As evening approached, Emily decided to close the clinic, since she had seen her last patient an hour ago.
Emily and Anna got ready to head back to the Archibald residence.
But as they stepped outside, they saw that Damian was already waiting in front of the clinic.
It turned out that since his arrival earlier that afternoon, Damian hadn’t left and was still waiting for Emily in front of the clinic.
When he saw Emily come out of the clinic, Damian gave her a warm smile to welcome her.
Emily approached Damian, followed by Anna a short distance behind, giving her master some space to speak.
“Excuse me, do you need something from me, Mr.
Damian?” Emily asked hesitantly.
“I just want to take you home,” Damian replied briefly, pointing to the carriage parked in the field in front of the clinic.
“…huh?” Emily was startled by the sudden offer.
Having him take her home would only make things worse.
What if Cedric found out?
“Are you afraid that Cedric will find out you’re here?” Damian asked, as if he could read Emily’s mind.
“What do you mean?” Emily asked evasively, trying to hide her anxiety.
Damian just smiled as he looked at Emily’s face, which looked startled and anxious, as if to say, “It’s okay, everything will be fine.” For some reason, Emily felt that whenever Damian was in front of her, he always smiled warmly and sincerely.
It was as if just seeing his smile could calm Emily’s heart, which had previously been in turmoil.
Like a gentle breeze slowly sweeping across her face, bringing a sense of coolness and peace.
“Do you think Cedric hasn’t known what you’ve been doing all this time?” Damian asked slowly.
“… I don’t understand what you mean,” Emily replied frantically, lowering her head.
It was as if she was afraid that if she met Damian’s gaze, those warm eyes would pierce her heart and reveal her deepest thoughts.
“Emily, do you really not know that Cedric actually assigned several people to keep an eye on your movements?” Damian asked again.
But that wasn’t all; Damian added even more shocking information.
“Even the man who claims to be the messenger who always drives you back and forth—do you think he’s just an ordinary soldier?” “…Huh?” Emily and Anna were taken aback by what they heard.
“You’re too naive, Miss Emily…” All this time, Emily and Anna had assumed their cover was successful.
Although they had some suspicions—why would Grand Duke Cedric’s residence, known for its knights, have such lax security that the two of them could freely come and go from Archibald’s residence without any issues?
So this was the reason?
‘Haha’ Emily laughed bitterly.
Emily felt that all this time she had been stuck playing right in the palm of Cedric’s hand without realizing it.
But if Cedric really knew everything, why did he let them go?
Seeing the shift from a sense of betrayal to confusion in Emily’s eyes, Damian then added fuel to the fire.
“Are you wondering why Cedric hasn’t said a word, even though he knows everything?” Emily looked up slowly, waiting to hear what Damian would say.
“After all, you are the daughter of Duke Maynard, his enemy.
He suspects you might betray him or have some other wicked plan.
He wants to keep a close eye on your every move, Miss Emily.” BOOMMM Damian’s voice was soft, yet it sounded like thunder in broad daylight.
Emily was utterly shocked to hear it.
Even though she knew it was highly likely.
But wasn’t the main reason she was sent to become engaged to Cedric precisely to spy on him?
So it wasn’t surprising—in fact, it was only natural—that Cedric would be wary of her.
Yet hearing the bitter truth from someone else made it feel even more bitter.
Although Emily had actually been aware from the start of her place in Cedric’s life, she naively thought she might be able to change the situation.
That perhaps Cedric could accept her not as an enemy.
Damian was right; she really was too naive.
“It seems that having no experience in matters of the heart really does make a big difference,” Emily muttered with a small laugh.
So was the kindness Cedric had shown all this time because he was genuinely starting to accept her?
Or was it just a trap to make Emily let her guard down?
Emily didn’t understand it anymore.
Seeing Emily growing deeper into confusion, Damian immediately seized this golden opportunity.
“You’re in shock; I’d better take you home.
Or do you want to go home with Cedric’s henchman?” Damian asked, offering his help.
Emily, who couldn’t think clearly at that moment and felt her tears might fall at any second, could only nod in agreement to Damian’s offer to take her home.
Damian smiled upon hearing Emily accept his offer.
It seemed his plan would go smoothly.
Meanwhile, from a distance, Arthur, who was watching every development, ordered Hugh to immediately go report to Grand Duke Cedric that Lady Emily would soon be returning to the Archibald residence, escorted by the leader of the Black Wings mercenaries, Damian.
…… Clop… Clop… Clop… Only the sound of the carriage wheels rolling slowly could be heard from outside.
