# 17
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After Harris said this, Chloe felt nothing but shame when she saw the sympathy in his eyes.
Why should she be told that?
Why did she have to receive this sympathy? She was the only one who could sympathize with herf.
It could be said that it was because of her pride, but Chloe felt extremely ashamed at that moment.
"brother."
Chloe raised her chin proudly and looked directly into Harris' eyes.
“I love my husband.”
Harris tilted his head to the side.
He looked alternately between Chloe and Eric, who were standing a distance away from each other.
The Marquis's broad back seemed impregnable, as if he would never look back.
Harris looked at Chloe.
“So, does the Marquis love you too?”
Chloe didn't answer.
'Do you love me?'
Just as her husband failed to answer this question, Chloe also failed to answer Harris' question.
* * *
Chloe stood leaning against the wall.
She felt a little dizzy because she had already drank three glasses of champagne.
The doctor told her not to drink, so it was obvious she would cough up blood again when she returned.
But this could not be avoided.
It is impossible to remain balanced in this position.
She now realized why her mother had such a strong addiction to alcohol in the past.
Her father did not love her mother. However, her mother loved her father.
Her mother constantly blamed herf.
She believed that the woman was to blame for the man not loving her, and that she had done something wrong. But what did I do wrong? Perhaps her very existence was the fault. Whatever it was, she was wrong, and the man she loved was never wrong.
It's a woman's fault for being so unlovable.
Her mother said this to Chloe every day over bottles of wine. When it was time for her father to return home, her mother would dress up to receive him.
However, the smell of alcohol could not be removed, and every time her father smelled it on her, he would hit her mother, saying: “How dare a woman drink in such a reckless way?”
Am I lucky I didn't get hit?
Chloe wondered for a moment. At least Eric didn't hit her.
She was grateful for this. She wasn't respected as a wife, but at least she was respected as a human being.
After thinking this way, Chloe smiled helplessly. She was actually grateful for this.
Will spring come when winter ends? Or will the snow continue to fall?
Will her feelings be affected enough to make her heart overflow with emotion, or will she be thrown into the depths of cold enough to make her bones ache?
The latter possibility was more likely.
She didn't think it would ever get this warm. Spring would never come to her... She felt as if she would die in winter, just as she had lived through winter all her life.
“Oh my God, Marchioness Aslan?”
At that time, Chloe heard a familiar voice.
Chloe slowly moved away from the wall and turned towards the source of the sound.
Countess Isnett and her court were standing there. They were friends of Chloe from the past.
Chloe smiled at them gently.
"It's been a long time. How are you?"
They leaned towards Chloe and bowed slightly, and Chloe bowed in return.
“Of course, everyone is fine.”
said Countess Isnett as she approached Chloe.
“You should have told us you were coming to the capital. If we had known, we would have organized a welcome meeting for you, even if it was a small one.”
“I didn't have time to call you because I came in a hurry.”
“Urgent?”
Countess Isnet frowned slightly.
“Something must have happened.”
Countess Isnet took Chloe's hand anxiously.
Suddenly, Chloe felt that the Countess's body temperature was warm.
When was the last time you felt another person's warmth?
Chloe looked at their hands, where they met. She smiled softly.
Countess Isent and Chloe were not close.
However, they had known each other for a long time. They understood each other to some extent, and knew each other's circumstances in general. Therefore, it was rare for one of them to offend the other. In fact, that never happened.
It was such a generous tribute that came from knowing someone for so long and being with them that long.
In this context, Chloe's relationship with Eric...how should she express it?
Even though they had been together for five years, they knew nothing about each other.
Regardless of whether they really knew nothing or had no desire to know the other more, there were many unknown things.
She had never held his hand before. She didn't know his warmth.
"renal?"
Countess Eisant asked Chloe while she was in a momentary daze. Then Chloe looked up, realizing her mistake.
“No, there's nothing going on.”
"truly?"
Countess Isnet's eyes widened.
“But why...”
Then she glanced at Chloe's empty side.
“Aren’t you with the Marquis?”
But wow!
The strange thing is that it was a question that carried a sarcastic tone.
Why?
Why was she asking this question?
Chloe faced this question at that moment, and she quickly noticed the hatred in their expressions. They looked at her with disdain.
They were showing their contempt for her because she was an unlovable woman, and because she had no power because her husband did not love her. That's why they were treating her this way.
Chloe trembled, a terrible feeling of helplessness overwhelming her.
“Indeed, the Marquis is very busy.”
"That's right. He's the busiest person in the capital—no, in the entire country."
“I can't believe he leaves such a beautiful wife alone at home...”
“Did you dance tonight?”
They revived one by one. Chloe bit her lower lip hard, barely able to bear the humiliation.
“It's not just a day or two that my husband is busy.”
She tried hard to keep her smile.
“I don't think that's something you should worry about.”
It was a stinging remark, so everyone kept quiet about it. All of them except the Countess.
Anyway, Chloe was Duke Rolf's only daughter, and moreover, she was a Marchioness.
It seemed like they forgot about it just because they pointed it out.
“But how can I not be worried?”
But Countess Isnet did not back down. Once again, she took Chloe's hand and smiled.
"We're close friends. Shouldn't we share our concerns together?"
Chloe suddenly felt that the other woman's body temperature was alarming.
The feeling was like hard cold ice.
This was the temperature she felt from someone so hostile toward her. It was very cold.
I'm always here to listen. I also know a lot about matters related to the relationship between men and women, so I will be of great help to you.
Countess Isnett continued to caress Chloe's hand.
“Especially when it comes to nighttime matters.”
“The Countess.”
Chloe took a deep breath. She didn't want to listen to this. She didn't really want to stand here and endure this.
She sometimes remembered how her mother would scold her for what happened between a man and a woman in the evening, and for the fact that she had never slept with Eric. It was shameful. It was insulting.
“Let's stop here.”
Chloe forcefully pulled her hand from the Countess's grip. Countess Isnet's words were full of venom.
Why? Chloe thought they had a good relationship. Why would the Countess do this to her?
Chloe felt a bitter taste in her mouth as she noticed a change in her demeanor. At the same time, she was so angry that she wanted her to stop talking immediately.
"Oh my God. This isn't something I'm forbidden to say. Can't we talk about this?"
The Countess asked the other women around her. Then she focused her attention on Chloe again.
“Or is it because the noble Marchioness does not wish to join our conversation?”
At that moment, Chloe felt extremely suffocated.
She is the daughter of a duke. Do you think she only wants to be associated with people of the same level as her?
“How stubborn! What a wretch!”
And I remembered what the servants of the North said.
When she arrived in the capital, she thought she would never hear these words again because she would meet her old acquaintances. But that was not the case. This was their view of it as well.
Chloe couldn't clear her mind, it was full of desperate thoughts.
Then at that moment.
“What's going on here?”
Chloe felt a touch on her shoulder, and she looked up.
“What do you have to do with my wife?”
To her surprise, it was Eric. With a red face, he clearly showed his displeasure without trying to hide it.
“If there is nothing else, finish now. I want my wife back.”
The women, including the Countess, were surprised, but they bowed to Eric, and then walked away. As they did so, they kept glancing back at Chloe and Eric, and seemed to still be talking about the couple.
After being left alone, the husband and wife did not exchange any words.