# 12
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“How about marrying the princess? You will be able to completely control the royal family that way.”
“Are you crazy?”
Eric responded very angrily.
“No, okay. Why are you so angry? It’s worrying.”
Daniel scratched the back of his head and whispered.
I believe that the second prince's marriage to the princess will achieve the best results. I think it will be difficult to make the second prince obedient like the king now.
"After marrying into the royal family, you can use their power. Isn't that something you're good at? Hitting the back of the heads of people who trust you."
“Watch your words.”
"naturally."
He then turned away from Daniel, who had his mouth tightly shut, and looked up at the ceiling.
What Daniel said wasn't wrong.
As he said, it wasn't a bad idea for him to marry the princess and control the entire royal family. Eric even admits that this was the best way.
but.
What will happen to Chloe?
If he divorces her, what will happen to her? How will you live? Will her family be able to pay off her older brother's debts?
Obviously they will be left on the streets. If the noble and dignified Chloe Rolfe were left to beg in the streets... Oh, what a shame!
Eric grabbed the screwdriver again. He focused solely on the machine in front of him and assembled it, nail by nail.
“If the Second Prince becomes king, he will not let you go easily.”
“I know, Daniel, I'm not stupid.”
“Will the problem be solved once you know? Shouldn’t you find a solution? Just close your eyes and get married again!”
“Didn’t I make it clear that I didn’t want to?”
"Oh, seriously. You don't like this, and you don't like that. If you hate everything, then why? Because I really don't understand."
Daniel walked over to Eric's side.
“Why did you marry the lady when you don’t even love her?”
Eric frowned. He took off the glasses that were covering his eyes and which he suddenly felt were narrowing them.
“Is this why you are trying to convince me to divorce? Do I have to give up everything?”
“Otherwise, Your Excellency will be in danger!”
“I won't. Even if they try to bite, I'll hold them in my hands.”
Eric put his glasses back on. He lifted a small gear using metal tongs, then carefully assembled the machine in front of him.
"I have a plan. I'm still thinking about how to implement it."
“There is no guarantee that Your Excellency’s plan will succeed. You should not become complacent.”
“Of course, I will continue to listen to your criticism thinly disguised as advice.”
“Was it clear?”
Daniel took a step back and smiled.
He knew he would make Eric angry if he said anything else. Moreover, he actually said what he had to say.
Eric assembled the final gear. Then he turned his gaze to Daniel.
“If you were going to say such uess things, you should have gone to Chloe instead.”
"Sorry?"
Daniel's eyes widened in surprise as if this was something he hadn't really thought about.
"What? But why?"
“Go make sure she's okay.”
“The lady will feel uncomfortable if you go.”
"uncomfortable?"
Eric raised an eyebrow questioningly.
“Why? Shouldn’t there be someone by her side since she’s sick?”
“Hmm...”
Daniel shook his head, wrinkled his nose.
"It depends on who the person is. I don't think the lady will like the idea. It's noble."
Aristocrats never revealed their true feelings.
Their thoughts, their condition.
Wasn't there a single case in which a noblewoman died because she refused to show her skin, even when a contagious disease was ravaging her body?
Eric remembered this story, and an idea suddenly occurred to him.
Was it then a mistake for him to stay by Chloe's side earlier? Is this why she is upset?
Eric frowned.
"Oh my God. I really don't know how to deal with her."
Eric said these words as he collected the remaining iron sheets from the machine.
As he continued to do so, pieces that had previously been nothing but scrap metal began to form. It was a little puppy.
“You can put together a lump of metal and bring it to life, but Chloe is like a soft, chewy pudding, not scrap metal. The slightest touch can disintegrate it.”
huh? What did Daniel just hear? He stared at Eric in amazement.
“…Mrs like…pudding?”
Daniel repeated this, trying to read Eric's facial expressions.
“It doesn't look like that to me...”
The Chloe that Daniel saw was a calm Marchioness, a perfect match for Eric.
She was a person who did not show her emotions, making it difficult for anyone to understand her.
But…soft and chewy candy?
Daniel thought there was nothing more incongruous with her than candy.
'Maybe…'
Daniel narrowed his eyes suspiciously as he watched Eric's face.
Eric's eyes were sharp and emotionless as usual, but one corner of his lips was slightly raised.
It was a very slight smile.
But can a man without blood or tears make a face like that?
Daniel rubbed his eyes and arms as he felt a shiver run through his body.
