You Can't Catch the Wind - Chapter 70

Up close, he was an even more unpleasant person to be near. His manners were as if he had never learned etiquette, along with an unpleasant odor and lewd gaze.

“Sit next to me. I want to see you closer.”

If someone else had said it, it might have sounded somewhat romantic, but from the viscount’s tone, it only felt like he wanted to check if there were any flaws in the goods he had purchased.

When Ael sat down next to him, keeping some distance, the viscount quickly moved his body to press his leg tightly against Ael’s. Then he abruptly grabbed her hand.

“I heard you only came out in society for the first year and have been at home ever since. They say women in the capital have become licentious lately, but I hear you’ve kept your body and mind pure at home. I value that very highly. Although your age is a bit high…”

The viscount’s gaze traced Ael’s neckline and stopped at her chest.

He licked his lips.

“You seem to have no lack in receiving a husband’s love. Your parents must have been worried, so let’s try to give them good news quickly.”

Realizing what he meant by ‘good news’, Ael shuddered in disgust.

To live with such a man for the rest of her life?

The floor seemed to sink beneath her as her vision went dark.

Hell had an even more horrifying form than she had imagined.

From the next day, Viscount Loitz roamed the house as he pleased.

It was already unpleasant enough that he was just wandering around, but he would lurk in front of the room Elize was supposedly using or look Maya up and down with flashing eyes as she went in and out of that room.

Then when he saw Jena, he asked how old she was.

“I’m 19.”

“Ah. A good age.”

Hearing Jena’s age, the viscount smiled lecherously. Seeing this, Ael called Jena over and said:

“Jena, make sure to lock your door tightly when you sleep. And never wander around alone at night. Before going down to the kitchen, you must wake me up first. Understand?”

“…Yes.”

Jena nodded, seeming to sense something unsettling as well.

Even after giving such stern warnings several times, Ael’s mind was not at ease.

And eventually, what she had been dreading happened.

Ael was depressed from the morning.

It was partly because of Viscount Loitz, who was acting more vulgar by the day and wandering around as he pleased, but what dampened Ael’s mood even more was the invitation still quietly sitting in her desk drawer today.

‘It’s today.’

Today was the day of the event at the Oltbea mansion.

Ael recalled the image of the mansion she had seen. It was beautiful even from afar. Tonight, that place would likely welcome people with countless lamps hung up.

The weekly newspaper distributed to the nobility featured an illustration of the mansion, along with an article stating that gas lamps had been installed at the Oltbea mansion for the first time in Denertum.

Moreover, there was even an article about an unextinguishable lamp made of the golden ratio, said to be a gift from the empire’s emperor.

In the past, she would have felt excited imagining what it might look like upon reading such articles, but now she didn’t even want to think about it, let alone feel excited.

However, contrary to her feelings, the image of the mansion kept flickering in her mind whenever she let her guard down.

After fiddling with the invitation, Ael put it back in the drawer as always and went downstairs.

In the entrance hall, she saw Duke Aradis preparing to go out.

Ael’s heart sank. She quickly approached him, but the duke avoided his daughter’s eyes and hurriedly moved to leave.

“Father, where are you going?”

“I have an appointment. I’ll be back later.”

“When will you return?”

Normally, Ael would have hoped for the duke to return very late or not come back at all today. But not now.

‘At least with Father here, Viscount Loitz would be somewhat mindful.’

The viscount was becoming more unruly by the day.

Still, in front of the duke, perhaps aware that he was a nobleman from an older family with a higher title than himself, he maintained at least minimal courtesy. But as soon as the duke was away even briefly, he immediately behaved like a ruffian.

Among these behaviors, what Ael found most horrifying was his dirty gaze toward herself and the maids.

Ael had already had her wrist grabbed by him in the hallway several times.

He was displeased by Ael’s rejection of him. Yet the reason he hadn’t declared to break off the engagement was because he was simultaneously satisfied with Ael’s behavior.

It was enough to make one’s ears rot just hearing it.

‘Disgusting.’

Ael found everything about him abhorrent. His attitude that seemed completely devoid of manners, his filthy gaze toward her and the maids.

While his behavior was increasingly crossing the line, now the duke was going out.

“Your mother is also going to pray at a convent outside the capital today after a long time.”

“What about Elize?”

“Elize will be at home. Where else would she go?”

The duke now treated the daughter he once doted on like an item difficult to dispose of.

Ael breathed a sigh of relief at the duke’s words.

‘That’s a relief.’

At least Elize would remain in this house.

In the past, she would have wished for Elize to go out as well, but now she felt reassured that at least Elize was here.

With more eyes around, it would be harder for Viscount Loitz to act recklessly.

“Then I’ll be going. If… if Viscount Loitz asks you to do anything, be obedient and follow his instructions well.”

The duke left those words and then rode away in his carriage.

Ael immediately went down to the kitchen. It would only be troublesome to stay upstairs and run into Viscount Loitz.

At least the kitchen was a place Viscount Loitz never set foot in.

Like a true man of Denertum, he seemed to think of the kitchen as a place where men who weren’t cooks would be cursed if they entered.

So these days, even Maya often lingered in the kitchen for long periods. Not to mention Jena.

“Young lady, you’re here?”

“Yes. Let’s make some jam with summer fruits today.”

Ael moved her body, thinking she should make foods that take as much time and effort as possible, even if there was no need to do it today.

As planned, Ael kept busy in the kitchen from morning till evening.

When Jena said she would go during the day, Ael stopped her and instead took lunch to the viscount’s room herself.

He invited Ael to come in and dine together, but Ael deliberately showed him her apron stained with food splatters and excused herself, saying she had a lot of work in the kitchen and needed to go back down right away.

On her way back to the kitchen after leaving the viscount’s room, Ael noticed that the door to the room Elize was temporarily using was slightly open.

Elize, who had hardly come out of her room since the viscount arrived, seemed unusually busy today. As if it were like the old days when she was going to a party.

Perhaps because of that, Maya had not come to the kitchen all day and stayed in Elize’s room.

‘It’s better for them to stay in the room together.’

It was better for them to be together than to risk running into the viscount while going back and forth. As Ael returned to the kitchen, she suddenly felt miserable about this situation.

To feel so anxious in her own home.

It felt like a dream that she had slept peacefully not too long ago. Thinking that she would have to live like this for the rest of her life made it hard to breathe.

She wanted to run to Ash Company right now and beg them to save her, to help her leave this place.

If not that, then just run away recklessly.

Suddenly, she thought of the Oltbea mansion.

‘Should I go secretly at night?’

The duke is gone, and so is the duchess. Elize doesn’t come out of her room, so couldn’t she just quietly go and come back alone?

‘It would be nice to take Jena too.’

She thought about going together by carriage, but then realized that would leave only Elize and Maya at home.

Even if she didn’t like Elize, she couldn’t leave her in a house with the viscount. And Maya wouldn’t be much help…

After thinking about various things, Ael sighed and went down to the kitchen.

As evening approached, the kitchen work became even busier. Suddenly, Elize requested dishes that required a lot of effort, which she didn’t usually eat.

Jena grumbled, but Ael thought it was good and granted Elize’s request.

At least moving her body could help keep distracting thoughts at bay.

Thanks to that, when Ael came up after cleaning the kitchen in the evening, she was too tired to even lift a finger.

‘Maybe it’s better this way.’

I’ll just sleep like this until morning.

Before coming up, Ael reminded Jena to make sure to lock her door tightly, then entered her own room and locked it securely. Then she collapsed onto the bed and fell asleep.