We're in a Contract Marriage, But I've Imprinted - Chapter 115
Even though I was completely alone for the first time in a while, I did not leave the bed, which was unusual for me.
Instead, I felt I shouldn’t leave the bed, so I only moved around the room briefly and stepped out onto the balcony to look outside.
It hadn’t been long since I had last spent time alone, but I couldn’t remember what I used to do. I just hoped that Dia and Ian would return soon.
However, as the sun set, the two men had not returned. Were they coming back late at night? Or did they mean they would return tomorrow?
Amid my restlessness, a maid came to see me.
“Madam, it seems late for dinner, should I prepare something?”
The maid seemed to have come up as a last resort since I hadn’t called for my meal. However, I had no appetite. If Dia had been here, I would have forced myself to eat for the sake of breastfeeding, but now I felt indifferent.
“…Could you just prepare some fruit?”
“Yes, I will do that.”
Still, since Dia might come back any moment, I knew I had to eat. The maid left, and it wasn’t long before there was a knock at the door.
“Come in.”
At my response, the door opened and someone entered. I had been gazing out the balcony and only belatedly realized who had come in.
“…Lady Nicola?”
Her appearance was as lavish as ever, and her hands were full of gifts, just like always. However, I couldn’t speak rashly, primarily because of her expression.
With a terribly dry face, she said.
“Could we talk for a moment?”
“Yes, please have a seat.”
Her voice sounded so desperate that I couldn’t refuse her coldly. She moved to sit on the sofa as I had suggested.
“I don’t know if you’ll like these gifts, but they should be useful to you. You can sell them if you need to later.”
She handed over several boxes filled with jewelry and accessories. It was the excessive gifts she brought every time she came.
“Do you have something to say?”
Feeling a sudden pity for her, I had let her into the room, but not knowing when Ian and Dia would return, I wanted to wrap up the conversation quickly.
I asked her directly.
“….Could you at least offer me some tea?”
Nicola pouted as she spoke.
“You know I don’t have much time. But since the maid is bringing some fruit, perhaps you could have that while we talk.”
“….Alright, fruit sounds good.”
As soon as she finished her sentence, the maid returned. Fortunately, the maid had brought a generous selection of fruit and drinks.
“Could you move these gifts for me?”
Noticing Nicola’s presence, the maid looked surprised but quickly understood my gesture. She had been tending to this room since it was assigned to her, so she promptly responded and moved the gifts to the dressing room.
It took her a moment to arrange everything, after which she bowed quietly and disappeared.
“If juice is okay, please have some.”
“Yes, thank you.”
After offering the juice to Nicola, I waited quietly for her to start speaking. She took a small sip of the juice and soon set it down, then stared blankly out the window towards the balcony.
A brief silence followed, and then she finally spoke.
“I’m sorry, child.”
“….”
I don’t know exactly what the apology was for, I remained silent for a moment before assuming it was about past events and responded calmly.
“Yes.”
“If I hadn’t been there, neither you nor Diers would have had such a hard time.”
“….I appreciate your apology.”
The sincerity in her apology was evident, and I couldn’t dismiss it. As much as I hated her and was uncomfortable for her, there was the cheerfulness in her, and the resilience she showed despite a one-sided imprint gave me some hope.
She was the only person with whom I could comfortably discuss the imprint that I couldn’t even mention to Ian.
The discomfort was still there, but I didn’t want to dismiss her from my life. I continued the conversation.
“But you aren’t unwell somewhere, are you? You don’t look well, and you’ve lost a lot of weight.”
“It’s been a long time since I’ve been truly healthy.”
She replied nonchalantly, then quickly added.
“Of course, if you mean physically ill, that has only been recent. But you know, my mind has been broken for much longer.”
“…”
“Only the shell appears intact, while the inside is so rotten it seems teeming with maggots.”
With each word that Nicola uttered, it almost seemed as if a chill and stench emanated from her. That was the brutal honesty with which she assessed herself.
“….What’s wrong?”
I couldn’t help but ask. The numb expression on her face seemed to veil some imminent danger.
“Child, do you think an imprint can be broken?”
“…..That’s the first I’ve heard of it.”
“Is it? But my alpha wants that.”
She sighed deeply and took a few sips of her juice, then spoke in a dry, self-mocking tone.
“If it was possible, I would have done it long ago. Who would want to writhe in agony for so long?”
I couldn’t give an appropriate answer, so I just listened quietly.
Looking back, Nicola had always been verbose with me. Sometimes it seemed as if she was unloading the debris of her emotions—often negative and dark, that she couldn’t handle.
But after such outbursts, she would reappear as if nothing had happened, bright and smiling. Perhaps she smiled not out of relief, but because it was too painful not to.
A strange chill ran through me. The outside might be warmed by a gentle breeze, but in this room with Nicola, it still felt like winter.
“I’m sorry, child.”
“….Stop apologizing. It’s all in the past now.”
“Haha, I knew from the beginning.”
“Knew what?”