“Oh my God, well, I shouldn’t have mentioned His Excellency marrying the princess again.”
“What are you talking about now?”
“Yes. I almost became trash.”
"What?"
“No, it doesn’t matter. I don’t think Your Excellency realized it anyway.”
“What nonsense are you saying...”
"Anyway. Would you like to know how the lady should be treated?"
Eric hesitated for a moment, but quickly met Daniel's gaze.
It was like a silent command for him to speak now. Daniel's smile widened.
“I know the right way.”
Daniel spoke with a serious look as if he was talking about a national emergency.
“I hope you do the opposite of what you have been doing up until now.”
“...You're not helping at all.”
click!
Eric threw the screwdriver at Daniel.
"Why? It's the truth! If you behave a little more nicely, I'm sure the lady will like you more. Believe me!"
"Get out."
“Wow, you don't believe me.”
“Get out now. Don’t make me say it a third time.”
Daniel stood up with a frown on his lips, as if thinking: “No way, then.”
But when he walked out the door, he turned around again.
"If you're going to see the lady, you should act more attractive. And dress better!"
"Get out!"
“Huh, that hot temper of yours.”
Kashak. Daniel closed the door behind him.
Even though the door was already closed, Daniel could still hear Eric's angry gasps.
“He's not telling the truth.”
As he muttered, he pursed his lips to the side.
“He needs to show it more.”
This way, the lady can stay longer.
Daniel was humming and walking cheerfully.
* * *
Chloe opened her eyes, her gaze expressionless.
How many hours did she sleep?
When I looked out the window, the sun was in the middle of the sky. She felt like she slept all day.
But after she slept like this, she felt light in her body. Her temperature decreased and the symptoms of her illness disappeared.
It's very warm here.
Chloe sat cautiously, enjoying the heat of the room.
Then she slowly put her feet on the ground.
Was that a dream?
Chloe gently closed her eyes, then opened them again.
As her vision became clearer, she saw her medicine on the table.
If it weren't for that, Chloe would have thought that Eric's visit last night was nothing but a dream.
The whole thing seemed unreal.
“Prepare a wet towel...”
Chloe mumbled dryly.
Was that sympathy?
No, didn't he hate her illness? He was very upset.
So, why…
While Chloe was thinking about it, she suddenly grabbed her forehead.
She didn't have the ability to think deeply about things now because her head was still throbbing.
For now, she kept all her questions in her heart.
As she decided, she had to recover from this fever quickly. Then no one will notice that her time is almost up.
“I'm thirsty...”
There is no water left in the kettle.
She looked around for a rope to summon a maid, but there was no such thing in this hut.
“I need to get out.”
Chloe picked up the shawl hanging on the chair and placed it over her shoulders before heading out the door. You'll be thirstier if you wait for Andrea to come back.
Tak.
She turned the knob to open the door, but it wouldn't open.
‘Why…’
Chloe pushed the door open with all her remaining strength. Then the door opened wide.
It was as if the door did not open properly because there was something in front of it.
"What is this?"
Chloe looked at the strangely shaped metal block.
Ah, is this what they call a machine?
“It feels as if...”
Puppy.
Chloe touched the puppy-like machine that moved her legs, but it collapsed every time she moved.
“The work is still unfinished. Don’t touch it.”
Chloe raised her head in surprise when she heard his voice near her.
It was Eric.
“What do you mean by incomplete?”
Chloe hugged the fallen robot puppy.
“I think the current situation is good...”
Isn't this nice? Chloe whispered to herf as she caressed the robot's soft back.
But Eric immediately snatched her from Chloe's arms, as if she was something she should never have.
Chloe smiled bitterly, feeling empty in an instant.
"How are you?"
But Chloe was surprised by his question, and by the fact that he was worried about her.
She never expected that he would do this.
However, didn't he put a wet towel on her forehead while she was sick?
After arriving at this cabin, Chloe seemed to experience a lot of unexpected things. I looked at him and smiled.
“Thanks to you, I recovered faster.”
“This is convenient.”
Eric nodded.
“You can go out today.”
Chloe's eyes widened.
“What do you mean...”
“You have to buy clothes. Apparently, you didn't bring anything with you.”
"clothes?"
Chloe tilted her head to the side as if she didn't understand the language they were speaking. What did he mean by buying her clothes, when all this time he was screaming at her to come back?
As if to satisfy her curiosity, Eric sighed and answered.
“The royal family will be holding a party soon. His Highness the Second Prince has invited both of us.”