Spring in My Grasp - Chapter 32

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————

(32) He Weighed on My Mind

“What are you scheming now?”
Another provocation. I simply lowered my gaze and said nothing. Engaging with a rabid dog only meant losing more flesh to its bite.
‘Not a single day passes without her tormenting me.’
I thought bitterly.
“I thought I made myself perfectly clear last time?”
Audrey spoke.
“Do you honestly believe it makes sense for you to remain in this position even after the Young Master became a Holy Knight?”
“….”
“Why? Do you not wish to divorce?”
Her mockery had begun to cross every line.
“Could it be… that you’ve been clinging to him with your body?”
In that instant, my eyes widened. My body? She meant… I was inwardly appalled. Then understanding dawned.
‘Ah, I see now…’
Only then could I comprehend Audrey’s reaction.
‘She’s misunderstood because we, who were estranged, have been living together in the Annex lately.’
Yet even so, Audrey had no grounds for such accusations. Alexis and I were a legitimate married couple, and there was nothing inherently wrong with us maintaining a harmonious household. However…
‘I must have become an eyesore to the Glister Family as well.’
It was only natural they would prefer to associate with more advantageous families rather than keep me as Alexis’s wife. One need only look at my own family, the Hartwood House, to see the same pattern.
But here, I was merely an outsider, and unwilling to be swept away by that tremendous current, I simply endured the humiliation Audrey now inflicted upon me.
“Just as expected of the eldest daughter from a family that sold their child for coin.”
She lifted her eyes and raked her gaze over me from head to toe. Dirt-stained apron, neatly bound hair. Her eyes held nothing but contempt and disgust.
“Though what else could you possibly offer besides your body? With no refinement, no status, no wealth to speak of. All you’re capable of is clinging to others.”
I offered no rebuttal to her words. Responding to such remarks would only lead to conflict, and in this place, I was the weaker party. Any trouble I caused would result only in my own loss. Audrey, sensing my silence, grew even more enraged and raised her voice.
“Do you have any idea how ridiculous it is for you to stand beside the Holy Knight? All of high society laughs at you. Everyone whispers about you, saying: What is this woman? She was the burden of the Hartwood Marquis Family, and yet she still clings to being the Holy Knight’s wife in the Annex!”
Audrey flicked her handkerchief onto the table before me with a sharp gesture. The white cloth fell to the floor and crumpled.
“That is your fate. An abandoned wife, a laughable eldest daughter. All you have left to do is withdraw. If you persist in clinging, you’ll end up like this handkerchief.”
Her words cut through the air of the room like a cold blade.
“Don’t fool yourself into thinking the Young Master’s current affection will save you. We are the Glister Family. Disposing of you is nothing to us.”
I paused for a moment, quietly shaking the moisture from my hands. My expression barely changed. I simply regarded Audrey calmly, then answered with composure.
“Thank you always for your kind instruction.”
That serene response only inflamed Audrey’s anger further. She widened her eyes and shrieked.
“Fine, if you understand, then get out! The position of Holy Knight’s wife does not suit you. Never!”
With only those words, Audrey swept her skirts and stormed out of the Annex. I exhaled deeply and sank onto the living room sofa. I had truly reached my limit.
***
The glow of sunset settled gently over the Annex courtyard. Alexis carefully tucked the precious jewel bestowed upon him by the Temple into his pocket and entered the Annex with measured steps.
His heart soared like that of an excited child. Though he had been exhausted all day, buffeted by the palace, the Temple, and high society figures, the mere thought of seeing her smile as he presented this jewel sustained him.
‘How delighted will she be when I give her this?’
Suppressing his smile and holding his breath, he opened the Annex door. An uncharacteristic playfulness bubbled up within him. He hadn’t returned this early in recent memory, so Rowan would surely be startled by his sudden appearance. And when he presented the jewel at that moment, how much joy would bloom across her face? Lost in his own imagination, he grinned to himself as he stepped into the living room, only to freeze at the sound of a small voice drifting from the kitchen.
