Married Couple’s Qualifications

Chapter 15

“So are you going to cover this up?”

“My wife is getting back into her routine now. I don’t want to make a big deal out of this any more than it already has. It’s sad that I lost my daughter, but my wife is more important to me.”

“Important……”

“One must look to the future, not the past, right?”

These were bone-chilling words.

Bake chuckled, not hiding the feeling he wanted to convey.

It wouldn’t matter how great a love he had. He was a foolish father who let his only child die without thinking it was his own blood.

And moreover, he could never have a woman whom he said he loved.

But in the end, he was the winner again.

“I understand. If Clayton says so, the imperial family can’t touch the case anymore, we will conclude the investigation into Mariel Clayton’s death as it is.” (Calix)

“We have recently come face to face and were about to become close friends, but I don’t think we will be seeing each other again.” (Bake)

“Yes, you will. The matter of compensation is not my business. And….” (Calix)

Calix stopped speaking and stared at Bake for a few moments.

But it was only for a moment, and he quickly turned his head away.

“I should get going.” (Calix)

“I won’t go too far. I don’t want it anyway.” (Bake)

Kang! Kang! Kang! Kang! Kang!

“Sir! Sir! Sir! Sir! My God!”

A deep crease appeared on Bake’s forehead as the servant banged loudly on the door to summon him.

It wasn’t good to show Calix how aristocratic Clayton was, but he didn’t like the servant who only showed his frivolity incessantly.

“I will speak to you when our guest leave.”  

“The Lady fell out of the window.”

“What are you talking about? Rivianna….”

“Is she okay?”

The servant’s eyes widened at Calix’s sudden interruption.

It was threatening just to face a man who was twice as big as others. It was hard to open his mouth.

However, the servant instinctively realized that this was why he had to open it more.

Even now, the man’s sharp eyes seemed to be devouring him.

“She….she’s breathing but she’s bleeding a lot…..”

“Don’t stutter, speak properly, she’s bleeding then what?”

The servant was scared to death at Calix’s urging words. 

 The servant turned his eyes away, just like that, for the last time. He fainted as he stood.

Calix pushed aside the anxious servant and strode with his long legs. Already his legs were closer to running than walking.

Bake watched him absentmindedly, then rushed to block Calix.

“Sir, I’m afraid you’ll have to leave now.”

“Get out of my way.”

“Your way? By what right do you speak to me like that? Rivianna is my wife, not yours.”

Calix’s bloodshot black eyes were threatening, but that didn’t mean Bake’s pride would allow him to back down.

Bake clenched his teeth and held his head up tautly.

“Don’t be mistaken. Rivianna is not your lover, she is my wife. And this is our marriage.”

“….”

“There’s no room for outsiders to intervene, so stay out of it and go on your way. That’s the best courtesy you can do to your ex- lover.”

“Courtesy?”

“Yes. Oh, don’t tell me you forgot how to be polite when you were on the frontier?”

The tip of Bake’s lips quivered as he continued to speak.

He was scared, but he didn’t think he could lose.

It didn’t matter that the man was Calix, because he wasn’t free from what happened ten years ago.

He would eventually have to turn his back.

Just like he did a long time ago.

**

She didn’t know how long she had been lying here.

All she knew was that she had been asleep for a really long time.

Once her eyes were closed, they did not open easily, and all she could see was pitch black darkness.

Actually, though, the reason why Rivianna didn’t wake up was probably more to do with the effect of not having the will to live anymore. Rivianna finally woke up and forced herself to stare at the equipment that was keeping her alive. If she had a little more strength left, she would have removed all those things and come to Mariel as soon as possible.

Mariel liked people and especially didn’t like to be left alone. She wouldn’t be lonely if her mother went with her.

“Her life is safe for now, but the problem is after.”

“After?”

“The muscles in her legs are completely damaged and even if the treatment is completely doable, she just can’t…………”

“I said it doesn’t matter how much it costs!”

Bake grabbed the doctor by his collar.

Money was what was left for Clayton. Thanks to this, Bake had been looking for the best equipment and the best doctor, and built the best medical environment.

 He couldn’t give up now after how much money he poured into this.

 “It’s not about the money. This is not a problem that can be managed medically, and quite frankly, the patient herself has no will to live…”

“Why no will? She was better! She ate well, slept well, and even dressed up like a normal person!”

It didn’t matter how much Bake screamed, it was useless.

Even if he tightened his grip on the doctor’s neck, the doctor’s diagnosis was set in stone. It was hard enough just supporting life that was barely there from the start. 

“Are you sure there’s no way?”

