My Husband Hates Me, But He Lost His Memories - Chapter 3.1
Chapter 3.1
Translator: Yonnee
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‘Theodore Valentino…’
I was curious about him, but that was it. I hadn’t seen him in person because I couldn’t even attend the debutante ball held in the capital of the kingdom.
What kind of person was he? Did he resemble the rumors said about him? As people said, was he a great, marvelous man? If he was, then he was all the more a person who I wouldn’t suit.
“Crazy wench. Why are you dressed up like that? Do you think your face would work on that stone-like bastard?”
Hessen, who leaned against the railing of the stairs as I went down, started with me again today. I only stared back at him, then checked my dress.
The rosy, colorful dress was brought to me by the maids this morning. It was under Father’s orders. I hated these kinds of clothes that had such excessive embellishments and a deeply cut neckline, but I couldn’t disobey my father.
Indeed, as Hessen pointed out, Father half-heartedly seemed to be expecting that my face would work on Theodore Valentino.
Should I use it to my advantage? But I think the probability of success was too low.
Despite Hessen grating on my nerves, I smiled at him. Since he had started with these remarks so early in the morning, of course I plan to retaliate.
“I guess I’m pretty good-looking even in your eyes. What do you think? Do you think you’ll fall in love with me?”
Hessen flinched. After a few seconds of prolonged silence, his expression suddenly blew up and his temper flared.
“Have you really gone crazy?! Go back to your room. This vulgar little…”
“Father ordered me to go to the garden.”
I ignored Hessen and jerked past him, but he followed right away and grabbed my arm so tightly that it stung.
“Ugh…!”
Hessen pulled me violently and turned me around, and I could only groan in pain as he clutched my shoulder with his other hand, as if to crush it. However, soon after he did this, he flinched and dropped his hands like a person who touched something he was forbidden to touch.
The dress I had on was designed with my shoulders revealed, so Hessen had just touched my bare skin.
Hessen spat out a few colorful swear words, covering his mouth with the hand that held my shoulder earlier.
“Sh*t, what are you going to do meeting that bastard with a dress like that? Has Father already gone senile…”
“If you don’t like that I’m wearing this for my meeting with the Duke, you should persuade Father.”
This made Hessen scowl. The indigo eyes staring down at me were vicious, but it wasn’t difficult to read the deep sense of defeat and helplessness in his gaze. After laughing at him with a low voice, I shook off his arm and turned away from him.
Hessen didn’t try to stop me from going down the stairs again. Instead, I could only hear his nervous cussing and the sound of him kicking the balustrade.
Hessen was a coward who knew nothing but to throw temper tantrums. He wasn’t someone who could openly rebel against his father dearest.
·
As Father had ordered, I went to the garden near the entrance of the main building, and I wandered around there for over an hour.
The sky was clear and the sunlight was strong, but since it was nearing the end of autumn, the air was chilly.
As I folded my arms around myself, feeling that my body temperature had already dropped, I regretted that I didn’t bring a shawl.
Even if I tried to order a maid to bring me one, it was impossible because there was no one nearby—Father wanted me to meet Theodore Valentino alone.
It was laughable. It was going to be our first meeting, but did my father really think that Duke Valentino would be tempted by my face?
Of course, Father must not have such high expectations either. He just placed me on display here at the garden as if I was a product being shown behind a window, hoping that the passing customer would buy it.
Step, crunch—
As I walked around, I stepped on the innocent fallen leaves and crushed them.
“…going there right away, sir? I think you should take a short break first before…”
It was then that someone’s worried voice reached my ears.
Hesitating, I stepped away from the dried leaves and raised my head, fixing my posture. At the same time, a man and a woman came into my view.
The woman with short red hair was wearing a uniform and had a sword hanging by her waist so she must be a knight. And the man next to her was…
“……”
I took in a sharp breath. Just by a glance, he was already unforgettable. The man was more beautiful than anyone I had ever met before.
He had black hair that had a bluish undertone and blue eyes that looked as though they were gemstones. His forehead and jawline were smooth and angular, and the shape of his tightly closed lips under his straight nose was perfect, as though it was sculpted.
The man looked quite nervous, but it made him more attractive. Then, the redheaded knight called to him, saying, ‘Milord.’ And so I immediately came to realize who this man was.
‘Theodore Valentino.’
The Duke of Valentino. The man who was in the middle of marriage talks with me.
And he looked very tired.
“I’m done resting. I’ll go straight to the Norford Base. Carmen, you will follow me there.”
“Yes, Milord…”
The knight answered and sighed as she bowed without any other word. Right then, Theodore Valentino turned his head, and his eyes fell onto me. His gaze was like a sharp arrow that had a straight trajectory.
And the arrow seemed to have pierced through me, somewhere on my body. Our eyes met. As our gazes matched, thump, thump— my heart suddenly felt like it had fallen to the floor. It was frightening.
At that moment, all the sounds in the world seemed to have stopped and all the other colors around us became blurry. Without realizing it, I was holding my breath. The only thing I could see was his blue eyes, slightly widened.
His gaze was focused on me, as if it were locked on me. I couldn’t take my eyes off him either. My calm heart began to pound heavily, something I didn’t expect. And the reverberating echo seemed to shake me up.
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