“So, Lea. If only that person hadn’t come to the Annex every single day like this, I would have left long ago.”
In that instant, Alexis’s heart plummeted.
‘Left?’
That was unmistakably Rowan’s voice.
“It’s truly unbearable. I understand that he treats me kindly now… but the more he does, the more I’m being tormented. I’ve reached my limit enduring my sister’s cruelty each time.”
Rowan’s voice was low and composed, yet it pierced Alexis’s ears like a blade.
‘My sister?’
So Audrey had been tormenting Rowan in secret. Alexis’s hand trembled. The jewel he’d been gripping firmly in his pocket clinked softly. The eager steps that had carried him here moments ago, desperate to see her smile, now felt leaden and rooted to the ground.
“Now that he’s become a Holy Knight, there’s no reason for me to remain here. Everyone wishes for my departure anyway. Yes, then it’s only right that I leave peacefully someday.”
Alexis’s chest collapsed. Leave? She would leave?
“Honestly, I felt so sorry for you, Rowan.”
Lea spoke.
“It must have been difficult before the Young Master, but after he became a Holy Knight… everyone has been tormenting you, telling you to leave of your own accord.”
“Lea….”
“I understand your feelings. I’ve watched from beside you all this time.”
Then Rowan replied.
“Truthfully, it’s impossible to remain at his side now that he’s a Holy Knight. The people in the Main Residence feel that way, my sister feels that way… they all so desperately wish for me to leave tactfully.”
“Rowan.”
“It’s just….”
She continued.
“Alexis weighs on my heart.”
“….”
“It’s just that leaving like this… he weighs on my heart.”
At her final words, Alexis’s mind went blank. He quietly slipped back out through the Annex door, leaving their whispered conversation behind. Standing before a carriage parked near the Annex, he withdrew a cigarette and placed it between his lips.
-Alexis weighs on my heart.
Rowan’s words echoed endlessly in his mind. Drawing deeply on the cigarette, Alexis closed his eyes.
-He weighs on my heart.
His grip on the cigarette tightened.
‘Yes.’
He had made his choice.
‘That’s enough.’
The jewel in his pocket felt cold against his skin.
Then came the sound of hurried footsteps from the distance. A Glister Household Attendant came rushing over, breathless, and upon spotting him, bowed deeply.
“Alexis! You’re being summoned urgently from the Main Residence!”
“….”
“Word has just arrived that you’ve returned, and you’re to come to the Main Residence at once!”
That voice carried a sharp tension. Alexis did not turn around. He simply closed his eyes with a chill, then slowly pivoted to face him.
“I understand.”
His voice was low, yet it could not conceal the fury and despair seeping through it.
***
Passing through the doors of Count Glister’s Mansion and into the corridor, a gleaming golden chandelier dominated the ceiling. The lustrous marble floor reflected shadows with each step, and a crimson carpet stretched endlessly toward the reception room. Oil portraits and sculptures adorning the walls gazed down upon Alexis like silent witnesses to the arrogance of his lineage.
The reception room was even more imposing. Intricate carvings adorned the marble columns standing above the fireplace, and daylight filtered through the velvet curtains, casting a golden glow upon the furniture. Silver teacups were arranged in perfect order along the long table, where Count Glister, the Countess, Francis, and Audrey sat in a row.
“You’ve arrived, Alexis.”
Francis forced a smile, yet his trembling lips betrayed far more jealousy and anger than congratulations. Alexis regarded his elder brother with an unmoved gaze, studying him intently.
“I offer you my sincere congratulations on becoming a Holy Knight.”
The Countess spoke gently. Yet the red veins at the corners of her eyes were unmistakably visible.
“It seems the Divine has finally bestowed His grace upon our family.”
Audrey, Francis’s wife, added quietly. Her fingers, which twisted the handkerchief, were subtly rigid. Count Glister sat in silence, regarding Alexis with heavy eyes. Was his second son’s ascension to Holy Knight a blessing for him, or something else entirely?

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————