a satisfied smile.
“I have sacrificed everything in my life to protect Reinhardt. Losing the child I protected is like losing my life. Irovel. You have saved my life.”
“Isn’t it too much to treat me like your life benefactor, Mother?”
“What matters to me is not you, but your life. In other words, you just need to stay alive.”
Reinhardt’s stubbornness was like Camilla’s.
There was no way she could accept the life of a concubine who shared her husband with others. She wanted to escape to a foreign country, or even die. Both options, however, would preserve Camilla’s pride, but neither could guarantee Reinhardt’s safety against the Empress Dowager’s power.
In the end, what Camilla sacrificed was her own pride.
At times, she hated the son she had fought so hard to protect, and at others, she cherished him with boundless affection. It was, in essence, an ‘ambivalence.’
As someone who had never felt the emotion of ambivalence, it was difficult for me to fully understand Camilla’s feelings, but I knew at least how much she cared about Reinhardt.
“Since I have saved Reinhardt’s life, which is the same as your life, will you acknowledge me?”
“You said you would handle Reinhardt’s trial. I’ll accept you after that. Prove to me that you are someone Reinhardt needs.”
Camilla burst into laughter at my question, recalling what she had said the other day.
“What are you saying? I heard from Jade. You saved Reinhardt’s life before, didn’t you? If you saved Reinhardt’s life twice, you are indispensable to both Reinhardt and me.”
“Then… do I have to divorce Reinhardt?”
“No. Reinhardt is yours.”
Camilla said softly, her eyes crinkling with a smile.
“I can’t allow a divorce now.”
* * *
“Irovel. Could you come here for a moment?”
Reinhardt grabbed me as I was about to return to my bedroom to rest. Soon, he took me to the dining room in the mansion.
A strawberry cake was sitting alone on the huge table in the center of the dining room.
“Oh! That’s the strawberry cake I was talking about.”
But why did it look so… strange?
The layers were uneven, and there were places where the whipped cream was missing. Compared to what I had seen at the palace, it looked like it had been made by a child.
“But I think our chef made this? Whoever made it, this person shouldn’t sell cakes…”
“His Excellency the Grand Duke made it from dawn.”
Jade, who was waiting by my side, quickly answered, and I hurriedly changed the subject.
“Oh, this is the kind of sentiment that’s in fashion these days. It’s so trendy! Wow, it’s going to turn the baking world upside down!”
“….”
Reinhardt. You don’t have to glare at me like that. I know I just said a bunch of nonsense.
“…I’m sorry.”
It would be better to apologize honestly than to continue with my failed act. Still, Reinhardt’s face remained grim.
“We agreed not to lie.”
“I’m sorry… I couldn’t help it.”
I should have realized sooner why the cake was in that state! After all the trouble I went through with the painting incident! And on top of that, I lied about it… Why was I like this?
“Grand Duchess. Please try it first.”
Jade handed me a fork, trying to lighten the mood with a forced, cheerful voice.
‘Thank you, Viscount Mute!’
I thanked him with my eyes and quickly sat down and took a large bite of the cake with my fork.
“How is it?”
Reinhardt asked with an expression full of tension, like a chef facing a malicious food critic, and I… hesitated on how to answer.
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