# 36
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"renal".
At that moment, Eric called her. Chloe quickly raised her head.
“A letter arrived yesterday.”
"letter?"
Chloe couldn't guess and asked again. Eric brought the letter and spoke.
“It's a letter from your mother.”
"…My mom."
Chloe, unconsciously, bit her lip.
It had been a full year since the last letter from her mother. Naturally, the reaction would have been one of joy, but that was not the case for Chloe.
Her mother would only call her when something bad happened.
What will it be this time too?
She felt her heart beating hard as she took a deep breath. He handed her the letter, and she slowly began examining its contents.
[I heard you're in the capital?]
As usual, there were no formal greetings or anything like that. Chloe read the next line.
[This is amazing. Actually, there was something I wanted to ask your husband. So I will visit you tomorrow. Be well prepared.]
Chloe's eyes widened in surprise. The date the message was sent was only yesterday. Which means that “tomorrow” actually means today!
“Mom says she'll come.”
“I read that too.”
“She says she will arrive today.”
“It's okay. Let's get ready.”
“You may have already arrived.”
“Then we can only seek her understanding. Tell her we were traveling and only saw the letter now.”
“I don't think my mother will understand.”
Chloe's mother, to put it kindly, is the true embodiment of an aristocratic lady, and to put it poorly, a different woman inside and out.
She was always smiling kindly, but inside she was hiding a knife between her lips, and she knew how to use it.
Only Chloe knew the truth about her mother. So she started to feel a heavy pressure weighing on her chest. She pressed her hand to her forehead and let out a long sigh.
Her heart was beating fast. I felt a little dizzy. She started to feel a cough, but made an effort to calm it down and get it into her chest.
“Does it worry you that much?”
Eric asked.
Naturally, since Eric has no idea who Chloe's mother is, he won't know why she's reacting this way.
Chloe took a second look when she realized she had revealed too much of her feelings, then quickly shook her head.
“No, it's okay.”
“You say you're fine all the time, when in reality you're not.”
Eric said, looking at Chloe with a questioning look.
“We have Andrea, so she would have received her without any problem. And there is Daniel who will provide her with a companion to talk to.”
That part wasn't at all what worried Chloe. In fact, her head began to hurt just at the thought of her mother coming, knowing very well what to expect.
But this could not be revealed to Eric. Chloe tried to raise the corners of her lips as she nodded.
“…Okay. I won’t worry.”
Eric stared at Chloe with a hesitant look. This time, Chloe avoided his gaze, turned her eyes to a place far outside the window, and clasped her hands together.
The weight of this feeling weighing on her could not be alleviated. Maybe it will continue all day... and it will remain like this until her mother returns, specifically.
Chloe quickly ran past Eric as they returned home.
Eric was very surprised because he had never seen her like this before, but he understood that she would welcome the Duchess. He hastily assumed that she would be happy to meet her mother after a long absence.
Of course Chloe wasn't happy at all. She was just afraid.
What will she say again, what words will she use to torture me again?… She was worried. When the door opened, everything was as expected.
“I was hoping you would be fine since you are the Marquis’s maid, but no. You are completely uess.”
She was scolding Andrea.
“Look at you sitting there calling yourf a maid and you don't even know how to set the right temperature for your tea. Hey, why don't you start learning the basics again?”
Andrea was actually a very respectable maid. She was kind and affectionate. Chloe was quite satisfied with that. But her mother used to criticize the most trivial things and lose her temper over them.
Tea temperature! How long has she cared? She was taking out her anger as usual. Chloe approached her with quick, halting steps.
"My mom."
The Duchess only turned when Chloe called her.
“Why are you here?”
The Duchess received Chloe as usual.
“Even though I may have sent the message at the last minute, is that the reason for this transaction?”
“We're out.”
“However, you should always pay attention to messages. You are not doing anything right as the mistress of the house. In fact, as in the past, you are still as stupid as ever.”
Chloe bit her lower lip hard. It's really you who are still as rude as always. She almost exploded in anger, but she suppressed her anger. You endure everything again.
“You are here, ma'am.”
At that moment, Eric entered the house. The Duchess beamed and approached Eric.
“Lord Eric is as handsome as ever. So, is everything okay?”
“Things are going according to plan, thanks to your concern.”
"What's there to worry about? I didn't do anything."
The Duchess faced Eric and laughed indulgently as if she had never acted so sharply before.
This was something she had always seen, but seeing it today was even more disgusting. Although it may not have been appropriate for her to feel this feeling of disgust towards her mother, she could not suppress it. Because she was able to guess why her mother was coming.
“Please have a seat. Andrea, make some tea.”
“Yes sir.”
Andrea left hurriedly, her face still red with embarrassment.
Eric took the Duchess to the side table in the central living room, and sat opposite her. Chloe sat next to him. Their hands slid under the table and met. Their joined hands trembled.
“So, what brings you here? The journey wasn’t going to be easy because of the heavy snow.”
Eric said politely. The Duchess let out an exaggerated laugh as she waved her fan.
“Well, Joseph did something again.”
Joseph. That was her brother's name.
Chloe felt her heartbeat quicken the moment she heard his name. She felt her palms sweat. She took a deep breath, trying hard to calm down.
“Something, what does that mean?”
Eric asked lightly. The Duchess immediately jumped up at that and answered quickly.
"He said he was going to open a business. It seems he was finally convinced. It's amazing that he's working so hard to support himf! Oh, you can't imagine how much I suffered every day because of Joseph! I even prayed that this kid would come to his senses! But do you expect that? He finally woke up and found something to do for himf! That's why I ran to you right away. Do you understand what I'm saying?"
Eric stared at the Duchess. Eric couldn't be ignorant of the meaning of her words. He looked away from the Duchess and looked at Chloe.
Chloe had her head down, biting her lip. It was expected that she would give such a response because she hates spending money on her family.
Eric was at a crossroads. Respecting Chloe's position means that not giving the Duchess money is the right thing to do. But at the same time, this behavior would be no different from ignoring the Duchess. If he didn't give the money, Rolf's family would certainly collapse and go bankrupt. So, Eric had to make a choice.
Will he respect Chloe's position, or will he follow her mother's position and save Rolf's family?
The answer was clear.
“If you can tell Daniel how much you need, I'll tell him to keep it going.”
“Oh my God, Mr. Eric!”
The Duchess grabbed Eric's arm in a huge overreaction.
"This debt will certainly be paid. No, no. This can't be called a debt. Right? Since you took my only daughter. Right?"
Instead of answering, Eric laughed softly. He pretended not to want to continue the conversation, but the Duchess seemed not to notice. Or maybe she had noticed, but she just pretended to. Anyway, she opened her mouth again.
“By the way, I heard a very strange rumour.”
She continued her speech.
“There is a rumor that Lord Eric and Chloe are breaking up. I thought it was just silly gossip, but it seems there are many who believe it. Is it true?”
Eric's eyes crinkled hideously. Then he opened his lips.
“Impossible…”
“Mom.”
It was Chloe who interrupted Eric's words.