There were three people inside, but neither Emily, Anna, nor Damian said a single word.
Emily sat silently, gazing out the window, her mind filled with all sorts of possibilities about what Cedric might be planning and thinking.
Indeed, from the very beginning, she was the one who kept pressuring Cedric to accept her, even though he had rejected her time and time again.
“I’d better resolve this issue right away,” Emily thought.
Emily did want to get married and start a family soon, just as her mother had wished, but that didn’t mean she could force someone else to love her.
You can’t force the heart, can you?
Even though she had tried so hard to win Cedric’s heart in every way possible, if he didn’t want her, nothing would ever make him hers.
Looking back now, Emily felt so foolish.
Everything she had done felt utterly embarrassing.
She had lived for 40 years, but why couldn’t she think clearly and rationally?
… Damian turned to look at Emily, who appeared calm on the outside, but was surely in turmoil inside.
Slowly, Damian touched Emily’s palm, trying to use this moment to calm her heart.
Emily turned in surprise, but before she could say anything, Damian held her hand tightly and looked into her eyes with conviction.
“Don’t worry, Emily, I understand how you feel.
Whatever happens—as business partners, as friends, or even more than that—as long as you feel comfortable, I’ll always be by your side.” Somehow, Emily couldn’t respond or pull her hand away from Damian’s grip.
Her heart was in chaos and confusion.
“If you’d like, starting today I can pick you up and take you home from the Archibald residence to the clinic; you don’t need to worry,” Damian offered.
Emily remained silent, but then she slowly pulled her hand away from Damian’s grip.
“No.
If Cedric really wants to keep an eye on my movements, let him do it properly.
I’m not hiding anything,” Emily replied, turning her face back toward the window.
Anna, who had witnessed everything that happened inside the carriage, could only bow her head and wonder what she should do.
=============================================================== Half an hour later, Daniel, who was pulling the carriage with his horse, stopped the carriage in front of the gate of Archibald’s residence.
Damian got out of the carriage first and offered his hand to help Emily and Anna step down slowly.
Emily was utterly shocked when she saw who was waiting for her at the gate.
She hadn’t expected Cedric and Philip to be standing there, looking furious.
“Cedric?” Emily couldn’t believe her eyes.
Cedric didn’t answer, but simply turned toward Anna.
“Miss Anna, please escort Lady Emily to her room,” Cedric ordered.
“Yes, Your Grace.” Anna, who understood Grand Duke Cedric’s intention, bowed her head and immediately took Emily’s arms to lead her inside the house.
“B-but Anna, wait a moment—I have to explain everything first,” said Emily, trying to resist going inside.
“Now is not the time, My Lady,” replied Anna, pulling Emily back into the house.
Meanwhile, Cedric and Damian simply stood there, staring at each other face-to-face, without saying a single word.
A few moments after Cedric was certain that Anna and Emily had fully entered the house, he finally broke the silence.
“How dare you show up here uninvited?
I suppose you have plenty of lives to spare?” “I haven’t done anything wrong—why should I be afraid?” Damian replied.
Hearing Damian’s answer, anger surged within Cedric.
Cedric abruptly approached and grabbed Damian by the collar.
“You’ll find out what happens if you dare touch my fiancée,” Cedric threatened, his eyes filled with a murderous glint.
Damian grabbed Cedric’s hand and forcibly pulled it away from his collar.
“Don’t be so arrogant, Cedric,” Damian said with a cynical smile.
“I heard that two months ago, Lady Emily nearly died after trying to take her own life because she opposed you two getting engaged.
What makes you so sure she truly loves you?” Damian added, his gaze sharp.
Cedric stood frozen in silence hearing Damian’s words.
Seeing his chance, Damian continued his attack.
“What makes you so sure that Lady Emily is actually happy with you, or is it all just out of obligation?” Damian pressed further.
Cedric could only clench his fists, which had suddenly begun to tremble—whether from anger, frustration, or fear that what Damian had said was true.
“Does Emily not truly love me?
Is she doing all this merely because her family and the King ordered her to?” thought Cedric, lost in his own thoughts.
Damian climbed back onto his carriage.
He felt there was no point in wasting time talking to Cedric.
“You’d better step aside, Grand Duke Cedric, if you’re not sure you can make her happy.” Damian then ordered Daniel to move the carriage, leaving Cedric standing there, stunned and in shock.
Meanwhile, Philip, standing behind Cedric, could only remain silent, waiting for his Master to calm down.