“It seems like exhaustion. Perhaps she’s under a lot of stress… or maybe it’s because she hasn’t been eating properly, resulting in weakened energy. She needs sufficient nutritional replenishment and rest.”

“Any other issues?”

“None.”

Certainly, she seemed more fatigued than when he last saw her. It wasn’t even that long ago.

After the attending physician left, Gibben immediately summoned the butler.

“What on earth are the mansion staff doing that the kid can’t even eat properly?”

“It seems she went to the academy early in the morning and returned late in the evening. She mentioned that she took care of meals at the academy. Perhaps she wasn’t lying.”

“Why such a stupid lie?”

“Recently… maybe because of the exam period, she’s been under a lot of stress? Usually, when stress is severe, appetite tends to decrease. Or… she might still be harboring feelings from the previous incident.”

Gibben wiped his dry face and slumped in his chair.

Then, looking at Riley, who was sleeping as if dead in his place, he wondered.

Was it such a shocking scene that it disrupted her eating and drinking?

Well, it wasn’t something ordinary people would easily come across.

But how many of those who came to target him would come out so elegantly? And it wasn’t just any mouse; it was a mouse that had been lurking here for a long time.

“Maybe she wants to protest and run away from me.”

“Surely not.”

“You saw it too. She ran away without even looking back.”

“While you seem to have suffered a shock, I don’t think it’s connected to any ill feelings toward the Master.”

“Well…”

“Even if she did, I’m not sure if the Master would care much. The Master is merely taking the lady with him under the guise of protection. Whether the lady has shocking experiences related to the Master or even if she comes to hate and run away from the Master, he won’t let her go anyway, right? The Master called this marriage a business, so why fuss over such a trivial emotional discord?”

The idea of this marriage being a ‘business’ was originally Gibben’s.

Sak’s words were not entirely wrong. Gibben was the one who drew a clear line more than anyone else in this relationship, yet ironically, he was the one trying to cross that line.

Yes, it was an utterly business-like relationship. Without a hint of personal feelings, it didn’t matter what emotions she harbored. If she hated him, she could hate him; if she liked him, she could like him. Isn’t it enough to just keep her by his side?

In any case, the decision to maintain or end this relationship was not in her hands. She was merely holding it herself.
“I could immediately cut off all kinds of support toward her, annul the marriage, and even dismiss her after that. Alternatively, I could quietly handle it according to the master’s orders and easily disguise it as an accident.”

It was undoubtedly a problem that he, who could be dismissed at any time, was overly concerned about her every word and action.

“You really hit the bullseye.”

“The master’s current state is already puzzling. Frankly, from my perspective, it’s nothing more than a problem that could be easily overlooked as a minor incident. I wonder if anyone else who witnessed that scene would have been as concerned.”

“They probably wouldn’t care.”

Originally, he wasn’t someone who cared about how he appeared in other people’s eyes. If he were to care about such things, he wouldn’t have just stood by and ignored all the rumors that followed him.

He didn’t have a reputation-oriented personality, nor did he care about each individual relationship. He had never experienced being entangled in arbitrary emotions and losing control of himself before.

In that sense, the emotions and thoughts he was feeling now were clearly an error. Unfortunately, Gibben had been deliberately ignoring it, but he was fully aware of this error.

He didn’t know why this damn error occurred. No, he knew too well; that was the problem.

“If the master has developed personal feelings for the lady, you better ask her directly. It’s right to explain the details of that day and make efforts to resolve misunderstandings. If both keep silent and distance themselves, the misunderstandings will only grow.”

Gibben said nothing and just stared intently at Riley’s face.

‘Misunderstandings…’

Could there be misunderstandings in this situation?

Gibben had created the spy until the brink of death, and Riley had witnessed the entire scene. Naturally, she became frightened in that situation, shocked, and eventually ran away.

Looking back, there was no room for misunderstanding.

Hitting a person until the brink of death, and her witnessing it, were all true.

Of course, this wasn’t a problem that could be blamed on her. There was no thought of blaming her. It was ridiculous to question and ask why she ran away.

Her actions were natural. Anyone would have run away in that situation. The fear, terror, and aversion she felt were not wrong emotions. Rather, what was wrong was himself.

It was natural for her to run away from that situation, but he resented her.