Obviously, It's My Child - Chapter 173
Erich frowned. He was clearly not planning to apologize for finding Claire, nor did he intend to ever remain unaware of her.
“Instead, I’ll make him crawl here to apologize.”
“Let’s not.”
Claire sighed and gestured for him to come closer to her face.
Erich, unable to refuse, tilted his head and gently bit her lips.
Her lower lip was tense. As he tapped it with his tongue to ease the tension, he thought perhaps he should have killed Bruno Bloom.
‘A fork from the tea table would have been sufficient.’
As if sensing his savage thoughts, Claire grabbed his hand.
“Breaking his nose once was enough.”
“What on earth does that mean?”
Erich coolly questioned, but Claire wasn’t fooled.
“I’m talking about Bloom. It looked like his nose had been broken before. Did you do that?”
“Don’t make baseless accusations.”
“Then why else would Bloom be so terrified at the sight of you?”
Bruno’s reaction was almost instinctual and immediate.
If it was the power he feared, he would have taken precautions because of Archduke Victoria.
If he feared physical violence, he would have watched out for Maximilian.
Yet Bloom, seemingly unable to judge such things, had erupted in panic. It was likely his brain that had been marinated in alcohol, impaired his ability to think clearly.
And yet, the sheer terror he showed upon seeing Erich suggested a deeply ingrained fear.
Moreover, he cursed at Claire while mentioning their time at the academy, tying himself up with Erich in the process.
That was enough for a reasonable guess. Probably, they attended the academy during the same period.
“Come to think of it, there was a dropout I knew from then.”
“He’s not worth your time. If he’s someone you don’t even remember, he’s all the more not worth knowing.”
As Claire blinked, mulling over her thoughts, Erich pulled her face towards his and gave her a quick kiss.
Unfazed by his attempt to disrupt her thoughts, Claire spoke up.
“He was a student of Professor Roman. Suddenly quit due to illness, as I recall.”
It took a long time to even say that she knew.
He had been a law student who frequently ran errands to the office of her mentor, Professor Miller.
It was uncommon for nobility to sit exams and enter the law faculty instead of the liberal arts, so he had been memorable.
But thinking back, she couldn’t quite recall his face. He had seemed nondescript, a common sort of person.
She must have served him tea a few times since she often lingered in Professor Miller’s office, attracted by his collection of tea sets.
And that would have been enough to know him.
The timing fits. Someone who knew her, had the opportunity to encounter Erich, and had quit the academy—the list of such individuals wasn’t long.
If Erich had broken his nose, forcing him to quit the academy, and if news of this had been suppressed in Klausener, it all made sense.
“You…hmm.”
What followed was a deeper challenge.
Erich grasped her chin and parted her lower lips. Claire grabbed his wrist.
As the kiss was thwarted, Erich warned in a low tone.
“Don’t think about other men.”
“My thoughts are my own.”
Claire retorted reflexively.
“And you, you’re the one distracted right now.”
“…”
“Am I wrong?”
Erich withdrew his leaning head and sat upright.
The sweetness vanished entirely, and the anger restrained by reason seemed ready to burst from his sternum.
“He’s not worth remembering. It wasn’t because of you either.”
He said dryly.
He wasn’t lying to make her feel better. He genuinely believed that.
At the time, he had dragged the guy to a boxing ring without fully understanding his own feelings or why he was angry.
Perhaps because that despicable man had dragged his name through the mud too.
Or maybe because Claire, in her foolishness, had gotten entangled with such a person.
In any case, it wasn’t for Claire.
If it had been to defend a lady’s honor, he would have issued a warning to the man in a more appropriate and refined manner, not let his anger lead to violence.
But he turned the man bloodied, driven by raw emotion.
After learning of this incident, his father called him in and said:
[I’ve never thought of you as hot-headed. But then again, it’s understandable at your age.]
[I apologize.]
[Do you regret it?]
[No. I was merely responding to an insult. However, I acknowledge that my approach was too harsh.]
[If you are aware of that, it’s fine. If it’s something you don’t regret even after cooling down, then it was probably the right thing to do. Especially if a lady’s honor was involved.]
[It wasn’t about that.]
[I see. Well, having such an experience once in a while isn’t necessarily bad.]
At that time, he didn’t understand why his father was slightly amused.
Now, he fully grasped his father’s words.
It was only later that he realized how immaturely he had let his emotions control him, and how clumsily he had handled the situation.
He almost felt ashamed.
As for Bloom, it didn’t matter. Eradicating him had been simple. Now, the man himself no longer evoked any emotion in him.
But he was irritated by the old memories that Bloom stirred up. Annoyed with himself, who wasn’t much different from Bloom.
He understood all too well that disgusting intent of wanting to possess her by any means necessary, even if it meant burying her in the mud.
And once again, he realized that everything in their relationship was moving in a way that put all the burden solely on her.
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