Doubts of “Could it be?” arose in Brody’s mind.

Could it be… Could it be because of ‘that’? Was the reason perhaps ‘this’?

The more she thought about it, the suspicion turned into a clear certainty.

In order to confirm her suspicions, she finally spoke up.

“My Lord, could it be, could it be true? The reason you’ve been ignoring me wasn’t because of ‘this,’ right…?”

Aidan jumped at that question.

“Ignoring? Did I ignore you? What are you talking about?”

“…”

Brody’s question became a problem not in its essence but at a ‘different point.’

What Brody wanted to say was, “Could it be that I unconsciously ignored myself?”. Was it because of not being able to acknowledge herself, despite her consciousness?

“You rarely talk to me, and at night, you deliberately sleep uncomfortably on the sofa or chair… Is that not a clear indication of ignoring me?”

“Well… that is…”

Aidan awkwardly scratched his head, mussing up his hair.

After sighing and pondering, seemingly deciding it was an issue he couldn’t avoid, he eventually spoke.

“I didn’t mean to ignore you. I just… thought it was for your sake.”

“For my sake?”

As if it was the most absurd thing ever, Brody’s voice rose sharply.

Surprised, Aidan pulled the reins, and thus, Kaius came to a halt.

Brody, who was rolling her eyes awkwardly, eventually turned to face him and looked at Aidan.

“Hehe!”

Startled by Brody’s unexpected laughter, Kaius stopped in his tracks.

Brody turned her head, looking straight at him. Aidan, who was on horseback, couldn’t escape her gaze.

“What does it mean that you ignoring me was for my sake?”

“…It’s not that I ignored you.”

“Really?”

Aidan sighed and then remained silent.

‘No, after sighing, people usually say something, right?’

Feeling frustrated, Brody grabbed Aidan’s clothes, pulling him closer to urge him.

“So, what is it…?”

Under Brody’s insistence, Aidan decided to reveal one of the various reasons.

Among them, he chose the most reasonable one to disclose.

Reluctantly, he opened his mouth.

“I… I can’t hold you because…”

“…”

Indeed. It was the moment when suspicion turned into certainty.

‘Perhaps it’s because it’s not allowed to have a child.’

So, he had been avoiding Brody because of that.

‘But there’s already a precedent. At that time, it didn’t seem like he had such concerns. You were always the one who insisted on it.’

Brody’s eyes gradually narrowed. She looked at Aidan with half-closed, slow eyes, full of dissatisfaction.

In the penetrating gaze, Aidan’s face turned redder. He stammered as he tried to explain himself.

“Of, of course. Because you are not my wife.”

“…Aren’t I your wife?”

“A contractual wife.”

Brody blinked and thought for a moment before responding.

“Weren’t I your wife even before?”

Brody pointed out that there was already a precedent. It meant it wasn’t the case before, so why wasn’t it working now?
However, Aidan confidently responded.

“It’s different from back then. Back then… you were the woman who would become my wife.”

“……? …So, I am your wife now.”

“No, you are not the woman who will become my wife.”

“…”

Brody tried to organize his words in her mind.

‘So, back then, I was the woman who would become his wife, so it was okay to treat me like a wife. But now, even though I am his wife, since I won’t be his wife in three years, he can’t treat me like a wife. Is that it?’

Wow… wow… I really want to applaud…

I never thought it could be for such a reason.

Now that she thought about it, the time he started treating her coldly was undoubtedly after signing the contract. It matched his argument and the timing.

“Hey, is it because you didn’t want to go through emotional distress when we part ways in three years, or something like that… or because I am not the woman who will become your wife?”

Aidan furrowed his eyebrows even more deeply. He answered with a slightly displeased tone.

“What kind of nonsense is that? I never tried to sever my emotions. Maybe it was hard to control them, but…”

“…”

Brody’s eyes widened in surprise.

Wasn’t it that he was trying to cut off his feelings? He just couldn’t stop himself when he got closer, so he kept a distance?

‘Why can’t there be a middle ground? Why can’t he be in the middle?’

‘What should I do with this man…’

While Brody was stunned, unable to say anything, Aidan confidently continued as if questioning how she could have such suspicions. It seemed that he was a bit annoyed that she thought that way.

“If I can’t control myself, won’t you be the one in the most difficult situation? If suddenly a child appears…”

“…”

“Then, you would have to stay here against your will, leave the child and go, take the child and leave, or raise the child alone. None of those options would be easy.”

In the end, Brody couldn’t bear it and covered her mouth with her hand.

‘Wow, do I feel like trash?’

She was on birth control. She didn’t explicitly tell him, but even if they were to part ways in three years, she didn’t see any major problems with maintaining their current relationship.