Bake’s shoulders slumped as he didn’t get the answer he wanted, despite his grip on the doctor’s neck.

The doctor retreated a little distance away from Bake, and then he opened his mouth again.

“We’ve done all we can medically at this point, and the treatment has been successful, so it’s best to wait for her to recover for now.”

“….”

“Maybe a miracle will happen and her condition will improve.”

The last words he added were close to a lie, but the doctor pretended not to know and smiled. Clayton’s patronage was absolute, and it was important not to offend Bake.

And fortunately, his words worked, and Bake didn’t try to grab him by the chest like before.

“Keep watch. If there are any problems, call me immediately.”

“Yes, sir.”

The doctor kept bowing until Bake was completely gone, then straightened up.

The doctor was angry that Bake, a young man half his age, was acting superior.

But as a man with no money and no power, the doctor could only bow.

“You have no luck, man.”

Of course, that didn’t mean he couldn’t secretly swear behind his back.

The doctor repeatedly cursed at the place where Bake left and flinched reflexively at the gaze he encountered.

The newcomer to the place where Bake had left seemed to be well known to the doctor.

Because he had been assigned to take care of the child in that person’s belly.

“How did you get here? His Excellency has already left.”

“I came here after confirming that he left.”

“What?” 

“Human life is harder to lose than I thought. It’s annoying.”

Her smile was as beautiful as a flower, despite the coldness in her voice. So the doctor did not easily understand what she was talking about.

“I heard everything outside. Rivianna is in danger.”

“Oh, that’s…….”

“That’s really sad news. It’s a problem even if she dies, and it’s a problem even if she lives. I mean, what kind of Marchioness is crippled.”

“….”

“She can’t go to social events, and if she has a bad scar, oh. I really don’t want to think about that.”

Margaret walked slowly to Rivianna’s bed.

The doctor looked at Margaret blankly.

She was smiling, but her eyes were not.

“Doctor, please give me a few moments alone with her.”

“What?”

“Wouldn’t it be better to bet on the next Marquis’s wife than the Marquis’s wife who can’t do anything in the future?”

“That……….”

Margaret didn’t answer any further.

Instead, she simply patted her swollen belly.

She had a child in her belly who would become the next Marquis of Clayton.

“I …….”

The doctor hesitated and looked at Rivianna, who was lying in bed.

It was hard for him to get off his feet because he instinctively knew what would happen if he left this room.

He had been Rivianna’s doctor since she was a little girl, and the Marquis and Marchioness of Clayton had been very good to him.

However, his concerns were only short-lived, and the doctor finally turned around.

It was a pity for Rivianna, but still, those who lived had no choice but to move on.

****

“It’s a pity to see you lying like this.”

“….”

“Sorry, I know you can’t talk, but I’m the only one making a fuss.”

“….”

“But please, have some patience. Unlike me, you’ve always lived your life saying everything you wanted to say, and there’s nothing wrong with me making more noise this time.”

A soft hand lightly touched Rivianna’s cheek.

She let out a ragged breath as she saw Margaret’s face in her blurry vision.

She knew that she had to be angry with her, but it was pointless now.

She just wanted to be at ease as soon as possible.

“You probably didn’t know this, but I’ve always envied you. What I wanted, you always had. Even the man you love so much.”

“….”

“So I was kind of happy when your family died out. It was the first time I thought we were similar. Of course, that was just an illusion on my part.”

“….”

“Isn’t it sad that I always go through life in such a frantic manner and nothing changes, but you always live elegantly?”

“….”

“So, let me have it this time. You’ve already enjoyed it enough.”

Margaret’s soft hand slowly lowered from Rivianna’s cheek to her neck.

“I’m sorry. But I won’t regret it, because I only love my child as much as you loved your daughter.”

“….”

“I will go to hell to pay back for the sins I committed against you and your daughter. So please don’t hate me too much. Still, those who live must live, right?”

‘Kill who? Who did you just say you killed?’

Rivianna struggled to move her unopened lips.

But despite her best efforts, she couldn’t move her lips to speak.

She struggled to get her body to do anything, but even that didn’t work.

Her broken body could not even move a finger.

The tightness around her neck only grew stronger and stronger.

‘This can’t happen. The enemy who killed my daughter is right here. How can I do nothing when she’s smiling so brightly right in front of me?’

The more Rivianna despaired, the darker Margaret’s smile became.

Rivianna screamed silently as she saw Margaret’s face, which was clearer than before.

“Thank you for giving me this opportunity.”

Margaret laughed.

It was one of the brightest smiles Rivianna had ever seen on her face.